Professor Malfoy

9. The Marauder's Map

Hey! Once again, don't forget to like the chapter and leave a comment or two, that really makes my day. I'd like to go back to my old ways and thank draddydracoo harrypottahswap -fredweasleysimp and nicolelvarez1 for their lovely comments (and a second-time thank you to RStilinski vorhxsz and cloudertears who keep commenting such lovely things). Sorry if I forgot anyone, but truly, a huge thanks to anyone reading!! Ok here's the summary

Last chapter: Ari goes to St. Mungo's to get what would be the equivalent to a hormone treatment in the magical world, but also secretly goes to meet with a Healer who's specialised in Incurable Diseases. Once he returns, he bumps into Anya, who's holding the Marauder's Map and sees Draco Malfoy's name sneaking out of the castle and decides to follow him.

*

Anya's stomach roared as she was silently walking in the direction the map pointed her in. By the lack of students on the school grounds and the sun shining right on top of her head, she knew everyone was probably already having lunch.

"This better be worth it," she thought as she picked up her pace.

She was joined by her black cat, who started trotting beside her. That brought a sense of comfort to the young Ravenclaw, for she didn't know what to expect from her former Death Eather professor; she couldn't be quite sure that he wasn't one anymore.

Her mind couldn't help but start wandering and reminiscing last year's events. She had a really good reason not to trust Draco Malfoy; she'd seen first-hand his unquenchable thirst for power and what he had been willing to do to save himself once things didn't turn out the way he had wanted them to. She had heard from Harry's mouth about their encounter in the Room of Requirements and how he had almost succeeded in murdering him ("although it wasn't actually him who cast the spell and he did lose one of his best friends in that situation", a voice said inside Anya's head) and she had also witnessed how him and his cowardly family had run off once it was all over and all there was left was relief and sorrow scattered among the rubble that covered the castle's floors.

But something had never made enough sense to her, there was something that she couldn't stop thinking about: this one moment where her unpredictable professor-to-be did something she would have never expected him to do. It was in that moment that she saw a breach of hope for him, that she thought he was actually a decent man with an extremely hostile upbringing. As she was sitting alongside some students and members of the Order whose injuries were being tended to, she was astonished at the sight of Draco Malfoy sneaking past fallen tables and remaining unseen as he made his way towards the place where they were placing all the dead bodies from around the castle. Since everyone was either healing or being healed, no one really noticed as he bent down and closed his cousin's eyes, which had been open and still frozen on her hindmost gaze. Tonks and Lupin had been found holding hands, so whoever carried them to the Great Hall made sure to keep them that way. Draco looked down at their hands for a few seconds, stood up and slithered his way back to his parents, who had just appeared at the entrance, presumably looking for him. Anya could never make sense of that moment, seeing as he hadn't shown any other signs of having actually changing ever since.

Anya was so deep in thought that she almost tripped when she was forced to come to a sudden stop when she saw Draco was standing still, a few metres away from her. She hid behind a nearby tree and felt her heart pounding rapidly in her chest, as she stood, expectant to see what he was up to. She could hear his breathing from her hiding spot, as if he was trying to calm himself down by inhaling and exhaling; she guessed whatever he had to do, it was probably important or he wouldn't look so nervous. She noticed they were close to the Greenhouses once again; there was no one near that general area, as everyone was either having lunch or preparing for their afternoon lessons. This was one of Anya's favourite parts of the grounds, for nobody ever came here since it was off the path that led to their Herbology lessons and it was at the verge of the Forbidden Forest. There was a particular tree that had a deformed trunk, so she knew she could sit there and her back would fit perfectly against it, making it an excellent reading spot. The gentle sun caressed the lily flowers that surrounded them and a few bowtruckles were disguising themselves among the low branches.