Potions Class Gone Wrong -Harry Potter Fanfiction-

Chapter Twelve-The Shrieking Shack

     Draco's heart pounded in his chest and his stomach seemed to be lodged in his throat. Did he stop running? No. He didn't dare. Did he pay any mind to wandering students or professors, who seemed to find him completely insane as he had hardly gotten dressed? No.

     He had to get to Harry. He'd been alone, or hurt or injured for what, sixteen or so hours now? Draco had to get him back. He considered getting the professors for a second. No, there were lessons going on. All the ones he was familiar with or were the most useful were occupied.

     He ran through the castle, breathing heavily and chest heaving. Not many lingered when he managed to get to the grounds, understandably, with lessons. But even if there were many students and teachers around it watch, he knew it wouldn't matter to him. Harry mattered. 

     When he reached the Whomping Willow he came up short. It's branches were still, leaves rustling in the slight wind. How did he get past it?

     He impatiently circled the tree, looking for the entrance or a way to make it...not whomp him.

     He was considering kicking the damn tree on his fourth go around. He couldn't get  very good look, since stepping closer meant the tree would move, and if the tree moved he was near enough that the tree considered him a threat, or something along the lines.

    Is that why you move and hit people so much? Draco mused. Because you're protecting something? The entrance? 

     The tree, unsurprisingly (or maybe surprisingly. It was a magical tree, after all.) gave no response, and Draco huffed. 

    On his sixth go, he was on the verge of tugging his hair out. His eyes narrowed at the tree, and he stopped short at what appeared to be a hole. 

     Draco risked a step closer. The tree stayed immobile. He narrowed his eyes at the hole. It seemed...big, he supposed, but branches and leaves blocked him from his view. He almost stomped in frustration. But it was his only shot. 

     He crept forward. No movement. A little more. No movement. A full step now, becoming daring for some stupid reason. Maybe he was hanging around Harry too much? No, one can never hang out with Harry too much, Draco thought inanely as he stared up the tree. How far was he now? Ten feet from its nearest, visible root?

     Draco took another shuffling step.

     Movement.

     Draco held in a shriek, rather impressively, if he was to grade it.

     Divvvvveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, Draco went. He landed just a foot or so away from the hole, and at this angel he could see how wide it was. He lurched for it, hands using the roots of the tree to propel himself at the large space, when the tree suddenly froze, as though an Immobulus had been shot at it. 

     He looked up. Branches had been swatting his hair and back, and one particularly large one was only inches away from him. He carefully looked at the top of the tree. The leaves didn't even move, and Draco knew they should be because the wind pulled at his hair and clothes.

     He hesitantly lifted his hand from its position on a knot of the tree, only for the branches to swing at him at full speed. He lurched back onto the branch he had been previously holding onto, and the branches froze again.

     Draco breathed heavily, eyes wide in panic and astonishment. He slowly crept towards the whole, keeping one hand on the knot of the tree. His legs were dangling in the hole a minute later, his arm stretched as far as it can go. He closed his eyes, and pushed off from the branch, sliding down a small, steep ramp into a tunnel made out of dirt.

     He lurched away from the opening, in case any branches tried to play Whack-A-Malfoy, and panted, only to cough into his hand as dirt fell from the ceiling. He stood, or, tried to, but the cave was small, so he was crouching the whole way. 

     The cave was long, and too low, he decided some time later, his back and neck starting to cramp. But a minute later he started to see some light at the end of the passage, and hurried his movements. When he came to a latter, he stopped, hardly daring to breathe. 

     He quietly pulled the map from his pockets, squinting to see in the dim light, for he didn't dare light his wand. The map still read Harry in a corner, with Nagini on the opposite side of the room, almost out of range of the map. A little ways off, his name appeared. He closed up the map, stuffing it back in his pockets. He grabbed the latter with both hands, and as quietly as possible climbed, wincing as both the latter and the trap door squeaked open. He hastily climbed out, eyes darting around when he finally got his whole body out. No movement. 

     He checked the map again, eyes darting from the page constantly, seeking any movement. Looking at the map, Nagini hadn't moved, but neither had Harry. Maybe they were both asleep? 

     It was a small, unlikely hope, but he was sure that everything had to sleep at some point. Nagini, whoever this wizard or witch was, or maybe it wasn't a witch or wizard at all, could very likely have fallen asleep after watching Harry for some hours.

     Draco looked around the small, crumbling building. He decided the stairs were his best bet. He crept up them slowly, wincing at every little sound and hardly daring to breath. He was halfway up the stairs when he remembered a vital key.

     HE WAS A WIZARD.

    Almost hitting himself for his own obliviousness and stupidity in the face of danger, he cast a silencing spell on himself and the stairs, before tested them, just in case. When no sound met his footstep, he jogged up the stairs.

     He came to a hallway, with a door almost immediately to his right. He peaked through the wide open door way. Nothing. He walked slowly forward. There was another door on his left. Bathroom. Another on the left. Closet. 

     He came to a final one at the very back, this door slightly ajar, whereas all the other doors had been wide open. He cast another spell on the door so it stayed silent as well, and slowly opened it, peaking inside the room, holding his breath and forgetting momentarily about the silencing charm he had placed on himself.

     He glanced to the corner nearest to him, swallowing a gasp. Inside the corner was no witch or wizard, but a huge snake, curled in on itself and as far as Draco could tell asleep, even as its forked tongue flicked out lazily. Its scales were poison green, and it had a plume on the back on its head.

     Holding his breath still, he glanced around the room, heart stopping when he spotted the small form on the other side of the room, as far as possible from the snake. 

     Harry rested, a small ball in the corner, dried tear tracks running down his face, which Draco could only see the top of. Draco crept closer, tempted to put a spell on the snake, but magical snakes weren't affected like regular snakes. Spells bounced off their scales, much like dragons. He was halfway around the room when he stopped dead, eyes transfixed on Harry, finally spotting some...mutations to the sleeping form.