The Hollow Beneath Hogwarts

28.Harder To Breathe

"Well?" Draco snapped the second he stepped into Sloane's office.

The door had barely stopped swinging behind him before Harry and Hermione hurried in after him looking equally concerned. Goose, still standing in the middle of the room with his tiny fists raised from Ron's dramatic exit, squeaked in alarm at the sudden invasion. Sloane looked up from where she had dropped back into her chair and immediately regretted everything. Wonderful. An interrogation.

"It was nothing, really," she said quickly, waving a dismissive hand.

Not one of them looked convinced. Draco folded his arms immediately. "Bullshit."

Harry shut the office door behind them. "Why did Ron just shout at you?"

Sloane opened her mouth. Closed it again. Then sighed heavily because apparently she was not escaping this conversation. "We had a slight..." She grimaced. "...difference of opinion."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "A slight difference of opinion generally doesn't end with Ron yelling 'fuck you' down a corridor."

"...fair point."

The three of them continued staring. Sloane sighed again dramatically. "He was under the opinion that because I'm a girl, I'm too emotional and incapable of taking care of myself."

Goose let out an outraged huff from beside her chair. Hermione looked horrified. "He said what?"

Sloane pointed vaguely toward Draco. "Apparently if he bats his eyelashes at Hermione or me, we'll immediately lose all critical thinking skills and throw ourselves at him."

Draco tried—and failed—not to smirk slightly. Harry looked like he wanted to die.

"And," Sloane continued, "Ron believes Draco is secretly plotting something and that only Harry is intelligent enough to notice."

Hermione and Draco turned simultaneously toward Harry.

Harry blinked. "What? I'm not watching anyone." Draco narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "My stalking days are officially over," Harry added quickly with a shrug.

"Thank fuck," Draco muttered under his breath as he bent down to pet Goose.

Goose immediately forgave every crime Draco had ever committed. Traitor.

Hermione looked mortified now. "Ron is just..." She sighed heavily. "He's being difficult."

"He doesn't trust me," Draco said flatly. The humour vanished from his expression almost instantly. "Not that I really blame him." He shrugged one shoulder stiffly. "All things considered."

Goose gently patted Draco's leg sympathetically.

Sloane's head snapped up immediately. "That's not fair."

Draco blinked at her. "It's life," he replied quietly. "I was a Death Eater. I knew coming back here there'd be students who still thought I was evil." His jaw tightened slightly. "Or dangerous. Or waiting to get revenge or whatever."

"That doesn't make it acceptable."

"It doesn't matter."

"Yes," Sloane snapped suddenly, "it bloody well does!"

The room fell silent instantly. Even Goose froze. Sloane pushed herself up from her chair so quickly it scraped loudly against the floor.

"The entire point of the war was to end prejudice," she said furiously. "And yet everyone's still doing it!"

Harry looked slightly alarmed now. Hermione wisely remained quiet.

"What exactly does Draco have to do to prove himself?" Sloane demanded.