Surprising turn - a turn for the better? Or into madness ... (Draco Ff)

Chapter 19 ~ Keep your secret from yourself too.

Victoria's Pov.

The Christmas holidays were just around the corner, all of Hogwarts was festively decorated with no matter how many Christmas balls, fir trees, which Hagrid brings to the castle like every year, and also little Christmas angels that flew through all the corridors of Hogwarts, let artificial snow trickle from the ceiling and spread pure joy  .
The smell of biscuits and gingerbread had been in the air for days and everyone was looking forward to Christmas.
Many, actually the majority of the student body, go home to celebrate with their loved ones.
Many do not know whether it might not be the last feast with the family, now that the dark lord has caused terror again and entire Muggle villages will be wiped out.
It will only be a matter of time before the first wizards and witches have to believe in it, or Voldemort overthrows the Ministry to gain even more power.
Many parents think about taking their children from Hogwarts and fleeing to another country every day, but for many, almost everyone, Hogwarts seems to be the safest place in the whole wizarding world.
As long as Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore keeps the students safe here at Hogwarts, Hogwarts will remain the safest place for now.
I stayed at Hogwarts, as did Draco, to finally make progress on the Vanishing Room.
Unfortunately, part of the task of repairing the cabinet didn't go according to plan, as did the second part, killing Dumbledore.
Draco tried several times already.
He knew deep down that he wouldn't be able to kill Dumbledore while looking into his eyes.
Which is why he already tried to kill Dumbledore with a cursed necklace, but it ended up in the wrong hands and thus transported Katy Bell to St. Mungo's.

Draco continued to prove to be of little help in fixing the Vanishing Cabinet, as he was busy day and night making a plan for how to kill Dumbledore.
I didn't get any further, no matter which spell I tried, starting with "Reparo", "Omne opus non est, ut fix", "Figere ascendit", "docebit omnia vobis", "simul bene sit" and "Eadem vobis siblings  ", but nothing worked even remotely, nothing completely repaired it so that a living being, a human, could teleport with it.
It was real hair pulling.
I felt left alone, Draco was not interested in the cabinet at all at the moment and was also no longer seen in the "Room of Requirement".
He had tried several times to speak to me about our last conversation, but I kept refusing him.
I couldn't tell anyone, they'd all hate me if they didn't already.
No matter where I went, no matter which house it was, I was stared at.
The looks of the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were equally appraising, only the Gryffindors topped this and went one step further.
Like today, when I made my way to the great hall, I was intercepted.
It was Potter and his two friends, Finnigan, Thomas and Longbottom also joined them.
"What do you want?" I said in an annoyed tone.
"We want answers," Weasley said curtly.
"Ask Granger, she always knows everything." "We want answers from you, Lestrange," Potter announced casually and when he gave my last name, Longbottom winced.
"Well, Longbottom, how are mum and dad?" I asked in the direction of the intimidated Gryffindor, who then, eyes narrowed with anger, came up to me, pressed me against the wall and held his wand to my throat.
"Better soon after I have done justice to you for your mother's deed."
“Hah, you and take revenge that I don't laugh.  What do you want to do, kill me? "I said in a voice that was ironic.
"No, that would be too gracious," he replied doggedly and pressed his hand to my neck.
"Okay Neville, we're going to calm down now," Potter said carefully, taking the wand from Longbottom's hand, which he was gripping tightly.
He eased, removed his hand from my neck, which made me breathe properly again, and took a step back.
"Well, Neville, it's better that way," Potter spoke to him as if to a small child.
"And now to you Lestrange, what are you planning with Malfoy?", The soft voice had completely disappeared, instead it was now full of anger.
"That's none of your business, Potter," I laughed sardonically.
Like Longbottom before, he took a step towards me and looked me in the eye with hatred.
"What are you doing now?  Do you want to take revenge on me too, for what my mother did to Black? "I mentioned casually and looked indifferently at my fingernails.
"No, I'm not going to take revenge now, not yet, and it's my business if two Death Eaters are walking around free at Hogwarts planning something that could harm us all.  At least Dumbledore should know about it.
So how's it going, do you want to talk to us now? ", My sardonic grin derailed for a moment, but quickly caught me again. I knew that it would come out sooner or later.