Between the Malfoy Brothers - Dramione

Chapter 30

Harry felt awful, standing in the room of requirement watching the DA practice conjuring Patronuses. They were brilliant, all of them just weeks away from astounding government examiners with their skills on their Defense Against the Dark Arts OWLs. Cho was there too, smiling sweetly at him over the silvery trails of her swan. She'd made up with him, kissed him again, and for now, they had found that delicate balance of theirs.

So of course, it was all about to explode.

Over jubilant voices calling out incantations, Harry was listening carefully for the first sound of impact at the room's entrance. It would be Malfoy pelting the door with a quaffle, a warning. From inside the room, it was meant to sound like someone about to break through the door. Once it came, Harry would send everyone scrambling before Umbridge and the prefects she'd recruited rounded the corner into the corridor, chasing the DA as they fled.

Even if no one but himself was caught, they had all signed their names to the parchment Pansy would hand over to Umbridge at the end of the chase. Caught or not, everyone here, everyone who trusted him, would have to answer for this.

In all the activity, no one but Harry, Ronald, and Hermione noticed the first thud against the door when it came.

No one was sure what Hermione meant when she called out, "We've been compromised."

Fred and George just looked startled when Ronald shoved Ginny at them and said, "Run."

But everyone knew exactly what to do when Harry shouted, "Umbridge!"

There was a charge for the door, Harry pushing at the mass of people from behind. "Go on! Hide!"

He was last out of the room, pulling the door closed and glancing up and down the corridor. Most everyone had reached the corner, about to turn out of sight. Only Hermione was hanging back as Ronald tugged her onward.

From the other direction, Harry heard shouting and the slap of footsteps. Umbridge was cheering on her prefect militia as they closed in on the DA. He couldn't just stand there, stupidly waiting to turn himself over to them. Where was Malfoy? They'd agreed he would take Harry down in an attack, so it looked authentic. But they'd never gone over the details. He must have been hiding, or in a Disillusionment charm. Umbridge's voice was closer now, that shrill, evil sweetness Harry had come to pair with the wounds in his hand at detention.

He ran. If Malfoy had chickened out, the others could come looking for him in the boys' toilets, just ahead. They were welcome to chase him -- whatever it took to buy the rest of the DA some time.

All at once, without anyone speaking an incantation, Harry's ankles stopped while the rest of him kept going, sending him falling, sprawling onto the floor with a shout.

Non-verbal tripping jinx. Malfoy.

There he was, coming out from behind a dragon-shaped vase, where he must have been waiting while every DA member but this one ran past him. He was calling for Umbridge, announcing he'd caught Potter. She was delighted, awarding points to Slytherin, but not content to let the other students off. She took hold of Harry and sent her posse to bring anyone out of breath or otherwise suspicious back to her office for questioning.

Caught between Umbridge's grip and her drawn wand, Harry watched Malfoy scrambling to follow a wolfish looking Montague toward the library.

Umbridge gave his arm a violent jerk as she set off with him toward the headmaster's tower.

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

"Some of them will be in here," Montague hissed at Draco as they stepped through the library doors.