Hannah Grace and the Dark Arts

~Chapter Nine~

Year Six

The weekend had come again, which meant student visits to Hogsmeade and some time away from school.

"Want to go to Hogsmeade?" Hannah asked Draco during a stroll through the courtyard. "Study in the library, chat over a cup of tea in the dining hall..." Nothing. She gave an exasperated sigh. "Bloody hell. Well at least I'm trying."

He still didn't say anything, but finally looked at her.

"What's going on?" she demanded. "What's up with you? Why won't you talk to me?"

"It's none of your business, that's why," he retorted.

"Draco, I want to help you-" she tried.

"There's nothing to help with. So just leave it."

"But-"

"Oh, so now you want to help?" he snapped.

She scrunched up her nose in confusion. "What?"

"Now you suddenly come running back after abandoning us."

The thick choker around her neck tightened almost too much when her neck muscles tensed up in anger. "What the hell are you on about?"

"How you've totally changed while being at school."

"I've  changed?"

"And what good has it done, Hannah, but estrange you from your own family?"

"Oh that is a load of bollocks! We're not estranged!"

"No? Do you not see the strain you're putting on your poor parents?"

She scoffed. "Unbelievable. Ridiculous."

"And for what? Wearing that dark makeup on your face, all that heavy jewelry, and wasting your time with filth like-"

"SHUT UP!" she yelled. "It wasn't me who caused it! And it doesn't matter if it's family if what they're doing is wrong!"

"Maybe it isn't."

"You don't believe that! Please tell me you don't."

Now he looked away. "Maybe I do."

"Oh stop it, we both know you don't!"

"What do you know?" he shot back.

"Well fat lot of good you've done too! At least I have the guts to do something, rather than just follow blindly. You're nothing but a coward!"

He whirled around, eyes blazing with anger, but he said nothing, the intensity of the anger in the silence enough.

They stared each other down for a long time before she finally looked away. "I don't know what to say to you, Draco Malfoy."

"I don't want your pity, Grace!" he snapped, saying her name with as much venom as he usually said 'Granger'.

His snapping at her was uncalled for, that much was clear. 

She was starting to believe her friends: Draco wasn't going to change and she was wasting her time. But despite this frustration, it still didn't stop the feeling that something was wrong, and she wanted to find out what. 

He was her old friend, after all. 

--------------------------------------------

It had been a few days since her fallout with Draco. Hannah was on her way to the Great Hall for dinner.

However, along the way, something made her stop and listen.

Crying.

Someone was crying in the boy's toilet she had just passed, the soft sounds echoing from within the room. This alone would have been cause for worry, only she recognized the voice behind those sobs.

Draco.

Well she couldn't just continue on her merry way to join the others for dinner now.

Slowly, cautiously almost, she approached the door. She pushed it open just a crack, glad that it didn't creak and alert Draco of her presence.

Draco stood across the room at one of the sinks, holding the counter to steady himself as  sobs shook his body. Hannah's heart wrenched.

Draco noticed her suddenly, mid-sob, and hurriedly wiped his face with his sleeve, as though to try and hide his tears.

She gave him a small, sympathetic smile. Then she did something she hadn't done in a long time: she hugged Draco Malfoy. And not an awkward, half-hug, but a full hug. A friendly hug. She could feel his whole body shaking. Neither said anything – nothing needed to be said.

"AWWWWW!"

They jumped apart, both startled by the shrill crooning.

Moaning Myrtle floated nearby. "Hey! You're not supposed to be in here!" The ghost girl pointed a finger accusingly at Hannah. "Girl in the boy's toilets!" she shrieked.

"Well, you're not either, technically," Hannah shot back. Myrtle stuck out her tongue and vanished.

With her gone, Hannah turned back to Draco.

Draco turned away, forcefully wiping his tearstained face with his sleeve. Then, upon looking in the mirror, he went rigid.

Hannah looked too. In the corner of the mirror, his reflection distorted due to the spidery cracks, she saw Harry standing in the doorway to the bathroom, wand drawn. Draco went from panicked sobbing to furious in an instant.

It was difficult to say who made the first move, for neither boy really hesitated. One spell was shot, then another, again and again. Draco sent a spell flying in Harry's direction, Harry ducking out of the way just in time before shooting a spell back from behind the wall. Hannah too, was forced to duck and scramble away – she had found herself in the middle of a full-on fight.

"Harry, Draco – STOP!" she yelled, but her shout was drowned out as one of the boys' spells burst a pipe, sending water spraying all across the room. She slipped on the slick tile flooring and crashed to her knees, cursing.

"SECTUMSEMPRA!"

There was a searing, bright flash – Hannah could feel the heat coming off the spell, which was shot from Harry's wand. There was a crash, followed by a cry, and then silence and stillness.

Staggering to her feet, Hannah looked ahead in horror.

The spell had struck Draco, knocking him down instantly, and he now lay sprawled out on the floor in a puddle of water – and blood. The whole front of his body was sliced open gruesomely and bloody. Hannah's eyes were as wide as an owl's in horror.

"H-Harry," she cried. "What did you do? What have you done?"

Myrtle chose that moment to reappear. "MURDER! MURDER IN THE BATHROOM! MURDER!!!"

(Aww Draco :.( 

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :))