When Twins Strike Back | Draco Malfoy [3]

Chapter 10 ~ Umbridge's Attempt to Take Over

Dear Padfoot,

I hope you're okay. It's getting colder here. Winter is definitely on the way. Even though I'm back at Hogwarts, I'm still not happy. Harry wants to talk to me, but I always push him away. He wants to talk about Cedric. He thinks it'll make me feel better if I talk about him. It doesn't make me feel better. It makes me even more sad. I feel so alone. I figured you'd understand.

Write back soon.

Max

I was in my warmest attire as I went walking around the grounds on an early, cold, Saturday morning. I went inside the Forbidden Forest and went to the same spot Cedric and I spent our last night together. Once I got there, I started to cry silently. I missed him. Why did he have to die? We loved each other.

"Max?" I turned around and saw Harry behind me. "What are you doing here?" He sat beside me on the ground and looked at me.

"Cedric told me that he used to come here when he was upset. I decided that I wanted to come here, too. It's the last place we had our special time together." I looked down at my fingers and started fidgeting with them. "We never even went on our first date to Hogsmeade, you know."

He shot me a sad look. "You're not okay, are you?" I shook my head. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Finally, after him asking me numerous times, I nodded. "He was my first love and then he just left. Just like that. One minute he was there and then another minute he was gone. We spent our last night here. He told me he loved me. I said it back. Then he gave me this necklace." I was now crying my eyes out. "I miss him, Harry."

Harry looked at me with sadness and pulled me in for a hug. I cried in his chest, getting his shirt soaked. He held me for a long time, not complaining about the cold. While he was probably freezing, I was warm.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm sorry this happened to you." We were silent again until Harry started speaking again. "Have you eaten anything today?"

"No."

"Then let's go get something." I nodded and stood up with Harry.

We walked back to the castle while Harry was comforting me. No matter how many times he said everything was going to be okay, it wasn't. There was no way in hell anything was going to be okay from now on. Everyone around us was dying, everyone around us that was still alive hated us, our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was a bitch, and there was a possible chance that a war was coming.

Great. Just great. How was I going to solve all of these problems?

I felt the warmth of the castle hit my face as we entered inside. The Great Hall was filled with everyone, chatting and eating at their own table with their own friends. Harry and I walked up to Hermione.

She noticed us walking up to her and ignored Ron. "Harry. Max."

"Can we join you?" I asked her.

She looked at us with sympathy. Before she could answer, we heard arguing from outside. I was the first to go out there to see what was going on. It was McGonagall and Umbridge. The two were going up the staircase as they were still arguing. I heard the entire Great Hall come up behind me. Harry came beside me as everyone's eyes focused on the teachers.

"Pardon me, Professor, but what exactly are you insinuating?" Umbridge asked her.

"I am merely requesting that when it comes to my students, you conform to the prescribed disciplinary practices," McGonagall replied.

"So silly of me, but it sounds as if you're questioning my authority in my own classroom, Minerva."

"Not at all, Dolores, merely your medieval methods."