The Pact

I pace back and forth nervously as Hermione and I stand at the entrance to the Gryffindor dorms. I’m not ready for this yet, because I know how it’s going to go.

“Y/n, really, it’ll be fine. Can we just go in and get it over with?” Hermione’s eyes follow me back and forth as I pace, her arms crossed over her chest.

“I just worry that he’ll freak out and try to kill me. Or worse, kill Draco.”

Hermione sighs. “You’ve got to sort out your priorities,” she mutters under her breath.

“I can hear you,” I say, looking at her. “You know I can’t help it. It’s the magic. Or the tie. Whatever it’s called.” I wave my hand dismissively, trying to take deep breaths to settle myself down. We have to go in there eventually.

“I’ll make sure he doesn’t do anything crazy, but I can’t promise he won’t say anything harsh. You just have to trust me.”

I stop pacing and cover my face with my hands. It’s really only fair to trust her since she’s trusting me against everything she believes.

I look at her thoughtfully before relenting. “Alright, fine.” I swallow, hard, then shake out my nerves. “I trust you. Let’s do this.”

She gives me a tense but reassuring smile then opens the portrait for us, leading me inside. No one else is in the common room except for Harry. He looks up at us as we walk in, taking a sharp breath.

“There you two are. What’s with all the intensity? What did you want to talk to me about?”

Hermione and I share an anxious look before walking over to the table Harry is sitting at. Hermione sits right next to him and I take my spot across from him. (The seating itself is strategic, with ‘Mione closest to him in case he freaks out).

He furrows his brow, looking back and forth between us. “Well?”

Hermione starts the conversation, folding her hands on the table in front of her. “Harry… we need your help with something. It’s really important and Y/n’s safety depends on it. So before you get upset, you have to let me explain everything.”

His eyes narrow and he looks at us suspiciously. “Is this why you two have been acting so… weird and secretive? You’re working on some side mission that you haven’t told me about?”

“Erm… sort of?” I chime in, giving Harry an uneasy look. “It’s complicated. There’s a lot I know but even more I need to figure out, and I can’t do it on my own. I figure if anyone can help, it’ll be you and your friends.”

He raises an eyebrow, his green eyes piercing through me. I don’t know how to even begin to explain what’s going on, much less get him on my side.

An uneasy silence settles over the table. The only thing I can hear is the crackle of the fire and distant laughing. How I wish that could be me. To be able to just come to school without the weight of the world on my shoulders, to have the only thing I worry about be marks and exams and who I’ll sit with in Hogsmeade. But no, I’ve been robbed of that.

What’s even worse is I don’t know why. There could be a million reasons my parents bound themselves to the Malfoy’s, and there could be a million things that go wrong with the bond Draco and I have. We don’t understand the magic, or its significance, or its use. We’re flying blind.

Hermione sighs, cutting into the silence. “Look, Harry, I’ll just be blunt: something dark is going on with the Malfoys, something way bigger than we thought, and now Y/n has been roped into it.” She pauses, letting her words sink in. I can see Harry’s face heating up with fury.

“She’s… bound to Draco. Their families made a blood pact for some reason, and now—”

“Malfoy?” Harry cuts in, his voice low and disgusted. “You’re asking my help because of him?” He throws his hands up, scoffing with a disbelieving smile. It’s somehow even scarier than his pure rage. “Why would I want to get involved with that—”

“It’s not just about Draco,” I jump in, earning a nasty glare from Harry. “I need your help because this is something bigger. It involves his family, my family, and Death Eaters now.”

Harry’s eyes flash with recognition. “Death Eaters?” He takes in a sharp breath. “And Malfoy is right in the middle of it. I knew it,” he replies, the last part more to himself than to us. He shakes his head, then leans forward, hardening his voice. “So, you’re tangled up with Malfoy and Death Eaters, and now you just expect me to trust you?”

My breath catches in my throat, and hurt flashes across my face. “Harry, I—”

“For weeks, you’ve been sneaking around, hiding things, keeping secrets from me and dragging Hermione into it. And now—” he points to himself harshly, “—you drop this on me? What am I supposed to think? How do I know you’re not already in too deep, that you haven’t been dragged down to his level, working for—”

“Don’t you dare,” I snap, voice sharp. “Don’t accuse me of that. This isn’t my fault! I had no part in it, but now I’m involved and I can’t do anything about it. I haven’t done anything to betray your trust and you know that.” My voice comes out loud and commanding.

How could he think so low of me? This is exactly what I was afraid of.

“Do I know that? As far as I can see, you’re wrapped up in something dark and dangerous and Malfoy is at the center of it. His family is posion, and you’re standing here asking me to, what, trust you blindly? Believe he’s innocent?”

“Harry, that’s enough,” Hermione cuts in, leaning towards him. “She isn’t asking you to trust him, she’s just asking you to help us figure this out.”

He whips around to face her, furious. “And you. You believe her? Just like that?” He gestures to me, staring at Hermione incredulously. “After everything we’ve been through, you’re willing to risk it all because some girl you met two months ago said so?”

Hermione seethes, raising her voice to match his. “She’s not the enemy here, Harry! You’re letting your hatred for the Malfoys blind you. This isn’t about them, it’s about something so much bigger. Can’t you see that? She has a direct link to everything we’ve been fighting against for years, and you’d seriously throw that away because you’re being stubborn? This—she, could be exactly what we’ve been missing!”

Suddenly, the door to the boys’ dormitory swings open. Ron steps in, his red hair tousled, a half-eaten Chocolate Frog in hand. He freezes, sensing the heavy atmosphere. “What’s going on here?”

Harry straightens but doesn’t break his glare. Hermione looks away, arms crossed and I shift uncomfortably in my seat.

“Well? Someone say something. It feels like I walked into a duel,” Ron adds, coming to sit in the last empty chair.

Harry doesn’t take his eyes off of me. “Ask her. She’s the one tangled up with Malfoy.”

Ron whips his head to face me, eyes wide and questioning. “Malfoy? Are you mad?” He stares at me, mouth open.

I hold my hands up defensively. “It’s not what you think, Ron. It wasn’t my choice. And before you start, it’s not his fault either.”

“Right. Because everything involving Malfoy is just a big misunderstanding. What did he do, offer you a spot in his little Death Eater club?”

“Ron, stop it!” Hermione snaps. “That’s not what’s happening here. Her and Malfoy could be in danger!”

He turns to Mione, looking betrayed. “And you’re trying to help him now? After everything Malfoy’s done to us? To you?”

She grimaces, and I see the gears turning in her head. I can only imagine what she’s thinking about. All the times Draco has hurt them, teased them, made their lives hell. She shakes her head slowly, as if trying to rid herself of the memories.

Harry’s eyes flick to Hermione, his expression unreadable, before turning back to face me. “You see what I mean? No one trusts Malfoy. And now you’re asking us to trust you… because you’re tied to him? It doesn’t add up.”

“Why are you being so accusatory? You act like I’m trying to have tea with Voldemort. I didn’t choose this!” I stand up abruptly, clenching my fists. “Do you think I want to be tied to him? To any of this? I’m asking for your help because I thought you’d know what it’s like to have people expect you to be something you’re not!”

Ron looks between us, confused but catching the weight of my words. “What do you mean, tied? What’s really going on here?”

Hermione sighs, running a hand through her hair. “There’s a Blood Pact. Between her and Draco. We don’t know how it happened, but it’s dangerous. We need to figure it out—before it’s too late.”

“A Blood Pact? That’s… that’s dark magic.” Rons glances around anxiously, his voice low.

“Exactly,” Harry cuts in, turning to me. “And you want us to just trust that this wasn’t your choice?”

My eyes meet his, fierce and defiant. “I don’t need you to trust me, Harry. I need you to help me. Isn’t this what you’ve been trying to do anyway? To stop Voldemort and his— his cult from hurting people? This isn’t about me. I couldn’t care less if I live or die. But what about the rest of our classmates, their parents, our professors? What happens to them if I can’t stop this? You three have always had each other, but I’m on my own here. I need you.”

An uneasy silence stretches between us. Harry’s jaw tightens, his fists clenching and unclenching at his sides. Ron shifts, clearly uncomfortable, but his eyes soften as he looks at Hermione.

“What if she’s right, Harry? What if this is bigger than Malfoy? I know he’s a prat, but… Y/n isn’t.”

Harry’s eyes dart between us, the battle between his instincts and loyalty playing out in the tense silence.

“If I find out you’re hiding anything—if you or Malfoy pull anything—I won’t look the other way.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to,” I reply softly, sighing and running a hand over my face.

An uneasy truce settles over the room. The fragile thread of trust holds, but just barely. We all know the real battle is just beginning.

The fire crackles, a lone ember snapping in the quiet, as the trio sits in the aftermath with me, everyone lost in their own thoughts. The weight of what’s to come presses down on me, heavy and unrelenting. I sigh, sitting back down.

“I know this is a lot, okay? I feel horrible for roping you all into this, but it’s not like I can ask my parents or the professors. Not when there’s so much at stake.” I look at them desperately, searching their faces for what they’re feeling.

“I don’t understand all the ins and outs of the magic of the pact, and I’m worried that if I can’t figure out what my parents are planning, Draco and I might get hurt. I know how you all feel about him, I know how terrible he’s been to you, and on his behalf, I’m sorry for that. If you don’t want to help me, I’ll understand and I’ll leave you alone. But this is so much bigger than us. Draco told me death eaters have already infiltrated the ministry.”

I rest my head in my hands, stressed and frustrated. What am I going to do?

“Merlin, Y/n, why didn’t you lead with that?” Ron asks, standing up. “We have to get this under control.”

I look at Ron, surprised—but relieved—at the sense of urgency in his tone. “We?”

“Well, obviously we can’t leave the fate of the wizarding world up to you. No offense.” His face settles into a half smirk as he holds up his hands on defense.

I can’t help but laugh, looking to Harry hopefully.

He studies me for a long moment, as if trying to decide whether he thinks it’s worth it or not. The smile falls off my face as he does. He looks into the fire, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes. “Alright, then. We need a plan.”

I look at Mione and she gives me a quiet thumbs up. This is the best it could’ve gone. I let out a breath, walking over to Harry.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet—” he replies, but I cut him off with a hug, squeezing him tightly.

“I knew you’d understand.”

I hear Ron choke back a laugh and Hermione lets out a surprised yelp. Harry goes stiff before slowly relaxing, wrapping his arms around me reluctantly.

”Okay, okay, easy,” he says, voice muffled. I let him go, pulling back to look at him with a grateful smile. “You’re definitely a Hufflepuff.”

I laugh lightly, fixing his hair that I tousled. “Shut up. I just get excited.”

He rolls his eyes playfully, and I can tell he’s having a hard time being mad at me still. It’s part of my charm.

Hermione and Ron laugh as they watch the interaction. I smile, scrunching my nose just a bit. “Don’t worry, I’ll get you two later. But for now, we really need to work out a plan of action.”

“I’m good, mate. Thanks though,” Ron says sheepishly. 

“She’s not gonna let you out of it, Ron,” Hermione muses, taking a breath. “But yes, let’s try to figure something out.”

~

Ron paces around the room, waving his arms frantically. “So let me get this straight—you want us to crash a formal dinner at your manor, wearing someone else’s faces, to dig through your parents’ files? Do you even hear how mad that sounds?”

“It’s risky, I know,” I admit, “but it’s the only way to get near their study. My parents won’t just leave their secrets lying around, and they definitely won’t tell me what they’ve done. If they notice I’m asking questions, they’ll just tighten their grip.”

Harry frowns, resting his chin on his hand. “So we Polyjuice into… who, exactly? Guests?”

I nod. “My parents hold dinners like this all the time, mostly with Ministry officials or other old wizarding families. They won’t blink at seeing a few new faces, as long as you act like you belong.”

Ron mutters, “That’s not exactly our strong suit.”

I ignore him. “So, Draco and I will have to handle the Malfoy side of things—he knows his parents’ routines, and I can distract Lucius long enough for Draco to slip into their archives. That’ll have to be either earlier in the day, before my parent’s dinner, or the night before. But regardless, I can’t be in two places at once. I need you three to cover my house while I’m helping my parents entertain the guests.”

Harry sits up straighter. “You’re asking a lot.”

“I know. But you’re the only ones I trust with this. The bond isn’t just affecting me—it could get worse for both of us. If there’s something my parents did that can fix it, I need to know.”

Ron gives a dramatic sigh. “Fine. But don’t blame me when I hex someone’s nose off trying to act fancy.”

“Just stick to the script. And don’t let my parents corner you—they’re sharper than they look.”

“Right, okay,” Hermione says, jotting something down on a parchment. “So when is this meeting, exactly?”

I pause, giving them a weary, guilty smile. “Next weekend.”

“What?” Ron shouts, turning on his heel to face me.

“But that’s too soon! We don’t have enough time to prepare,” Hermione says anxiously, looking over her notes. 

“Since when do we ever have time to prepare for these things, Mione?” Harry asks, giving her a steady look. “Even when we do, it never goes according to plan. We may as well do it sooner than later.”

“We don’t even have any polyjuice potion,” Ron whines, nervously pushing his hair back from his face.

“I’ve got that covered,” I say with a sly grin, leaning back into my chair and crossing my arms. “Draco gets private mentoring from Snape for potions, so I’m going to have him ‘coincidentally’ brew some polyjuice for extra credit. I’ll have him make enough to take some without Snape noticing.”

“How? That potion takes months to prepare,” Hermione quips.

“Oh, ye of little faith. When I had detention for blowing up the calming draught the other day, I noticed Snape has some poly-start mixed in with his supplies. All you have to do is add, like, two ingredients and your DNA; then its done after brewing for an hour or so.”

”Wicked,” Ron replies simply, walking over to us and leaning on the table.

“I don’t know if we can really trust Draco to make all that happen, though,” Harry says suspiciously. “How do we know he won’t poison us or something?”

“He won’t. He really isn’t like that anymore. He’s got bigger things to worry about than your petty rivalry. And besides, everyone knows he’s Snape’s favorite student. He can get away with anything.”

Hermione nods her head thoughtfully, still looking frazzled. “Are you sure this is going to work, Y/n? This is a huge risk with very little time to prep.”

I bite my lip. “It’s the best plan we’ve got. And if you guys get into any trouble, just slip back into the ballroom and find me. I’ll find some way to help.”

Harry claps his hands, rubbing them together. “From what I’m hearing, it sounds like we have a plan.”

I glance at them nervously, standing up from my chair. “There’s just one last little thing,” I reply, voice quiet. “The Malfoys will be there, too.”

“You’re kidding,” Ron says, sounding more than a little frazzled. “Please tell me you’re joking.”

“It shouldn’t be that much of a problem… at least, I don’t think so. Lucius and Narcissa will be occupied with my parents and the corrupted members of the ministry, and Draco will be with me. Unless you need his help, and then I’ll make sure he comes to you. No matter what, my main job is going to be to keep our parents and the Death Eaters distracted, so try not to need me.”

“As if Malfoy would rush to our aid,” Ron sneers. 

“He’s risking just as much as I am here. Besides, he has no choice but to feel protective of me because of our bond. If I ask him to do something to help figure out what we’re supposed to do, he will.”

Hermione coughs uncomfortably. “You’re really confident about that, Y/n. You haven’t even talked to him yet. He doesn’t even know how involved we’re supposed to be.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose, slightly annoyed. “I can see why you guys don’t believe me, but I can’t offer much to convince you. Look, it’s still early in the week, so do you want to all get together and go over this with him?”

Ron and Harry both groan, definitely unhappy about the idea of having to be in close quarters with their childhood enemy.

I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose harder. “I know it’s not ideal, but it’s the only way to make sure we’re all on the same page. We can’t afford any slip-ups.”

Ron crosses his arms, slumping back into his chair. “Brilliant. A strategy session with Malfoy. This day just keeps getting better.”

Harry doesn’t look thrilled either, but he shrugs. “If he’s willing to help, we’ll hear him out. But if he starts his usual rubbish—”

“He won’t,” I interrupt, though I don’t sound as confident as I want to. “The bond won’t let him. I think it’s messing with him just as much as it is with me. He doesn’t want this any more than I do, but he’s in it, too. He’ll cooperate.”

Hermione looks between us, clearly torn. “It’s risky. If this bond makes him protective of you, it might also make him unpredictable. But… if we want this plan to work, we’ll have to trust him. At least a little.”

Ron groans dramatically. “Trust Malfoy. Never thought I’d live to hear that sentence.”

I shoot him a sharp look. “You don’t have to like him. You just have to tolerate him. This is bigger than school rivalries.”

Ron holds up his hands in mock surrender. “Alright, alright. But if he so much as breathes wrong, don’t expect me to sit quietly.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” I mutter, too tired to argue. “Now, if we’re doing this, we’ll meet tomorrow in the Room of Requirement. It’s neutral ground, and no one will overhear us. I’ll let Draco know.”

They all give me puzzled looks and I realize I forgot to mention that to any of them. “Oh, right. I forgot to tell you. I found the Room of Requirement a couple days after I transferred here, and now it opens for anyone I bring to it. Draco and I had to use it the other day to discuss the duel.”

Harry raises an eyebrow, but quickly accepts it. “Honestly, that’s not the weirdest thing to happen in this school. I don’t know why I’m surprised.”

I chuckle, looking at Hermione. She gives me a look before saying, “We’ll talk about you neglecting to mention that to me later. But for now, at least we have somewhere private for this… meeting.”

The boys and I nod in agreement, sharing hopeful glances with each other.

Harry leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Alright, and you’re sure you can keep your parents and Lucius distracted at this dinner?”

I hesitate, biting the inside of my cheek. “I don’t have much of a choice, do I? It’s my job to make sure they’re too preoccupied to notice you three sneaking around. You just focus on finding those files.”

“And if we’re caught?” Ron asks, his voice laced with dread.

“You won’t be,” I say firmly, though my stomach churns at the thought. “But if something goes wrong, find me or Draco. Between the two of us, we’ll figure something out.”

Ron gives me a skeptical look but doesn’t argue further. Harry nods, his jaw set with determination. Hermione is quiet, her brows furrowed in thought, but eventually, she adds, “We’ll make it work.”

I force a smile, standing up from my chair. “Good. Then we’ll go over everything tomorrow with Draco. Until then… try not to overthink it.”

Ron mutters something under his breath that sounds suspiciously like, “Easy for you to say,” but I ignore him, already running through a mental checklist of everything that could go wrong.

Harry claps his hands together, forcing a lighter tone. “Alright. We’ve got a plan. It’s risky, insane, and probably the most dangerous thing we’ve done since the Chamber of Secrets. But we’ll do it.”

Hermione raises an eyebrow. “Comforting.”

Ron groans again as he stands, stretching. “Brilliant. A Malfoy in the mix, Death Eaters watching, and sneaking through a bloody mansion. What could possibly go wrong?”

I manage a half-hearted laugh. “Let’s not find out.”

As they head toward the boys’ dormitory, I linger by the fire for a moment, staring into the flames. There’s too much at stake to let fear take over now, but the weight of everything—the bond, the plan, the lies—it’s suffocating.

Tomorrow, I’ll have to face Draco with all of this, and whether he’s ready or not, he’s part of the team now.

I take a deep breath, steeling myself. One step at a time. We’ll figure this out. We have to.