Green Grass and Old Parchment - Draco X Hufflepuff Reader

Chapter 53

  Christmas has passed but that winter still stands. When I woke up Christmas morning, after Draco left, I found a letter on my door. It was from him. It was short, telling me he had left me a couple more books and a jumper of his in my school bag. How cliché, he left me his sweater, but I don't mind.
  Since those passing days me and the leftover hufflepuff welcomed back the ones who left with a New Years party. It was a small party but we had some fun. Well more of a show an' tell then a party, because we had to stay quiet and people brought back different things and stories from Christmas to share. With the new year over and January getting old, school is back to normal and my visit from Draco should be coming. I hope. I haven't been to the library during nights anymore but I'm in there with a group of other students during a study hour. The sun is at the perfect height to cause the light to shine into the room and cast a faint golden hour effect. The old windows help tint the sunlight and the floor glows slightly. It's beautiful but it's distracting me from my studies.
  "(Y/N)?" a voice says my name. I turn and look beside me from the floor.
  "Yeah?"
  "Are you alright? You've been staring at the floor for awhile now."
  I smile, "Sorry, I just find the way the light spills in pretty." The other student nods but returns their eyes back to their books. I do the same. Someone rushes into the room and all eyes are on them. "Lighting had struck," they are talking to someone specific but the whole room can hear due to how quiet it is. Quiet a few of the students start to cheer quietly and some talk amongst themselves. I look around and find a girl with red hair run out of the room. What's going on? I try and listen to the whispers but all I'm hearing is the name 'Harry Potter' and there's no way that he's back, is there? I start to pack up my studies and rush out of the library, heading to the hufflepuff common. If he is here, who knows what might happen. I reach the common and just as I do I see students being brought out from the house. The prefect is in head of the line.
  "What's going on?" I ask another student while joining the line.
  "Snape called all students to the grand hall. Apparently Harry Potter's been spotted inside the castle."
  "Snape already knows?" I ask. The students shakes their head.
  "I don't know, but I assume that's why we're all being called to the grand hall." I thank them and go quiet for the rest of the walk.
  Once we reached the grand hall, we all stand in our houses in rows. Snape isn't far behind us and makes his way in the room. He turns to face us as he reaches the higher level in the room, staring us down with his normal straight face. "Many of you are surly wondering why I have summoned you at this time," his voice breaks the silence. "It's come to my attention, that early this evening.. Harry Potter was sighted in Hogsmeade." The whole room starts to whisper in confusion. As if half of us didn't know already. "Now," we all go quiet and hang out heads, "should anyone, student or staff, attempt to aid Mr. Potter, they will be punished in a manner consistent with the severity of their transgression.. Furthermore, any person found to have knowledge of these events, who fails to come forward, will be treated as equally guilty. Now then," Snape starts down the grand hall, "if anyone here has any knowledge of Mr. Potter's movements this evening, I invite them to step forward." Snape gives a few people some looks before stopping. He's only up the first set of house rows so I'm confused as to why he stops there. "Now," he demands. The first years in front of me are scared and the older students beside me have straight faces. We've built up some courage and strength to protect the younger years, making sure they don't go though their coming years living in hell.
  The rooms still quiet until a student steps out of line. I didn't think anyone would. The whole room gasps and mutters, turning to face to the trader.
  "It seem, despite your exhaustive defensive strategies," the grand hall door opens, "you still have a bit of a security problem, headmaster." So is true Harry is in the castle, and he's got back up. "And I'm afraid it's quite extensive.. How dare you stand here he stood?" he speaks about Dumbledore. This brings a sudden anger over him. "Tell them how it happened that night. Tell them how you looked him in the eye, a man who trusted you, and killed him!" No one else dares to speak. "Tell them." Snape raises his wand to cast a spell, I gasp, but McGonagall stands in front of Harry. Everyone moves to the walls, staying out of range. Snape lowers his wand for a split second but raises it again as McGonagall raises her's. She casts a spell towards him, I assume out of anger, and we all push towards the wall further. A first year grabs onto me and starts to cry silently. I hold her to me. My eyes move back to the middle of the room where McGonagall throws another spell at Snape. One after another she casts spells which Snape blocks. He eventually deflects them onto the two figures at the end of the room as he's being pushed backwards. Before he can reach the stairs he turns to his Black Death Eater form and smashed through the window. That's the second time that poor window had been broken.
  "Coward!" McGonagall calls after him. Everyone starts to cheer for our hero, well two if you count Harry, and the room lightens up. We all die down, the first year wiping her cheeks and smiling. But, that wasn't even the half of it.
The room goes dim again but oddly enough the fires are still lite. Everyone starts to panic and worry silently. What now? Thunder rumbled and out of the silence a scream is heard. Just as the first stops another girl screams. A first year is curled in a corner screaming with her hands over her ears. Her scream moves to another girl, this one older. I pray I don't start as I watch Harry's attention move back and forth around the room.
  Out of nowhere a voice is heard, it's familiar but I can't place my finger on it. "I know that many of you will want to fight. Some of you may even think that to divvy is wise. But this is folly," the voice echoes for a quick moment. "Give me Harry Potter." Voldemort, it has to be. His voice echoes again. "Do this and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter and I shall leave Hogwarts untouched. Give me Harry Potter," his 's'es start to drag like a snake. Which he is, "and you will be rewarded. You have one hour." Relief fills the room slowly as the room lights up again. Students move out of Harry's way towards McGonagall.
  "What are you waiting for? Someone grab him." It's Pansy. Of course she couldn't keep her mouth shut. Ron's little sister and Hermione stand guard of Harry. They're willing to fight with him, for him even. More people stand up and in front of him.
  A faint yelling is hear making the moment less dramatic. It's Mr. Filnch. He comes into the room holding his cat, as usual, saying, "Students out of bed!.. Students in the corridor!"
  McGonagall cuts him off. "They are supposed to be out of bed, you blithering idiot." Filnch looks at McGonagall confused for a moment.
  "Oh. S-Sorry, ma'am."
  "As it happens, Mr. Filnch, your arrival is most opportune," McGonagall starts towards Filnch. "If you would, I would like you, please, to lead Miss. Parkinson and the rest of Slytherin House from the hall." She whips her wand towards the doorway.
  "Exactly where is it I'll be leading them to, ma'am?" Filnch asks.
  "The dungeons would do." The room starts to cheer and Mr. Filnch leads the Slytherin House out of the room. I watch as they leave wondering if Draco were there if he would've stopped Pansy or if he would've said as she did. "Potter," McGonagall's voice grabs my attention again. "It's good to see you."
  "It's good to see you too, professor," Harry says.
  We all spill out of the grand hall, rushing every which way. Some to their commons and some to find each other. I run back to the Hufflepuff House, and seem to be the only one.