.⊹⁀➷ CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR!
↳ ❛aftermath❜

       AFTER DUMBLEDORES ESCAPE, dark times fell over Hogwarts. Umbridge took his place as Headmaster of Hogwarts and ruled over the school with an iron fist.

Through the loudspeaker they could hear Umbridges voice daily, "Boys and girls are not permitted to be within eight inches of each other. — Those wishing to join the Inquisitorial Squad for extra credit can do so. — Students will be submitted to questioning about suspected illicit activities. Any student in noncompliance will be expelled."

Additionally, the great hall that was now also used for mass detention. Everyone from their secret club was sitting on a single desk and they all had to use her torture quills while writing their lines.

Annabeth was sitting behind Hermione while writing over and over again 'I must not participate in secret clubs'.

The stinging feeling was already numbing the back of her hand while the sentence was carving into her flesh.

The brunette was balling her hand into a fist, her eyes fixed on Umbridge. Her anger and hatred was giving her the strength to get through this.

She would do this every day, sit in her Headmaster chair and watch for an hour while they wrote their lines in pain.

After that hour they were free to go and Annabethe exchanged a dark look with Harry when she spotted Cho, who stood outside the great Hall waiting for Harry because she wanted to talk to him.

The brunette boy shook his head at her while he made his way past the girl, a disappointed look on his face.

The group of friends made their way out on the bridge, where Harry stopped to look over the black lake.

Ron knew that his friend was blaming himself for what had happened with Dumbledore, "You did everything you could. No one could win against the old hag."

"Even Dumbledore didn't see it coming—", Hermione tried to take the burden off his shoulders. "Harry, if it's anyone's fault, it's ours."

Ron immediately agreed, "Yeah, we talked you into it."

"Yeah, but I agreed." He sighed deeply. "I tried so hard to help, and all it's done is make things worse." he let out another deep sighed, "It doesn't matter anymore. Because I don't want to play anymore. All it does is make you care too much. And the more you care, the more you have to lose. So maybe it's just better to—"

"To what?", Annabeth immediately questioned her brother while she gave him a curious look. Harry faced them once more, "To go it alone."

Annabeth wanted to scream at him while she felt her anger rise inside her, but their attention was caught by no other than Hagrid, who was calling them quietly and then motioned from them to follow him.

Annabeth had an unsettling feeling while she followed Hagrid and the other's into the forbidden forest. Memories from their second year and the acrumantulas came flooding back into her mind.

They were already deep into the woods when Ron spoke up, "Any idea where he's taking us?"

Harry shook his head before he questioned, "Hagrid, why can't you just tell us?" But Hagrid ignored him while they continued their way, but then suddenly he stopped and they mirrored his actions.

Annabeth could hear hooves galloping and shortly after a hoard of centaury where rushing past them in the distance.

Hagrid's gaze followed after them, a concerned look on his eyes, "I've never seen the centaurs so rield. And they're dangerous at the best of times."

The half giant turned towards them, "If the ministry restricts their territory much more— they're gonna have a full uprising on their hands."

Hermione was scared and Annabeth could sense it, "Hagrid, what's going on?"

Hagrid had an apologetic look on his face while he fiddled with his hands, "I'm sorry to be so mysterious you four. I wouldn't be bothering you at all with it, but with Dumbledore gone I'll likely be getting the sack any day now. And I just couldn't leave without telling someone about him."

As soon as he had ended his sentence the earth started shaking and Annabethe eyes widened when she saw a giant appeared behind the trees.

There were birds flying around his head while they tried to swerve past him. Hagrid chuckled while he looked up at the giant, "Grawpy, down here, you great buffoon."

The giant didn't seem to hear him, his eyes trained on the birds. They flew above their heads and the giant clapped his hands together, nearly squashing their heads in the process.

They all ducked down and Hagrid gave them an apologetic look, "Grawpy— I brought company."

The giant then started running towards them and the four friends immediately started running backwards, away from him.

He had nearly reached him when he flinched back. Only now Annabeth could see that Hagrid had chained him to a tree with a roap.

"I couldn't just leave him, because he's not brother— well, half brother really. He's completely harmless, just like I said. Little high-spirited, is all."

They still stumbled backwards as soon as the giant took a step towards them and suddenly he grabbed Hermione and lifted her into the air.

The girl started screaming in fear and Ron immediately stared at Hagrid in panic, "Hagrid, do something!"

"Grawpy, that is not polite!— We talkd about this! You do not grab, do you? That's your new friend, Hermione."

In the meantime Ron grabbed a large twig and stared hitting the giant, but it broke immediately into two and the giant just gave him an unimpressed look.

He kicked Ron and the ginger haired boy flew backwards onto the ground.

Hermione looked him deeply into his eyes, her voice pointed and filled with authority, "Grawpy, put me down!— Now!"

The giant looked at her for a couple of seconds before he put her down next to her friends.

Ron immediately questioned her if she was fine and Hermione nodded. "He just needs a firm hand, is all."

Grawpy turned around and searched through his things while Ron still looked at Hermione, "I think you've got an admirer."

He then addressed the giant that had turned around to them again, "You just stay away from her, all right!"

Grawpy had bicycle handlebars with a bell in his hand and carefully handed them to Hermione, who took it from his hand.

The brunette let the bell ring and they could see that Grawp appreciated her for it.

He then took it back from her and sat down besides Hagrid while playing with the bell. "He gets his own food and all. It's company he'll be needing when I'm gone. You will look after him, won't you?" He gave them an expecting look. "I'm the only family he's got."

Harry nodded at him, "We'll take care of him, Hagrid."

Hagrid was very thankful to them and they all made their way back to the Castle.

A few days later, as if Hagrid had known, Umbridge sacked him and he had to leave the school grounds immediately. Annabeth and the other's couldn't even say goodbye.

The brunette was sitting on the platform of the astronomy tower while she glanced out over the black lake and the forbidden forest.

The tears were rolling down her face while she thought about the fact that because of them Dumbledore and Hagrid were gone now.

Umbridge was destroying the only home she knew and it made Annabeth mad.

The girl felt this emptiness that started to consume her while the hate formed inside of her.

Her heart skipped a beat when suddenly someone sat down besides her.

The brunette flinched back in surprised before she looked into the familiar eyes of Draco Malfoy.

His platinum blond hair was shining bright in the moonlight while his ice blue eyes were trained on her. 

The boy was dressed in black trousers, a black pullover and a white blouse underneath it.

His arms were casually draped over the metal railing and his feet were dangling in the air just like Annabeths.

The brunette quickly whipped away the tears on her cheeks, and let her hair fall into her face, not wanting him to see. She was a bit taken back by his sudden appearance, so she asked the first thing she thought off, "What are you doing here?"

The boy just shrugged with his shoulders, his gaze still on her, "I could ask you the same."

The brunette shook her head, a small toothless smile made it's way onto her lips, "I asked first."

The boy tried to fight the smile that was making it's way onto his face. He knew that his father would kill him if he knew that his son was even just looking at the Potter girl.

He knew that his family would disowned him for even just treating her like a normal person. What would happen if it would become know what he was secretly feeling for the brunette on his opposite.

She was the only thing that made him not care about anything else— for her he would throw everything away — and he was scarred of this feeling. It had too much power over him— she had too much power over him— but he couldn't help it.

"Couldn't sleep", the boy held his answer short. He couldn't tell her that his parents had planned for him to join the Death eaters in the summer holidays. Or that nightmares were plaguing him in his sleep because of that. That he felt like he was going slowly insane because of the pressure that was put on him.

As if she couldn't read his mind she spoke, "Nightmares—?"

Draco's eyes immediately widened before he shook his head at her and scoffed, "No— I don't have nightmares."

The brunette could see that he was pretending to be tuff infront of her, maybe because he wasn't used to affection and people caring about how he really was and what he thought.

Annabeth watched him closely before she pulled one leg up and placed her chin on her kneecap. "I have them."

Draco net her eyes while his thought's started raising, of course she had nightmares, who wouldn't. Her parents were dead, she had nearly died, she saw her boyfriend die.

The boy nodded quietly and they remained that way for a moment.

"What's troubling you?", he then questioned her softly, obviously he had noticed that she cried when he sat down besides her.

"Something you wouldn't understand", she answered him simply while she stared at the landscape.

Draco just shrugged simply, "Try me."

Annabeth couldn't hold back the tears that slipped down her cheek again, "She sacked Hagrid— and it's my fault."

Draco remained silent, he had never understood what she liked about that half-giant. His father has always hated Hagrid and wanted him sacked, especially after his accident in his third year.

The boy quietly cleared his throat, "I'm sorry— I know he's important to you."
Annabeth nodded quietly before he continued, "It's not your fault he's been sacked."

"It is— yeah, Hermione and Ron convinced Harry and I— but we agreed. We wanted to help and instead ruined everything." The brunette quickly whipped her tears away again, feeling a little weird.

Draco knew that it was totally out of character for him but he slowly stretched out his arm and placed it around her shoulder while he patted her back.

The brunette girl froze when she felt his arm sneek around her body. She could feel him pat her back in silence

She started fiddling with her fingers, which made Draco's attention fall onto the gold ring he gifted her for Christmas.

A small smile spread over his face, "You're wearing the ring."

The brunette gazed down on to the ring, her cheeks flushing before she met his eyes. "It's beautiful, thank you."

"You're welcome —", The boy felt his heart skip a beat while he stretched his hand out and carefully pushed a straind of her brunette hair behind her eyes, so he could see her face completely.

There was silence between them before he sighed, his eyes still trained on her, "You're beautiful, even when you cry."

His hand had wandered down to her cheek and his thumb was stroking over her skin.

He wanted to kiss her so badly, every fiber in his body was screaming for her— but he knew he couldn't. He could never.

She was a Potter and he a Malfoy. It would never work— they hated each other— or at least they were supposed to.

The boy let his hand fall from her face and cleared his throat and Annabethe immediately snapped out of the trance that she had been in because of his touch.

The brunette pulled her jacket tighter around her body and exhaled deeply.
Her breath turned white in the cold air before she slowly got onto her feet. "I'll have to go."

The boy felt disappointed because he didn't have the guts to kiss her, or at least tell her about his feelings.

Annabeth took notice that he wanted to say something but decides against it before she slowly leaned down and placed a soft kiss onto his cheek.

The brunette couldn't say what came over her in that moment, but she just wanted to show him that he wasn't the only one who wanted to say something, but didn't know how to.

The boys cheeks turned red like tomato and his gaze snapped towards her while Annabeth got onto her feet. She just gave him a mischievous smile while she walked backwards away from him, "I'll see you around."

         ON TOP OF all the emotional stress she was under, there was also the stress because their O.W.L's, which were right around the corner.

Annabeth had studied like crazy and she thought herself prepared while she was sitting in the exam, writing away on her parchment as quickly as she could.

After almost an hour there was a loud commotion coming from outside the hall, which caught the attention from a few of the students.

Annabeth looked up at Umbridge, who immediately made her way through the hall. She opened the large doors of the great Hall and came to stand when something that looked like a tiny firework came to a stand infront of her nose.

It then quickly made it's way past her into the great hall and exploded over the students heads into the most beautiful colors Annabeth had ever seen.

They were all a little confused, but their confusion was gone after Fred and George's voices could be heard before they flew into the hall on their brooms.

The twins whirled up the parchments and threw fireworks into the air that lit up the great hall in thousand colors.

The students immediately got onto their feet, watching the fireworks in excitement, completely forgetting to their exam.

Annabeth laughed when she saw how Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle were chased by a firework and her smile widened when she saw the gigantic dragon Fred and George were unleashing on Umbridge.

The construct of fireworks was chasing the little woman through the great hall and exploded right in the doorway, making every single one of her with glass framed declarations explode and fall to the ground around her.

The twins then blew past her on their brooms and into the courtyard, making everyone follow after them.

Fred and George flew across the sky still setting of Fireworks and at last one was the shape of an gigantic 'W' in the sky before they flew off.

Everyone was clapping and cheering for them while they watched the spectacle above their heads. Annabeth knew that this stunt would get them expelled. Despite that she still cheered for them and to her surprised she even saw Draco and his friends standing at the edge of the crowd, smiling while they watched the fireworks.

The boy smiled so himself while his eyes fell onto her. Their eyes met and Annabethe kept her smile before she looked back at the sky, not taking notice off the fact that Malfoy seemed mesmerized by the sight of her.

Harry, who stood infront of Annabeth suddenly stumbled into her and the two crashed to the ground.

Annabeth felt that Harry's breath was trembling and he seemed like he was in some sort of trance.

Hermione and Ron quickly joined them and helped the girl to get Harry onto his feet before they made their way inside the castle.

Harry's tried to catch his breath while he kept repeating Sirius name over and over again.

He caught himself quickly and pushed past them, making the group of friends followed after him, "I saw it— It's just like with your Dad, Ron. It's the same door I've been dreaming about for months and I couldn't remember where I'd seen it before! Sirius said Voldemort was after something— something he didn't have the last time, and it's in the Department of Mysteries."

Annabeth was scared while Harry was telling them from the vision he just had about Voldemort torturing Sirius in the Ministry of Magic. He was the only family they had left and she loved her uncle.

"Harry, please, just listen!", Hermione told him and Harry stopped in his track to face her.

"What if Voldemort meant for you to see this? What if he's only hurting Sirius because he's trying to get to you?", the girl suggested worried.

Annabeth was quick to cut into their conversation, she was scared that she would loose Sirius so she couldn't hold herself back anymore, "What if he is? We're supposed to just let him die? Hermione! He's the only family we've got left."

Hermione and Ron exchanged a look before the boy raised an eyebrow at them, "What do we do?"

Harry's and Annabeth then immediately spun around and continued their way to Umbridges office, "We have to use the Floo Network."

"Umbridge has the chimneys under surveillance", Hermione stated and Annabeth smirked at her, "Not all of them."

On their way they also met Luna and Neville and even though the two knew nothing about Sirius, they immediately agreed to help them distract the Inquisitorial Squad so they could sneek inside the office and send a message to the Order.