Just in case || Draco Malfoy

Thirty Six - Excuses

"You make me feel like I'm on top of the world and that's a pretty long way to fall"

...

"Well what excuse are you going to use now?"

"I don't know Cass but I've told you a million times. We can't tell them! He doesn't even know that you know"

The week I had spent serving detentions with McGonagal had been practically the same cycle each night. I would go to my detention and hurry to the room of requirement to meet Draco. I could only spend an hour or so a night with him before having to go back to acting like we weren't speaking. I had sat next to him in potions a few days ago and it took every ounce of self control I had to not speak to him.

Each night when I met him, he snuck me something from the kitchen. A few slices of extra bread, a small slice of cake, a few pieces of fruit - whatever he could get his hands on without the others realising. I always kept a small portion for Cass - I hadn't told Draco that she knew, fearing that he would be upset with me if I did. I wanted to share it with Eddie Blaise and Zack too, but I had no explanation as to where I got it from.

My weeks detention was now over. I had used the excuse that Snape made me stay for extra time due to the fact that he had taken a particular disliking to me for telling the guys why I was gone for such a long time each night. But now I didn't have an excuse. That hour or so I spent with him was always the highlight of my day and I desperately wished that we didn't have to hide our interactions. But I knew that we had to, for his sake.

The death eaters rarely called for him after dinner was over and expected him to be in his dorm - he had told me that the prefects each got their own dormitory with all the luxuries that we used to have before Snape took over.

I was talking to Cass - she asked what I was going to do now my detentions were over in order for no one to find out that we were seeing each other after hours and that we were back together.

"Well you can't just disappear for an hour each night without an explanation can you?" She said me. We were both sat in my dorm so we could speak away from the others - I had just come back from seeing Draco. Cass didn't seem normal, she seemed quiet even for the situation we were in. I thought maybe she had just had a particularly bad day.

"You don't think I know that?" I snapped back at her. I was hiding my book under my mattress - I kept it there so it wasn't confiscated by the death eaters. I had almost finished it and the day that our rooms were rummaged through, it was the only one I had in my bag that wasn't taken. All the others had been taken away from me.

"Alright sorry, but your gonna have to come up with an excuse." She said.

"I know. Any ideas?"

"I don't see why the guys can't know. I mean, I know and nothing has happened!"

"Cass we have been over this. Snape has forbidden us even speaking. It's enough risk you knowing and i haven't even told him" I said back to her, the both of us sitting back onto my bed.

"What exactly is Snape going to do if he catches you? I mean, why has he even forbidden it in the first place?" She said, seemingly annoyed.

"He claims that I'm a distraction for him. Cass, he works for Voldemort. Who knows what he would do, but we can't risk it. Draco said that Snape thinks I will stop him from focusing on helping the other death eaters at the school. He doesn't even want him distracted, god knows what he would do if he knew he wasn't on their side." I explained.