No Reason

Draco found himself being led by Snape to the Floo Network inside the ministry. He watched for a moment, men and women disappearing into the green flames with so many WHOOSH sounds, it created a dull roar in his ears. He turned to see Snape eyeing him with something he couldn’t quite place.

“Draco, we have much to talk about. Get in there,” Snape said quietly, “And we shall go to my office at Hogwarts.”

“Uh, professor? All my things for school, and my clothes are still at the manor. Couldn’t I go home and retrieve them before coming with you?”

Draco found himself flung into the fire and was spinning on his way before he had time to stop it. He came out, stumbling into the soot as he exited, in the fire place in Snape’s office. He took a moment to look around the room. He didn’t think he’d ever be seeing this place again…

Snape followed shortly, smoothly overstepping the jutting rock upon which Draco had stumbled earlier, and sat down swiftly at his desk.

“Are you mad, boy? Showing up to the ministry like that? Were you unaware that you were wanted for attempted murder? The fact that we were able to get you out without having to fight through a dozen aurors, is a truly amazing mishap, that I’m sure they’ll never make again. Plain and simple, you were lucky Draco. How could you go there without trying to contact me first?”

Draco had been expecting this ever since he had seen Snape show up with McGonagall.

“I wasn’t sure what side you were on.” Draco replied carefully.

Snape studied Draco for a moment, then nodded slowly, as if reaching a decision.

“Draco, I am about to tell you some things that may shock you, prepare yourself.”

Snape never was one to break it to you softly.

*******************

Hermione was eating lunch in the Great Hall, when she heard a booming announcement, meant to reach the very darkest tunnels of Hogwarts, wherever a student may be.

“Professor Snape’s classes after lunch today have all been cancelled. Students, please report to the Library for your lesson, thank you.”

That was unusual, Hermione couldn’t remember a class ever being cancelled before, she wondered what was going on. Her mind clicked to ‘OFF’ as her boyfriend, flopped himself down beside her and began to eat like he’d been starved for days. She saw, out of the corner of her eye, Ron get up, and with a grumpy look at his unfinished sandwich, exit the Great Hall.

Ginny hadn’t even bothered to show up. Hermione felt desperately alone, even with all the people she saw everyday, all the girls from her dorm, all of her classmates, she couldn’t really talk to any of them. All she had was him. She sighed suddenly, missing her parents, as she pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She made to stand, perhaps escape before he had finished eating, but a hand gripped tightly onto her sweatshirt and pulled her roughly back her seat next to him.
Biting her lip, Hermione looked around at all of the faces in the Great Hall, at how they all seemed to blur together, talking, laughing. She jumped a little in surprise when Harry spoke to her, in between sips of his pumpkin juice so he was sure she would be the only one to hear him.

“ Stop looking sorry for yourself. You’re acting like a scared little rabbit.”

“Like you care.” she replied to him hotly.

He pulled her a little closer when she said that.

“I care more about you than anyone else ever will. Who the fuck else would put up with your bullshit angelic little mouse display?” he whispered to her.

She shook her head at him, never really wanting to believe that this was Harry. That he could treat her this way. That he could say such vicious things to her.

“If you’re quite finished with me now, sir,” she spat sarcastically, hazel eyes shining with tears once more, “I’ll be off.”

When she went to get up again he grabbed the tender flesh of her inner thigh, his nail biting sharply into the sensitive skin. Hermione barely managed to stifle a scream, but no one looked over at them. No one noticed.

“You’re going to have to speak much more nicely than that Hermione, if you are ever going to get permission for anything. Especially in fucking public. Now, quit with the noble act and go up and make yourself pretty, I’ll see you in the library for potions.”

He finally let her go and she walked as quickly as she could without seeming like she was running, all the way to the girl’s dormitories where she threw herself down on her bed, said a silencing charm and sobbed into her pillow until she fell asleep, forgetting all about her waiting boyfriend and the rescheduled potions class, as she dreamed of faraway beaches and mountains.

*******************

Standing, with his hand knocking on the beautifully decorated double-wooden doors of McGonagall’s office, Draco Malfoy felt numb and cold, as if he had just walked though a whole crowd of ghosts. A muffled, but stern, “ENTER” sounded from behind the closed door, so Draco strolled in, trying to maintain a casual look, and took the seat that McGonagall offered to him. Despite his effort, his head still shook in disbelief. His normally neat hair was disheveled, and he regarded the headmistress with wide eyes.

“I see professor Snape has had a word with you, Mr. Malfoy?” she asked him with a slight smile.

“I’m sorry to say that he had more then a word, professor.” Draco replied in his drawling tone.

“Yes, well, needless to say, this is not information that should be shared with anyone else, under any circumstance. It could mean lives, if you choose to divulge it. I hope you realize this.”

“Yes, professor.” he said sincerely, who knew better than he the weight of taking a life?

“I don’t really quite understand your reasons for wanting to return to Hogwarts, Mr. Malfoy.” McGonagall said, taking on a much more serious tone. “I will allow you your privacy on the matter, though many have warned that I am being foolish, I choose to trust you. They say you are your father Draco Malfoy, and I don’t believe it. I have taught you for six years, and I do not think you are the monster you have been made out to be, but if you endanger any of my students or my staff members, you will be permanently expelled from Hogwarts and we will offer you no protection against him.” saying this, she eyed him forearm pointedly, where the dark mark was imprinted in his skin in a tattoo-like fashion.

Draco simply nodded, subconsciously tugging his sleeve down lower, even though he knew she couldn’t see through the material of his shirt.

“Your class schedule will be delivered to you in the morning by an owl. I’ve arranged for private quarters for you, for the time being, until you decide whether or not you wish to return to the general Slytherin dormitories, and yes I said Slytherin, Mr. Malfoy, I don’t believe there’s really a need for a resorting. Please know that despite your due privacy, you will be watched. Do not disappoint me or make a mockery of my judgment Mr. Malfoy. I will speak to you further tomorrow, but now, I will summon a house elf to show you to your room, and then you will have plenty of time to get ready for dinner. Farewell for now.”

With that McGonagall flicked her wand and with a pop a Hogwarts house elf appeared in the office and was given orders to show Draco to his room and give him the password. Draco said his thanks yous to McGonagall, and followed the small creature who beckoned to him.

As he walked behind the elf, who led the way through the school’s corridors, he though about how relieved he was that the summoned house elf was not Dobby. He didn’t relish the thought of meeting Dobby again, ever. Cruelty had been one of Draco’s favorite childhood pastimes. He remembered times when he and his best friend when he was a child, Blaise Zabini had played nasty tricks on the elves in his manor for fun, and even though he and Blaise had eventually grown out of their house elf torturing phases, it had been after Dobby’s unpleasant emancipation from the House of Malfoy.

The house elf, who’s name Draco did not ask, gave him a sour look when Draco ran into him, stepping on his foot as he stopped before a painting of a very old-looking wizard with a sly smile.

“The password is ‘Bezoar’. Besides the professors of Hogwarts, only you can change it. To do this, speak with the password keeper.” the elf said in a nasally voice, gesturing with stubby fingering towards the portrait. “If that is all, Mr. Malfoy, it is time I returned to my kitchen duties. Dinner is in an hour.”

Draco nodded, and the house elf disappeared with a low bow and another small pop. Not really seeing the need to change the password, Draco just mumbled the current one to the portrait, which swung open without a word and admitted him into a very fine room, decorated in the traditional Slytherin colors, black, green, and silver. Nothing rivaled his own room at the manor, of course, but this would do nicely, and at least he finally had some fucking privacy.

As the time to go down to the Great Hall for the last meal of the day came closer, Draco began to impatiently pace the room. He wondered anxiously what his Slytherin classmates would think of his return to school. He already knew what the other students would think. Not to mention the rest of the staff members he hadn’t seen since… but surely McGonagall had told them in advance of his return, right?

Then there left the very real possibility that he was a walking dead man. He knew he would be summoned tonight, the whole school couldn’t be expected to keep a secret, as soon as the right person saw him there, Voldemort would be immediately informed. He hoped his plan would work. He had been working very hard.

With a determined look, Draco swept his bangs away from his eyes and climbed through the portrait-hole, Dumbledore’s last words to him ringing painfully inside his head.

“Come over to the right side Draco…”

*******************

Hermione awoke with a start, sitting bolt upright when the heavy door to her dormitory banged open.
`
“There you are Hermione! Of all the places I’ve been looking for you, I never expected you to be here! Sleeping of all things! Do you know you’ve missed potions and charms? Boy were the professors mad when they found out that you weren’t in the Hospital Wing. Imagine Hermione Granger cutting class! Were you sleeping the whole time? Harry’s been looking for you too! A real mess he was, said he had no idea where you were, so I came up here for him to look for you.”

Parvati stopped here to take breath, and looked as if she expected some sort of answer. Hermione could only stare at her with wide eyes and a slightly agape mouth, looking very much like a fish.

“Why are you looking at me like that?! Get up! It’s dinner time already, and you’re going to make us both late. Ugh!” Parvati threw her hands up in the air dramatically and stormed our of the room.

Hermione sat there for a few more minutes, trying to collect herself, and wiping at the spider-web of drool that had dried on her face as she’d slept. “How embarrassing.” she though groggily. Panic began to flood her as she realized that she had missed three classes, because of double potions, and that Harry was looking for her, probably right now.

With a squeak of terror she jumped to her feet, spelled her hair straight because of the knotty mess it was in, and changed her shirt. She grabbed her shoes and almost fell down the dormitory stairs trying to climb down them quickly and pull her shoes on at the same time. There were still a few girls just leaving as Hermione came into the Gryffindor common room, and she didn’t see Harry anywhere, so she allowed herself a small sigh of relief. At least she wasn’t going to be late for dinner.

She followed the very chatty group of fourth years out of the portrait hole, and was halfway down the corridor before she stopped, and watched them disappear into the distance. Thinking that maybe Harry was waiting somewhere in the direction those girls were going, she changed course, and slipped down another hallway that led to the Great Hall. It was a bit longer than the other way, but it would be well worth it if she managed to avoid another dark, abandoned hallway escapade with Harry Potter.

Hermione walked quickly, eyes not really seeing, her mind weighed down with so much though she felt as if she would suffocate at any moment, when a painting on the wall sprung open in a swift movement, knocking the poor unsuspecting girl off her feet and pushing the air out of her lungs as she landed her back.

The old wizard in the portrait raised his eyebrows and leaned forward in his frame.

“Merlin’s beard, my dear, are you all right? I’m very sorry, do you require medical assistance?”

“Oh no,” Hermione gasped, clutching a rib and trying to calm herself, “No, I’ll be okay in a moment.”

She got into a kneeling position, focusing on the floor, and as she sat on her feet to catch her breath for a minute, she noticed a pair of shoes, very clean shoes, new-looking. She hadn’t known there was a room over here. Hazel eyes rose to meet gray ones as none other than Draco Malfoy stood before her, with a mischievous grin and a curious raised eye brow.

“You can stand now, mudblood. Master says it’s allright.” With a bark of laughter he took off in the direction from which she had come and left a very shocked and hurt Hermione behind him.


AN*: My bad about being lazy with updating. I've been tired alot lately. I'll try to update more regularly.