Power and Persecution [1] || Harry Potter x OC x Draco Malfoy

90. Expecto Patronum

DISCLAIMER

I do not own Harry Potter ... but what the hell is a Hufflepuff?

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The lead up to Christmas was spent in routine.

Bel spent those couple of weeks mainly in the company of Hagrid and Buckbeak.

She was treating it as if the worst would happen.

As if these coming months would be the last she would get to spend with the hippogriff.

Both the gamekeeper and his assistant were beside themselves for the first couple of days, but Bel's training kicked in.

Be strong, no matter the circumstances, because you're the one people will rely on.

Bel had learnt over the first week of the holidays that being in a bad way was completely useless.

She had gotten nothing done other than panic and drain herself into barely being able to function normally.

That wouldn't help anything.

Especially now she had Buckbeak to worry about too.

Something that made it easier to deal with was the fact she wasn't alone.

In the time she wasn't with Hagrid or Buckbeak, Bel was with the three Gryffindors.

They spent almost all of their time in the library or the Gryffindor common room with stacks and stacks of books to help prepare a defence for Buckbeak.

Most of that time was spent in silence as the four turned over pages, only speaking if something remotely of note was discovered.

Unfortunately, they hadn't really turned up anything.

It was beginning to look like Hagrid would have to go into the trial totally blind against Lucius Malfoy and the board of people absolutely terrified if they didn't adhere to his desires.

Bel tried her best not to let herself panic at the thought.

Instead, she turned everything into anger.

She couldn't wait until term restarted and Draco Malfoy returned.

Bel had made an extensive plan to make his life absolute hell.

She even debated heading over to Malfoy Manor, turning up unannounced, and claiming she was going to spend Christmas there just to spite Malfoy.

It would only be the start of what she had planned to come.

All of this, in her mind, was his fault.

But she hated that she was so angered and surprised.

What else did she expect?

Harry had even told her this would happen.

That Malfoy would never hold his tongue, and it was only a matter of time before he let slip to his father that Buckbeak was a dangerous creature and needed to be dealt with.

In Bel's mind, Malfoy was the equivalent to her what the boy thought of Buckbeak.

A creature that needed to be dealt with.

Previously, she had believed what Draco needed was to be helped.

Foolish, she thought now.

However, very surprisingly, it had been Harry who talked her out of storming over to Malfoy Manor.