154 Deathday party pt.3

"It's going to continue." Draco said, "I have fought Lockhart to get this club going so don't disappoint me. You guys did pretty well on the test I gave you, so I have no doubts that you're going to pass the exams this year, just don't start being lazy. In my absence, Theodore would be teaching you basic spells and potions. You shouldn't worry about him not being good enough. Also, I'll be back within 6 months so I need to see your progress."

The club members nodded eagerly waiting to prove themselves when suddenly there was a knock on the door. Blaise got up from his seat and opened the door, coming back with Hermione.

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

"A deathday party?" Draco asked Hermione as both of them headed out of the Slytherin common room. He remembered about the party and wasn't really sure if he wanted to go there but looking at Hermione's face, he knew he couldn't say no, "Sure, I guess. It would be much more memorable."

"I know right!" Hermione face gleamed as Draco agreed, "You can bring Theodore's and the others as well."

"I will ask them to." Draco said nodding, "So is that it?"

"Yeah! By the way, how are the kelpies doing?"

"They are great." Draco said suddenly reaching for his pocket, "Oh! I almost forgot. Take this--"

"What is it?" Hermione said taking what was in Draco's hand, opening her palm she saw a hand-sized flat-faced stick figure made of bark and twigs, "Is that a...?"

"A bowtruckle." Draco said casually gesturing Hermione to keep her voice down as he carefully looked around, " I want to give her to you. I haven't named her yet, you should come up with a name for her."

"Why?" Hermione asked looking at the bowtruckle on her hand which had similar expression as her right now.

"Who knows it might come in handy." Draco said shrugging, "They can pick locks easily and as I said, it might come in handy when you need it too."

"Draco, I can't really take it..." Hermione said shaking her head, even though she looked reluctant her face said otherwise, "I mean I don't even know what to feed her."

"Just consider it my early Christmas gift, you wouldn't reject that now would you?" Draco said, "As for feeding it, you don't have to worry much as they live off of insects. They are quite adept in finding food for themselves, you know."

After insisting a couple of times Hermione finally agreed to keep the creature with her as they went about their separate ways. Hermione tried to hide it but she seemed quite excited to own a creature of her own.

Draco was already planning on giving a bowtruckle to Hermione as they can be really good companions and due to their compact size, they can easily live in the open while still remaining hidden. Among his friends, Draco was worried about Hermione the most as she was from a completely different and an enemy house. All of his friends were from Slytherin so they could stick together in a time of need but it was different for Hermione. As far as he knew her, she wouldn't even ask for help from others most of the time.

"So mind telling me the complete reason." As Draco was lost in his own thought he heard Theodore from behind.

"What are you talking about?"

"What do you think?"

"I thought you were fine with it."

"I am." Theodore said sitting by the window across Draco, "But you can't expect me to not have any questions right? Back there I was just making sure Pansy and Daphne wouldn't worry."

"Sigh! What do you want to know?"

"I want to make sure you're not going to Durmstrang for what happened back then with Pius right?"

"Part of it." Draco said honestly as there was no point in lying.

"Then mind telling me why are you trying to go there alone?" Theodore said furrowing his eyebrows, "You do know, last time we barely got out of the situation alive right?"

"Because I need someone in Hogwarts." Draco said looking through the window, "The enemy already knows about me. So I need someone to keep an eye out on things here. I don't know what kind of enemy we have so I can't be sure whether he wouldn't use dirty tactics on me, like using my friends as bait."

"So you expect me to wait here and do nothing?" Theodore frowned, "I have some account to settle with the person behind on all this, on my own as well."

"Yes at least for now." Draco said, "But rest assured if everything goes according to the plan you will join in on the fun."

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

By the time Halloween arrived, Harry was regretting his rash promise to go to the deathday party. The rest of the school was happily anticipating their Halloween feast; the Great Hall had been decorated with the usual live bats, Hagrid's vast pumpkins had been carved into lanterns large enough for three men to sit in, and there were rumors that Dumbledore had booked a troupe of dancing skeletons for the entertainment.

"A promise is a promise," Hermione reminded Harry bossily. "You said you'd go to the deathday party."

Since Hermione had already informed Draco about the party and he had agreed to it, there was no way she wasn't going to go to the party now.

So at seven o'clock, Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked straight past the doorway to the packed Great Hall, which was glittering invitingly with gold plates and candles, and directed their steps instead toward the dungeons.

"You are finally here." Draco said walking over to them, "It's really cold here, you know."

"Where's Pansy and the rest?" Hermione asked as she couldn't see the usual suspects here.

"Busy with their own stuff." Draco replied, "You know how I feel about Halloween right?"

Hermione remembering Draco's hatred for pumpkins nodded smiling.

Draco didn't really invite Pansy and the others to begin with as this was too dreary for them. If the party is as bad as Draco remembered it to be. He was sure Hermione would feel tired and leave here alongside him.

"Let's go then." Harry said, "We might miss the deathday... it feels really weird to say that."

The passageway leading to Nearly Headless Nick's party had been lined with candles, too, though the effect was far from cheerful: These were long, thin, jet-black tapers, all burning bright blue, casting a dim, ghostly light even over their own living faces. The temperature dropped with every step they took. As Draco shivered and drew his robes tightly around him, he heard what sounded like a thousand fingernails scraping an enormous blackboard.

"Is that supposed to be music?" Ron whispered. They turned a corner and saw Nearly Headless Nick standing at a doorway hung with black velvet drapes.

"My dear friends," he said mournfully. "Welcome, welcome…so pleased you could come…Oh! Mr. Black its really a pleasure to see you here. You were great in the duel. If I say so myself, you must be one of the great ones in this era." He swept off his plumed hat and bowed them inside.

"It's my pleasure to be here, Sir Nicholas," Draco said nodding humbly

It was an incredible sight. The dungeon was full of hundreds of pearly-white, translucent people, mostly drifting around a crowded dance floor, waltzing to the dreadful, quavering sound of thirty musical saws, played by an orchestra on a raised, black-draped platform. A chandelier overhead blazed midnight-blue with a thousand more black candles. Their breath rose in a mist before them; it was like stepping into a freezer.

"Shall we have a look around?" Harry suggested, wanting to warm up his feet.

"Careful not to walk through anyone," said Ron nervously, and they set off around the edge of the dance floor.