your cold hands

Chapter Nine

Everyone immediately piled out of the Common Room and all but ran through the corridor to get out of the building, but Harry held Ginny back.

"What is it?" she asked.

Harry grinned. "You don't think we'll do this without my map, do you?"

They walked to Harry and Draco's shared dorm and opened the door to find Harry's roommate already there, rummaging through the room.

"Malfoy?" Harry asked. "What are you doing?"

Blaise laughed from the corner of the room. "Busted!"

The blonde boy looked up from where he was ramsacking Harry's drawers with coloured cheeks. "I assume you're here to get your map too?"

"Yeah, I am - wait," Harry said. "What do you mean too?"

Ginny scoffed. "Don't you see, Harry? This git obviously wanted your map as well to evade Filch! A Slytherin through and through, aren't you, Malfoy?"

Malfoy rolled his eyes and stood up straight. "What else do you expect from me?"

"Why are you paired with Potter, Weasely?" Blaise suddenly pitched in. "One would've thought that you'd prefer Nott..."

Harry stiffened, but Ginny kept her cool. "Mind your business, Zabini."

He held up his hands in mock surrender, grinning. Harry suddenly remembered their Potions session from a few months ago and really hoped Zabini didn't have his sights set on the ginger girl. He moved his gaze over to Malfoy, who looked sheepish, and realised something.

"Pansy said you wanted me to come specfically, didn't you?" Harry asked the boy.

Malfoy nodded.

Harry laughed in shock. "That's why you were being so nice to me! You knew what game Pansy would choose. You were sucking up to me so we could be partners, because you knew I'd come get my map!"

Malfoy scowled and said nothing.

"You really are such a Slytherin!" Ginny exclaimed in surprise, lips twitching. "You went to all that effort for a party game?"

Again, Malfoy said nothing, so Blaise cut in. "It's heartbreaking, isn't it? Poor boy really wanted that map."

"Fuck off, Blaise," Malfoy spat.

The dark boy chuckled. "Anyhow, it's rather unfortunare Draco and I have caught you both in the act of cheating, you know. Maybe we should tell Pansy..."

Harry and Ginny exchanged glances. As much as they hated to admit it, they wanted to win the game too badly to be disqualified.

"She never said we couldn't use tools to help us," Ginny argued.

"She never said we could," Blaise countered.

Ginny narrowed her eyes. "Go on, then. Go tell her."

"Now, I think we may just be persuaded to keep our mouth shuts, if..." Blaise trailed off. Malfoy seemed to catch on to his friend's plan, and smirked.

"If what?" Harry asked impatiently.

"If you let us join you and use the map, as well. And the Cloak," Malfoy finished.

Harry shook his head. "Absolutely not - "

"Fine," Ginny said, silencing Harry with a look. "But we can't all fit under the Cloak."

"That's fine, it'll be too dark to see our shoes," Malfoy said. "I'll cast a Disillusionment Charm on our feet."

Harry could feel annoyance simmer under his skin, which only multiplied when Blaise called, "Get your stuff, Potter, and quick!"