So apparently I can't keep promises about updating because this kind of took forever, too. Well, end of the year, more like second half of it, got pretty crazy and I ran out of time for doing things I like to do. And between that and my work schedule, forget having a life. So, here's a totally out of the blue, random update. I have no idea what I'm writing yet, so I hope it comes out decent and somewhat long.

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Chapter 17

Malfoy's POV

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Oh, fuck no. Malfoy's heart nearly stopped beating at what he saw. He had been carefully counting as he stirred the potion; 20 times clockwise, 20 times counterclockwise, repeat twice more. He was about halfway through his second round of stirring the potion when something long and brown flew into it, making a splash. Malfoy turned to see no other than Neville Longbottom stomach down on the floor, looking up at him with fear in his eyes.

"Longbottom… what… was that?" Malfoy demanded, trying hard to bite back his anger.

"I… I'm s-sorry Malfoy. I… I slipped and… my wand… it… it flew out…" he trailed off, slowly picking himself up. Malfoy cringed and looked at his potion that had turned from its lovely shade of dark purple to a murky shade of green. Sure enough, it was then that Snape chose to walk over and see how things were going with their potion.

"Potter! Malfoy! This is not the right color at all! What did you do?" Snape's eyes searched them for answers but all they could do was look at Neville, Malfoy with a horrible glare in his eyes. Harry, of course, wouldn't rat out Neville, and Malfoy was still too shocked and infuriated to acknowledge Snape and tell him what had happened. Snape looked down at Neville. "Longbottom, did you have something to do with this?"

Neville's eyes opened wide, "Sir I… I didn't mean to, I…. I slipped and fell over and my wand… it just flew out of my hand. I… I'm sorry sir," he took a few steps back as Snapes eyes lowered at him.

"Detention, Longbottom! Friday, 8 pm sharp, don't be late," Snape told him sternly and loud enough for the class to hear, as everyone turned to see what was going on. "And as for your wand, I suppose you'll have to arrange to get a new one. Malfoy, Potter, clean up. No point in finishing a soiled potion," he announced with a dismissive voice and waved them off as he walked away. Blaise looked at Malfoy, trying to catch his eye but couldn't succeed. Malfoy was very intent on glaring down his cauldron as hard as he could, as if it were the most horrible thing he'd seen in his life, and Potter began to clean it up. He vanished the contents of it and returned the ingredients to the jars on the shelves. Malfoy began on his way out of the classroom, Harry on his heels.

"Malfoy!" Harry called out and Malfoy stopped but didn't turn. Harry took this as a sign he could catch up with him, and ran up in front of him, then turned to face him. "Malfoy… where's Lanne? Why wasn't she in class?" Malfoy just gave him another one of his glares and walked around him. "Malfoy! I know you know something, tell me!" Harry went to run up to him again, but Malfoy turned quick and abrupt, his wand in Harry's face.

"Potter, you leave me alone and you stay away from her. You understand me?" Malfoy gestured his wand at Harry and turned to make his way back to the dungeons when he heard his name again. He spun around, angry faced and wand held out, "Potter, I thought I told you to… Blaise? What are you doing out of class?"

"Class is over Malfoy… wasn't much left of it by the time you guys left anyway," Blaise noticed the long face on Malfoy and went to reach into his pocket. He pulled out a vial full of a crimson colored liquid and winked. Malfoy, surprised but excited, grabbed it and pocketed the vial himself and grabbed Blaise to get back to the Dungeons as quick as possible.

It had been nearly three hours since they left Lanne up in their dorms. Before they left, they had brought her up to their room and put her on one of the bed's and closed it up. I hope it's going to work alright, I hope it hasn't been too long. Malfoy quickened his pace even more and pulled Blaise along behind him. When they got to the common rooms, he near shouted the password at the portrait and as soon as it opened the slightest bit, he grabbed the edge and threw it wide open and ran through, yanking Blaise through as well.

They received confused looks from the few people who populated the common room as they ran through and up to the dorms. When they reached their room, they locked the door behind them with a good three locking spells and rushed over to the bed Lanne was on. Malfoy pulled open the hangings and quickly took the vial of potion out of his pocket.

"Now what, Blaise?" He asked, gesturing the potion towards Lanne.

Blaise moved towards her, "You need to pick her up a little bit, so she doesn't choke on it." He pulled out his wand and put it at her throat and Malfoy was immediately alarmed, so Blaise pulled the wand away and explained, "Oh calm down, just relaxing the muscles in her throat so the potion will go down." He, again, touched the wand to her throat and mumbled something under his breath. He motioned towards Malfoy and the potion in his hand. Malfoy handed the potion to Blaise and lifted Lanne's upper back and head up as Blaise pulled down her jaw and poured in the potion. Within two minutes, some of the color had returned to her face and she didn't feel so cold. Wow, that was quick. Malfoy laid her back down on the bed and they both sat there watching for a minute. When they realized she wasn't about to wake up immediately, they walked away and over to the window.

"So she's going to be alright?" Malfoy asked Blaise, staring out the window towards the Forbidden Forest. Blaise simply nodded and gave Malfoy a, what he hoped to be, reassuring pat on the back before he got up and left the dorm. Malfoy glanced over to Lanne, who was still unconscious, and then out the window again. Well, nothing more I can do, may as well start on that Transfiguration essay… He walked over to his trunk, opened it, and pulled out his Transfiguration book along with a scroll, ink, and a quill. He made his way around the bed and to the side of it, placed the items down on it, and climbed up on the bed. Curling up near the headboard, he put the book on his lap with his knees bent, and the scroll on the book, and began to work. It wasn't long before he was lost in thought and only three sentences into his essay.

I wonder if she did it on purpose… I hope not. But it was too much to slip. Why would she do it on purpose though? I can't ask her, she won't talk to me… Malfoy glanced over to Lanne and she was still in the same position they had left her in; she hadn't moved at all. I hope she wakes up soon… He turned back to his essay and put all his concentration into it and before he knew it, an hour had passed and he had accomplished one of the two feet assigned for the essay. He went to dip his quill in the ink when he heard something shuffling around next to him, and then a quiet voice. His head snapped around to look at the bed across the room.

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Hmmm. Yeah, that's it for now. Just seemed like a good place to end it. Well, since it's summer I'm hoping to write some more of this, but it's looking like a busy summer. Some camp thing next week (Switchfoot's gonna be there:D Along with some other bands) and then I've got some free time, and then there's my birthday, and I'm getting my license so I definitely won't be sitting around much after that… and come the end of July I'm going to Italy to see my family. So I don't know when I'll have the next chapter up, but hopefully it won't take another six months. Hehhh.

Kinz: Yeah, I'm doing alright; hope you're doing okay too. Heh, I should probably reread the story as well. Haha, well maybe you should open a psychic shop place.

Well, hope this chapter was okay. I don't think it really got anywhere so I'm going to try my best to get another one up soon.