NIGHTINGALE ( draco malfoy! )

15. sectumsempra

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

THE NEXT AFTERNOON, AS MALIA AVERY WAS LEAVING the Room of Requirement, she was proud to say that she had discovered the spell that would successfully transport a living being through the Vanishing Cabinet. Harmonia Nectere Passus. It wouldn't be much longer before the others would hear about her discovery and successfully find passage into the school. Although she should've felt relieved, Malia couldn't help but feel a large amount of regret and guilt eat at her insides.

She needed to find Draco.

     When she entered the Great Hall for lunch, it was more lively than she had expected for the middle of the day. Students were walking in and out, chatting in small groups. Walking over to the Slytherin table, Pansy Parkinson was laughing with Daphne Greengrass while Jeremiah Prince, Theodore Nott, and Blaise Zambini were huddled a few spaces away in conversation.

Malia's eyes scanned the Great Hall, across the tables, but Draco Malfoy was still nowhere to be found. Sighing, the girl walked over to the Slytherin table and took a seat next to Blaise and Jeremiah, who had stopped their conversation due to her arrival.

"Hey, Malia." Jeremiah greeted her. "You didn't miss much, we were just talking about the upcoming exams. I heard that Potions is going to be the most difficult of them all."

"Thats nice." Malia replied, although due to her tone of voice, the boys could tell that she wasn't interested. "Where's Draco?"

"I dunno..." Blaise Zambini shrugged, taking a bite of his food. "He never showed up."

"He didn't?" Malia asked, turning to the boy.

"Yeah, but I wouldn't worry." Blaise assured her. "Draco's always off doing his own thing. I'm sure he'll turn up later."

Eyes moving to the Gryffindor table, Malia noticed Harry Potter standing next to Katie Bell, fresh out of St. Mungo's. The girl looked better, well, better than she had when Malia last saw her. Although it had been months since anyone had seen her, she was suprised that Katie had such a quick recovery.

     Malia's breath hitched in her throat, "Is that...?"

     "Katie Bell, yeah." Jeremiah answered her, following her gaze over to the girl. "She was just released from the hospital this morning. I couldn't imagine the pain that girl went through, surviving a deadly curse like that."

"I know..." Malia trailed off, biting at her lower lip. I was the one who gave it to her.

     "Hey, there he is!" Blaise called, pointing over to the entrance. "See, I told you he'd show up eventually."