Yours in Mayhem |Dramione

13 fifth year: thirteenth letter

Granger and Potter just snuck into Umbridge's office.

Draco's fingers clutched the note in his fingers, feeling the crispness of it and how tangible it is. How real it is. This is not a dream. Not another one of his nightmares.

It has begun.

The chair skidded against the polished stone floor in his haste to stand up. The small, greasy underclassman that tipped him looked up at him in expectation. Draco fished a sickle from his pocket and flipped it to the other boy's general direction. He watched as his fellow Slytherin almost trip on himself to catch the coin. It was always funny to watch. "Go and fetch Millicent Bulstrode," he commanded and the younger boy took off like a shot amongst the rows of ancient texts. As soon as the greasy underclassman was gone, Draco turned to his classmates that sat with him in the library table. None of them are reading. "Crabbe, Goyle and Parkinson, you're coming with me. We're going hunting."

The sky outside the window turned a shade darker as the clouds covered the sun.

Draco didn't realize that he was racing against the corridors and that he never as much as run that desperately before. Like he really wanted something.

A beefy hand stopped him, pulling him back. The adrenaline made Goyle's face seem foreign for a bit. "Draco, wait. We need to know what to do. What is even the big deal?"

Don't falter. Be dominant. Don't embarrass me now. Be the best.

"Fine, don't come. Just don't feel sorry when you don't see your name in the Prophet tomorrow morning when we finally get to expose Potter for the lying, exhibitionist that he is," Draco turned away as soon as he finished talking.

He heard a grunt behind him and Goyle ran to catch up with his fast strides. "Fine. Just tell me what to tell them."

They were just a corridor away from the Weasley girl. She was asking people not to go down the corridor passing Umbridge's office. "Tell Parkinson to get the She-Weasel, she's a feisty one. Tell Crabbe that the two of you will take down whoever they have else on the little army they have. Millicent Bulstrode will be enough to take down the mudblood," he flinched at the derogatory term but Goyle didn't notice, "and I will get Potter. Umbridge will be back any moment now. She'll just have to catch them at it. Understood?"

Goyle nodded and did as he was told. Gathering every single one of Draco's minions and imparting his orders. They stormed at the front and Draco waited at the tail, looking around for Umbridge.

Lines is the worst that could- will happen. Just lines. He won't- can't let anything else happen to Hermione. Umbridge's lines heal but an Unforgivable Curse won't. Draco can't have that. He knows about the plan to lure Potter into the Ministry of Magic.

And Hermione will come with him because that's what she does and Draco doesn't- couldn't comprehend why! It is none of her business what that scar faced orphan does, right? She's better off without his distractions. It all leads to destruction.

She's better off with me.

And he knows that it doesn't make sense either that he is wasting a perfectly peaceful afternoon just before the term ends just to chase her and Potter. It's none of his business. He is not doing it for glory either. He will gain nothing but will probably get jinxed into oblivion but to hell and back with everything as long as she's safe.

It was then that he understood why Hermione stood by Potter all this time despite the hand of death just hovering over her.

A similar reason but still all the more different.