Cheers, Potter.

As we go.

Draco's POV

The morning came and I woke to find my side empty and cold, Harry had gone. I wasn't surprised, such as was our routine. He wanted to get back to his dorm before he got caught having not slept in his bed. He couldn't lie to his friends if his life depended on it, so we decided to avoid it being a necessity – I, on the other hand, could lie for Britain so I wasn't so worried about rushing back. But just because I was used to waking up without him, didn't mean that I didn't miss him.

I made my way to breakfast after briefly stopping at the showers to wash up and change clothes. Anticipating the questions I'd receive from my friends regarding my whereabouts, I had prepared an answer.

Now, call me self-centred, but when I reached the table and sat before Blaise and Cyrus I was barely noticed, which frustrated me. Every other day I'd been found missing I'd been interrogated within an inch of my life. They'd ask if I'd been harassed again, if I was harassing others again (a suggestion that offended me greatly), if I'd been sleepwalking, if I'd been abducted by aliens (that was a suggestion from Connie), if I had died and had come to breakfast a ghost.

Presently, however, it took almost an entire minute for Blaise to notice my presence.

"Where've you been then?" was all he offered me.

"The library," I stated, buttering a slice of toast, "I was studying late,"

"Ah, okay," he nodded his understanding, he knew how important my exams were to me and how much I hated talking about them so he just left it; I felt bad for the white lie but it was so easy to get away with – Merlin knew he wouldn't be caught dead in the library by choice.

"What's got you all spacey?" I was concerned at how absent he seemed.

"Nothing," he replied too quickly, "have you seen Connie yet?"

I shook my head and as if on cue the young witch came in and walked directly over to Hermione at the Gryffindor table, not even sparing us a glance. They bowed their heads as they spoke in hushed voices, even on the other side of the room I could tell they were whispering because I caught Harry's eye and he gave me a look that said 'I have no idea'... nothing new there then.

Once they'd finished their secret little discussion Connie made her way over to us, crawling under the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables instead of going around, much to the surprise and annoyance of the other students.

Once she reached us, she stood, looking just as dishevelled as usual but no more so despite her adventures below the benches. Her brown hair was knotted at the back of her head and her over-grown fringe fell in her eyes – a fact that she either didn't notice or didn't care enough about to change – her shirt was untucked and her tie was fixed around her wrist rather than her neck. Same old, same old.

"Hey guys, fancy seeing you here," she said as though we hadn't just witnessed her completely blank us, conspire with a Gryffindor and then clamber around on her hands and knees (both of which were scuffed and grazed from Merlin only knew what misadventures that had filled the last week).

"What are you up to now?" I asked, exasperated and wary of what her response might be.

"I don't like your tone young man," Connie frowned, "I'm a perfect delight and am never 'up to' anything." We both knew that was a bare-faced lie.

After breakfast I was making my way to Arithmancy with Pansy; Blaise had Runes and Connie had flying lessons on the other side of the castle. It was the first time I'd been alone with her since the Ginny and Luna meddling fiasco, and I was certainly feeling the heat of it now. I hadn't realised I was holding my shoulders to protect my neck until they started aching.