dear draco,

fourteen

As time goes by, being with Draco gets harder and more complex than I ever thought it could be.

I realise, more and more, how amazing he is. We have known each other for years now, but there is still so much to learn and say and hear. And he, he is wonderful: he talks and listens and laughs and does everything my friends said he wouldn't. He is funny and clever and loyal and protective, and all of these qualities that I never imagined in him. He is magnificent, but he's also Draco Malfoy, and being his girlfriend is nowhere near simple. The other Gryffindor girls seem to have taken pity on me, however, because they are starting to be nice again, bit by bit. They seem to have realised that my moralities actually differ to Draco's hereditary ones, and are slowly dropping their cold fronts.

But it's difficult. Because as time progresses, darkness draws near. War impends and stability trembles, and it becomes increasingly clear that times will only get tougher. Even in between big exams and all the strict rules enforced on us, the feeling grows that this might just be the easy part.

"You know, you might actually be lucky Malfoy's not on our side of it all," says Ginny, wrinkling her nose as she, Luna and I pass Umbridge's wall of educational decrees. Ginny was one of the last people to warm up to me again, but we're getting there. "If he was, he'd just be sulky all the time. This is all benefiting him, so he's super content – which is great for you."

I chuckle reluctantly. "I guess there's something good in him always getting his way."

"Other than making him even more of a stuck-up brat, and-"

I interrupt her with a shove on her arm. "Yeah, yeah."

"I think it's very impressive of you to stay with him," says Luna kindly. "Most people wouldn't have the patience."

"That's true," Ginny sniggers, "you'd need a lot of patience for - wait." Ginny has stopped in the middle of the corridor, her head cocked to the side.

"Wh-" I start, but she shushes me. And then I hear it.

"That's Harry," whispers Luna.

Harry's voice is sounding from inside a classroom that we have just passed. He is yelling, but I've never heard him yell like this before. He sounds desperate.

Ginny sighs. "He's having a really rough time these days, isn't he?"

"What do you think he's shouting about?"

She steps towards the classroom and beckons for us to follow. "Well, let's find out."

When we step inside, Harry is gripping a desk in the corner of the classroom. Ron and Hermione stand next to him looking anxious. Harry stops yelling the second they hear us come in, and the three whip around to face us.

"Hi," says Ginny hesitantly. "We heard Harry from outside. What's going on?"

"Never you mind," says Harry roughly, turning away with his head in his hands.

Ginny raises her eyebrows. "There's no need for that tone," she says evenly. "If something's wrong, we'd like to help."

"Well, you can't help."

"You're being quite rude, you know," says Luna calmly, causing Harry to swear into his hands.

I look pointedly at Ron and Hermione. "Is there anything we can do? If there isn't, we'll leave right now."

"Harry," says Hermione. "Harry, they can help."

"We haven't got time-"

"Harry," Hermione says again, her tone increasingly desperate. "We just need to make sure Sirius isn't in headquarters. You can't go charging off to London if he's safely at home."

"I told you, I saw-"

"We just need to check-"

"Fine," Harry says angrily. "Fine, but we need to make it quick."

Hermione nods quickly, but her eyes are terrified. "We'll use Umbridge's fire to try contact him. You go get your cloak. Ron and I will draw Umbridge away and-" she turns to us- "will you three make a distraction?"

"No problem," I say quickly.

"We'll say someone's let off a load of Garotting Gas," says Ginny. "That way the corridor will be empty and you can get in."

"Great," says Hermione. "It should only take a few minutes. Harry, we'll meet you at the end of the corridor-" But Harry has already flung himself out the door and is hurtling back towards the dormitories to get his cloak.

Minutes later, Ginny, Luna and I are standing at the ends of Umbridge's corridor, chasing off students. "Wait, so why can't we go past?" says a sixth year Ravenclaw boy, peeking over my shoulder and looking sorely tempted to push past me.

"Some kind of gas was let off," I say, shrugging. "I don't know. Umbridge's orders."

He looks down at me over his nose. "If it's Umbridge's orders, why aren't the Inquisitorial Squad doing it?"

I force a laugh. "What is this, an interrogation?" Then, in a moment of sheer luck, I spot a platinum blond head over his shoulder. "Look, there's one of them!" I reach over and grab Draco's hand.

"What's happening here?" asks Draco, looking around confusedly. The boy gives me a skeptical look and I let out a shaky laugh.

"Draco here is one of the highest-regarded members of the squad," I say, squeezing his hand hard. "Draco, why don't you tell this nice boy that he needs to leave?"

Draco looks him up and down and gives him a dirty look. "You heard her, clear off," he says. The boy glares at him and stalks away. Draco leans into me. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," I say at once. "Please leave."

"Is something wrong?"

"No Draco, but they'll never forgive me if I'm the one to mess everything up. Please go."

He narrows his eyes. "Fine, but I'm only letting you off. None of your friends."

I let out a sigh of relief as he leaves and turn around to see what's going on. At the other end of the corridor, Ginny is waving away students, looking utterly unruffled. In the middle of the hall, and in the slightest, most inconspicuous movement, I notice Umbridge's door open and close. Harry and Hermione are inside.

But only moments after Draco has left, I gasp as a heavy arm is flung around my neck.

I aim a kick at the thick shins of my captor. "Caught out," leers Crabbe's voice in my ear. I look around. Goyle has grabbed Luna, and Crabbe is grinning meanly down at me. "We've got you this time."

"Draco-" I kick his shin again, and he winces. "Draco won't like this."

Crabbe ignores me and shoves me forward. To my horror I see Ginny fighting off other Inquisitorial Squad members at the end of the corridor. Neville has joined her in an attempt to help, but the captors are much bigger and stronger, and their attempts are useless. My heart sinks.