NEMESIS || Draco Malfoy

13

McGonagall and Snape stood in front of me, an old-looking, dark necklace — blue crystals decorating it — hovering mid-air between the two professors. They eyed it cautiously, worry written all over their faces.

"Hayes," Snape spoke slowly, gently guiding the necklace back into the case it was found in. "You've spent the last three hours in detention, correct?" His eyes were narrowed, greasy hair hanging into his face as he turned around to face me.

His eyes flickered over to the brunette boy several feet to my right, seemingly just as annoyed as I was that Potter was still standing next to me.

Professor McGonagall and I entered the room at the same time his two minions left it.

Must be a perk of being the chosen one, that he got to stay.

"Yes, sir." Brows knitted together tightly in confusion, my eyes scanned their expressions; something was definitely wrong.

With the worried frown on McGonagall's face and the way Potter was restlessly tapping his foot against the floors, fixing his glasses on top of his nose every few seconds, it was obvious something had happened.

But what did it have to do with me?

"And you served said detention with Mr. Malfoy?"

Again, I nodded. "I did."

His eyes flickered over to Potter once more, eyebrows raised in an 'I told you so'-manner. "And did he behave... strange, in any way?"

"Strange?" I repeated his words, my mind racing to find anything I could accuse him of to get back at him for that detention. I didn't know why they were asking about him, but it seemed to be the perfect opportunity.

McGonagall observed our conversation carefully, standing next to the Gryffindor boy, her eyes peering over the frames of her glasses.

"No," I shook my head, a little disheartened by the fact he did, unfortunately, not act strange. At all.

Potter grew even more restless beside me, unconsciously straightening his glasses with every answer I gave to calm himself down.

"And did he slip away at any point during those three hours?"

I rolled my eyes this time, growing tired rather quickly of this interrogation that wasn't even about me in the first place. Instead of dismissing Malfoy, she could've sent him in here to answer for himself.

"No," I said once more. "Why are you asking me about him, anyway—?"

I hardly got to finish my sentence when I was interrupted by a sharp hiss. Potter's eyes not on me but instead directed at his head of house.

"Professor—" He almost pleaded, though his voice was stern as he addressed her. "It was Malfoy. I know it was. As far as we know, they could've done it together. Everyone knows about—"

"Knows about what?" I cut him off swiftly, my voice calm, but by the look on his face, the threatening undertone didn't go unnoticed by him. Before I let him answer, I shook my head dismissively. "What is he even doing here?" I asked instead, looking straight ahead at Snape again.

Both professors ignored my inquiry.

"We're asking about Mr. Malfoy because Potter can't seem to fathom the idea of him being in detention," Snape informed, eyes narrowed. "This afternoon, while both you and him were serving your detention with professor McGonagall, somebody tried to commit a heinous crime. The second of its kind in the past week."

I thought long and hard, wondering if I was so out of it, I forgot I had set up another trap that would cost Dumbledore his life. My eyes flickered over to the necklace on the desk behind him, lingering on it for a few moments.