Begin Again

CHAPTER 20

CHAPTER 20

"Where's Theodore?" Jaime asked, she and Draco were having their little lessons in the Room of Requirements; Jaime was crushing the snake fangs with the mortar while Draco was dictating the instructions.

"Put the six crushed snake fangs in to the cauldron." Draco read the instructions in their Alchemy book, Jaime did what Draco said and put the crushed snake fangs to the cauldron, "Stir in clockwise it five times then let if boil for fifteen minutes." Jaime followed the instructions and did the five clockwise stirs then lets the pinkish liquid boil.

"Mind telling me where Theodore is, now?" Jaime asked.

Draco sighed, "Thedore's spending his weekend in detention, Filch caught him the last time we were here." The night when Theodore, Draco and Jaimer were in the Room of Requirements, Theodore left to go to the bathroom and right after Theodore did his business, Filch caught him heading back to the Room of Requirements.

"And he didn't rat us out?" Jaime said, "How sweet of him."

"I don't think 'sweet' is the best description for Theodore." Draco said, a bit of jealousy was hinted in his voice.

Jaime chuckled and turned to her bubbling liquid in her cauldron, Draco saw the bubbling liquid then read the instructions, "Use the Confringo spell and let the substance absorb the spell."

Jaime pointed her wand in the cauldron and said the incantation, "Confringo." At first Jaime closed her eyes to wait for the explosion, but for some reason the cauldron didn't explode, instead the red smoke took a hold of the spell and wrapped in like a small glass ball and was absorbed down to the liquid, the liquid suddenly turned from pink to blood red, "Now, wait for forty-five minutes to boil and the substance to absorb the spell." Draco said.

Jaime stretched her arms and lied down on the floor, Draco chuckled at her actions and just stared at Jaime. "I can't wait for the holidays, I miss Harry." Jaime said, then she turned to Draco, "What about you?"

Draco slightly frowned and just stared at the boiling liquid, "Not really... Aurors are still watching our very move... the Ministry still does their weekly checks in the house to see if we doing something suspicious... I don't blame them though."

Jaime saw the sadness in Draco's eyes, she knew that the Malfoys were just lucky that they weren't sent to Azkaban for their wrongful acts during the war and for being Death Eaters. Many actually didn't like the Ministry's decision with the Malfoys and were actually demanding for their imprisonment, Kingsley was firm and didn't listen to the people's demand, but to hush the people, Kinglsey made a group of Aurors to monitor the Malfoys in Malfoy Mannor and have the Ministry to have their weekly check in the Manor. To Draco, his home wasn't his home, there was no warm feeling of comfort unlike before – actually the warm feeling of home was gone ever since Voldemort came back and his father arrested.

"I'm so sorry, Draco." Jaime said, she got up from her lying position and took Draco's hand and gave it a squeeze. Draco smiled and stared at their hands. Jaime's hands were warm and soft.

"Don't be, it's not your fault." Draco said.

"But still..." Jaime said.

Forty-five minutes later, the red substance was swirling around the cauldron, with Draco's help, Jaime carved a Transfiguration Circle on the floor then used a spell to keep the liquid inside. Jaime then poured the red liquid inside the circle, with Draco's help Jaime was transmuating the liquid to stone. After a couple of tries, Jaime was able to do the task.

"Now, this stone can be a substitute for the Confringo spell." Draco said, "Come on, let's try it out."

"Where?" Jaime asked.