Please Be There If I Remember

Chapter Forty: Pandemonium

Hermione didn't have to tell him twice.

Running with her, the two began to join the students and even a few teachers in making Filch and Umbridge's next few days a living hell.

Later, as the Inquisitorial Squad was forced to help clean up, he didn't regret it one bit.

~*"*~

As Draco's 'first' quidditch match neared, he began to grow more nervous. It had only been a few days after the students—and even a few of the teachers, which had made Draco inexplicably happy to learn about—had wreaked havoc through the halls of Hogwarts. The Weasley twins, who he learned more about as the days passed, were hastily becoming more popular amidst the students and less than favourable in the eyes of Umbridge.

The students were not afraid to show their deep resentment for the woman and would sneer at her whenever she would strut through the halls. Internal riots were forming in the student's own form of rebellion by sitting at different tables during lunch, meals now becoming Draco's favourite part of the day as he could no longer tell which table belonged to which. (Except for maybe the Slytherin's, since very few of its students were 'brave' enough to ruin their reputation as heartless snakes.)

He would be mad at them, but he was just glad to have Luna sitting there where no one could say anything. Other students from both Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff—those who clearly feared little—were already sitting there like it was a normal occurrence. A few Gryffindors had dared, but that was quickly shut down once the hexing started. Haisley had even sat there yesterday and hadn't that been a fun supper.

Draco had to hold in a laugh just thinking about it.

But what had made it the most enjoyable was Umbridge's face through it all. The witch had tried everything from putting up notices that no one saw against all the rest of the obscene rules, to saying that she was going to put everyone in detention, which had just earned her a laugh. She could try, but even Umbridge wouldn't be able to find that many blood quills—a thought that had Draco seething at the reminder of what the bitch had done to Harry.

Speaking of Harry, they had met up a lot more since that night, and he could finally say that Harry had greatly improved on his occlumency shields. So much, in fact, that just the night before, he had managed to completely push Draco out of his mind. The two had celebrated, even though there wasn't much to celebrate within the room, by simply smiling at each other, which had been gift enough.

Draco was actually starting to really miss that Monopoly game, never mind the fact that it had caused some strained tension between them.

Harry said that Snape had seemed quite suspicious at his growth in progress in occlumency, and Draco didn't doubt that Snape thought that Harry would never be able to do it and didn't care how hard he pushed for he would always be able to enter Harry's mind.

He suspected that it would be a bit of a shock when the boy actually started to get good at it when Snape had barely taught him anything of importance.

Draco was absolutely swamped with stuff to do as the beginning of May started and so did his first quidditch match. He was forced to practise with the team constantly and now felt quite confident in his abilities to fly well. Along with the meetings with Harry that were growing in number and his studies for the upcoming O.W.L.s, he ended up thoroughly exhausted most days, and the second his head hit the pillow, he would fall asleep.

He was walking out of potions class when a hand clapped his shoulder and dragged him into the hallway beside the door to the classroom.

Draco's wand was out and in his hand, ready to turn on the sudden attacker.