"I can't believe we just did that." Alice gasped for breath, leaning her hands on her thighs.
They were outside of the main hall.
"We'll we had to get out of there." Draco muttered, still sour about the way their plan worked
"Can you seriously just drop the whole fact that I didn't want to do part of your plan instead of acting like a sourpuss?" She rolled her eyes and stood up straight. "I'm sorry if I didn't think it was good enough."
"Good enough?" He snapped, "It doesn't have to be good as long as it completes the intended goal."
"Just whatever Draco." She started to walk away.
"Where are you going?" He grabbed her hand pulling her back towards him.
"Trying to find out why we're all locked up."
"Fine. Lead the way."
They walked along the quiet, empty hall. Papers were left on desks, piles of books scattered along the halls, and a few discarded robes here and there that hadn't made it upon their owners backs before they were shooed away.
"It looks so... empty." Alice shivered
Draco nodded and continued to walk with her. He glanced behind him every so often to make sure they weren't being followed. The silence made him on-edge. So, he decided to focus on Alice and continued to sneak looks at her when she wasn't paying attention.
Since they knew all the students were hidden away in their house common rooms- Gryffindor and Ravenclaw in their towers, Hufflepuff in their basement, and Slytherin in their dungeon- they looked for teachers instead. After quite a while of not finding anything or anyone, they paused to rethink their plan.
"So what do we know?"
"Pardon?" Malfoy asked, confused by her question
"What do we know about the situation, that's what I meant."
"All I know is that there's something in the castle or trying to get in. That's why everyone is stuck in their commons or rooms." He told her, turning to glance around them. "Where are we anyway?"
Alice glanced up as well. "I have no idea. I've never been in this part before." A door down the hall slammed shut and a cool draft settled where they stood. Looking at each other, Alice marched down the hall towards the door.
"What happened to finding Dumbledore again?" Malfoy asked a little nervous as to what they might find
"Just calm down, it's probably someone playing a trick on us." She reached for the doorknob and recoiled when she noticed the handle was covered in a silver-blue liquid that shone slightly. "What is that?!"
"Uh, I think that's unicorn blood." Draco muttered
"Unicorn blood?! What would even want... Who would even have that... Why?" She struggled to wrap her head around it and reached out for the doorknob once again but Draco stopped her.
"Do you really want to do this?" He looked concerned for her and she stopped for a minute to look at him closely. "Do you really want to risk it just to be the hero? You're Slytherin for goodness sakes, we're not supposed to be brave. Just- Alice please let's go back to the common room this isn't our fight." He knew what lay in store.
"Draco." She laid a hand on his shoulder, "If we don't help then what do we have to gain? What if someone dies because we stood idly by? I'm scared too but there are times in life when you have to stand up and realize that it's a moment you need to conquer yourself. I get it if you don't want to come, but I need to do this."
"You don't have to prove anything Alice!" Draco grabbed her by her shoulders once again. "Alice, you don't have to prove anything to anyone. You belong here at this school, you're smart and wonderful and beautiful but you need to stop and realize doing this won't prove anything more to anyone else. They already know how great and special you are."
She looked down after he was finished and spoke softly, "Draco let me go."
"Alice..."
"I said let me go." He complied and she opened the door coming face-to-face with several dementors. Both young wizard and witch flicked out their wands and prepared to attack but the dementors didn't even turn to acknowledge them. Something was extremely wrong. "Why aren't they attacking us?"
"I don't know Alice." He pulled her behind him and he led the way. The dementors didn't stir from just floating around the room but they were all gathered near the front of it for some reason, near a great bay window that showcased the sun setting. They crept around to see what had attracted them their and beheld an awful sight, thrown upon the teacher's desk was the carcass of a unicorn- it's sliver-blue blood staining the white hide. Alice gasped in shock and hid behind Malfoy, an uncharacteristic thing for her to do. "It's okay, we just have to go tell someone about-"
Alice screamed as someone grabbed her from behind and started to drag her away. "Draco!!"
"It's okay, I'm coming!" He ran after her but her kidnapper was walking in longer strides then him, therefore coving much more ground. Alice tried to elbow, punch, kick, do whatever she could to get her attacker off of her and away. Continuing the chase, Draco followed closely and almost had her once but the kidnapper quickly yanked her away. "Alice, don't move!" He started throwing spells, one of them almost hit the thing but instead hit it's bag which flew across the room. It paused but quickly ran off with Alice, forgetting about whatever was contained in the bag. Draco ran over and picked it up, opening it. Several books and other knick-knacks greeted him but he didn't have time to look at them now. Looking back towards where the thing was that took Alice, he realized it was gone. Alice was gone.
And it was all his fault.