Dungeons

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Draco wasn't happy about waking again in the dark. Unless Granger was over him with her top off, he saw no good reason to be conscious. But there he was, staring up at the shadowy green canopy, every muscle alert.

Something was here. Granger had Vanished—he'd sensed that instantly—and Tennant was in Durmstrang brewing cursed ale or designing new Marks or whatever budding Dark Lords did in their spare time. But something else was here. And it could only be ...

No.

Please, by the gods, NO.

Oh-so-slowly Draco turned his head, every muscle taut, and saw two golden eyes and the faintest hint of orange in a black silhouette. Granger was gone, all right, but she'd left her hellcat behind. Draco raised a hand to confirm his throat hadn't been ripped out, relieved to feel intact muscle and smooth skin.

He slid his other hand along the coverlet, toward the darkwood wand he'd stuck to a bedpost. The shining eyes narrowed. Just another inch and he could cast a—

The cat leaped, and not even Death Eater-trained reflexes could hit this target. The animal sailed right over Draco, disappearing through the crack in the bed hangings, and Draco's Petrificus Totalus bounced off the canopy. He had to roll quickly to avoid Body-Binding himself.

Draco jumped out of the bed with a howl of rage and a standing lamp lit up the room. The ebony grandfather clock tolled: dong, dong, dong, dong.

Cautiously, he began searching the room: Once Draco found that blasted cat, he'd Petrify it and carry it out of dungeons in a bag. Hopefully the thing was alright and not sucked in or strangled or cursed by one of Tennant's objects. Granger would skin him alive.

"You can't hide from me forever," he called out, casting a string of locator spells.

No result. The little monster must have some magical defenses.

"Get out here or I'll hex you bald!"

Nothing.

"Do you really want to stay here, with no food or water, until Granger returns tonight?"

Apparently so.

"Look, uh ..." What was the thing's name? Cookbook? Crankshaft? No, that was Muggle Studies again.

"Listen ... ah ... Cranky," Draco said. "I won't hex you. I'll just lead you out of the dungeons. That sounds fair, right?"

Silence.

"YOU FUCKING MANGY MONSTER! GET OUT HERE RIGHT NOW BEFORE I BLOW UP THIS ROOM AND YOU WITH IT!"

Alright, perhaps that wasn't the best approach. He needed to trick the creature into revealing itself.

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