Astoria → Draco Malfoy

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

"they assume you know nothing" 

"What are we waiting for then?" Astoria said upon seeing the names, "let's go!"

"Astoria," Pansy placed her hand on her shoulder, "then what?"

"We're just students, what can we even do?"

"Harry Potter was 'just a student'," she retorted, "if we keep nattering here, they'll be gone."

"I'm with Astoria," Draco piped up, "we check it out, see what's happening and assess it."

"Assess what?" Daphne raised her brows.

"Some of our parents," Blaine gulped, "are perhaps not too pleased with us rejecting the Dark Arts."

"Some of them, might want us dead." Pansy sat herself down on the sofa, "I'm not coming. You can go and find out for yourselves, but I'm not going in without some kind of fallback plan."

"Fair enough Pansy," Draco nodded at her, "so who wants to come?" Daphne, Astoria and Theo raised their hands.

"So, us four go, see what's happening, and report back-"

"Alive."

"Yes Pansy, alive." Theo rolled his eyes. "You can make sure of that. Watch us on the map, if we stop moving for too long, or vanish.... Do something."

"Such as?" Blaise asked from beside Pansy.

"Get someone, anyone, and tell them we are in fucking trouble."

"Slughorn likes us?" Daphne suggested, "he has much less hatred for Slytherin students, he kind of has to, you know, as head of house."

"Perfect," Blaise and Pansy nodded, "so us two watch over your names, if things look like they're going to shit, we get Slughorn, and he can sort it out."

"Sounds good enough to me."

"I'm happy."

"Perfect." Draco nodded at the students, seemingly now in charge of their mission. "Let's get going then before they leave." He led them out of the common room, all of them with their wands poised, running behind him through the castle. "It's just up here."

Once they reached the door to the Armour, they all stopped. "Right, wands up." Astoria said, but it came off as a question.

Everyone raised their wands, Theo pushing open the door and heading in first. "Fuck." He said once he saw the size of the Armoury, "it's massive. Right, Astoria with me, Draco with Daphne." He led Astoria round to the back of the Armoury. "If only we had Granger with us right about now," he whispered to her as they made their way through the tall statues, "I bet she would remember that stupid spell...you know. the one that tells us if people are here."

Astoria searched her mind, but nothing, "she would definitely know."
Wands raised, back-to-back, they made their way through the Armoury, "on the map, they were all close together, so if we find one..."

"They could be bloody anywhere," Theo frowned, he was right. The Armoury was massive, far larger than Astoria had pictured it would be from the size on the map."Didn't the statues fight in the Battle of Hogwarts?" Astoria looked up at the tall statues, stood looming over her, "I thought I saw them..."

"No idea Astoria, I was busy in the dungeons. You know...being evil because I wear green."

"Oh," she sighed awkwardly. "If they fought, do you think they could talk?"
Theo laughed quietly, "I like you Astoria."