The Purest Kind of Magic

- fifty -

"Your mind is made, isn't it? You won't change it whatsoever?"

Draco looked down and ran his hand through his hair. He raised his head and looked at me sadly, "Sorry, my mind's made. And plus, even if I don't want to, I'm sure my father is going to somehow make it happen anyway."

"Right," I sighed, "Forgot that your father's a Death Eater too."

I sat down on his bed next to him and held his hand and gave him a smile. "It'll be alright, I'll be there, so you won't be alone, yeah?"

Draco smiled back and leaned in and pressed his forehead on mine. "Thank you," he whispered.

--

"Alright, after eavesdropping on Potter, I found that that Umbridge uses a blood quill for detentions," Theo announced as he sat down at our spot at the Slytherin table.

Draco raised an eyebrow, "So?"

"So," Theo rolled his eyes, "We should at least pretend to be on her good side. You don't want to get some random words scarred into your hand, do you?"

I shrugged, "I know already. In fact, most of us knew."

"Huh? How?" Theo asked, confused.

Elmia laughed, "You were busy smooching with Lunaris when Y/n told us."

Theo's cheeks turned red, "I-I wasn't! I never did!"

Draco chuckled at Theo's flustered response, and I couldn't help but join in. It was a rare moment of lightheartedness amidst the tension that had been building around us.

"Please, Theo, I've caught you and Lunaris sneaking out of the common rooms at midnight," Daphne stated with a laugh.

Theo buried his face in his arms from embarrassment and muttered something unintelligible.

"Well, I don't think we need to worry about detention from Umbridge," Blaise chimed in, his tone sly. "I heard she's particularly fond of you, Theo."

Theo's head shot up from his arms, his eyes wide with surprise and disgust. "What? No way!"

Blaise shrugged, a mischievous grin playing on his lips. "Just what I heard."

"Please tell me you're joking right now, I'd rather die," Theo whined.

Blaise laughed, "I'm joking, don't worry."

Theo let out a relieved sigh, his embarrassment slowly fading. "Well, thank Merlin for that."

"I think we got off topic here," Draco snickered. "So you've got a boyfriend, Nott?"

Theo's cheeks turned even redder, and he shot a playful glare at Draco. "Yes, I do. And it's none of your business."

Draco raised his hands defensively, still wearing a teasing smile. "Hey, I was just curious."

Elmia rolled her eyes as she swatted Draco's arm. "Leave the poor boy alone, Draco. Let's focus on more important things, like how we're going to handle Umbridge and her detentions."

Theo nodded, grateful for the change of subject. "Right, we need to be careful around her. The blood quill sounds nasty."

"Yes, yes it does, but it does heal overtime," I stated as I pushed my plate away since I didn't feel like eating anymore.

"But do you really want to experience it though?" Daphne raised an eyebrow at me.

"Of course not," I replied with a shudder. "No one would want to go through something like that unless they're some sort of masochist."

Draco yawned, "Well, I guess we could do something."

"What is it?" Blaise asked.

"Just do whatever the hell she says on the surface," Draco said, his eyes not meeting anyone's. "And just don't act suspicious. Potter's got something going on."

I raised an eyebrow, "Huh? How come I don't know?"

Draco looked at me, "I saw him once during a patrol. Your dear cousin has yet thanked me for letting him go. But I tell you, he's got something going on, he might not admit it, but he does."

Theo leaned in, intrigued by the revelation. "You saw Potter during a patrol? What was he up to?"

Draco sighed, rubbing his temples. "I don't know the details, but he was sneaking around, trying to avoid being caught. But it's clear he's hiding something."

Blaise raised an eyebrow, "Potter's always hiding something. It wouldn't be the first time he's gone off on some secret quest to save the day."

"But why would he be sneaking around now, especially with Umbridge's regime at Hogwarts?" Daphne wondered.

Draco shook his head, "I have no idea. Maybe it's related to whatever Dumbledore is planning. You know how they always seem to have some secretive plot in motion."

I cleared my throat, "Actually... I know what Harry's doing. Well, I don't know for sure, but I have a general idea. He subtlely mentioned it to me once."

All eyes turned to me, a mixture of surprise and curiosity evident in their expressions. "You know what Potter's up to?" Elmia asked, leaning in closer.

I nodded slowly . "It's not something he discussed in detail, but from what he hinted at, it seems like he's forming some sort of secret defense group."

Blaise's eyebrows shot up. "A secret defense group? That sounds like classic Potter."

Theo grinned, clearly intrigued. "So, he's gathering students to resist Umbridge's authority?"

"That's the impression I got," I confirmed. "He didn't want to say too much, but he seemed adamant about not letting Umbridge have the upper hand. Especially since he was the first one to experience that awful blood quill punishment of hers."

Draco's expression remained thoughtful. "Potter's always been one to take matters into his own hands."

Daphne leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms. "So, what's the plan then? Are we going to join his little resistance?"

The table fell silent as we exchanged glances, each lost in our own thoughts. The idea of joining forces with Harry, even for a common cause, was both intriguing and complicated.

"I'm sure it won't go wrong, right?" Elmia spoke, breaking the silence, "I'm sure Potter won't be too against us joining, but what about his friends?"

"I was just trying to figure out how to tell Potter while still sounding like I hate him," Draco shrugged.

Theo chuckled, "Well, you are pretty good at pretending to hate people."

Draco laughed, "That's true. Maybe I'll just insult his hair or something, and he'll think everything is normal."

Blaise shook his head, laughing, "Honestly, with you two, it's hard to tell if you're really enemies or not."

"It's all part of the Slytherin charm," Draco replied with a wink.

Elmia rolled her eyes playfully, "Alright, let's get back to the topic at hand. If we decide to join Potter's group, we need to be think about about how to ask them. We can't just go in and say, 'Hey, we're here to join you.'"

"Or... I can just talk to him, I'm his cousin anyway," I suggested.

Draco rolled his eyes, "Do you really think we'd let you do all the work this time? We'll talk to him... well, them, together."

I smiled, "Or that too."

"Besides, I think Potter will be more receptive to the idea of Slytherins joining if he sees you, Y/n, with us. He trusts you, and you're his cousin after all," Theo added.

I chuckled, "Well, I hope you're right. Let's find a good time to talk to them then."

Draco glanced at the clock on the wall, "How about after lunch today? We can catch them in the courtyard."

"Sounds like a plan," I agreed and so did everybody else.