An Unbreakable Vow | dramione

08

Draco

"Definitely!" a woman's voice says as I pass her portrait with Granger.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see that it's the woman creating a dog Patronus as she stands next to her husband in the painting next to our portrait entrance.

"They're so-"

"Phoebe!" a male voice hisses, and it's her husband, who's creating the same looking dog from the tip of his own wand.

The woman, Phoebe, immediately stops talking, eyeing me with some hint of nervousness.

"Mike," she whispers softly, and I can barely hear her. "What do you think?"

I stop, curious to hear their conversation, but looking around and pretending not to listen.

"I think, dear, that we should talk about it later," Mike replies in a low tone.

"Malfoy, are you coming, or are you going to stand there?" Granger's voice asks impatiently, interrupting my thoughts.

I roll my eyes and continue into our common room.

-----

"Mr. Malfoy, isn't it?" a low voice asks.

"Who said that?" I demand, looking around the corridor for the voice.

"Why, look to the right of your portrait entrance, young student," the voice replies, and I detect a hint of amusement in their voice.

I turn my head to see a middle-aged man with white hair and pale skin standing next to white hippogriff. I wince at the sight of the creature, remembering my third year not going so well with those creatures.

"What?" I ask, and the man simply smiles.

"Play your cards wisely, Mr. Malfoy," he says, and then starts tending to his companion without another word.

"Cards? What cards? What do you mean?" I demand, but the bell sounds for next class, and I rush to give the lady with the crystal ball the password so I can grab my books, not giving his words another thought.

-----

"Ah, young Malfoy..." a voice drawls, and my head snaps up to see the woman who is our portrait entrance looking down at me with a critical eye.

"What do you want?" I ask, my tone more harsh than I intended. It's the end of the day, and I couldn't stop myself from almost hexing Goyle during dinner when he asked me how my mother was doing; her health has gotten worse, mostly mentally, and I've been working up whatever courage I have to maybe ask McGonagall if I can leave for a few days to visit her; she refuses to hire anyone besides Echo to take care of her.

The session with Granger was mundane, and though I still believe the whole idea is ridiculously annoying, I can't complain too much. I'd never admit it, but Granger's gotten more tolerable; less git-like, I suppose I could say. Still a bookworm, but for some reason that doesn't really bother me as much.

"Well..." Her forehead creases, and she looks at me sympathetically. "I'm not allowed to say anything, Headmasters and Mistresses have forbidden my 'interference' with students' lives, but... Christmas is a da-"

"Malfoy, are you going in?" Granger's voice interrupts her sentence.

I sigh, rolling my eyes again.

"Yes. Cherry Kelp," I say, and the woman sighs, swinging open without another word.

Hermione