Canary Creams and New Yellow Paint - (DRARRY)

Chapter Twenty-Six

When Draco wakes, it's to frantic noises across the hall. He blinks blearily and gets to his feet, padding across the rugs between his room and Harry's, then knocking softly.

The door swings open at the slight pressure from his knuckles, and Harry looks up from where he is digging through a pile on the ground.

"All right?"

"The entire room is covered with symbols again."

Draco looks around at the soft moonlight dipping in through the curtains, painting the room a muted blue. It looks normal to him.

Then he realises what Harry's saying and straightens. "Fuck. You think—"

"The ward's fallen. I don't know if the Ministry finally took it down or if it collapsed on its own. Either way, we don't have time. We've got to get down there. Now. And I think Click's been trying to get a message to me. I think he's in danger."

"We can't leave."

"We're not allowed to leave. There's a difference."

"You think you can get us past twenty armed Aurors without our wands?"

Harry has put on new clothes, something Muggle-looking with dark colours. He throws a black shirt and shorts at Draco next.

"Really?" he asks dubiously.

"We don't have time to debate here and you need better clothes than that." He gestures at Draco's undershirt. "We're getting our wands."

At that, Draco pulls the clothing on without protest. He dips back into his room for a moment to grab the Reveliospecs, just in case they'll be useful, and then he's outside Harry's door again just as he's exiting.

"Get everyone from the east hallway," Harry says, before disappearing down the west.

Draco goes door to door, knocking first and then entering if no one responds. After thirty solid seconds of banging on Parvati's door, he gives up and enters. Her bed is empty.

Draco steps back into the hallway, looking curiously both ways. Then, riding on instinct and feeling a distinct twinge of amusement, he knocks on Lavender's door.

She answers it, robe pulled tightly over her body, eyes guarded. "What do you want? It's late."

"Tell Parvati it's time to go. The ward fell. We're going to steal back our wands and Apparate to North Moor, now."

Lavender fumbles. "Parvati isn't..."

He raises a hand to stop her. "Just be downstairs in ten. Put on something that's better for sneaking around."

He wakes Blaise, Scorpius, and Teddy next, then they troop down the stairs.

Everyone meets in the sitting room, but the lights stay off.

"How are we doing this?" Teddy whispers. "What's the game plan?"

"We need to get to our wands without alerting any of the Aurors," Harry says. "They're probably under a pretty powerful locking spell right now."

"The first problem is actually getting us out," Granger says. "We're locked up in here, remember? They've warded the whole place to Australia and back."

"I might be able to help with that," Blaise says. "I'm not just good at putting up wards, I can do a fair bit of damage taking them down, too."

"Wandlessly, though?" Weasley asks.

Blaise slaps him merrily on the shoulder. "Let's find out."

As Blaise approaches the door, Harry whispers in Draco's ear, "What exactly is he planning to do?"