Astoria → Draco Malfoy

CHAPTER NINETEEN

"right down the rabbit hole"

When everyone arrived down in the common room the next morning, the tension in the air thick. It was as though there was an invisible divide between the girls and the boys, preventing them from even being in the same area.

"Right, so we need to find Potters map," Daphne took charge, her foul mood fuelling her authority over the Slytherins. "So, first, what does it look like?"

"It looks like regular parchment, and then sometimes it would have a red Hogwarts castle on the front. It said Marauders Map on it." Draco said, trying to remember as much as he could.

"Didn't the Weasley twins use to use that a lot?" Blaise asked him.

"Yes, that's why Filch might have it. If he confiscated it from them, or even if Harry just left it lying around somewhere, Filch would have swept it up and claimed it."

Pansy looked at him intently, "anything else? Or are we just looking for some generic parchment with the castle on it? Because if we are, that's not much help."

"They used to say something to almost turn it on..." he trailed off, stamping his foot on the ground, "they had to turn it on and off. Merlin what was it?" He paced up and down, "give me a second."

"Don't worry Draco, we've got all day. No hurry at all." Daphne rolled her eyes at him, watching as he paced back and forth, and back and forth and back and forth.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

"Nice to know, but we don't really care," Theo patted his friend on the shoulder encouragingly, "but come on, think harder."

"No you idiot!" Draco raised his voice, "that's what they said, the tapped their stupid wands and said I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

"What about turning it off then?"

"We can figure that out later." Pansy exclaimed, "we have bigger problems for now."

"Right," Daphne began, filled with a tiny bit of hope, "where could it be then?"

"Peeves probably has it," Theo said, shifting the weight between his feet, "Draco or Pansy should take that one, Peeves is afraid of them, if not, they're scary enough that they could get the Bloody Baron to scare Peeves for us."

"Peeves isn't the only one," Daphne scoffed under her breath. "Right, Draco and Pansy go do that," she knew Pansy could keep Draco in check, and she didn't want Draco near her or Astoria.

"It could be with Filch, if Peeves hasn't stolen it." Astoria said quietly, "I could deal with Filch."

"I'll help," Theo offered before Astoria had even finished, "Filch hates me, so I can be a great distraction."

Daphne glanced at Astoria, raising her brows, "does that work?"

Astoria nodded.

"Right, then that leaves me and you," she turned to face Blaise, "to go and search McGonagall's Office."

"Last time we went near McGonagall's Office went great with all six of us, so two will be a right treat!" Blaise laughed, shoving Theo jokingly.

"Well.... we can figure it out." Daphne shook her head, "if we fail, we all go back tonight and search the office, okay?" Everyone nodded, "right so come back here when you're done, and someone please come with this bloody map."

After a few moments, the group disbanded, wands in their pockets and goal on their mind.

"So," Theo began as he walked next to Astoria, "what was all that?"