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I felt like months passed a little too quickly, and the thought it was already April was unsettling, to say the least. And not just because it meant I'd have to go back to Malfoy Manor over easter break again. 
                          
It felt like only days ago that I had escaped that house unharmed, yet, I had to go back already. 
                          
Despite temperatures rising to double digits again, the sun trying to do its absolute best to peek through the dark clouds hanging over Hogwarts, and the flowers trying to break through the still frozen grounds they had the Dementor's to thank for, things only seemed to get worse around here. 
                          
Instead of preparing for a world beyond Hogwarts, and enjoying our last few months before we would graduate like all those generations before us had, we were learning how to march as if we were the fucking Muggle Military and how to serve the Dark Lord honourably.  
                          
I hadn't heard from Wren, either; which didn't help.
                          
In all honesty, I didn't think things could get much worse from here on out. 
                          
So, I thought why not just walk around the Hogwarts grounds for a little before I'd have to board the train to my own personal hell. 
                          
And why not do so with Draco because, as I said, I didn't think it could get much worse. 
                          
Avoiding Dementors and Death Eaters alike might even be fun. And though those were his own words, I agreed. Maybe that rush of adrenalin would help me from feeling dead. 
                          
And it all sounded like good fun when we had joked about it, but it was a completely different experience when we were suddenly circled by Dementors with absolutely no way to go; our backs pressed against a wall. 
                          
It was cold, they themselves felt cold when they were still seemingly far away, though coming closer by the second. 
                          
"You know, now would be a good time to perform-" My breath heavy, and voice loud I turned my head to look at Draco pressed against the wall right next to me. 
                          
He looked just as frantic as I was, face distorted as he threw his head back in frustration, though his wand was already raised. 
                          
"I can't!" 
                          
My eyes widened, and if my face wasn't already drained from all its colour before, it definitely was now. 
                          
"What the fuck do you mean you can't?" I hissed back, diverting my eyes off of him and onto the three Dementor's that were much too close for my liking. Their presence made me feel like I couldn't even move from the spot I was stood at. 
                          
"I mean, I can't! I've tried- and-" He cut himself off with a loud groan, seemingly quite frustrated about the fact. "-and I can't cast a fucking Patronus! I just can't!"
                          
I swallowed thickly at his words, eyes flickering back and forth between Draco and the dark, wraithlike creature closest to me. 
                          
"You said-" I trailed off, trying to remember the conversation we had. "In the kitchens, you said-" He never actually said anything, did he? 
                          
"Well, I lied!" He shouted back, panic making him raise his voice. 
                          
"Great! That's just great! I don't have my wand; they already took it-" 
                          
With my eyes on Draco again, I was oblivious to how close the Dementor's had gotten, and my sentence was abruptly interrupted by my own hiss. 
                          
A pair of clammy, strong hands suddenly attached themselves to my neck, forcing my face upward as I struggled against the tight grip. I could feel Draco move and shout to my right, but was completely oblivious to what he was doing or saying.