A Throne of Blood and Stars

Chapter Fifteen

This was such a terrible idea, Draco thinks, looking over his shoulder as he holds onto the branch for dear life. This will not work at all.

He hears heavy coughing and then a deep gasp, and he turns just in time to see Hermione's head dunk under the surface of the rushing river again.

"Bloody hell," he grinds his teeth. "I really should have thought this through."

He waits a spare second until he sees her hideous pink sweater and takes a deep breath, and before he can second guess himself, he dives after her.

*******

Earlier that day

"Weasley, I need to talk to you!" Draco groans as pristinely as possible and leans on the portrait once more. He blatantly ignores the Fat Lady huffing and puffing over by the vineyards. "Open the door!"

"If you would stop your incessant banging, I could go fetch someone for you!"

He turns to glare at the painting. "You would only bring someone unimportant. I need Weasley, Ron Weasley."

"He's resting!"

"And I am waiting! You will find in the very next few moments that I am a very impatient man, and if I do not have Weasley in my sights by then, I will most deliberately blow every stroke of pastel off..."

"He's kidding," comes the muffled reply behind the portrait, and then it swings open to find a bleary Ron blinking away sleep and pulling a sweater over his naked torso. "He's kidding, Fat Lady, he wouldn't dare ruin your delicate artistry."

The Fat Lady harrumphs and turns her back.

"What is it," Ron yawns. "Did something happen?"

"I found something," Draco says urgently, pulling on his sleeve. "I need you to come with me, there is something you need to see."

It takes two minutes for Ron's shoes to get to the entrance after he summons them and then Draco hits him with another Rennervate before pulling him down the Tower.

"Where are we going," Ron asks, his voice still sounds hoarse but it's not slow anymore. He catches up with Draco's pace quickly.

"The Room of Requirement," Draco stops briefly to look him in the eyes, tries to portray how important it is. "I want to show you something."

With their rapid pace, it doesn't take long to get to the seventh floor, and Draco reiterates everything he's found in the past couple of weeks with Ron nodding along.

Draco has the tracing spell memorized by now, and while Ron throws up Disillusionment charms on the entrance, he waves his wand around before the familiar planes of magical signatures glow in front of his eyes.

"Woah," he hears Ron behind him. "That's a lot of magic in one room."

He sees a flash of violet and grins, and when he turns, the little ribbon swirls in excitement. "Hello to you, too."

He turns to Ron but finds he's already looking at him. "Who's is that?"

Draco shrugs. "I have no clue. It is very friendly, though. It helped me find Potter's signature."