Coloring outside the Lines (Dramione)

Chapter 13: A shadow in the dark

Hermione and Draco walked out of their common room and down to the Great Hall for dinner. Both were still in shock from the letter Draco had received from his father. Hermione scanned the Gryffindor table and saw Harry, Ginny and Neville sitting and talking. She walked towards her friends, Draco following close behind. 

"Hey Hermione, why does he look like that?" Ginny asked as they sat down with the group. Ginny pointed at Draco's face. His face was scrunched up as if he had just tasted something very sour. 

"Yeah, he's kind of scaring me." Harry said. 

Hermione looked at Draco worryingly and said "Show them the letter." 

"Not here, Hermione. After dinner." Draco mumbled. 

"What letter? Hermione what on earth are you talking about?" Ginny asked, looking from Hermione to Draco and back to Hermione again. 

"After dinner, meet us in our common room and we'll explain everything." Hermione said. 

"'Mione, you both look absolutely terrified. Are you sure everything is alright?" Harry questioned. 

"Is anything really ever alright?" Draco said in a distant voice. 

Neville burst out laughing and said "Malfoy, please NEVER become a wizarding philosopher, you're downright awful at it." Draco looked at Neville with a shocked look on his face as Harry, Ginny and Hermione laughed along with Neville. 

****** 

"Alright Hermione, what is the letter you were talking about at dinner? We NEED to know." Ginny said, urgently as she sat on the floor of the common room by the fire. 

Draco reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of parchment and handed it to Ginny. She grabbed it from his hand and started reading. Once she had finished reading, she passed the letter to Harry who then passed it to Neville. 

Once Neville had finished reading the letter Hermione looked at her friends. Their mouths all hung open and their eyes were wide. "Oh please close your mouths, you're going to catch flies." Hermione scoffed. 

"W-was that l-letter threatening t-to k-kill you?" Neville stuttered. 

"Well obviously, Longbottom. Why else do you think we all look like this? Not like I just got happy news that my grandmother's coming to visit." Draco sneered. Hermione smacked his arm and said "Draco, stop it. There is absolutely NO reason for you to be rude right now." She looked apologetically at Neville. 

"Well, we must tell Professor McGonagall immediately. She needs to know that the safety of her students is being compromised." Harry said. 

"What we must do, Potter, is kill my father. I will not let him get away with any more murders. I just don't know how to find him. He said if I was smart that I would know where to look, but I can't figure out where he would be. I've been racking my brain all day." Draco said. 

"Well, Malfoy, I think we need a plan before you go off on a search for your lunatic of a father." Ginny said. 

"What if we set a trap for him?" Neville suggested from the corner. They all turned to him, eagerly waiting for him to continue. 

"What if, we convince him that Malfoy is willing to join him. He sends a location and we meet him there and then we fight." Neville continued. 

"My father isn't dimwitted, Longbottom. He would never just give me a location to meet him. He would still make me figure it out." Draco said, sadly, "Though it was a good idea Longbottom, so thank you for your input."