Transfixed: A Draco Malfoy Fanfiction

Chapter 63

Much to my delight, things stayed quiet for a while. We had settled into a routine, and it was a routine that worked for everyone. Draco and I patrolled the castle, trained with the Carrows, and oversaw the isolation wing.

At our next training session, the Carrows had cooled down since our first encounter, and decided that my dueling abilities should be appreciated and expanded. They probably thought Voldemort would reward them if they were able to grow my fighting skills, and maybe he would. My initial worry over exposing my gift went away once I realized that it was going to be celebrated, not feared, and I managed to grow significantly stronger in a short period of time.

As for Dumbledore's Army, things were coming along smoothly. Cassady and Diego would sneak into the isolation wing each night after supper and lead the group to the safe house in the Dark Forest. Cassady would report to me about how things were going, and according to her, everyone was making terrific progress. Diego had gotten the nearby magical creatures to stay silent, and some of the centaurs had even stopped by to give archery lessons. It was a full-scale operation, and everyone was doing their part.

Snape had become a total recluse, and I didn't bother trying to inform him of what we were doing. He had left everything up to Draco and I, and while that made me angry at first, I had become grateful. We were in charge and could make decisions for ourselves. It felt great, especially since we were succeeding.

As for my Crown of Sight, it still wouldn't work. In my free time, I would scour every book in the library to see if I could find anything about the crown or Isolda, but I never could. Draco and I had come to the conclusion that perhaps the crown was just a symbol of power, but that it didn't actually do anything. My powers were coming slowly and deliberately, and it was clear that I was the heir of Isolda Peverell. So even though I still yearned for the crown to reveal its powers to me, I was not desperate. I was becoming powerful enough on my own.

And to make matters even better, the Unfavorables were not causing any problems, and Draco and I didn't have to do a single punishment. They thought we were completely oblivious to the safe house and the secret passageway, and they didn't want to give us any reason to be suspicious. So, they stayed quiet and did not give us, nor the Carrows, any trouble.

The Carrows thought it was because Draco and I were just doing a great job in our new role, so they were amply impressed. When a couple weeks went by with no problems, the students were sent back to their houses, and the isolation wing was empty for the first time since the beginning of the year. Things were almost normal.

News of the passageway and of the resurgence of Dumbledore's Army spread from one end of the castle to the other, but the students managed to keep it a secret. Every night, the students would sneak one by one to the isolation wing, descend in the secret passageway, and meet Cassady and Diego for training. Cassady set up a schedule so she trained students from each house on different nights. Students were happier in the Great Hall during the feasts, and the other professors were delighted.

The Carrows showered Draco and I with praise, exclaiming how happy they were that we had managed to establish such order. The students were doing well in their classes, even though I knew everyone was still suppressing their magic so they didn't actually have to train in the Dark Arts. But the Carrows were ignorant and Snape didn't care and Draco and I were keeping their secret safe. We couldn't have asked for anything more.

But of course, nothing is perfect, and we were bound to get ourselves into some trouble eventually.

One night, when Draco and I had finished our evening patrol and the Gryffindors were training with Cassady, I felt the strong desire to see Dumbledore's Army in action. I wanted to go to the dark forest.