Destinia: First Year at Hogwarts

Chapter 16: Stress and Satisfaction

Draco woke up the next morning with a sick feeling in his stomach. He shrugged it off as casual exam stress plus some excitement as it was the last one and did his morning routine as ever. Add a bit of revision. It was only in the middle of the exam, as he was answering questions about some mad wizard from the fifteenth century, that he remembered what would happen that day. He hit himself for the head, hoping to play it off as a basic exam reflex.

He left the classroom feeling restless, immediately rushing to Dumbledore's office, where he had an appointment with his headmaster and two of his teachers. As he reached the stone statue, he almost bumped into McGonagall coming up another flight of stairs.

"There you are, Mr Malfoy," she greeted, smiling uncertainly and a bit stiffly.

"Good day, Professor," Draco politely greeted back, walking with her up the stairs to Dumbledore's office after giving the password to the gargoyle. They knocked and entered the room to find the other two already there. They had some formal greeting stuff and sat down at Dumbledore's desk.

"So, Draco," Dumbledore started, catching the others' attention. "Will we just have to follow what you say?"

Draco shook his head slightly. "Not exactly, as I'm just following the book as well." He took the book and notebook out of his bag, laying them on the desk. He opened the book, spotting where they were, and stood up to look out the window, opening it.

"There it is," he spoke to the group at large, as a tawny owl came flying through the window Draco had just opened, a note clamped in its beak. Draco took the note and unfolded it, walking back and putting it on the desk for the other three to see.

"What is this, Draco?" Severus spoke up first, the other two went to look at him in curiosity.

"There seems to be something urgent at the Ministry," Dumbledore answered thoughtfully.

"It's a fake letter Quirrell has sent you to get you away from here," Draco explained easily. "Quirrell can't act while you're at Hogwarts, so he's sending you away with a fake letter. We'll just have to make him believe you aren't here."

The other occupants of the room nodded, though McGonagall seemed to rethink what Draco had said.

"It does look completely legitimate," she muttered thoughtfully.

"As it should," Dumbledore agreed cheerfully. "Quirrell did a great job with it."

Severus and McGonagall gave Dumbledore a disbelieving glance as Draco went back to the book.

"I think it's your call, Professor," Draco said calmly, though his nerves were acting up again.

McGonagall nodded. "Where again? To be sure," she asked.

"Entrance Hall. You know what you have to say, right?"

"Be resilient and keep cutting Mr Potter off?"

"Exactly. Let the rest come naturally."

McGonagall nodded and left the room, leaving Dumbledore and Severus in a tense silence as Draco followed the book.

In the middle of her conversation in the book which went extraordinarily good as Draco hadn't given either her nor Severus a script, he gestured the latter to get going. "Just greet them and act as if you know their plan!" he called after him. "And go to the staff room immediately after!"

The door had closed with a loud 'thud', and Dumbledore and Draco were the only ones left.

"Minerva is aware that she has to go to the Third-Floor Corridor, isn't she?" Dumbledore spoke up in the silence.