The Purest Kind of Magic

- sixty two -

"Mr. Malfoy, Miss Y/n, detention for disruption of class," Umbridge's annoying, squeaky voice said.

I groaned, "Professor, we were just like two seconds late, class hasn't even officially started yet."

"Are you talking back, Miss Y/n?"

"I..." I hesitated, "I wasn't, ma'am. Just stating the facts, that's all."

Draco gulped besides me, "Professor, I don't think a detention is necessary for being a few seconds late to class."

Professor Umbridge's eyes narrowed at Draco's objection, and her smile became even more forced. She clearly didn't appreciate being questioned.

"Mr. Malfoy, are you suggesting that I shouldn't enforce discipline in my classroom?" she asked, her voice dripping with saccharine sweetness.

Draco glanced at me briefly, and I could see the frustration in his eyes. However, he chose his words carefully. "No, Professor, of course not. We just thought that maybe a less severe punishment would suffice for such a minor infraction."

I nodded quickly, "He's right, ma'am. We weren't of much disruptance in the first place."

"Are you two questioning my judgment?" Umbridge questioned.

Draco and I exchanged a nervous glance, neither of us could speak.

"We'll be at detention, ma'am," I responded in defeat.

--

"This wasn't exactly how I had planned to spend the rest of my day, Professor," Draco commented as he walked in the room.

I quickly nudged him to shut up before our punishment gets any worse. He raised an eyebrow at me playfully, acting like he doesn't know what he was doing.

I shook my head with a small smile as I gazed into the room to find it empty. "Wait... did we come to the wrong room?" I asked as I turned my head left and right.

"Nah, I mean, for detention, yes. But for me, no," Draco said with a sly smile.

"Huh? What do you mean?" I asked as I turned towards him.

He smiles, "We're skipping detention, of course."

I leaned closer to him, keeping my voice low. "Are you sure about this, Draco? What's the plan?"

He looked around to make sure no one was watching, and then he whispered, "There's a secret passageway not far from here that leads out of the school. We can use it to escape for a while, enjoy some freedom, and then sneak back in before curfew. Trust me, it'll be worth it."

I couldn't help but be intrigued by the idea of a little adventure and a break from Umbridge. "Alright, let's do it. But we'll need to be careful and not get caught."

"When have I ever been caught before, Y/n?"

--

"It was fun while it lasted, I guess," I sighed as the two of us were escorted back into the castle.

Draco shrugged, "Too bad we were caught, maybe we should've just left Hogwarts grounds. Hell, maybe we should've fled the country."

I chuckled, "That'd probably be impossible, given that we're... nevermind."

"What's He gonna do? Send out people to kill us? As if we can't fend for ourselves," Draco commented bitterly.

"Ah, quiet down, would'ya? Yer causin' quite the ruckus, y'know." Came Hagrid's raspy voice from behind.

"Sorry," I mumbled.

"Well, what were you two even talkin' about, eh? I couldn't help but overhear a bit of a commotion, and me bein' the curious type, I'm wonderin' what's the hullabaloo all about," Hagrid spoke again.

Draco groaned, "Mind your own business, 'kay? It's personal."

Hagrid gave it a shrug and moved on. I let out a sigh of relief, it would've been bad if we let our mouths run free. I glanced over at Draco, who was visibly annoyed.

I nudged him with my elbow, "Hey, at least we go straight to Dumbledore and not Umbridge."

The corner of his mouth twitched upwards, "That's for the best."

--

"Draco," I whispered as I walked into my room and saw him sitting on my bed.

He looks up and meets my eyes, "Y/n... you wanted to talk about something?"

I swallowed as I darted my vision away, "I-I'm just trying to clarify something... important."

"He called for a meeting with you too, huh?" Draco said with a huff, his voice cracking towards the end. As I gave him no response, he lowers his head and pulls his hair, "Fuck, I hate this shit."

I sighed as I sat myself down next to him, "The closest break we'll even get is for the end of the school year. He surely won't wait that long."

Draco's right, this fucking sucks. We're already practically stuck in detention with Snape for the whole month since he's the head of our house.

My eyes lighted up, "Snape. He's our way out."

Draco sighed as he turned to look at me, his hair all messed up, "Y/n... I don't know how you handle this... How you can withstand... Him? I-...I don't think I'm strong enough."

I put my hand on his arm, "You are. You've come this far, haven't you? Don't lose your spirit because of Him."

Draco gave me a sorrow, tired look with his grey eyes, "I don't think I can take much more. I'm so tired, Y/n..."