to Harry by the failed spell of the Potion. I could feel it when he left the castle, thats why I went pelting upstairs during dinner. I could feel it when he woke up.'
'What were you going to do?' she said. 'Keep on being Harry? Someone would have caught on. I did. What was your plan?'
'Didn?t have one,' said Draco. 'I was trying to think of a way to get to Harry.'
'What do you care what happens to Harry? What do you care if he dies?'
'Look, I?m telling you,' said Draco. Every word was an effort. 'Theres some part of Harry in me now. It makes me do things I?d never normally do. Right now I think its fighting for self-preservation. Harry's got a really strong will, I think.
Theres a voice in my head that keeps saying get to Harry, get to Harry.' He grinned, the ghost of his old nasty grin. 'Cause if it was just me,' he said, 'I?d probably let him die.'
Hermione did not rise to this bait. She was staring at him. 'Why did you kiss me?'
she said.
'Don?t ask me that,' Draco said, shutting his eyes, but it was no good, he had to answer. 'You,' he said, 'I like you. Or Harry does. It's hard to tell.'
He opened his eyes and looked at Hermione. For a moment, they gazed at each other with identical expressions of amazement. Then, a sly grin spread over her face.
'Malfoy,' she said, 'Have you ever had sex?'
'No,' he said, and then yelled at the top of his voice, 'HERMIONE, TAKE THIS SPELL OFF ME RIGHT NOW!'
'All right, all right,' she said, chuckling, 'Finite incantatum!'
The pain and the feeling of being split open vanished. Draco sucked in air, gasping; he felt like he?d just run a marathon. 'Hermione,' he said, not without some admiration, 'that was really vicious!'
'Sorry,' she said, although she didn?t look the least bit sorry, 'I had a bet on with Ron. And you deserve it for kissing me and making me think it was Harry.' She stood up and, to his surprise, offered him a hand to help him up from the floor.
'We?d better go. There are sensors all over this castle that can detect the use of Dark magic. Some teachers probably on their way here right now.'
'Oh yeah,' he said, getting up, 'I remember that from Hogwarts: A History.'
Hermione stopped and stared at him. 'You?ve read Hogwarts: A History?'
'Yeah,' he said, 'So?'
'Nothing. Lets go.'
After McNair had gone, Lucius Malfoy disappeared as well, telling Harry and Narcissa that he had work to do. Harry, not wanting to hang about and make awkward conversation with Dracos mother, decided to explore the Manor and see if he could find the entrance to the dungeons. Sirius would be here tomorrow; Harry wanted to be prepared.
First he went outside and walked around the Manor, trying to get a feel for its size and shape. This turned out to be a mistake. At first, it was quite interesting, if eerily so. The Manor was huge, carved out of what almost looked like one continuous slab of black granite. He discovered a rock garden, some horse stables (empty), an extremely depressing-looking gazebo, and an enormous maze which Harry studiously avoided. (Since his fourth year at school, he had not liked mazes much.) Around back of the maze he found a small garden where the bushes were meticulously carved into the shape of animals. Magical creatures, he corrected himself: there was a hippogriff, a phoenix, a unicorn, a troll holding an axe, and a dragon, as well as some more nasty-looking creatures Harry didn?t recognize.
Absently, he reached out and poked the troll-shaped bush with his finger. It was so realistic…
Harry yelled as the troll turned and sank its teeth into his hand. He ducked aside just as it lifted its axe and swung it at Harrys head. It might have been made out of leaves and twigs, but it made a very solid-sounding THWACK as it hit the ground, nonetheless. Harry felt into his sleeve for his wand, pulled it out, and pointed it at the troll. 'Stupefy!' he yelled, and the troll froze in mid-movement.
Harry scrambled to his feet and dashed out of the garden. If there was one thing he prided himself on, it was his hexes, but even he wasn?t sure how well a Stunning Spell would work on shrubbery.
His hand was bleeding profusely where the troll had bitten it. By the time he reached the house, the sleeve of his shirt was soaked in blood. Narcissa, who was passing through the front hallway, saw him and screamed out loud.
'Draco!' she cried, looking over at him. 'What happened?' She turned his hand over, examining the wound. Serrated leaves stuck out of it like jagged teeth.
'Draco, you know better than to go into the topiary garden! Your father would be so angry if — if-' she broke off, and dragged him, protesting, into the kitchen, where she bandaged his hand, first smearing it with a purple ointment that burned and stung.
'You?re going to have to wear your gloves tonight, Draco,' she said. 'If your father-' 'Tonight?' asked Harry, in alarm, his bitten hand forgotten. 'Whats tonight?'
Done with the bandages, Narcissa straightened up and looked at him in surprise.
'You know we have company on Saturday nights,' she said. 'Your fathers…colleagues will be here soon.'
'Er, right,' said Harry. 'I forgot.'
He couldn?t help picturing dinner at the Dursleys? with Uncle Vernons colleagues from the drill company. He had a feeling a big Death Eater dinner would be something else again, however.
'Do I have to dress up?' he asked, without thinking.
'Draco!' Narcissa looked him squarely in the eye. 'You know you have to wear the Malfoy family dress robes!'
