Unplanned Liars • Draco Malfoy

11. Potter's plot

Draco was rather angry when we found out next Hogsmeade visit had been cancelled, because he had to pass Rosmerta all the instructions using fake Galleons. He had a poison which was to be given to Dumbledore by Slughorn, who was to buy it at Three Broomsticks... If it all worked well, Dumbledore'd be dead faster then we could wish...

But this didn't work, either.

If Draco had been nervous before - because we tried to fix the Vanishing Cabinet many more times and still it didn't work like it was supposed to do - now he became even more of a nervous wreck. Slughorn gave the poison to Weasley, Potter's friend. Potter managed to save him - of course, the god of potions - and now he's being even more suspicious. I tried to modify his memory billions of times, but I couldn't catch him alone anywhere. However, whatever Potter knew, he didn't know Draco was working in the Room of Requirement - I've never seen him anywhere near it, except for this one time when I stood guard. Weasley was in the hospital wing and at least this was keeping Potter distracted a bit.

Finally came the day of the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. The whole school went down to the pitch, but Draco and I rushed to the Room of Requirement, with Crabbe and Goyle as two girls under Polyjuice Potion.

And, of course, we had to meet Potter on our way. When Draco saw him, he stopped, gave a humourless laugh and continued walking. Potter's view must've been... Interesting. I mean, Draco and three girls following his every step. Should've brought Pansy and we'd have a Draco Malfoy Fangirl Club.

"Where're you going?" Potter demanded.

"Yeah, I'm really going to tell you, because it's your business, Potter," Draco sneered. "You'd better hurry up, they'll be waiting for the Chosen Captain - the Boy Who Scored - whatever they call you these days."

I started to laugh, and so did Goyle. Potter stared at him and he blushed - of course in his girl self. I laughed even harder now.

We pushed past Potter, turned a corner and vanished from his view.

"This was close," I whispered as we reached the place where the door of the Room would appear. Draco nodded and closed his eyes. He was so good at making the door appear it took him just a few seconds to do so.

"You know what to do," he barked to the girls - Crabbe and Goyle - and opened the door, entering quickly with me at his heels.

We didn't speak until we reached the Vanishing Cabinet, walking slowly, knowing the way by heart.

"There it is. I want to vomit when I see it," Draco muttered when we arrived and I rolled my eyes.

"We're nearly there. Let's test it. We've never tested it with something alive," I said.

"We can't go in there, it..."

"Not us, are you mad?" I chuckled and drew my wand. "Avis," I said and a little group of birds erupted from it.

"Immobulus!" I shouted and the birds froze in mid-air. "Well, I give you a choice, you can choose which one we test," I said and Draco laughed. He actually laughed, with no irony or mischievousness, just like that. I was more than delighted to see him like this, even though he still looked like a shadow.

"This one, then," he pointed at the brown one and once he gripped him, I waved my wand so it would move again. Draco put the bird in the Cabinet and I closed its door so it wouldn't fly out of it. He took out his wand.

"Harmonia Necterepasus," he muttered, pointing at the Cabinet. We still heard the bird's squealing. Draco repeated the incantation and there was silence. I opened the door.

"Draco, it worked! Look! It's gone!" I was poiting at the Cabinet with excitement. He was looking at me with his mouth open.

"Now, let's try bringing it back here," I said and closed the door again. The spell was repeated, and few seconds later we heard a small thud. I opened the Cabinet. The bird was dead.

"They noticed... It worked..." Draco whispered.

"Few more days, Draco. Few more days and I bet we can test it ourselves."

He looked as though he believed in it less than me. We were standing there, arm to arm, staring at the dead bird.

Suddenly Draco wrapped his arm around me. I looked at him with confusion, but he avoided my gaze. I shivered at his touch and thought my heart would jump out of my chest. It wasn't his first time doing these weird things... Dared I think...

I put up the courage and decided to ask him.

"Draco... Is there anything you want to tell me?" I broke the long silence. He suddenly backed his arm and still refused to look at me. He sighed and took some time to answer.

"There is," he said quietly, "but I can't tell you."

"There is nothing you can't tell me. Not after this," I protested, pointing at the Cabinet.

"I can't," he replied firmly, and turned away from me. "Let's see if the match is over."

And he left me wondering. I couldn't sleep all night because of him.

"Come to think of it, it would be good to have both of you," said Harry. "OK, then... I want you to tail Draco Malfoy."

But then even a better idea struck Harry. He had two house-elves. He could tail two people.

"Oh, no. Kreacher, you follow Draco Malfoy and Dobby, you follow Aurora Mullen. I want to know where they're going, who they're meeting and what they're doing. I want you to follow them around the clock."

"Yes, Harry Potter!" Dobby said at once, his great eyes shining with excitement. "And if Dobby does it wrong, Dobby will throw himself off the topmost tower, Harry Potter!"

"There won't be any need for that," said Harry hastily. "You know who Mullen is, right, Dobby? She's the girl that walks with Malfoy all the time."

Dobby nodded ferociously.

"She has been Dobby's master once, Harry Potter, she was not as bad as..."

"All right, you know her, it's good," Harry interrupted, knowing Dobby would start hitting himself if he spoke ill about the Malfoys.

"Master wants me to follow the youngest of the Malfoys?" croaked Kreacher. "Master wants me to spy upon the pure-blood great-nephew of my old mistress?"

"That's the one," said Harry, foreseeing a great danger and determining to prevent it immediately. "And you're forbidden to tip him off, Kreacher, or to show him what you're up to, or to talk to him at all, or to write him messages, or... Or contact him in any way. The same goes for Mullen. Got it?"

[...]

"Master thinks of everything and Kreacher must obey him even though Kreacher would much rather be the servant of the Malfoy boy, oh yes..."

"That's settled, then," said Harry. "I'll want regular reports, but make sure I'm not surrounded by people when you turn up. Ron and Hermione are OK. And don't tell anyone what you're doing. Just stick to Malfoy and Mullen like a couple of wart plasters."