Underneath the Mistletoe

ChapterSeventeen

Draco's POV
SecondYear-DayThree

As soon as the pressure from Harry Potters wand lifted from the back of his neck, Draco prepared to bolt. However, turning to sneer at the other boy, he noticed something odd.

"Why are you wearing Slytherin robes?"

Even in the dark shadows of the alcove, Draco saw Harry's face redden. "Er-" his features transformed from surprise to guarded. "I'll see you around Malfoy."

Those emerald green eyes bore into him behind familiar circular spectacles as the other boy shouldered by. The moment Potter was out of sight, Draco let out a breath he hadn't noticed he had been holding. Draco knew he had said too much. What had he been thinking? He shouldn't have said anything about his father. Why hadn't he just made something up?
It was just that when Harry Potter was around words seemed to sort of tumble from his lips. It was impulsive, when he was around that stupid Gryffindor, he got reckless. However he couldn't afford to be reckless around Potter. ("A Malfoy must always calculate their next move with careful precision.")
Draco unglued his feet from the floor and started on the path that would lead him back to the Slytherin Common Room.
He was traveling up the moving staircases when a loud thump sounded.
Peering up Draco barely managed to dodge a ginormous Hogwarts knight that fell from above. The sound of metal on stone rang out as the figure broke apart into dozens of jagged pieces before him. Startled, Draco craned his neck in search but he didn't see the cause for the fallen knight.

"I'LL GET YOU WHOEVER YOU ARE!" The echoing voice of Filch made him jump.
I have to get out here, Draco thought to himself, thoroughly rattled.  As soon as the moving staircase reconnected, he was off like a bullet released from its chamber. Draco rushed up the steep stairs not knowing, nor at the moment caring, where he was going so long as it was far from the ancient school janitor. Reaching the top of the staircase, Draco raced down a hall that seemed to be going in the opposite direction of Filch. It wasn't until he reached the end of the hall that he realized he had cornered himself. The hall ended with a door and the door he'd reached was locked. Despite knowing there was no point Draco pulled roughly on the handle and pushed his shoulder into the wooden door.

The sound of footsteps fast approaching made Draco realize that he needed to find a plan B.
However plan B seemed to find him, and happened to be more of an assault then a plan.
To his left Harry Potter appeared out of thin air. No, not thin air, he appeared out from under the invisibility cloak Draco knew he had received anonymously last Christmas.

"Quick under here!" Harry gave him no time for argument and whipped a fold of the cloaks fabric over both of their heads.

Filch appeared moments later, a heaving mess, at the top of the staircase. His eyes were bloodshot and wild, his face was flushed and his hairline sweaty. The old Hogwarts janitor scanned the hall and his thin lips curled into a menacing grin. "Come out come out. Is it you Peeves, or perhaps a wee student wandering about?"

Draco turned his head to look at the other boys expression. It was one he would never forget. Harry had his mouth clamped shut and his eyes were as large as saucers. Draco felt like laughing at the scene. The boy who lived, the boy who defeated the darkest wizard to ever walk the earth, the boy who burnt that wizards face off at the age of 11, this boy beside him was scared of being caught by a scrawny old school janitor.

The situation became a lot less funny when the shaggy man began to shuffle around the landing with his arms outstretched like a blind man feeling for his way. Harry stiffened beside him and Draco covered his mouth with a hand to muffle the sounds of his breathing. His breath caught in his throat when the scruffy man stared right at them as if he could see around the powerful cloak. Of course that wasn't possible Draco told himself. Thankfully after a moment of nerve racking silence and anticipation Filch sneered darkly and muttered "I'll get you next time I will." With that he hobbled down the stairs and into the shadowy halls.