Heart and Soul

Chapter 5: A Malfoy is a Bad Voice of Reason

About halfway to her dorm, the alarms sounded throughout the school and teachers started rushing around, "Lupin!" Professor Babbling, who teaches Ancient Runes, called. Turning around, Clara met Babbling's frantic gaze in confusion, "Go to the great hall now! We're on high alert!" 

"Professor? Why? What's happened?" Clara asked worriedly as she started towards the Great Hall, Babbling going the same way. 

The woman gave her a dark look and her hand tightened on her wand, "Sirius Black tried to break into the Gryffindor common room. Assume he's at large." 

Clara's steps faltered before she picked up the pace, bursting into the Great Hall in record speeds. 

After a few moments, Dumbledore and McGonagall joined as well, most of the school having already been in the hall by the time Clara arrived. "The teachers and I need to conduct a thorough search of the castle," Professor Dumbledore told them, the doors beginning to shut in the hall. "I'm afraid that, for your own safety, you will have to spend the night here. I want the prefects to stand guard over the entrances to the hall and I am leaving the Head Boy and Girl in charge. Any disturbance should be reported to me immediately," Looking at the head boy, a Weasley Clara noticed, Dumbledore tacked on, "Send word with one of the ghosts."

"Oh, yes, you'll be needing . . ." With that, Dumbledore flicked his wand and hundreds of sleeping bags appeared. "Sleep well," he said before turning and leaving the room.

The entire hall burst into chatter while Clara just meandered over to an end sleeping bag to claim as her own. Before Tracy could notice, Draco had snagged the one next to her. 

"What do you want, Draco?" Clara grumbled as she undid her cardigan and tie, unbuttoning her white shirt to reveal a tank top. Deciding to leave the wool trousers she had on, Clara quickly started braiding her hair to get it out of her way. 

Having been seated on his sleeping bag, Draco cocked an eyebrow at her, "I want to know what has you in such a hissy fit." 

"You mean besides your dunce head of a follower insulting my dad or the argument I had with my dad earlier? Nothing, I'm just perfect." 

Snorting Draco slid into his sleeping bag, "Yeah right, come on, tell me what the fight was about." 

Clara paused in her efforts to get into her sleeping bag, not really wanting to explain the fight or why it meant so much to her but also wanting someone to validate her feelings on the matter. "It's hard to explain." 

"Try." 

"Professor McGonagall offered to teach me how to become an animagus, but dad won't sign off on it. It became this massive blow out and I just don't think he trusts me. It's not fair, I just want to help but he won't give me anything to work with." 

For a while Draco remained silent before speaking, "I assume I can't know what you want to help him with, but if you can't get McGonagall to teach you without your dad's permission why don't you just teach yourself?" 

"The lights are going out now! I want everyone in their sleeping bags and no more talking!" Percy shouted before the room fell into darkness. 

After a second, Clara responded to Draco, "It's a hard process, and Tracy said that I shouldn't do it or I could be stuck as a half-animal for the rest of my life. McGonagall said I could with some help but that I shouldn't try alone." 

"Yeah but that's what she's supposed to say, isn't it? What is she supposed to tell you, yes, please break the law and become an unregistered animagus, sounds great! So really, you can't take her word too seriously on if you can or can't do it. I seriously doubt you'd be dumb enough to turn yourself into a half-animal anyways." Draco whispered back, his teeth glinted in the dark as he grinned at her, "So why not give it a go?"