November Snow

f i f t y - f i v e

Many of you would pay to see the look on Pansy Parkinson's face the morning few days after Draco was released from the hospital wings and walked to the Entrance Hall for breakfast with me. I told him I wouldn't mind sitting far away and such, but he insisted that we kept close. I could see Ron's mouth agape, Hermione's and Ginny's lips curled up into smirks, and Parkinson was just fuming. She glared at me throughout the meal and it got even worse when Draco decided to give me a light kiss on the forehead before we parted ways.

"I knew this would happen eventually." Hermione said when I walked towards her.

"I totally called it." Juliette chirped in as she walked by with Zabini.

"Good job." Zabini smiled "At least now he's less grumpy."

While some of my friends smiled at me and patting me on my back, some other people just stared oddly as if I was dating a troll and a few people glared daggers at me. When I walked out of the Entrance Hall, I saw Parkinson, Greengrass and some Slytherin girls hurdled together at the end of our House table with angry looks on their faces. They wouldn't let me get away with it, would they?

These days had been quite nice, actually, though some bad things did happen. Hagrid's big eight-leg friend Aragog died in the school grounds because of old age, the gamekeeper was devastated. Though I overheard Ron told Dean Thomas that he was quite glad, considering his fear of spiders.

That's right, Ron, I heard you. You better not let Hagrid hear that.

Harry had been gone for the day. Business with Dumbledore, he told me, I knew exactly what it was all about. Dumbledore had been trying to find the Horcruxes, and now that Harry was aware about their existence, he would join force with the Headmaster to help destroying them as well. We weren't worried, of course, we knew he would be safe with Dumbledore on his side. They should be back in the evening if everything was in order.

Meanwhile, classes were so hopelessly boring I really thought I had superpowers not falling asleep during the lessons. I thought Potions might be a little bit more interesting but apparently something happened to Professor Slughorn and he looked so devastated. Poor old guy, he was a little too old for whatever stress he was handling. Think what you want, he's not Dumbledore.

Harry, somehow, trusted me with his Marauders Map when he left with Dumbledore. Imagine the look on my face when I saw him giving me a piece of old parchment and said "I trust you with this". It took me a little while to realize it was the magical school map that James, Sirius, Lupin and Pettigrew made. I also managed to make him tell me how he worked the map, and he, being Harry Potter, told me after fifteen minutes of persuasion. Not bad, huh?

Bored out of my mind, I lifted myself from bed and took the map out, made sure the door wasn't opened and tap the blank parchment with my wand.

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

The black ink slowly spread out on the piece of parchment under my table, showing the entire school grounds in squares and circles. I saw a few people walking and pacing around, and then my eyes landed on a specific name. Draco Malfoy. It was nearly midnight, what was he doing walking around?

I didn't think too much until he just vanished from the map on the seventh floor. I looked across the map over and over again, made sure my eyes didn't fool me. If they didn't, then everything I tried to prove Harry, everything I said about Draco being a good person, was wrong. Deep inside my gut I wished my eyes had fooled me.

They didn't, he did disappear in the seventh floor corridor.

Seventh floor. That brought back some memories. Last year, the Room of Requirements, our DA meeting place, was on the seventh floor. I still remembered it, the room which could take many forms to the user's will. It was Neville who found it, now I guess it was Draco who had been using it this year.

I carefully slipped on my coat and sneaked out of the Slytherin common room, then hastily made my way up the twisted and wicked stairs (by wicked I mean literally wicked, sometimes they just moved when I was walking on them) to the seventh floor. From the dungeon to the destination, it was quite a lot of work. If I had to do that everyday, I would lose more than just few pounds.

And here I was, in front of the wall to the Room of Requirement. It didn't show up. The large, black wooden door didn't appear on the wall and pushed itself backwards like it used to. Maybe I didn't need it enough. I closed my eyes and prayed for it to open, but the moment I opened my eyes, the wall was still a blank wall.

At that moment, I thought of how much trouble Draco had gotten himself into. That's probably why he had been very sullen these days. Maybe Harry was right, he was gotten into some serious dirty business for the Dark Lord. I didn't want to believe it, but again, it wasn't impossible, was it?

I had to convince him out of the game, I thought to myself, the Order could try to protect him like they had been with Harry. But how could I help him when I couldn't even get through these walls to him? I had to find a way. I had to. I just had to.

To my shock, a loud thud echoed from the wall and I whipped my head, awaiting a miracle. The familiar black wooden double door's carvings ran down the blank concrete like ink, spreading it ways across the parchment color surface and finally, it formed an entrance. The door pushed itself back and in front of me held a measureless room filled with abnormal artifacts. I held my breath and stepped in, as if breathing would blow this place away.

Dim light shone through the room, there were countless stacks of books, tables and cabinets. There were things I recognised, like broomsticks, jewelries, decorations, globes and such. There were also weird-looking things like a glass sphere I nearly knocked over when I was busy marvelling the area. But I was off topic again. I needed to find Draco.

Then I heard people talking from the far right of the room, and followed by a shriek of laughter that sent chills down my spine. My brain screamed not to go near, but I was beaten by my curiosity. And I still needed to find him. He was somewhere in here, I wasn't going to be wrong.

As I ventured closer and closer to the source of those sounds, I hid myself in the dark shadows and watched what was going on just right past that wooden desk stacked with books and shiny golden telescopes. Draco was there, in front of the Vanishing Cabinet, the one Harry had been going on about. What took me back was the person next to him, Bellatrix Lestrange. That explained the laughter I heard.

Draco opened the cabinet again and another person walked out. Fenrir Greyback, the werewolf who had made Lupin's life this way. I gritted my teeth, but my hands shook in fear. Two more Death Eaters came in after that, both were wearing masks. They all smiled evilly, Lestrange let out a loud, cruel laugh as Draco's body stiffened.

Suddenly, Greyback began sniffling the air. He growled slightly and murmured something I didn't catch. But the moment I saw the others looking around in an alarmed fashion, I knew Greyback had caught my scent. I slowly backed off and tried to go unnoticed, but things were never in my favor. My arm gave a slight nudge to a telescope and it fell down, making a loud clang.

I decided to run for it. I picked up my pace and ran back the way I just came in. I heard footsteps following me, chasing me, to be exact, and I pushed myself towards the door. I could see it from where I was. Just a little bit more and I would be outside, with help. Just a little bit more and I would be safe. Just a little bit more--

A large, sweaty hand grasped the back of my collar and lifted me up, my feet dangling few feet from the ground. I looked up to see Greyback sneering at me, his fangs were visible under his thin lips and pure cruelty shone bright in his eyes. Others caught up later, Lestrange laughed out loud as I looked at her, then to the devastated-looking Draco.

"Gotcha, little birdy." She chimed in her maniacal voice.