Make Me Fall

17. Emeralds and Rubies

I'm exhausted. I've been scouring the library for anything that could tell me about my family, but the only family trees that I can find are ancient. I can't stop thinking about what Snape said. I have to know if I'm Harry's sister or not. Tomorrow we go home for Christmas. I'll ask Mum and Dad then.

The Weasleys and Harry disappeared a couple of days ago. Hermione doesn't know where they went. I hope the Dark Lord didn't take them. How could he? Hogwarts is safe. I'm going to go and find Draco. He's staying here over the holidays, so I'm going to say goodbye. And hopefully work this stuff out.

I pack up my bag and glance around the library for Draco. He's probably in the common room. I won't see him tomorrow, because he'll sleep in. I have to find a way into the common room.

I head down stairs and see Crabbe walking out of the Great Hall. Has he been eating all this time?

"Crabbe!" I call, "are you going to the common room?"

"No," he grunts, "detention."

"Do you know where Draco is?" I ask.

"Dormitory," he says.

Damn.

"What's the password?" I ask. He eyes me suspiciously.

"You're not in Slytherin," he says. I roll my eyes, trying to look confident.

"Draco told me it, I've just forgotten," I sigh, "now, are you going to tell me, or do I have to get Draco out here to make you?"

Thank God, he's an idiot!

"It's 'serpents'," he says.

That was easier than expected.

"Which is your dormitory?" I ask. Crabbe glances at the entrance to the dungeons.

"Third floor down," he says, "I'm late."

He walks away, but I don't care. I've got what I need. I walk down to the entrance to the Slytherin common room and hesitate. My robes give me away instantly as a Gryffindor, and I don't think it can get much worse than a Gryffindor girl sneaking into the Slytherin boys' dormitory. I take my robe off and shove it into my bag. Okay, now it's just a girl sneaking into the boys' dormitory. I hope Pansy isn't in the common room.

"Serpents," I say, trying to sound confident. Nothing happens to the wall. Maybe Crabbe lied. But then there's a grinding noise and I turn around. Wrong wall, oops! I hurry into the common room. It's so green. So very, very green. Just so green! There's a few people in the arm chairs, but they're older than me. I hesitate, looking between the two doorways leading off the common room. Which one is the girls'?! I can't ask anyone. Even if I was a first year, it's too late in the year for me not to know. I can either wait for someone to come out of one of them, which gives more time for that to be Pansy or for her to catch me here. Or I can go and have a poke around. I take one step forward when one of the girls near the fireplace stands up and walks across the room. I can hardly believe my luck! I watch her enter the door on the right and hurry over to the one on the left. I hurry down three floors and knock on the door. No one answers, so I slip inside.

This can't be right. There are dresses hanging up. Green dresses, but still dresses. Maybe there's something Draco needs to tell me. Or maybe that girl was doing what I was trying to do.

Oh my God, I'm in Pansy's dormitory!

I whip out my wand and start my work. By the time I'm done everything is red and gold, the serpents replaced by lions. I smirk and sneak out again. This time I sneak into the door on the right. Three floors down. I knock on the door.