The last day of class went smoothly; a bit too smoothly to Maria’s taste. It was as though the whole school was aware of their plan and was joining them in their endless wait. Usually, Maria beamed at the thought of the summer holidays, but not this year. This year, she knew that summer would mean more deaths and more danger… especially for Draco. She knew that once she stepped outside of Hogwarts, she would become a mere spectator, unable to act. She truly hoped that, even amidst the war, the school would reopen in September so that she could be of some assistance in this fight against the Dark Lord. She had a feeling that Draco wouldn’t be coming back next year, but she honestly didn’t want to talk about it; it would only worsen their already bipolar relationship.
Sitting in Charms class, she silently wished for Professor Flitwick to keep on talking forever; consequently, she couldn’t help but feel her heart sink sadly when he dismissed the students. She then dragged herself up to the library, where she gladly started studying for her countless exams; anything to keep her mind busy. She spent her entire weekend there, and certainly wasn’t the only one doing so. Draco, of course, was almost always there too, but they didn’t speak much since they both didn’t fancy discussing their usual heavy subject.
Monday passed, and Maria’s exams had gone pretty well as far as she was concerned. Tuesday’s exams proved to be just as plain and eventless. However, by Wednesday, Maria was really getting worried. She just couldn’t take the passive waiting any longer; she was going to go crazy if something didn’t happen soon. Could Dumbledore have forgotten? But he had clearly told her that he would warn her when the time came… perhaps there had been a misunderstanding? She drummed her fingernails nervously on her desk. Upon revising her Arithmancy test for the fifth time, her mind had finally wandered off to this preoccupying subject. She subtly looked around her; Hermione was still deeply concentrated on the parchment in front of her. Maybe she knew something worth sharing, or maybe Harry knew something she didn’t. She made a mental note to go looking for him once this unending exam was over. Meanwhile, she looked at the blond figure a few rows in front of her. He was staring blankly at the large ticking clock on Professor Vector’s desk at the front of the class. He was probably having the same thoughts as Maria. Why was Dumbledore taking so long? Could they have missed his cue?
Professor Vector collected the last exam with a flick of his wand and the students started chattering at once. Maria didn’t need telling twice: she darted in Hermione’s direction.
"Hermione!" she called out.
The bushy haired witch turned around and was a bit thwarted by Maria’s gruffness.
"Hi, what was your answer for the last question?"
"Seven," Maria replied automatically, "but I was wondering, have you seen Harry?"
"No, but I suppose he’s in the common room, why?"
"I just wanted to ask him something, that’s all."
"I’ll pass the message," Hermione consented amiably.
"Thanks."
Hermione then left the class room as Maria made her way back to her desk to retrieve her things. She was left perplexed when she saw them missing. She looked up and noticed Draco, who was holding out her packed bag to her. A strange atmosphere settled between them, between the many things they left untold, between the many tensions that wouldn’t slacken.
"What’d she say?" Draco asked in a detached tone.
"Nothing," Maria replied faintly with a sigh, taking back her bag.
She then very ungracefully turned around and left; she simply couldn’t handle talking about it, for some obscure reason. She had too much on her mind, too many burdens on her shoulders: she felt like the ‘many things’ were better left untold – for now.
She took a ridiculously long detour to the library, hoping she would stumble upon Harry: but she didn’t. Instead, she had met a group of young Slytherins trying to thrust an even younger Gryffindor into a suit of armour. As a good prefect, she scolded the lot and reassured the youngest. So, when she entered the library, it was with a loud sigh that earned a scowl from Madam Pince. This was a most lovely day.
She sunk into a chair and studied for the next days’ exam. It would be her last one, and the thought almost made her sad. Summer was undeniably close now.
It was near the end of the afternoon when she decided to retreat to her dormitory. However, this time, she didn’t run into one young Gryffindor; but into two old ones.
"Maria!"
She turned around and saw Ron and Hermione approach, carrying a peculiar piece of roughly folded parchment.
"Have you seen Harry?" Maria immediately inquired.
"Yeah," replied Ron, throwing a sideways look to Hermione for her approval. She nodded rather brusquely. He continued: "but he left not two minutes ago."
"He left? For where?"
"He wouldn’t say," Hermione explained, "but he was going with Professor Dumbledore."
She looked at Maria seriously; the kind of look that showed she knew something was going on.
"The Headmaster’s gone?" she repeated to make sure. "For how long?"
"Dunno," Ron said vaguely.
"He’s on some sort of mission with him, he said it’ll probably be a long time," corrected Hermione.
Maria’s heart started pumping faster. This was it, this was her cue. It would happen tonight. For a second, she felt lost and abandoned, but remembered at once the plan etched before her. She had spent so much time mulling things over that she knew exactly what had to be done. A sense of excitement ignited a fire within her; it was now or never.
"Listen, Hermione," she started gravely, but not without a glint of exhilaration in her voice, "Death Eaters are going to invade the school tonight, so we-"
"WHAT?!" both Hermione and Ron cried out.
"Slow down," Hermione commanded worriedly, "how do you know this?"
"To make a long story short, Draco tipped me off," Maria answered hastily.
The Gryffindors where looking at her with perplexed yet wary expressions.
"Harry warned us something like this would happen," pointed out Ron. "He doesn’t trust Malfoy, and neither do I."
His last comment had been said with an accusing tone; but Maria had long ago thought of a retort.
"I won’t deny that Draco has a hand in what will happen tonight; but please consider that he has no control over this."
"It’ll still be the bloody git’s fault!" Ron hissed angrily.
Maria simply ignored Ron, because they would just never understand how it wasn’t entirely Draco’s fault… well, maybe someday, but not now anyways.
"Hermione, Ron, we have to alert every staff member and-"
"But-"
"members of the DA and the Order of-"
"He-"
"the Phoenix, we have to get organized, and fast-"
"B-"
"WILL YOU JUST FORGET ABOUT DRACO AND HELP!" Maria yelled, having lost her patience.
She breathed through her nose, fists clenched tightly. She took a few seconds to calm herself down before clarifying:
"I’ll explain later, right now we need to gather all the help we can get because we’re going to need it."
Hermione nodded compliantly, and Maria was relieved to notice so.
"I’ll contact the Order, and warn everybody else on the way."
Maria returned the nod as Hermione grabbed Ron’s sleeve and pulled him away at a quick pace. It was as though a timer had gone off in Maria’s head: it counted every one of her heartbeats and urged her to hurry. She dashed back to library, hoping that Draco would still be there. He, as predicted, was still seated at a table, studying. Not wanting to appear dubious, she entered the room casually, walked up to Draco, took his hand and tugged him out of his seat before dragging him into the corridor once again. He didn’t protest, but rather looked at her round-eyed. Once they were out of earshot, she broke off breathlessly:
"He’s gone! With Harry, for the night - we have to hurry!"
Draco looked at her with a cold and serious face.
"I’ll meet you in front of the Room of Requirement, in fifteen minutes."
Maria nodded vigorously and they both turned away, ready to attend their own business. Draco headed directly for the Room itself while Maria bolted down to the Great Hall. It was near dinner time and the teachers would, with a bit of luck, already be settled there. She was glad to see Professor McGonagall prowling between the long tables, bringing students back to order. She was after all the Deputy Headmistress; she would know what to do.
"Excuse me, Professor," Maria interjected shyly.
"Yes Miss Cleaver?" McGonagall asked in her usual strict manner.
"I have reason to believe that the castle will be assaulted" Maria said plainly – yet strangely formally, "tonight."
McGonagall’s eyebrows lifted dramatically, as her thin lips pursed. Maria was a good student; the teacher knew she would never lie about this sort of thing.
"How is that?"
‘What to say?’ Maria thought to herself. Should she mention Draco or refrain from doing so, seeing how Hermione and Ron had reacted?
"Malfoy, Professor, Draco Malfoy warned me."
McGonagall’s face had surprise written all over it. Maria had opted for the truth; or perhaps an advantageous version of it.
"Death Eaters will invade the castle tonight, from the inside. We have to act fast," Maria explained insistently.
The Deputy Headmistress thought for a moment, while looking at the young witch through piercing eyes, as though searching her for the truth.
"Are you sure?" she demanded seriously.
"Undoubtedly."
The two women stared at each other intensely, as McGonagall made her decision. She knew that Maria Cleaver, being one of her best pupils, would never joke about this kind of thing.
"Very well then," McGonagall announced, "follow me."
While they were headed to her office, McGonagall produced a patronus, ordering it to warn the staff. The silver tabby cat trotted away hurriedly and it was only a matter of seconds before a silver doe came galloping in their direction. Maria didn’t hear the message it carried, since McGonagall was scribbling roughly on a piece of parchment, which she quickly sealed and handed to Maria. She ordered the young witch to give it to Fawkes, with the only instructions: ‘number twelve, Grimmauld Place’ and ‘delectable fudge’. She had then rushed Maria out of her office. Upon arriving in front of the stone gargoyle that guarded Dumbledore’s office, Maria had figured out that ‘delectable fudge’ must be the password and ‘number twelve, Grimmauld Place’, the address. So, without further notice, she blurted out the password to the statue and climbed the twisting steps two by two, tripping on the last one and crashing through the door. Startled by her brisk entrance, Fawkes lifted his red and gold feathered head in her direction. As she gave him the letter and enunciated the address, he merely looked at her through wise eyes in a calm and soothing way before flying to the fireplace and disappearing in a spiral of green flames.
***
‘I need the Vanishing cabinet’s room, I need the Vanishing cabinet’s room, I need the Vanishing cabinet’s room.’
A door materialized on what had been a bare stone wall and opened to let a nervous Draco in. He quickly made his way through the piles of stranded objects, so used to passing there he no longer noticed the eclectic items scattered everywhere on the cathedral-sized room’s floor. He stepped over a pair of old, dusty brooms, turned left at the cupboard on which stood the bust of an ugly warlock wearing a tarnished tiara and finally arrived in front of the Vanishing cabinet. Without further hesitation, he opened the large double doors and went inside. Next thing he knew, he was slipping out of the second cabinet inside the Hog’s Head. He carefully snuck out, thankful the owner was nowhere in sight. He silently wished that he wouldn’t be back too soon.
He didn’t run, but walked all the way to the Shrieking Shack, for one did not go eagerly galloping towards Death Eaters. He entered the tilting building and ascended the creaking staircase, concentrating hard on keeping himself impassive, triggering his Occlumency skills. He entered the small, confining room and shut the door behind him. He absent-mindedly untied the bandana wrapped around his forearm and pressed his finger onto his Dark Mark as white hot pain shot through his arm before spreading through the length of his body, but Draco kept his face emotionless. A Death Eater almost instantly apparated in front of him: it was Amycus Carrow.
"Yes?" the lumpy looking wizard wheezed.
"We’re taking on the castle tonight," Draco said coldly.
"Excellent…" Carrow commented with a lopsided leer that utterly disgusted Draco.
"The Vanishing Cabinet’s in the Hog’s Head. Tell the others."
"The Dark Lord will be pleased," the Death Eater added before disapparating.
Draco dashed out of the infected shack and headed back to the inn. He honestly hoped Voldemort would not be pleased; but then again, if everything went as planned, he wouldn’t be. Draco sneered as he stepped out of the Vanishing cabinet, but didn’t have time to savour his delight much longer: time was already running short.
***
"Miss Cleaver!" Professor Flitwick exclaimed in his high-pitched voice.
Maria had only just entered the Great Hall, but had quickly understood that the last remaining students were being escorted to their dormitories. News does travel fast at Hogwarts.
"Will you bring these students back to their common rooms?"
She nodded and turned to face the group of first and second year clustered together.
"Everyone, follow me! And follow closely…"
Her command was greeted by a myriad of questions.
"What’s going on?"
"Are we under attack?"
"Is it the Dementors again?"
"Calm down!" she spoke, raising her voice authoritatively. "There’s no need to panic, everything’s under control."
Her strong yet calm tone seemed to have convinced the small group; and also herself. She led the way, making a stop at the dungeons first. Before entering the dim-lighted room, a young girl stopped beside Maria:
"It’s the Death Eaters, isn’t it?" the young Slytherin asked, impressed.
Maria simply looked at the girl with an air of revulsion. She had mentioned the cursed wizards as though they were a fascinating and admirable group. The Slytherin then skittered off to one of the leather couches and flung herself comfortably onto it, visibly pleased. ‘Ignorant kids,’ Maria thought to herself. Yet, her heart squeezed uneasily when she realized Draco had long been like that too.
She then brought the rest of the group to their respective dormitories, finishing with the Ravenclaws. As soon as she entered the blue-tinged room, she was confronted with members of the DA.
"What’s happening?" Padma Patil cried out.
"Death Eaters?" tried Michael Corner.
"We want to help," Luna added placidly.
Six pairs of eyes were scrutinizing her. Maria was honestly happy to see them all rounded up, ready for action. These moments made her particularly proud of their achievements with the DA.
"Yes, Death Eaters, tonight – and Dumbledore and Harry are gone. The Order of the Phoenix has been warned. But please listen carefully, these are Death Eaters; there are no second chances. I can’t tell you how much we all have to be careful; just please, please, watch out and stay in groups."
They all nodded gravely, and Maria knew at once that she had been understood. She trusted her fellow Ravenclaws; she knew they had the wits and everything it took to come out on top.
"For Harry," Luna stated, echoing Maria’s pride.
"For Harry!" the others mimicked before exiting the common room, ready to defend their mentor, but most of all, their friend, at all costs.
Maria was the last to exit the tower and instead of following the others, she subtly changed directions and made her way to the Room of Requirement. She hoped she wasn’t too late; Draco had said fifteen minutes, and she was under the impression many more had passed. She turned one last corner and saw Draco coming out of the huge stone wall.
"Everything’s set?" Maria asked, short of breath.
"Yes, they shouldn’t be long now," he answered.
"How many are coming?"
"A fair few."
Draco bore a hard expression; Maria nodded briefly.
"I’ll send people up to guard the entrance. They’re not supposed to jinx you; unless you give them a reason to," she warned.
She turned around, about to pursue her plan of action, but Draco caught her arm with surprising tenderness, making her heart skip uncomfortably.
"What about you?" he said, suddenly dropping his hard tone, his expression worried.
"I’ll be fine."
She looked into his lively eyes before looking away again. Holding his gaze was too much.
"What if everything goes wrong?"
"Then neither of us will live to tell the tale, won’t we?" she replied with a cheerless smile.
"What I meant was," he started slowly and unnervingly, "whatever happens... to me, or anybody -"
She looked up into his eyes without even realising it; her own full of fear and dread.
"- carry on."
"We will win this, Draco," she uttered decisively, refusing to let his last words sink in.
"We," he simply remarked, with an undertone of hesitation, conflict shining in his eyes.
"Yes, we. Because I won’t have it any other way."
They hugged, finding a brief moment of relief in the other’s arms. Maria tugged at the end of his blond hair restlessly, gripping his collar while he wrapped her protectively, crushing her to him with too much force, but she didn’t protest even the very least.
"Be careful," he demanded in a tense whisper.
"I will," she murmured back in a quivering voice.
Then, she slipped out of Draco’s grip, disappearing around the corner. The last day of class went smoothly; a bit too smoothly to Maria’s taste. It was as though the whole school was aware of their plan and was joining them in their endless wait. Usually, Maria beamed at the thought of the summer holidays, but not this year. This year, she knew that summer would mean more deaths and more danger… especially for Draco. She knew that once she stepped outside of Hogwarts, she would become a mere spectator, unable to act. She truly hoped that, even amidst the war, the school would reopen in September so that she could be of some assistance in this fight against the Dark Lord. She had a feeling that Draco wouldn’t be coming back next year, but she honestly didn’t want to talk about it; it would only worsen their already bipolar relationship.
Sitting in Charms class, she silently wished for Professor Flitwick to keep on talking forever; consequently, she couldn’t help but feel her heart sink sadly when he dismissed the students. She then dragged herself up to the library, where she gladly started studying for her countless exams; anything to keep her mind busy. She spent her entire weekend there, and certainly wasn’t the only one doing so. Draco, of course, was almost always there too, but they didn’t speak much since they both didn’t fancy discussing their usual heavy subject.
Monday passed, and Maria’s exams had gone pretty well as far as she was concerned. Tuesday’s exams proved to be just as plain and eventless. However, by Wednesday, Maria was really getting worried. She just couldn’t take the passive waiting any longer; she was going to go crazy if something didn’t happen soon. Could Dumbledore have forgotten? But he had clearly told her that he would warn her when the time came… perhaps there had been a misunderstanding? She drummed her fingernails nervously on her desk. Upon revising her Arithmancy test for the fifth time, her mind had finally wandered off to this preoccupying subject. She subtly looked around her; Hermione was still deeply concentrated on the parchment in front of her. Maybe she knew something worth sharing, or maybe Harry knew something she didn’t. She made a mental note to go looking for him once this unending exam was over. Meanwhile, she looked at the blond figure a few rows in front of her. He was staring blankly at the large ticking clock on Professor Vector’s desk at the front of the class. He was probably having the same thoughts as Maria. Why was Dumbledore taking so long? Could they have missed his cue?
Professor Vector collected the last exam with a flick of his wand and the students started chattering at once. Maria didn’t need telling twice: she darted in Hermione’s direction.
"Hermione!" she called out.
The bushy haired witch turned around and was a bit thwarted by Maria’s gruffness.
"Hi, what was your answer for the last question?"
"Seven," Maria replied automatically, "but I was wondering, have you seen Harry?"
"No, but I suppose he’s in the common room, why?"
"I just wanted to ask him something, that’s all."
"I’ll pass the message," Hermione consented amiably.
"Thanks."
Hermione then left the class room as Maria made her way back to her desk to retrieve her things. She was left perplexed when she saw them missing. She looked up and noticed Draco, who was holding out her packed bag to her. A strange atmosphere settled between them, between the many things they left untold, between the many tensions that wouldn’t slacken.
"What’d she say?" Draco asked in a detached tone.
"Nothing," Maria replied faintly with a sigh, taking back her bag.
She then very ungracefully turned around and left; she simply couldn’t handle talking about it, for some obscure reason. She had too much on her mind, too many burdens on her shoulders: she felt like the ‘many things’ were better left untold – for now.
She took a ridiculously long detour to the library, hoping she would stumble upon Harry: but she didn’t. Instead, she had met a group of young Slytherins trying to thrust an even younger Gryffindor into a suit of armour. As a good prefect, she scolded the lot and reassured the youngest. So, when she entered the library, it was with a loud sigh that earned a scowl from Madam Pince. This was a most lovely day.
She sunk into a chair and studied for the next days’ exam. It would be her last one, and the thought almost made her sad. Summer was undeniably close now.
It was near the end of the afternoon when she decided to retreat to her dormitory. However, this time, she didn’t run into one young Gryffindor; but into two old ones.
"Maria!"
She turned around and saw Ron and Hermione approach, carrying a peculiar piece of roughly folded parchment.
"Have you seen Harry?" Maria immediately inquired.
"Yeah," replied Ron, throwing a sideways look to Hermione for her approval. She nodded rather brusquely. He continued: "but he left not two minutes ago."
"He left? For where?"
"He wouldn’t say," Hermione explained, "but he was going with Professor Dumbledore."
She looked at Maria seriously; the kind of look that showed she knew something was going on.
"The Headmaster’s gone?" she repeated to make sure. "For how long?"
"Dunno," Ron said vaguely.
"He’s on some sort of mission with him, he said it’ll probably be a long time," corrected Hermione.
Maria’s heart started pumping faster. This was it, this was her cue. It would happen tonight. For a second, she felt lost and abandoned, but remembered at once the plan etched before her. She had spent so much time mulling things over that she knew exactly what had to be done. A sense of excitement ignited a fire within her; it was now or never.
"Listen, Hermione," she started gravely, but not without a glint of exhilaration in her voice, "Death Eaters are going to invade the school tonight, so we-"
"WHAT?!" both Hermione and Ron cried out.
"Slow down," Hermione commanded worriedly, "how do you know this?"
"To make a long story short, Draco tipped me off," Maria answered hastily.
The Gryffindors where looking at her with perplexed yet wary expressions.
"Harry warned us something like this would happen," pointed out Ron. "He doesn’t trust Malfoy, and neither do I."
His last comment had been said with an accusing tone; but Maria had long ago thought of a retort.
"I won’t deny that Draco has a hand in what will happen tonight; but please consider that he has no control over this."
"It’ll still be the bloody git’s fault!" Ron hissed angrily.
Maria simply ignored Ron, because they would just never understand how it wasn’t entirely Draco’s fault… well, maybe someday, but not now anyways.
"Hermione, Ron, we have to alert every staff member and-"
"But-"
"members of the DA and the Order of-"
"He-"
"the Phoenix, we have to get organized, and fast-"
"B-"
"WILL YOU JUST FORGET ABOUT DRACO AND HELP!" Maria yelled, having lost her patience.
She breathed through her nose, fists clenched tightly. She took a few seconds to calm herself down before clarifying:
"I’ll explain later, right now we need to gather all the help we can get because we’re going to need it."
Hermione nodded compliantly, and Maria was relieved to notice so.
"I’ll contact the Order, and warn everybody else on the way."
Maria returned the nod as Hermione grabbed Ron’s sleeve and pulled him away at a quick pace. It was as though a timer had gone off in Maria’s head: it counted every one of her heartbeats and urged her to hurry. She dashed back to library, hoping that Draco would still be there. He, as predicted, was still seated at a table, studying. Not wanting to appear dubious, she entered the room casually, walked up to Draco, took his hand and tugged him out of his seat before dragging him into the corridor once again. He didn’t protest, but rather looked at her round-eyed. Once they were out of earshot, she broke off breathlessly:
"He’s gone! With Harry, for the night - we have to hurry!"
Draco looked at her with a cold and serious face.
"I’ll meet you in front of the Room of Requirement, in fifteen minutes."
Maria nodded vigorously and they both turned away, ready to attend their own business. Draco headed directly for the Room itself while Maria bolted down to the Great Hall. It was near dinner time and the teachers would, with a bit of luck, already be settled there. She was glad to see Professor McGonagall prowling between the long tables, bringing students back to order. She was after all the Deputy Headmistress; she would know what to do.
"Excuse me, Professor," Maria interjected shyly.
"Yes Miss Cleaver?" McGonagall asked in her usual strict manner.
"I have reason to believe that the castle will be assaulted" Maria said plainly – yet strangely formally, "tonight."
McGonagall’s eyebrows lifted dramatically, as her thin lips pursed. Maria was a good student; the teacher knew she would never lie about this sort of thing.
"How is that?"
‘What to say?’ Maria thought to herself. Should she mention Draco or refrain from doing so, seeing how Hermione and Ron had reacted?
"Malfoy, Professor, Draco Malfoy warned me."
McGonagall’s face had surprise written all over it. Maria had opted for the truth; or perhaps an advantageous version of it.
"Death Eaters will invade the castle tonight, from the inside. We have to act fast," Maria explained insistently.
The Deputy Headmistress thought for a moment, while looking at the young witch through piercing eyes, as though searching her for the truth.
"Are you sure?" she demanded seriously.
"Undoubtedly."
The two women stared at each other intensely, as McGonagall made her decision. She knew that Maria Cleaver, being one of her best pupils, would never joke about this kind of thing.
"Very well then," McGonagall announced, "follow me."
While they were headed to her office, McGonagall produced a patronus, ordering it to warn the staff. The silver tabby cat trotted away hurriedly and it was only a matter of seconds before a silver doe came galloping in their direction. Maria didn’t hear the message it carried, since McGonagall was scribbling roughly on a piece of parchment, which she quickly sealed and handed to Maria. She ordered the young witch to give it to Fawkes, with the only instructions: ‘number twelve, Grimmauld Place’ and ‘delectable fudge’. She had then rushed Maria out of her office. Upon arriving in front of the stone gargoyle that guarded Dumbledore’s office, Maria had figured out that ‘delectable fudge’ must be the password and ‘number twelve, Grimmauld Place’, the address. So, without further notice, she blurted out the password to the statue and climbed the twisting steps two by two, tripping on the last one and crashing through the door. Startled by her brisk entrance, Fawkes lifted his red and gold feathered head in her direction. As she gave him the letter and enunciated the address, he merely looked at her through wise eyes in a calm and soothing way before flying to the fireplace and disappearing in a spiral of green flames.
***
‘I need the Vanishing cabinet’s room, I need the Vanishing cabinet’s room, I need the Vanishing cabinet’s room.’
A door materialized on what had been a bare stone wall and opened to let a nervous Draco in. He quickly made his way through the piles of stranded objects, so used to passing there he no longer noticed the eclectic items scattered everywhere on the cathedral-sized room’s floor. He stepped over a pair of old, dusty brooms, turned left at the cupboard on which stood the bust of an ugly warlock wearing a tarnished tiara and finally arrived in front of the Vanishing cabinet. Without further hesitation, he opened the large double doors and went inside. Next thing he knew, he was slipping out of the second cabinet inside the Hog’s Head. He carefully snuck out, thankful the owner was nowhere in sight. He silently wished that he wouldn’t be back too soon.
He didn’t run, but walked all the way to the Shrieking Shack, for one did not go eagerly galloping towards Death Eaters. He entered the tilting building and ascended the creaking staircase, concentrating hard on keeping himself impassive, triggering his Occlumency skills. He entered the small, confining room and shut the door behind him. He absent-mindedly untied the bandana wrapped around his forearm and pressed his finger onto his Dark Mark as white hot pain shot through his arm before spreading through the length of his body, but Draco kept his face emotionless. A Death Eater almost instantly apparated in front of him: it was Amycus Carrow.
"Yes?" the lumpy looking wizard wheezed.
"We’re taking on the castle tonight," Draco said coldly.
"Excellent…" Carrow commented with a lopsided leer that utterly disgusted Draco.
"The Vanishing Cabinet’s in the Hog’s Head. Tell the others."
"The Dark Lord will be pleased," the Death Eater added before disapparating.
Draco dashed out of the infected shack and headed back to the inn. He honestly hoped Voldemort would not be pleased; but then again, if everything went as planned, he wouldn’t be. Draco sneered as he stepped out of the Vanishing cabinet, but didn’t have time to savour his delight much longer: time was already running short.
***
"Miss Cleaver!" Professor Flitwick exclaimed in his high-pitched voice.
Maria had only just entered the Great Hall, but had quickly understood that the last remaining students were being escorted to their dormitories. News does travel fast at Hogwarts.
"Will you bring these students back to their common rooms?"
She nodded and turned to face the group of first and second year clustered together.
"Everyone, follow me! And follow closely…"
Her command was greeted by a myriad of questions.
"What’s going on?"
"Are we under attack?"
"Is it the Dementors again?"
"Calm down!" she spoke, raising her voice authoritatively. "There’s no need to panic, everything’s under control."
Her strong yet calm tone seemed to have convinced the small group; and also herself. She led the way, making a stop at the dungeons first. Before entering the dim-lighted room, a young girl stopped beside Maria:
"It’s the Death Eaters, isn’t it?" the young Slytherin asked, impressed.
Maria simply looked at the girl with an air of revulsion. She had mentioned the cursed wizards as though they were a fascinating and admirable group. The Slytherin then skittered off to one of the leather couches and flung herself comfortably onto it, visibly pleased. ‘Ignorant kids,’ Maria thought to herself. Yet, her heart squeezed uneasily when she realized Draco had long been like that too.
She then brought the rest of the group to their respective dormitories, finishing with the Ravenclaws. As soon as she entered the blue-tinged room, she was confronted with members of the DA.
"What’s happening?" Padma Patil cried out.
"Death Eaters?" tried Michael Corner.
"We want to help," Luna added placidly.
Six pairs of eyes were scrutinizing her. Maria was honestly happy to see them all rounded up, ready for action. These moments made her particularly proud of their achievements with the DA.
"Yes, Death Eaters, tonight – and Dumbledore and Harry are gone. The Order of the Phoenix has been warned. But please listen carefully, these are Death Eaters; there are no second chances. I can’t tell you how much we all have to be careful; just please, please, watch out and stay in groups."
They all nodded gravely, and Maria knew at once that she had been understood. She trusted her fellow Ravenclaws; she knew they had the wits and everything it took to come out on top.
"For Harry," Luna stated, echoing Maria’s pride.
"For Harry!" the others mimicked before exiting the common room, ready to defend their mentor, but most of all, their friend, at all costs.
Maria was the last to exit the tower and instead of following the others, she subtly changed directions and made her way to the Room of Requirement. She hoped she wasn’t too late; Draco had said fifteen minutes, and she was under the impression many more had passed. She turned one last corner and saw Draco coming out of the huge stone wall.
"Everything’s set?" Maria asked, short of breath.
"Yes, they shouldn’t be long now," he answered.
"How many are coming?"
"A fair few."
Draco bore a hard expression; Maria nodded briefly.
"I’ll send people up to guard the entrance. They’re not supposed to jinx you; unless you give them a reason to," she warned.
She turned around, about to pursue her plan of action, but Draco caught her arm with surprising tenderness, making her heart skip uncomfortably.
"What about you?" he said, suddenly dropping his hard tone, his expression worried.
"I’ll be fine."
She looked into his lively eyes before looking away again. Holding his gaze was too much.
"What if everything goes wrong?"
"Then neither of us will live to tell the tale, won’t we?" she replied with a cheerless smile.
"What I meant was," he started slowly and unnervingly, "whatever happens... to me, or anybody -"
She looked up into his eyes without even realising it; her own full of fear and dread.
"- carry on."
"We will win this, Draco," she uttered decisively, refusing to let his last words sink in.
"We," he simply remarked, with an undertone of hesitation, conflict shining in his eyes.
"Yes, we. Because I won’t have it any other way."
They hugged, finding a brief moment of relief in the other’s arms. Maria tugged at the end of his blond hair restlessly, gripping his collar while he wrapped her protectively, crushing her to him with too much force, but she didn’t protest even the very least.
"Be careful," he demanded in a tense whisper.
"I will," she murmured back in a quivering voice.
Then, she slipped out of Draco’s grip, disappearing around the corner. nd hair restlessly, gripping his collar while he wrapped her protectively, crushing her to him with too much force, but she didn’t protest even the very least.
"Be careful," he demanded in a tense whisper.
"I will," she murmured back in a quivering voice.
Then, she slipped out of Draco’s grip, disappearing around the corner.