"Right there!"

Alecto pushes my back, so hard that I stumble forwards. I use Snape's desk to steady myself. "Yeah, well-"

"She was right there under your nose, Severus," interrupts Alecto, pointing at Snape's door. "And she would have gotten away with it, the sneaky little thing, were it not for Longbottom-"

"Longbottom does have a tendency of saving the day recently," says Snape sarcastically; his tone so impassive that it almost seems he already knew of my involvement.

"I'm right here," mutters Neville beside me.

"That's right, and the little brat was trying to show off about it all too, when he accidently slipped in Young here's name-"

"Right," says Snape, not even glancing at Alecto.

"Anyway, in terms of punishment, I really don't think expulsion is the best option, because they'd probably love to be expelled, and with the new decrees-"

"Not to mention you would lose your favourite students," I say, smiling sweetly at Alecto.

"And your finest source of entertainment," adds Neville.

Alecto glares at us. "This, Severus," she says, "is only a taste of the audacity these two show me in class. The Cruciatus curse might straighten them up a bit-"

"I thank you for your wholesome advice, Alecto," says Snape, his every word dripping with sarcasm. I almost laugh before I remember I hate him. "But this incident is entirely between the culprits and so, I will decide on their punishment. You may leave."

Alecto stares at Snape open-mouthed, making a noise that sounds as if she just choked on her own spit. "But I'll do it," she says, as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. "Let me take them off your hands, less work for you-"

"No," says Snape impatiently. "Young will join Hagrid and the other three in the forest tonight."

"What kind of punishment is that?" says Alecto. "Severus, they're friends with Hagrid, didn't you know? Anyway, four is too many. That's practically a party."

"Fine," says Snape. I narrow my eyes at him, wondering why he won't just let Alecto organise a detention for me. "I'll have Filch organize something for the girl. I'm sure there's plenty of cleaning to be done. Now leave."

"Fine," snarls Alecto. I resist the urge to roll my eyes. "So they can just run along, and barely even be punished for breaking in, for lying, for giving cheek to a teacher. Next time, I'll think twice before bringing them to you!"

With a final furious glare at Neville and I, Alecto stomps out of the office, slamming the door behind her. Snape sighs and start to write something on a piece of parchment. "You'll have detention with Filch for an hour at eight tonight," he says, shoving the parchment towards me. "Now leave, and take Longbottom with you."

-

When I get to Filch's office later, he is possibly in an even worse mood than usual. His office smells old and dusty. "Sit there," he grumbles, pointing at a worn-out looking desk in the corner. "You're going to organise some detention slips. From irritating trouble-makers like you."

The wooden chair is uncomfortable and squeaks loudly as I sit into it. Filch glares at me as if the noise was my fault.

There's a window in the other corner of the office, near Filch. It's nearly dark; the sky has become a deep navy; but I can just make out silhouettes of trees scattered across the grounds, and a line of darkness where the beginning of the forbidden forest meets them. I turn to the clock and watch the time tick by. Its brass hands move so slowly that they may as well not move at all.

A few minutes, or maybe a few hours later, the door creaks open with a lazy knock. I glance up hopefully, wondering who it could be, but Filch's desk faces the open door and I can only see the back of it.

"What do you want?" Filch snaps, glancing once at the doorway before turning back to his drawers.

"I've come from Snape's office," says Draco's voice from the doorway. Of course it's him. "He needs you."

"He needs me?" repeats Filch. "I can't go, I'm doing a detention. Tell him I'll go later."

"He knows that," says Draco. He sounds bored. "He sent me to supervise while you go up. He says it will only take a few minutes."

"Why would he need me now?" says Filch, but Draco doesn't bother replying. Filch slams shut his drawer, jumping guiltily at the loud noise it makes, and pushes past Draco through the door. I hear him grumbling as he trudges away towards the headmaster's office.

Draco swings the door further open, striding into the office with contempt. Finally, his eyes latch onto mine. "Oh," he says pointedly. "It's you."

I give him a dirty look and turn to the detention slips littering the desk for the first time. "It's your lucky day," I mutter.

"How come you're here?" he says, staring at me. "Not with Alecto?"

"Back to this, are we?"

"No. I'm just wondering. You got off lucky, if you're not with her. Did Snape get you out of it?"

"Not everyone's best friends with Snape, like you are."

Draco's eyes harden and he turns around to face the drawers, his back to me. "Well, Filch should only be gone for a few minutes. So."

"So what?"

He doesn't reply. I glance at the clock on the wall again. I didn't think it was possible, but time is going even slower now than it did before Draco arrived. A few minutes. I can do a few minutes.

Draco paces slowly along Filch's dreary office, rattling his fingers against the metal handles of the drawers. And then he paces back, and does it again. And again.

"Will you stop that?" I say sharply. "I'm trying to do work here."

Draco snickers, still facing the drawers. "Work? You're actually doing the work you're set in detention?"

I frown. "Sorry," I say to his back. "I forgot you were so rebellious yourself. How many times have you had a detention again? Once, wasn't it, in first year?"

He doesn't reply, but turns to the window I was looking out earlier. The old clock ticks loudly, and in the heavy, awkward silence, Draco drums his knuckles against the grimy glass, as if willing it to disappear.

"Do you enjoy it?" I say finally, unable to bear the quiet. I almost wish he would start rattling the drawer handles again.

His eyes flick to me, and for a moment I think he's going to turn around and come closer. But he looks back towards the window. "Enjoy what?"

"The whole high life you're living right now. You know, prancing around in undeserved status while your fellow classmates undergo undeserved punishment and torture?"

He raises an eyebrow, still staring out the window. "Yeah. It's great, thanks."

"Charming. I don't know why I ever felt anything for you."

"I don't know why you ever think I care."

There's another pause, and the clock ticks louder than ever; its steady beat drumming through my brain. Draco has opened one of Filch's drawers and is flicking through its contents. I bite back the sour taste in my mouth. "Where's Filch?"

"With Snape."

"I know. I mean, why isn't he back yet?"

"How should I know?"

"Well, you're the one who flounced in here and told him to leave-"

"What, you think I want to be here?"

My throat is dry. "Not interesting enough for you? Need some Death Eater action to liven things up?"

Draco slams shut the drawer. In the half second that it echoes around the stone walls, he stares at me, fire in his eyes. "Tell Filch I had to go," he says, stalking out of the room. "Or don't."

And then he is gone.

-

"I don't understand," says Neville later, when I tell my friends about the incident. We sit in our usual place in the Gryffindor common room. My nails dig into the deep red carpet. "Snape knows you dated Draco last year. Why would he send him?"

"He also knows we hate each other now," I say darkly, glaring at the fire that flickers quietly in its fireplace. It's dying. "I suppose it's his idea of a funny joke."

Neville nods slowly. "He was being so weird earlier too. I don't understand why wouldn't he just let Alecto organise your detention."

"He knows she'd screw me over if he did, I suppose. Although I don't see why he has a problem with that."

"Maybe because practicing the Cruciatus curse on pupils is insane?" suggests Ginny dryly. She lies on her back, staring at the ceiling.

I fall silent. "How was your detention with Hagrid?"

Ginny shrugs. "Fine. It's just Hagrid, it's not like we were going to have an awful time."

"But that's what I mean," says Neville. "Why did Snape let us off so easy?"

"Because he's an idiot," replies Ginny, her voice hard. "He didn't think to consider that we like Hagrid, and would actually have a good time with him. He probably just thought we'd be scared of the forest."

Neville sits back into the couch sleepily. "I guess."

"Or maybe he's secretly good", I say, biting back a smile. "Maybe he's a double agent."

Neville and Ginny laugh. The fire flickers behind them, and their laughter is warm and nostalgically familiar in my ears, but it's not loud enough to drown out my thoughts of Draco, and how he strode out of the office emitting no emotion but pure hatred, and how nothing will ever be the same as it once was.