Searching for a Former Clarity

Disclaimer: I don't own all of these characters or parts of this story line, well, maybe one or two, but as for the rest of them, they are property of J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers.

"Are you seriously going to pretend like nothing happened last night?"

Claire sighed as she made her way up the stairs and into the Entrance Hall her best friend hot on her heels, "Brooke! Seriously stop asking. Nothing happened between me and Malfoy!"

Brooke raised an eyebrow, "You are fooling no one Claire. There was some major snogging about to happen. If I hadn't walked in…"

"What?!" Claire exclaimed, whirling around so she was facing her best friend, "What would have happened? I do not fancy Draco Malfoy! So drop it! …Please."

She did not wait for an answer. Instead she turned on her heels and continued on her way to the Great Hall. Claire was tired of listening to the possible outcomes of what could have happened the night before if Brooke hadn't have interrupted. As far as Claire was concerned, if he had continued at the rate he was she probably would have shoved her wand up his nose and into his brainless head. Claire had never met anyone quite like Draco Malfoy. It had always impressed her that for someone with such a big head he had a very small mind. He was ignorant and shallow, not to mention he had a habit of tossing his friends out like they were trash. Whatever Draco was playing at Claire wasn't sure she wanted to know.

As she walked into the Great Hall, Blaise waved at them, signaling that he had saved them a seat.

"Hey Claire! Hey Brooke!" Blaise exclaimed as Claire took the vacant seat beside him at the Slytherin table.

"Hullo Blaise. Alright?" Claire said shoving a piece of toast into her mouth.

"Alright. Are you feeling better today? You said you weren't feeling well yesterday."

"Much better, thanks." Claire smiled.

Claire looked around, "Brooke, where's Tracey?" She asked finally realizing that her other best friend had be MIA all morning.

"Library."

"I swear that girl is worse than the mudblood when it comes to books."

"Clarissa… do they not feed you at home?" Brooke asked rhetorically, looking up from her book with a questioning expression on her face while Claire began to fill her plate with everything within arm's reach and started to stuff her face.

"How could you ask me that? You know eating is a 'orrible 'abit to get into," Claire snorted mocking her mother. Claire looked down the table to see Pansy Parkinson laughing hideously with her cronies. "Isn't Parkinson supposed to be helping Malfoy with the schedules?"

"Probably, but Malfoy did disappear and leave her to do all the work yesterday…" Brooke said knowingly, not bringing up the events of last night while picking up a biscuit and popping it into her mouth, "besides… he could use a little hard work once in a while. Having everything handed to him on a gold platter has had a major effect on that boy."

"Oi! Not everyone who's had stuff handed to them turned out bad. We turned out fine…"

"That's what you think," she told Claire matter-of-factly.

Hearing someone clear their throat from behind her, Claire turned to see Professor Snape with a sour look on his face.

"Good morning Professor!" She said forcing a smile.

"Indeed," he said his sour look turning into a forced grin.

It was a rather frightful sight.

"This year you are taking advanced: Potions, Defense against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Herbology, Charms, Arithmacy and Ancient Runes am I correct?"

Claire nodded her head.

"I am pleased to say I was very impressed by your potions grade last year, Miss Levesque."

It was not often Professor Snape gave out compliments.

"Thank you Professor."

"Very well, here is your timetable." He tapped his wand against a blank piece of parchment and her timetable appeared.

"Did he just give you a compliment?" Blaise asked skeptically with an eyebrow raised.

"It would not be the first time." Brooke said as certain platinum blonde haired boy took the seat across from Blaise.

"Well Levesque it looks as if you have a new hobby. Shagging the professors for better grades," Draco smirked, "You know I could give you detention for that."

At this Brooke had raised an eyebrow, as if to say "try it."

"Even if I was, at least I'd getting good grades out of it. Where as you go around making a hobby of banging every lass you meet, and what do you get out of it? Syphilis?" Claire smiled at him.

From beside her, Blaise let out a snort, and in front of her she could see Brooke attempting stop herself from laughing.

"By the way MALFOY," Claire said innocently twirling my hair, "where is your lady friend?"

"We are not…" Draco growled at her but was interrupted when Pansy looked up to see him.

"DRACO!" Pansy said in a demanding voice, "Why are you sitting with them?"

She could feel her stomach begin to turn when Pansy started clinging to Malfoy. Dismissing the feeling, she simply smirked while getting up from her seat, "Dating? Sure. Come on Brooke we have to get to class."

Claire waved at Malfoy as he continued to glare at her, and Pansy continued to smother him. Claire felt my stomach turn again watching them. What was wrong with her? Maybe she was getting sick. Oh well, she dismissed it again and walked with Brooke to Ancient Ruins.

Ancient Ruins and Defense Against the Dark Arts had gone by pretty pretty fast. She had always found Ancient Ruins a fascinating subject even if the mud… Granger was in the class. But just because it was the first day back to school didn't mean the professors would be sympathetic when it came to homework. She already had to translate 20 inches of ancient symbols, two chapters to read on non-verbal spells and it was only the first day!

Thankfully, Brooke had not mentioned anything else about the night before but as she sat in Transfiguration her mind was definitely not on the subject at hand. Her mind continued to wander back to the feeling of his body pressed against hers. The blank expression that had masked his face as he studied her. His lips. Claire returned to reality just in time to see Pansy Parkinson (who was seated in front of her) lean forward and whisper to the girl next to her.

"…It was so romantic… and then he whispered I love you…" Pansy giggled quietly.

Claire let out an unladylike snort. She couldn't be serious. It wasn't hard to tell that she was talking about Draco and if she was she was clearly dumb. Pansy whipped around in her seat looking expectantly at Claire.

"Well, it's not like he'd want to admit that aloud."

Pansy's glared. "At least he doesn't have to grunt it in troll like all your boyfriends seem to do," She scowled.

"Hmmm," Claire said with a smirk, "You'd know all about trolls wouldn't you Parkinson?"

"Ladies! Is there something you wish share with the class?" Professor McGonagall barked, clearly irritated by the disruption of her class.

"Sorry Professor. Pansy was just telling us about how she comes from a long line of trolls." Claire said, smiling at the older woman.

"Well… if you two continue disrupting my class it will be detention for the both of you. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes Professor…"

"Sorry Professor, what I think Pansy means is: urggg uh arrrrgghhh." The classroom burst into fits of laughter and Pansy looked ready to kill but Claire just laughed. McGonagall looked far from impressed.

"Detention! Both of you! And I suggest you remove yourself from my classroom immediately, Miss Levesque!" Claire didn't bother making a retort. She simply gathered her books and after flashing Parkinson a triumphant smirk , she left the classroom. As she left she caught a pair of familiar grey eyes, amusement clear on his face.