Dead Girl Walking (Draco x Astoria)

Chapter 22 - One Cell

Only a day passed. Astoria sat on an armchair, knee up to her chest, trying not to doze off to sleep. She was analysing today's paper- her parents stood up on a podium, her mother saying a speech with loads of tears, talking about, my sick baby girl, she can't defend herself!

"Oh, Astoria," Ella sighed, picking up all the tissues her friend left behind.

"I can't help it. My life's a train wreck. I ruined Draco's too. He was just trying to live peaceful after the war, and now, look what I've got him into." Astoria snatched a tissue from Ella's hand and blew into it. Her friend grimaced.

"Well that wasn't very clean."

"I'm spiralling." Ella chuckled.

She crouched down beside her armchair, holding Astoria's arm. "One month. That's it. You've gone for far longer without talking or ever seeing him."

"But this is different. Before, I hated him, now, he's my best friend. And at least before I always caught glimpses of him in the hallway. Now, there is no hallway!"

Ella frowned, rubbing her friends arm one more time before she got up to leave. She walked down the corridor hesitantly and knocked on Theo's door.

"Come in," She heard Theo say.

"Theo," she said slowly.

"Yes, cupcake?" He asked, turning back. She giggled, closing the door and sitting on his thigh.

"I would die if anyone heard you call me that!" She smiled.

He smiled back. "Good thing no one's here."

"But before that," she paused. "Do you know how to make... polyjuice?"

He looked at her with small curiosity.

Almost two weeks later, Theo skipped down his steps. He told everyone to get dressed and meet him in the kitchen, and that's where they all were.

"So Astoria, today's the day you see Draco. This will be your only chance," He carefully placed the clear bright-gold potion on the counter.

"This took me two weeks, and it's finally done. I just need something else," Theo walked to Blaise who rolled his eyes.

"You had two weeks to make this potion and now you're missing an ingredient?" Not a second later Blaise yelled out in pain.

"That's what I needed."

"You could have asked me to go and get hair from my hair brush!" Blaise rubbed his head.

"Too late." Theo shrugged, opening the vial and placing it inside.

"I made two batches for you Astoria, and Ella made the solution for one. When you get into where they're holding him, you'll take the solution, if you want, but I suspect it would be weird talking to him in Blaise's body. Then before we leave, you'll have to take the polyjuice once more. Oh, that reminds me. Blaise, I need your hair again!" He smiled, going for Blaise's head. He slapped his hand away and pulled out a hair himself.

"There!" Blaise scoffed, turning away.

"Got it, Astoria?" Theo checked.

"Won't there be surveillance by his holding cell?"

Theo shook his head. "Their holding cell has no surveillance, it's just a small corridor with cells to the right. It's indestructible, and It's soundless in there, meant to torture you or something." He shrugged.

"You've been in there?" Ella asked quietly.

Theo gave her a comforting smile, rubbing her shoulder.

"All of us have once." Blaise said, leaving the kitchen to the door. They all followed behind him.

"Well, Ella and I wish you good bye. Don't get caught." He slapped Theo's back out the door.

"Alright!" Theo rubbed his shoulder. He took out his hand for Astoria.

"Hold very tight." As soon as she did, they were apparated a street away from the ministry building in a busy walk way.

Theo took a hold of her wrist and walked them back into the alley.

He carefully took a vial out of his pocket. "This is good for 20 minutes if we get held up for any sort of reason. Here, drink it now."

Astoria took it and put it up to her eye. She had never taken a polyjuice potion before.

"Don't worry, tastes good." He smiled with a thumbs up. She shrugged, taking it all in one swallow. Suddenly, she felt her skin move around everywhere on her face and body. Theo held up a small hand mirror.

"I'm Blaise!" She gasped.

He laughed. "That's how polyjuice works. Come on!" He lead the way across the busy street and into the ministry building. Both walking up to the front desk, Astoria realised she should have asked how a boy usually acted, because she hadn't the slightest idea.

"We're here to visit Draco Malfoy, it's visiting hours, correct?"

The man at the front desk looked up at them- without asking for their names, he knew who they infamously were.

"It's only one visitor." He informed plainly with his tired eyes.

Theo clicked his finger, "Oh man, well, I'd rather spend my time in the bathroom anyway. Blaise will go." He put a hand on her back, leading her to the desk.

"Alright, let's go." The man sighed, bringing the keys. She followed closely behind with her hands in her pockets down the corridor. They reached a metal door with not even a small window built in it, and he opened it.

"20 minutes." She walked in and he slammed the door behind her. She shivered, walking in, though there wasn't that much farther to explore as there was only one cell to her right.