My Father's Only Rule {DRACO MALFOY X SNAPE'S DAUGHTER}

Chapter Twenty-Three: Escaping The Pink Beast

May 1996 - Hogwarts

A few members of the inquisitorial squad had rounded up a few members of the army. The four of us, plus Luna and Ginny were being held in Umbridge's office. Harry was sitting in a chair, waiting for Umbridge's interrogation. Draco dragged Neville in.

"Caught this one trying to help the Weasley girl," he said. I froze at the sight of him. It was the first time I had really seen him since before the Patronus. I panicked. He was gorgeous as ever. Please look at me, Draco. Please just glance my way and tell me with your eyes that there's still something there. But he didn't. And why would he? Why should he? After everything I've done to him, why would he ever look at me the same way? He was looking at me, but with the same eyes he used to look at Harry, his enemy. And with the same eyes he used to look at Ron, a peasant in his eyes. And with the same eyes he used to look at Hermione, someone he believes to be a filthy mudblood. And then it hit me that he didn't act that way when we were friends. I tried to recall the last time he talked to Jane or Blaise. He's always been a punk, but not like this. He was acting so differently. Why was he acting so differently?

But why did I care?

Umbridge leaned over Harry and calmly and politely asked him a question.

"You were going to Dumbledore, weren't you?" she asked.

"No," Harry muttered. Umbridge slapped him across the face to everyone's surprise.

"You liar," she hissed.

"You sent for me, headmistress," we heard a voice say. We turned to see my dad. He was shocked to see me, but he was very good at hiding it. Dad, don't you care? Doesn't this bother you? 

"Snape, yes," Umbridge snapped. "The time has come for answers. Whether he wants to give them to me, or not. Have you brought the veritaserum?"

"I'm afraid you've used up all my storage interrogating students. The last of it on Miss Chang." She was forced. I knew she'd never rat us out like that. We all exchanged looks, feeling slightly guilty for how we ostracized Cho. "Unless you wish to poison him, and I assure you, I would have the greatest sympathy if you did, I cannot help you." He turned to leave, but Harry said something that made him stop.

"He's got Padfoot," Harry said. "He's got Padfoot at the place where it's hidden."

"Padfoot? What is Padfoot? Where what is hidden? What is he talking about, Snape?" My dad turned around and stared at Harry, bewildered.

"No idea," he said. And he turned to leave. Umbridge stiffened up.

"Very well," she sighed. "You give me no choice, Potter. As this is an issue of ministry security, you leave me with...no alternative. The cruciatus curse ought to loosen your tongue." Torture? She's crazy. Well, we already knew that.

"That's illegal," Hermione warned.

"What Cornelius doesn't know won't hurt him," she said as she placed Fudge's picture face down on her desk. She raised her wand as all of us held our breath. Was she really about to torture a student?

"Cruc-"

"Tell her, Harry!" Hermione screamed.

"Tell me what?" Umbridge asked, snapping at Hermione. What was she doing?

"Well if you won't tell her where it is...then I will."

"Where what is?" Hermione took a breath.

"Dumbledore's secret weapon." Secret weapon? What was she talking about? Umbridge's face twitched at the news.

"Take me," she demanded. "Both of you. Right now. Watch the others!" She forced Harry and Hermione out of the room, leaving the rest of us at the mercy of the inquisitorial squad. Harry and I locked eyes as he was forced out, followed by Umbridge's threatening wand.

Ron, Neville, Luna, Ginny, and I were left in the hands of Crabbe, Goyle, Draco, and Pansy. I used to scare the life out of Pansy. But she had all the power here.

"You've certainly come a long way, Snape," she spat. "You may have even ended up with us if you had never been resorted." I scoffed.

"On the inquisitorial squad?" I said. "Never in my life. I'm not Umbridge's bitch," I said, quoting Jane. "Plus, we have inquisitorial squads in the muggle world. We call them hall monitors. But they don't get extra credit." Pansy smirked, and went to hold Draco's hand. And he reluctantly held hers. It made me tense.

"All the more reason why the wizarding world will always be superior. If they don't get extra credit, what do hall monitors get, half-blood?" Half-blood? I accepted half-blood as who I was. It was truth. But I never accepted it as an insult. And I never would.

"Broken noses and endless taunting," I said. Her face froze at my words. "It's probably best for you that you're not in the muggle world. You wouldn't survive being a hall monitor...But you know...you're still a hall monitor to me..." I looked at her like she should be afraid, and she was. She knew what was waiting for her; a broken nose and endless taunting. I would have lunged myself on her right then and there if the door hadn't swung open, revealing my dad.

"Professor," Draco said. "Umbridge told us to keep an eye on them."

"Believe me, Malfoy," my dad said. "I wouldn't want to intrude on your sacred duties. I just wanted to talk to my daughter for a moment. I'm going on a trip. Very urgent. Cannot be avoided."

"Are you serious?" I scoffed. After trying so hard to be understanding of him, this is what he does?

"Yes," he said. "I just wanted to leave you with some money in case you may need it when you go home for the summer..." What? That's strange. He pulled a sack out of his cloak and handed it to me. I wasn't sure what was in the bag, but it definitely was not money. It was a weird lumpy texture. I looked at him strangely as he backed away slowly and left the room. Ron and I exchanged looks, trying to figure out what was going on. I slipped him the bag so he could figure out if he knew what it was and his widened at its touch.

"Hey, Grace," he said loudly, getting the attention of the inquisitorial squad. "I'm hungry. You still have that fudge from earlier?"

"Fudge?" I asked. He gave me a look, like I should go along with it. "Oh! The fudge. Yeah, I've got some." I reached into my pocket and opened the bag my dad had given me. And low and behold, I felt fudge. I pulled it out of my pocket so that they couldn't tell it was coming from the bag my dad had just handed to me. Crabbe snatched the fudge right out of my hand as I tried to hand it to Ron.

"Give me that," he said. He then passed the fudge out to Goyle, Draco, and Pansy. They laughed as they ate the fudge. I looked at Ron, waiting for something to happen. Suddenly a bright red spot appeared on the tip of Pansy's nose.

"Oy, Pansy," Crabbe said through a mouthful of fudge. "What's that on your face?"

"Why don't you worry about your own face?" She snapped. Crabbe also had a bright red dot on the tip of his nose. All of them had a bright red dot on the tip of their noses. And the bright red dots kept appearing all over their faces. And they kept growing into huge, disgusting boils. When they noticed what their faces were covered in, they freaked out and ran to the nearest bathroom, leaving us free to find Harry and Hermione.