When Twins Strike Back | Draco Malfoy [3]

Chapter 15 ~ Important News

Cho and Harry started some kind of relationship. I honestly didn't care about her anymore. I was just happy for Harry. He finally got himself a girl, even if it took until he was fifteen to finally get one. Him and his awkward self. I found it cute.

As I was walking to the library to study, I heard someone call my name.

"Max! Max!" It was Hermione. "Hagrid's back."

"What?" I asked in shock.

"He's back. He came back today. Where's your brother?"

"I don't know, walking with Cho, I think."

Hermione dashed away from me. Ron and I looked at each other and followed her. She finally found Harry and he left Cho. We all made a run for Hagrid's Hut, running down the hill. I almost fell down numerous times. When we got to his window, Umbridge was in there. We quickly ducked down when we saw her looking at the window. She told Hagrid something and then headed for the door. That was when we hid around the side of the house until she finally left to go back up to the castle.

"Hagrid!" Ron was the first to go inside. Hagrid looked horrible. He had bruises and scratches everywhere.

"Hagrid, what happened to you?" I asked him.

"Sit down and I'll tell yeh." We all sat down and then he continued. "Now what I'm abou' to tell yeh is not to be shared with anyone else. Dumbledore sent me to parley with the giants."

"Giants?!" Hermione repeated. "You found them?"

"Well, they're not that hard to find. I tried to convince them to join the cause. But I wasn' the only one that was tryin' to win them over."

"Death Eaters?" Ron asked.

"Yes," Hagrid replied. "Tryin' to persuade them to join You-Know-Who."

"Did they?" I asked.

"I gave them Dumbledore's message. Suppose some of them remember he was friendly to them."

"And they did this to you?" Harry asked.

"Not exactly, no." He stopped when we felt strays of hay move around. We looked outside and heard thunder rumbling in the distance. The sky was getting darker by the minute. "It's changin' out there. Jus' like last time. There's a storm comin', yeh guys. We'd all best be ready when she does."

*******

The latest news I heard the next day was about a mass breakout from Azkaban. Ten prisoners escaped, and they were all Death Eaters. One of the escapees was on Sirius' family tree back at his place: Bellatrix Lestrange. That was his cousin.

When I saw Neville reading the article, he looked distraught. Something was bothering him. I wanted to go ask him, but it didn't feel like it was the right thing to do.

"Dumbledore warned Fudge this could happen," Hermione said. "He's going to get us all killed just because he can't face the truth."

"Amen to that," I added.

"Harry. Max." We turned around to see Seamus. The entire Great Hall went silent. "I...I wanted to apologize. Now even me mam says the Prophet's version of things don't add up. So what I'm really trying to say is that I believe you."

"Thank you, Seamus," I said, nodding my head.

*******

After another meeting with Dumbledore's Army, I spotted Neville alone. I went up to him as he was looking at a picture of his parents.