The Half-Blood Princess

Chapter 46

Draco' POV

                             "Draco, wake up."

      I feel an aggressive amount of force on my side when I refuse to open my eyes. Alexis' hands shake me back and forth.

                           "Draco!"

         The tone in her voice makes me feel a little uneasy, considering she's hardly ever serious. I open one eye slowly and see her holding a piece of parchment above my head.

              She sets the parchment in my lap. "Your mum sent this."

      When I unfold it and read the note I instantly want to hibernate underneath my covers.

Draco,

The Dark Lord is calling all death eaters to the Manor. Please don't be late.

        Mum

        I look up at Alexis who is reading the note over my shoulder, nervously. I can tell she's feeling the exact same way. Normally it wouldn't be that big of a deal visiting home, but with everything The Dark Lord is planning neither of us know what to expect.

        Not to mention the past few months have been completely quiet. Every once in a while you'll hear something about Potter and his friends but other than that, nothing.

         "My dad told me about it this morning," Alexis mutters. "Do you think this means..."

               "I don't know what it means." I snap.

        Instantly, I regret giving her attitude. I sometimes forget that she is going through the same thing I am, mainly because she does a better job at hiding it.

                                    "Sorry, I just woke up."

         She opens her mouth to say something but shuts in quickly. Her feet take her in the direction of my dorm door but I reach my hand out and grab her sleeve.

                        "Don't leave, we can go together."

       She hides her smile but I see her cheeks getting red as she comes back my way.

~~~

        By the time Alexis and I finish getting ready, Snape and the other death eaters at Hogwarts have already left. We were planning on leaving with her father but I guess he decided to take an earlier train.

           "I can't believe he left without us!" She huffs.

                    I shrug my shoulders. "Maybe he was needed sooner."

       I say that in a comforting way but I know it puts her more on edge. She crosses her arms, covering herself from the cold, and sighs.

                         "Let's just go."

       Her hand gently latches onto mine and in an instant we are standing in front of my home. My stomach starts to spin and I can't tell if it's from the apparating or nerves.

       Without another thought, she starts towards the manor and knocks. I see my mother open the door and glance over Alexis' shoulder to make eye contact with me.

        I expect a smile or open arms but she stays quiet. After staring at each for a long moment she turns around and re-enters the house.

          I join at Alexis' side and give her a confused look.

            "She just said we should go upstairs for now." Alexis says quietly.

       I nod, and take her hand in mine. She stares down at our fingers intertwined, then back up at me. The gears in her head start to turn and I want to ask her how she's feeling but know I won't get an honest answer.

     She'd say, "It's just chilly." Then smile slightly.

       But deep down I know she's wondering what's going to happen when we walk through the door.

                "Come on, I have a fireplace in my room."

        The two of us head inside and the dorm slams aggressively behind us do to the wind. No one else is around thankfully, so we immediately rush up the stairs to my room.

       As soon as we enter I remember the last time we were here together. It was so long ago yet I have the same gut feeling now that I did back then.

        "After all of this is over we need to re-decorate." Alexis chuckles while observing my blank walls.

          I scoff. "As long as it doesn't look like your dorm I'll be okay."

       Her eyes narrow but she smiles. She knows I actually really love her room, I compliment it often. She has a lot of photographs on the walls. Plus, she hung up a Quidditch flag with my number on it without me even asking.

       She drops onto the bed and sighs. "Do you think all of the death eaters are downstairs?"

      I take a seat beside her. "If they are then I don't know why we'd be up here still."

    Just as those words come out of my mouth I see the door swing open and I snap my head in its direction.

     My mom's eyes move back and forth from Alexis and I, still with the same look from earlier. It's almost as if fear has permanently latched onto her.

                "Come down stairs, both of you."

      Normally I wouldn't question my mother but I feel the sudden urge to.

                      "Is there a meeting starting?" I ask.

"No," She struggles to speak. "They think they've found Harry Potter."