Wonder // Draco Malfoy

39. The Black Lake

"How do you expect to go to the Black Lake close to midnight without being caught?" Marcus inquires, hunching over to speak quietly with me and Rue. "If you can't recall, you aren't the most elegant person, Valentine. You're too clumsy to pull something like that off."

We stand from the Hufflepuff table in the great hall to go back to the common room after dinner. My eyes scan the room and I stop walking when they land on two people that would know exactly how to do what I need to do - Fred and George Weasley. "Let me ask the masters themselves," I say, beckoning my friends to follow me to the Gryffindors.

"What can we do for you?" George asks, folding his hands together like a business man. "You look like you're scheming something we can help with."

Their friends clear a way for me to sit across from them, with Rue and Marcus standing behind me. "Is our little lovebird trying to live on the edge? Being a champion gotten too into your head?" Fred teases, smirking as he leans forward.

George shakes his head. "No, I expect the naughtiest thing Valentine would ever do is grow a tail on someone's back."

"Or levitate books to scare first years!"

They begin to cackle as they tease how innocent I am. I clear my throat to disrupt them and I lean in. "I need to sneak out."

Their expression turns serious with a hint of disbelief. "What could you possibly want to sneak out for?" George asks.

Fred leans to the side and looks behind me. His face contorts to one of disgust and he looks at me again. "Don't tell me you want our help to see him?"

"I figured out the next task and have to practice in private," I whisper. I don't want anyone overhearing because I don't think I'm allowed to openly speak about the second task. Fred raises his eyebrow and both he and George lean forward.

"When are you wanting to sneak out?" George asks. Marcus and Rue are now leaning over me, sheltering me from anyone reading our lips or hearing our conversation. "How many people do you have to sneak out?" His eyes shift between my two friends.

"Just us," I reply, waving my finger between my friends above me. "So can you help us?"

-

Marcus peaks his head out the Hufflepuff door and squints into the darkness. He quietly exits the common room and I see his hand waving me and Rue to follow him. We exchange one last glance and hurriedly follow him. Rue is carrying a small purse that has everything we need in it. She bewitched it to hold as many items as we need, yet it's barely a handbag.

We flatten ourselves against the wall and slowly make our way to the staircase. Rue squats and crawls slowly to the stair landing to look below. She nods her head and a few sparks fly in the air, followed by a few loud cracks. The Weasley twins begin to cackle as they run away toward Gryffindor common.

"Get back here! I'll catch you this time!" Filch shrieks. Once I hear his footsteps fading away (and the sound of his cat's paws trotting behind him), the three of us take our chance. We quietly descend the staircase as quickly as possible and make our way to the door. We're still squished along the wall as we do so in case there are professors or prefects out.

Marcus opens the door just enough for the three of us to squeeze through and he shuts it quietly. "Okay, we have exactly an hour to do this," Rue whispers as the three of us jog to the Black Lake. We ignore the cold biting at us and the crunching of the frozen grass under us. "Do you think that's enough time?"

A light turns on in the Durmstrang's ship and we veer closer to the forbidden forest, hiding in the shade provided by the trees. The door opens on the ship yet we don't hear anything further. "I think we woke someone up," Marcus whispers.