The Girl Who Vanished

Chapter 20: Distractions

His heart was ready to burst out of his chest as the second year dismissed all safety precautions and ran. Without a second to think or reconsider, he traveled all the way from the Slytherin common room all the way to the bridge that connected the school grounds to the little town of Hogsmeade. There was no time for him to question his decisions, he just knew he had to make his way to his father, who, by no means, should have been at the school while there was a monster on the loose.

Through his teary vision and collapsing lungs, the boy cried at the sight of four wizards approaching the middle of the bridge.

"Father!"

The silver haired man stopped in his tracks at the sound of his son's shrill voice. Not yet a man's voice.

Dumbledore and Hagrid's eyebrows perked as soon as Draco yelled across the open night air; his cry bounced off the water and filled their ears like a siren.

"Young man! What in the world do you think you are doing? It's far too dangerous to be out right now," the Minster of Magic hollered; although, Draco couldn't care less as he passed the man and stood in front of his father.

"Ana," he whispered between sniffles.

He looked around at the surrounding men: Hagrid dropped his head in sadness, knowing full well what had happened to the older Malfoy sibling and how distressed the youngest of the platinum felt about it. Dumbledore nodded making the moonlight glimmer off his glasses with every head movement. Fudge remained curious, but no one's expression matched that of his father's.

Draco's throat tightened at the grimace that covered Lucius' face, forcing him to step back an inch and stiffen his spine upon arrival. His bottom lip quivered.

"What, Draco?" The man bite back with sharpness, the sound cutting through the nightly fog.

"Bibiana," was all he could muster, "She's been petrified."

The three men surrounding them remained patient.

"Yes."

Lucius turned away from his son, gripping his walking stick proudly before continuing down the bridge.

"Father!"

Lucius flew back towards his son, his steps wide and hurried, as if he were a fox deciding to go back for a second bite of its meal.

Draco jumped at the quick movement, nearly tripping over his heavy feet.

"Do not holler, Draco. I heard you," he hissed.

"Did you visit her? Did you see her?"

Draco's blue eyes welled at the thought of his stone-cold sister, his hands trembled not only from the cold of the nightly breeze, but from the pointed glare his father had trained on his son.

"No, Draco," he answered matter of fact, "I have more pressing issues to focus on at the moment. Ana won't be going anywhere anytime soon. I'll see her when she comes to."

Draco's brows furrowed in the center, the tiny lines on his forehead made him look ten years his senior, confusion etched onto his skin.

"But in the meantime, go back to your dormitory. My knowledge is that Dumbledore has allowed a monster to overtake the castle."

"Now hold on you two-tim-" a gruff voice started.

"Hagrid!"

Dumbledore hollered at the groundskeeper, although the reprimand came out kindly despite being so loud. Lucius just smirked at the commotion, his upper lip curled in success.