Draco strutted through the busy corridors with his best friend Blaise Zabini at his side. With Blaise, Draco felt a little more secure. He could confide in Blaise more than anyone else. Crabbe and Goyle were much too daft to understand his issues, so Blaise remained in his rightful place: Malfoy's only equal.
"So…" Blaise said, bored as always with the events at the school. Draco was about to respond with "So" when he saw a girl with dark hair and fluttering eye lashes prancing down the hall towards him.
"Dammit, mate, hide me." He said through clenched teeth.
"Draco!" A voice cooed. Draco grimaced as he turned to face Pansy Parkinson, resident slut of Slytherin house and girlfriend of Draco Malfoy. Blaise looked amused at something in the other direction and stifled his laughter. "I missed you all through divination. Is there time for any fun?" She added, trying to sound seductive and failing terribly as she tried to worm her hands around his neck.
"Parkinson, look I don't think…" Draco began, but Pansy pressed a finger to his lips.
"I know what you're going to say." She said, flipping her hair back and running her short fingers through it.
"You do?" Asked Draco incredulously, staring at the short, desperate girl in front of them.
"You can't be late for Transfiguration again. Oh well we can always fool around later…" She was cut off by a cough from Blaise, sensing how uncomfortable his friend had become. "Something to say, Zabini?" She asked, raising her thinly plucked eyebrows expectantly.
"Oh…nothing it's just you're being really thick." He said, stifling another laugh.
"Am I?" She drawled, looking the Quidditch Keeper up and down.
"Well yeah. I mean it's quite obvious that Draco here was about to dump your arse and you think he's desperately in love with you." Blaise said matter of factly. Pansy's mouth hit the floor and looked to Draco.
"Is that true Draco?" She demanded, pursing her lips.
"Yeah." He said, hardening his expression and running his fingers through his platinum blonde hair.
"Well then fine. Draco I'm breaking up with you." She snapped, storming off down the corridors. There was a moment of silence before Blaise burst out laughing.
"Thanks for that, Zabini." Draco said, suppressing a smile.
"Well at least you're free." He said, clapping his friend on the back as they continued on their way to Transfiguration. Draco felt as though the heaviest of weights had been lifted from his shoulders as he proceeded to his worst class. He had often questioned why his father insisted that he continue with Transfiguration at an N.E.W.T. level but was told to shut-up and do as he was told.
His thoughts were interrupted as a small figure crashed into him. He saw books go flying into the air as the student fell on their backside. Draco stumbled back but was able to remain standing as he looked down and surveyed Padma Patil. Her dark brown doe eyes met his stormy grey ones and he saw a look of reproach and then defiance on her face.
Padma broke their staring match to collect her books. Her straight black hair fell into her face slightly as she leaned over and Draco saw her skirt edge slightly up her thigh. She was considered one of the best-looking girls in his year by most of the boys. She was also one of the brightest, but that never really registered with Draco because before he could continue to stare at one of the prettiest girls in his year, Blaise interrupted his thoughts.
"Oi, Draco, you okay mate?" He asked, putting a hand on his friends' shoulder.
"Yeah, whatever." He replied, shaking his previous thoughts out of his head. He bent over to pick up a copy of Theories of Transubstantial Transfiguration. Not only was Draco unable to understand the title, but he also didn't recognize it as a standard book for their level of Transfiguration. Overachieving nerd, he thought to himself as she took her book from his hand.
"Thanks." She said, still defiant, as she stalked off to Transfiguration. Blaise let out a low whistle as the two Slytherins stared after the Ravenclaw.
"Didn't you used to fancy her?" Blaise asked, turning to his friend with raised eyebrows.
"I was eleven. I didn't know how much of a nerd she was." Draco shrugged, continuing down the hall. The little dark haired girl had escaped his vision in the crowd so Draco quickly forgot the incident.
"Listen, mate, you need to step it up in class. McGonagall looks like she's about to beat you with a book every time she looks at you." Blaise sounded genuinely concerned as they continued on their way.
"Whatever. It's just a stupid class." Draco shrugged.
"A stupid class you can't afford to fail." Blaise corrected him. They came to the classroom and entered. There were only a few students there. Draco noted Granger sitting at a desk with Potter and the Weasel-king in the front row. Two desks down, Draco saw Padma tuck her hair behind her ear and then respond to something one of her friends said. Draco recognized Morag MacDougal and Lisa Turpin as her companions from Ravenclaw. Draco continued to stare as they compared their homework, Padma nodded in confirmation before slipping her homework back into her bag.
"Earth to Draco!" Blaise said, prodding him with a dry quill. Draco shook his head, trying to clear his brain. "What's up with you?" Blaise continued.
"Didn't sleep much last night." Draco excused, taking out his books.
"Yeah, right, you slept like a rock." Blaise snorted, rolling his eyes.
"Homework out everyone." Professor McGonagall strode into the room and then moved across the rows of desks, collecting homework. "Now, all of you will practice the incantation we learned about yesterday while I grade your homework. You may begin." She commanded in her Scottish and demanding accent. Wands were taken out and the spell was said multiple times throughout the room. Some students, such as Granger and the Ravenclaws, immediately succeeded in conjuring flower bouquets with various colors and species of flower.
"Crescent flores." Blaise said confidently, a few stems with buds appeared at the end of his wand.
"Nice bouquet." Draco scoffed.
"Crescent flores." Blaise repeated, a little louder this time. The stems continued to grow and the buds bloomed while more stems appeared and bloomed. "I know right." Blaise grinned.
"Crescente floreses." Malfoy commanded, a puff of petals burst forth from his wand and landed on his lap and on the desk. He brushed the petals off his desk and caught Padma Patil glance at him with something like pity before turning back to her own bouquet.
"It's crescent flores, Draco." Blaise whispered.
"Remember to visualize what you want to appear." McGonagall reminded the class, still not looking up from the stack of parchment on her desk.
"Crescent flores." He said urgently. At his command, a single short stem appeared at the end of his wand. "Crescent flores" He repeated and the stem grew slightly but then stopped. Blaise snickered and fluffed his bouquet in a boastful manner. Draco repeated the incantation several times before the class period was done and all he had to show was a thin stem with a small bud at the end.
"Mr. Malfoy, Miss Patil, will you both stay back for a few moments." McGonagall called as most of the students filed out.
"Good luck, mate. See you in Potions." Muttered Blaise as he exited the classroom.
"Yes, Professor?" Padma asked, beating Draco to the desk at the front. Draco sauntered over, head hung slightly so as to avoid the teacher's eyes.
"Mr. Malfoy, I would like to inform you that your work in my class has been less than exceptional." Said the old woman bluntly. "Your work is lacking in flair and overall dedication therefore your results are far below par." Padma looked away, blushing slightly.
"Yes professor." Draco mumbled to the floor.
"Miss Patil, I would like you to tutor Mr. Malfoy in Transfiguration, do you think you can manage?" Said McGonagall, turning to the young lady. Draco raised his head to her as well.
"Professor, it's just I have Charms Club later and…"
"I would be willing to award you extra credit for your services." Interrupted the old woman, shuffling the papers on her desk.
"Well I…" Padma tried again, beginning to look a little put out.
"Excellent. I expect results from the both of you. You may go." Said the professor, waving her hand as though to brush them away from the classroom. Draco exited the classroom with a refined grace while Padma walked back to her desk to retrieve her books.
"Oh, and Miss Patil," Called the woman as Padma was just about to leave. The girl turned. "Good luck." The professor gestured towards the door and Padma left without the usual thank you. "Poor girl." The woman said to herself.