Deception

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ xxxᴠɪɪ - ᴘʀᴇᴘᴀʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴꜱ & ʜᴏᴘᴇ

Everything happened in a blur. McGonagall took the place as headmistress, and ordered all the students to return to their dorms except for the DA members. When the others left I stared anxiously at Draco but he just grabbed my hand and squeezed it. He wasn't directly looking at me as he seemed just as worried as I was, but right at that moment I knew we would overcome the painful chasm that had ripped us apart. I had hope that we could work it out.

McGonagall raised her eyebrows at us when she noticed we weren't leaving and nodded at us appreciatively.

"Right," she started as she clapped her hands once. "there are still students being held captive in the dungeons, mainly muggle-borns and a few half-blood Slytherin students. They've been tortured and need immediate care. The Carrows believed that only pureblood wizards should be allowed to study at Hogwarts."

I noticed Ginny's eyes harden but I didn't really knew how to feel about it. The whole pureblood idealism had been ingrained in me since my childhood. It was sometimes hard to let go and think of it as indoctrination from our parents, I did try to turn over a new leaf though. I tried to be more accepting, but it was hard. It was as if you persistently tell a bird for years he's not able to fly, even though he's able to, if only he tries.

Torturing students in the dungeon was a bit much though.

"Mr Malfoy, you release them, take Mr Longbottom with you as he's become an expert healer. You're allowed to stun Argus Filch if he refuses to cooperate. He sided with the Carrows." Said McGonagall eying him sternly. "War is coming," she continued. "it may be here tomorrow but if we're unlucky it'll be here tonight. We need to prepare the castle and gather all the teachers to the Great Hall. They will be staying in their respective offices, so I need a few of you to get them. We need to start evacuating the underage students as soon as possible."

McGonagall ordered the remaining students of the DA to get our professors, distributing them to different wings of the castle, and setting up an evacuation plan. She'd sent her patronus of a tabby cat to the safe house of the Order of the Phoenix to get them here. Draco squeezed my hand one last time and gave me a wry smile before he ran off with Longbottom towards the dungeons.

My job was to inform Hagrid. I didn't really like him, but I didn't hate him either, so I just went along with it and walked out of the castle. As I walked down the sloped hill, I felt that the grass had become slippery under my feet. It had apparently rained. I carefully walked down the hill and approached the hut on the edge of the grounds. I politely knocked on the large wooden door.

"Who's there!" I heard Hagrid bark but before I could answer he opened the door already.

"Miss Avery?" he asked when he saw me. His eyes lingered on my swollen stomach for a little while. A dark expression mastered itself on his face. "What're you doin' here?" he added harshly.

"I came to-" I started but a soaring pain made me see white and I inhaled sharply through my teeth.

"Oh dear, get inside." He said quickly as his entire countenance changed. I felt his enormous shovel-hand on my back as he pulled me inside the hut. He led me to a giant chair and I sat down trying to regulate my breathing.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked concerned as he stood across of me. "Maybe I can help ye?"

"You can't." I managed to say as I felt my throat squeeze shut. "..child.. tainted.. dark magic.."

Hagrid's demeanour retorted back to the dark look he gave me before. It was as if a dark cloud washed over his face, drowning out the friendly sparks in his eyes. He immediately went towards his kitchen -if you could call it that-, and rummaged through a cupboard. He got a red flask and harshly pressed it in to my hands. I didn't question him and immediately drank the red substance. As soon as it hit my tongue I recognised it was a healing potion. The pain slowly faded away from my throat and I was breathing normally again within seconds.