Delicate {𝔻𝕣𝕒𝕣𝕣𝕪}

Chapter 28

The remaining two Slytherins made their way to the room of requirement after their long talk. The 7 of them had agreed to meet there after it all went down so Dean and Seamus had already been there, anxiously awaiting their arrivals.

When Ron, Hermione and Blaine had arrived, they explained what had occurred to the two waiting Gryffindors. While they were pleased there was hope, they were also horrified that Ginny had done such a thing to their friend.

While the two weren't as close to Harry as Ron and Hermione may have been, they shared a dorm with him for over 7 years and that alone meant that there was no way for a friendship to not be formed when they relied on each other so much and the thought of one of them being used for Merlin knows what was incredibly upsetting.

They wouldn't wish that lack of control and peace of mind on anyone, let alone the boy who had saved all of them. Seamus had curled himself into Dean's side, upset at the revelation and craving comfort and reassurance from his boyfriend. Dean wrapped his arm around the smaller boy, dwarfing him as he pulled the Irish boy into his side.

Hermione watched the two with a smile, glad the two had found such happiness with each other. She frowned it thought and she went over her relationship with Ron in her mind. Nothing had really changed all that much between them, in fact, they didn't really act like a couple at all, now that she thought about it.

She glanced over at Ron, seated on the couch across from her, engaged in a hush conversation with the only Slytherin there. He caught her eye and smiled gently at her, before resuming his conversation. She smiled back before her face morphed into a slight frown.

The to were really just still friends, with the title of couple. They rarely kissed, had never done anything more, and really the only times they spent just the two of them was when Harry wasn't there to be with them. She loved Ron, truly, but she wasn't sure if she loved him romantically or platonically, and she knew she really had to think that over properly at some point.

Five heads turned as the door opened, admitting the outstanding two from their little party. Hermione immediately felt guilty about being concerned with her relationship when Draco was hurting so much. Everyone graciously ignored the young Malfoy's red, puffy face as the two took a seat, Pansy shooting them a look, as if to say 'continue talking, we're not here'.

Blaise seemed to pick up on it first as he immediately resumed his conversation with the redhead to his left, his brown eyes flicking ever so often back to his friend in concern. Pansy and Draco began their own quiet conversation, Draco's head remaining down, his platinum locks looking more unkempt than those in the room had ever seen them.

Hermione couldn't help but marvel at how soft it looked, it seemed to soften the whole appearance of the boy, to show that something as simple as his hair, when not hidden behind layers of gel and false pretences, was bright and gentle, soothing in a way it never had been before, when its true self was masked.

Hermione snorted quietly to herself almost rolling her eyes at her romanticism. She couldn't believe she was comparing Draco himself to his hair, since when did she start doing things like that. Pansy caught her eye, an amused expression on her face, seeming almost to have heard Hermione's self-deprecating thoughts. The two shared a smile before the  Slytherin Princess went back to her friend and the Gryffindor Princess to her musings.

"Okay so we should probably try to think of a plan here, if we can," Dean decided to cross the bridge that the rest believed too rickety to journey across. They all looked at him, knowing he was right, but still not liking the idea of making this all the more real.

Draco cleared his throat and nodded towards the boy. "You're right, we really do," He started, trying valiantly to keep his voice steady, "We can't let her keep him under her control like this, but we can't do this on our own. We're going to need help, from someone who can really do something about this." He told them this grimly, loathe to include any 'authority figures' in the matter.

They rest understood his hesitance, the idea of involving a third party, was not the most appealing, but they knew it was necessary. This was mind control they were talking about. They couldn't do this without someone who had power, especially if they wanted it to be as peaceful as possible. Harry could be caught in the crossfire if they went about it in the wrong way.

With that, they decided that Headmistress McGonagall was their best option. Knowing the woman would hear them out and allow them to explain things properly, it was agreed that all of them would go together, planning to present a united front, and show that they were unwilling to back down from this until something was done to help their friend.

Determined and a little giddy, the seven students made their way towards the entrance to her office. The Griffin remained where it had always been, however, it moved without the need for a password, charmed to recognise the group outside and alert those within. The group exchanged a grave look before stepping forward.

Before they could go up, pansy stopped them, having one more thing to say.

"Whatever happens, whatever she says, we're getting him back. I don't care if we have her blessing or if we have to resort to some illegal shit. We're getting him back."

They all looked at her, hearing the sincerity and determination in her voice and seeing it matched in her expression. Nobody was going to stop them. They would do this.

For Harry.

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Lila out 💜