It was Madam Pince who found me slumped ungracefully over the same table that I had been tutoring Malfoy at last night. She wore a very disgruntled expression about her sharp face and her beady black eyes pierced my groggy stupor which woke me up right away. Apparently after the events of last night, I must've decided that sleeping in the library was a grand decision.
"Miss Nine, what is the meaning of this? Why weren't you in your dormitory last night? Were you in here all night?" Madam Pince screeched at me.
I rubbed my eyes in order to attempt to remove sleep from sight. I felt very disoriented and slightly dizzy. My back was sore from sleeping in such a slumped position and I didn't even want to chance seeing my hair.
"Well, Madam Pince, what it is–"
"I won't hear it. You will come with me and we will find Professor Sprout and she will deal with this issue," the librarian snapped, spun abruptly on her heel, and stormed from the Restricted Section. I followed reluctantly with my head hung low. For however old Madam Pince may be, she had a brisk stride that even my long legs struggled to match.
The two of us wove our way through the halls and floors to the Great Hall where breakfast was just about to end. Madam Pince waltzed right up to the chair in which Professor Sprout was sitting in and cleared her throat rather loudly. Professor Sprout gazed up from her breakfast and caught sight of me standing meekly behind the impatient librarian. I must've been quite the sight to behold: messy hair, crooked glasses, wrinkled uniform, and stifling yet another yawn.
"Good Heavens, child, it looks like you had a rough night. Go clean yourself up before you're late for Potions!" Professor Sprout ordered briskly before glaring up at Madam Pince.
"Thank you, Professor," I said and rushed off before Madam Pince could protest.
I scurried away from the teachers and onlooking students to the sanctuary of the Common Room. A few straggler seventh years who didn't have first period classes or were just outright skipping lounged and laughed about the arm chairs. They paid no mind to me as I slipped past them and up to my shared bedroom. There, I was able to find a fresh uniform and contain that wreckage that was my hair. Grabbing my bag, I tore out of the Common Room and headed straight for Potions. Luckily, I was able to make it to my seat just in the nick of time as the final bell rang. And not to my surprise, Malfoy was, for the millionth time, missing from his seat. I was ever so thankful that today was a review day for our upcoming N. E. W. T.'s. I couldn't have survived having another class brewing something on my own.
As Slughorn drawled on about our final exams, my eyes wandered to the front of the classroom where a shock of yellow hair was fast asleep and softly snoring. Despite what I kept telling myself, I missed Zach. I missed his arguments with Ernie over who got which dessert, I missed him poking fun at my grades, I missed him giving me a hard time, and I missed hanging out with him on the weekends when the two of us would drag Ernie and Hannah somewhere. The guy sat next to me in Charms and right across from me in Defense Against The Dark Arts and he barely noticed me anymore. He ate all his meals with Wayne Hopkins and Justin Finch-Fletchley. Along with missing Zach, I missed Hannah dearly. She was my confidant, always there for me and I for her. So much had happened this year which had torn her from me and pushed Zach beyond reach. Yet through everything, I counted my self lucky for still having Ernie here. I studied that hair from afar and watched the bemused Gryffindor girl next to him. One of my best friends, gone.
Once Potions was over, a sleepy Zach staggered from the classroom and followed the crowd of students to Charms. I didn't want to go to Charms to again suffer his silence, but I had no choice. Sitting down in that hardwood chair next to a now sullen looking Zach was not my idea of an enjoyable class. Flitwick had us practicing essays and memorizing review material from the beginning of the year and my hand was cramping from clutching the quill so tightly. Zach hadn't even written his name at the top of the page. That made me think of our shared detention at the start of the first semester and I almost said something about it to him. One look at his stone countenance warned me off. I bit my tongue and finished my essay. As I was readying myself to leave, Professor Flitwick approached me and asked me to stay after class to discuss an important matter. I slung my bag over my shoulder and made me way up to his desk as the rest of the class departed.
"You wanted to discuss something, Professor?" I asked with a slight hint of confusion.
"Yes, Miss Nine, yes, in regards to Mr. Malfoy, he's not showing any signs of improvement with your tutoring so I'm afraid I'll have to fail him. Can you explain why his grade has remained at a constant Troll throughout this year?" The tiny bespectacled man questioned.
"Well, you see, Professor, he's very busy with important matters outside of here. They require his attention and devotion," I tried explaining.
"More important matters than passing Charms? I hope you know there are other areas of his academics were he's also lacking—"
"Not Potions, sir," I interjected defensively.
"—as I was saying some other areas, but this is unacceptable. I have heard from Mr. Malfoy himself that these matters at hand are much more important than school, but he needs to pass these classes. Has he told you or confided anything in you about why he is repeatedly absent from class?" Flitwick asked blandly.
"No, Professor, he's told me nothing. We've only met four times this entire year and none of them were particularly intimate in conversation about his outside activities," I lied.
The word 'intimate' kept ringing in my ears as Flitwick digested my response. We had shared two very intimate moments: one conversation and one kiss. The professor needn't know about that. No one need know about that except Draco and I.
"Very well, Miss Nine, you may go to your next class. Thank you for your honestly," he said.
I managed to muster a weak smile and thank him before exiting his classroom nervously. I had just lied to a teacher and a Head of one of the Houses, no less. Before guilt could get the best of me and march me back into and confess to Flitwick, I sped off to the Astronomy Tower for third period. Part way through Astronomy, it dawned upon me that I had missed breakfast and was extremely hungry. The realization that I had missed breakfast reminded me was I still in deep trouble with Madam Pince and perhaps Professor Sprout. Great. The moment my parents get wind of this, there's a good chance Johnny would be the only one coming back next year. Thankfully, the remainder of third period flew by and so did Transfiguration. Zach slept through McGonagall's lecture on serious side effects of human transformations gone wrong and had to be woken up when it was time for lunch.
I miraculously bumped into Ernie on my way to lunch and he looked quite relieved to see me.
"Where in Merlin's name were you this morning? I didn't see you in the Common Room or at breakfast," he said concernedly.
I shuffled my feet anxiously as we waited to get into the Great Hall.
"Come on, Davis, I was worried!" Ernie prompted me to spill.
"Before I tell you, you've got to promise that you will not judge me," I said while staring intently at my shoelaces.
"Cross my heart."
"Here it goes," I mumbled. "So last night was the fourth night Malfoy and I met in the library to do some more studying. The thing is, it wasn't studying. Not even close."
"Wait, did you and him—?" Ernie started but I cut him off.
"I wasn't finished so save your questions for the end please!" I whispered forcefully as we finally took our normal seats across from one another.
"Whatever, keep going, please."
"Malfoy showed up much later than usual, but he was having trouble concentrating. I stopped trying to teach him and he told me he needed to get to bed because of something he had to do today. Well, how do I put this? Malfoy kissed me and I kissed him back," I finished.
Ernie's jaw about hit the table after the last eight words left my mouth. I blushed deeply and fiddled with my goblet of water.
"What was it like?" He asked curiously.
"It lasted a grand total of about five seconds, but it was soft and gentle and tasted like mint toothpaste," I confessed blushing harder.
"Mint toothpaste!" Ernie cried out gleefully.
"Shut up, Macmillan!" I hissed trying to hide the laughter bubbling up in my throat.
"Malfoy uses mint toothpaste!" He was laughing hard now.
"Ernest, shush!" I tried to get him to stop but his laughter was contagious and soon we were both laughing.
"You finally got to kiss the man of your dreams, how do you feel?" Ernie asked winking.
I did not think it was possible to blush any harder but I covered my face with my fingers and glared at him from between my fingers.
"I'm going to continue to give you shit about this until the day you die, I hope you know. I have a serious question, what was the something Malfoy has to do today? I'm guessing he told you or was he too busy shoving his tongue—?"
"I swear, Macmillan, you are going to regret ever opening your mouth about that night," I said as the color of my face returned to normal.
Ernie held up his hands in mock surrender and grinned at me. I rolled my eyes and then thought about what Malfoy had to do today.
"Seriously, Davis, what's he up to? I'm only prying this much because I've lost two friends this year and I'm not about to lose you to Malfoy. What's his game plan today?" He asked.
"I'll tell you when we aren't in such an open place in case someone overhears," I says glancing around the Hall. My eyes landed on Dumbledore and I felt a cold shiver run down my spine.
"Understood," Ernie said with a nod.
The remainder of the day was a blur of N. E. W. T. preparation and too many review worksheets. After dinner, our familiar study group of Susan, Justin, Leanne, Wayne, Ernie, and I met in the library to prepare ourselves more. While we were minding our own business with our noses buried deep in today's assortment of notes, Madam Pince dropped by to talk to me about last night. She told me that Professor Sprout had cleared everything up and that it had all been one large misunderstanding. I thanked her multiple times and returned to my studies. Ernie winked at me and I sent him a jovial glare back. The evening passed pleasantly and I was rather glad to discover I had my Astronomy notes practically memorized. At least that exam would be a breeze. Even the others seemed to have accomplished something academically which brought out a sense of pride in us all.
As we were meandering back lazily to the Common Room, Ernie nudged my shoulder lightly. I glanced up inquisitively at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Can you tell me now what Malfoy told you last night? I'm dying to know," he pleaded.
I looked over my shoulder and then scanned the others ahead of us in the hallway. They seemed to be engaged in a deep conversation so I nodded.
"You already know what Malfoy's task is and how he plans to go about setting it into action. Well, he said last night that tonight will be the time of executing the plan," I breathed.
Ernie exhaled slowly and blinked several times.
"He won't though, will he? He's rather weak after this year," His voice trailed off into nothing.
I shrugged, not really knowing what else to say. If Draco was going to commit a murder tonight, did he have everything planned out just right? Were there actual Death Eaters coming from Borgin and Burkes by Vanishing Cabinet to back him up? Was the Headmaster of Hogwarts going to die tonight? I shuddered at the thought as our study group entered our Common Room and dispersed throughout the remaining available over stuffed-armchairs. Plopping down next to Ernie, I observed my younger brother and his best friend Gwen idly chatting by a large potted fern. He seemed so innocent, smiling at her with his rosy cheeks and bright eyes. The two of them were bother blissfully unaware of what may or may not occur tonight. I envied both Johnny and Gwen momentarily. Not long after sitting down, I felt sleep take hold of my like a comforting hug. Ernie had to shake me out of my sleepy daze in order for me to get to bed.
"Davis?" He asked. "You think anything will actually happen tonight?"
"No, Ernie, I don't. I think we're all perfectly safe. As you said, Malfoy's weak and we all know that Albus Dumbledore is the greatest sorcerer in the world. Even if he is attacked, he's got tons of years of experience on Malfoy. He'll be fine, we'll be fine. I'll see you in the morning," I yawned. We both departed to our beds and fell soundly asleep.
It had to be around 4:30am when I was rudely awakened by a nervous looking Susan. I grumbled as she tugged my quilt off of me and begged that I get out of bed. I had never known Susan to ever talk to me much but this sounded urgent so I grabbed my glasses, wand, and slippers and followed her and an anxious Leanne out to the Common Room. It appeared as though every member of the Hufflepuff House had crammed themselves into the Common Room and all were chattering quietly. I could barely discern what I heard people talking about, but everyone seemed to be moving towards the Common Room exit. One by one, my fellow housemates and I crammed ourselves through the barrel, out through the kitchens, and into the adjoining hallway. I got pushed towards the back of the group and ended up right next to an old faded tapestry. Leaning against it, I craned my neck in order to get a glimpse of Ernie or Johnny or even Zach. I briefly saw a sluggish Zach rubbing his eyes to help wake himself up and noticed Johnny was safely immersed in the middle of the crowd along with Gwen. Where was Ernie?
About to start pushing through people to try and locate him, the tapestry pushed me into an unsuspecting girl next me and revealed Harry Potter? What was he doing here and when had there been secret passage installed behind this giant tapestry? I apologized to the girl and simply gawked at Harry. His hair was a mess, glasses askew, sweater torn, a few cuts and bruises around his face, and blood on his sneakers.
"Harry!" A voice rang through the confused clamor of Hufflepuff students. Oh, there Ernie was! "Harry, we all heard a noise and there's rumor going around about a Dark Mark—" Ernie began.
"Out of the way!" Harry barked and pushed through people manically.
I wanted to run after him for some reason, but my conscience kicked in and I stuck close to Ernie with my eyes on Johnny the whole time. Once Harry had disappeared down the hall, it was very hard fo ignore the bloody imprints his shoes had stained the floor with. I took my eyes off Johnny long enough to meet Ernie's concerned brown ones and it was in the instant, we both knew. Dumbledore was dead and it was Malfoy's fault. How could I have brought myself to have a silly crush on him? All this time I had overlooked everything while clinging to the idea that there was some good in him. I was wrong. I was so wrong to think about him like that after this.
By now, the surge of Hufflepuff's had migrated down the hallway, into the Great Hall, and out the oaken front doors. Other students from Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, and Slytherin alike were also on their way out. Though I had zero idea where we were going, something told me it was to Dumbledore. The frigid early morning air pierced through my pajamas and the dew drops dripped into my slippers. The murmuring mass of students had positioned themselves around the foot of the Astronomy Tower where I saw some were crying. I gripped Ernie's sleeve tightly as we approached. There, at the bottom of the Tower, lay the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore. His grey beard and long hair spilled over the dewy grass as did his billowing robes. His eyes were closed and his half moon spectacles were missing from his crooked nose. To the casual passerby, Dumbledore looked no more than a sleeping man in the grass, but there were no casual passers by this site. I stared in complete and utter shock at this vision of him lying dead at our feet. It was then I realized Harry Potter was sobbing into the chest of the flaming red head Ginny Weasley. She was trying to comfort him as he took heaving breaths and kept shaking his head. The two were intwined at the feet of the deceased Headmaster and were the only source of measurable noise save for the sniffles heard all over the students.
Professor McGonagall, from were she was standing near the hysterical Harry, drew out her wand and raised it to the sky. A simple light shone from the tip and soon everyone with a wand was sending this small bead of light upward. I looked up into the morning sky to witness a creepy cloud over the Astronomy Tower: a skull with a snake slithering in and out of its mouth. Ernie had been right, there was indeed a Dark Mark. It seemed after a few minutes of holding our lighted wands at the Mark, the skull faded and the overcast sky broke up to reveal the morning sunrise. Even with the sun peaking over the smaller towers of the castle, everything seemed to be wearing a shroud mourning for Dumbledore. It hit me hard right then that he was actually dead and gone. It was entirely Draco Malfoy's fault, too.