"Why are you still here?" I groaned. He blocked my way.
"Why do you need Felix Felicis?" Draco asked, smirking. "To get lucky with me?"
"Shut up, Malfoy."
"Is it for you?"
"Could be."
"Potter?"
I hesitated. "No."
"So it is! Oh, how I hate that ba-"
"Malfoy I'm getting late, and I left my date stranded in the middle of the party."
"Oh, you landed yourself a date in four hours?" he sneered. "I didn't expect that much from you, Steele. Who is it?"
I blushed again. "Tracey. She's a friend."
"Davis?" Malfoy burst into laughter again. "Oh, every time I think you've done it, you've finally made me think the worst of you, you go and make things worse. What can I do but laugh at someone like you?"
"I didn't ask for your input." This time, I sidestepped him, rushing toward the door. Before I could escape, Draco whipped out his hawthorn wand, pointing it at the door.
"Colloportus." The lock clicked.
"Really, Draco? All I have to do is say Alohamora-"
"I'll go with you to the party."
"Why?" I asked him, taken aback. "All of a sudden?"
"It's not for you," he snapped. "I have something to do there. I'll stay shut about your stealing if you take me to the party."
"But Tracey-"
"She'll live." As Draco walked towards the door, I had a chance. I grabbed his left arm lightly, almost feeling for the mark. "What are you doing?" He yanked his arm back, self-consciously rubbing his inner forearm. I swallowed, staring into his grey eyes.
No, Draco. Not you. Don't tell me he turned you too.
He continued towards the door, glancing over his shoulder to scowl at me.
ϟ ϟ ϟ
This time, when I entered the room, everyone was shocked. Tracey's jaw fell. I walked past Harry, slipping the Felix Felicis into his hand. He'd know what it was; Slughorn had specifically called on him to answer the ingredient question in class.
"Good luck," I whispered. I took a seat next to Hermione, Draco pulling in a chair on my opposite side, next to Slughorn, who gave me a knowing look. I rolled my eyes.
Slughorn didn't like Malfoy, I could tell. He probably only told me to invite him because of, well, me. Rumor had it that Slughorn didn't want anything to do with Death Eaters . . .or their children. I glanced at Draco, who had a smirk on his face, staring everyone down.
"Your twin Loony Lovegood's here," Draco said, leaning towards me.
"Don't call her that," I pinched the spot above his knee.
"Ow! Don't touch me," he hissed.
"You crashed the party and forced yourself as my date. Stop talking."
Malfoy leaned back into his seat, crossing his arms over his chest.
ϟ ϟ ϟ
"Why did you give me this?" Harry asked, approaching me. He pulled out the vial, and I quickly pushed it back into his pocket.
"It's for you. Whenever you need the luck, drink it."
"Thanks," he said with a smile. "You brought Draco?"
"I met him on the way to get you that," I nodded towards his pocket. "He wanted to come. I don't know why."
Harry looked past my shoulder. "He and Snape are talking." His green eyes returned to mine. "Did you find out anything about the . . ." He pointed at his left arm.
I gulped. "No." I mean, I wasn't lying. I hadn't confirmed anything yet.
"Alright. I'm going to go speak with Slughorn."
"Be careful," I said, and he nodded. I looked around, following Hermione's steely eyed gaze, only to find Ron and Lavender cozying up in the far corner on the room. Smoke seemed to blow out of her ears. She caught my eye and seemed to notice I was here. Hermione made her way over to me, the scowl never leaving her face.
"You brought Malfoy? I thought you said he hated you."
"He came for his own reasons," I repeated. "You came with McLaggen?"
"Save me," she groaned. "I just escaped . . . From under the mistletoe."
"Oh, God," I laughed. "He's coming here. Run. Hide." She ducked, almost disapparating. In a flash, she'd squeezed past two witches, and then she was gone.
"Have you seen Harry?" Luna asked. She must have remembered me from the Order mission last year.
"Uh, he was here a moment ago." I scanned the room for glasses and a scar, but he was gone.
And so was Malfoy.
I took a shaky sip from my goblet and took a seat in the corner.
"How are you enjoying the party?" Slughorn asked. I looked up.
"I'm having the time of my life. Have you seen Harry?"
"He left just moments ago."
"Thanks." I got up, unintentionally leaving him standing alone. I snuck out of Slughorn's massive office, and slunk through the corridors looking for Harry. I eventually found him standing outside a door, his ear pressed to the keyhole. "It's rude to eavesdrop, Harry."
He looked up, startled, pressing a finger to his lips.
It's Malfoy, he mouthed. Dread swirled in my stomach. I tiptoed forward and Harry moved over just a bit so I could listen in as well.
"Draco, you can't act like this," Snape drawl slipped through the keyhole.
"Why do you care?" I hears him say, imagining a scowl across his pale face, his silver eyes narrowed.
"I made an Unbreakable Vow to your mother to keep you safe. Let me do the planning, and you stay behind the scenes."
"No! You don't understand any of this. It's me, my decision, and my job. Stay out of it. I don't care what my mother says." Draco's voice cracked on "mother".
"Harry," I whispered, tapping his shoulder. "We need to leave. If we get caught, we'll never find any information."
His green eyes caught mine, and he nodded after a slight hesitation. What had Draco gotten himself into? What Unbreakable Vow had Snape made to his mother?
ϟ ϟ ϟ
"I'm sure of it now," Harry said, pacing through the common room. I sank further into the soft crimson chairs, feeling out of place. "Malfoy and Snape are working for Voldemort."
"Are you sure you're not jumping to conclusions?" Hermione asked. Thank you for taking the words right out of my mouth, I thought silently. If I made any comment that took Malfoy's side, they'd kick me out faster than you could say You-Know-Who. "I mean, I know it's Malfoy of all people, and he's got a terrible history-"
"Horrible," Ron corrected.
"Fine. Horrible," Hermione continued, "but there's no proof."
"Hermione, it's Malfoy. This isn't the first time he's done something dark and creepy. He's evil. Face it."
"Um," I sat up, gulping. "Can I say something?" Three heads whipped in my direction, as if they'd forgotten I was there. "If you'd like, I can watch Malfoy. I mean, it's easier for me, for obvious reasons, but I don't want you thinking there's something wrong with him if there really isn't. It'll create a mess."
"I agree," Hermione said, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I was exhausted after the party, and desperately needed sleep.
"Fine." Harry crossed his arms over his chest. "But watch him," he pointed at me. "You're a part of this now."
"I know."
"We trust you because you helped us a countless number of times," Harry continued.
"Got it."
"Okay. Go to bed. You look like death. And you have to walk across the entire school to get to the Dungeons, so you better leave now before Filch catches you."
"I know," I groaned, getting to my feet. "See you later."
The three of them nodded, and I exited the common room, pushing past the Fat Lady.
ϟ ϟ ϟ
There was a Quidditch match today, Slytherin versus Hufflepuff. We all knew how this one was going to end. Slytherin played dirty. Hufflepuffs were just too nice.
I sat in the stands, wrapping my green and silver scarf tighter. It was getting colder and colder every day. I shivered as the wind blew, ruffling through my layers of robes. I pulled down my hat lower.
The game started. Zacharias Smith was in the lead, knocking the quaffle into one of the goals. Unfortunately, Crabbe was there before him, slamming the large club in his hand against the bludger and sending it flying towards Smith. At the same time, our Slytherin keeper flew on his broom, smacking the quaffle in the opposite direction. The bludger nearly crashed into Smith who dropped a few feet below to avoid getting pummeled.
Malfoy and Summerby, the Hufflepuff seeker, watched the skies carefully for any sign of gold. Behind him, Vaisey Urquhart, our Chaser, flew towards the quaffle, knocking it into the goal as Goyle almost ripped off another head with the bludger. Draco turned on his broom in a nice three-sixty form and faced the front again.
"Twenty points to Slytherin!"
Smith knocked the bludger towards Crabbe, successfully hitting him in the shoulder. Crabbe yelped, dangling off of his broom.
"Playing dirty, are we?" Malfoy shouted with a smirk. "Seems like one of these bludgers finally knocked some sense into you."
Smith's face turned a deep shade of red. Behind him, Zabini scored another ten points for Slytherin.
Cadwallader grabbed the quaffle, spinning and tossing it to the other chaser on their team. Ten points to them.
There it was. I saw it before Malfoy did, a tiny flicker of gold whizzing around in the air.
"There it is!" I shrieked, hopping up and down. "Malfoy, behind you!" He spun around, spotting the golden snitch. It was a race between Summerby and Malfoy; twisting, turning, dodging. The snitch took a nosedive and Draco followed. I pressed my hands over my eyes, only slightly peeking through the gaps between my fingers.
Summerby pulled up. He couldn't let himself go too far; he would never have been able to make it up in time. Draco was still heading for the gold ball, stretching out his arm. Right before his broom slammed against the ground, pieces of splinters and bones exploding everywhere, Draco pulled up.
The crowds fell silent.
Draco raised his hand, opening up his fingers. To my surprise, his hand was empty. Nothing. I fell back onto the seat with a groan. That was absolutely horrible.
And then he raised his other one, a naughty smirk on his face. He opened his hand and the snitch was released, whizzing around his head like a hummingbird. The crowd erupted into cheers, green flags waving. I rolled my eyes, grinning. What a show-off.