"Lion's Bane," Andy said. The stone wall in front of her swung inward to reveal the huge Slytherin common room. Stepping inside, she noted the fact that it wasn't nearly as welcoming as her own room upstairs; it was dark and foreboding, all the decorations and the general shape of the room creating an atmosphere of dread despite all the fine furniture. It was clear that nobody had made any effort to disguise the fact that it was a dungeon. There was a fire crackling in the fireplace, but it did little to mask the cold, damp air that surrounded her as she made her way to the claw-footed loveseat in the middle of the room. There were no vipers present, for now. She breathed a sigh of relief. I'm not too interested in meeting the whole crew today. Let's just get this whole meeting over with. She struggled with herself about whether or not to actually sit down because she had the notion that everything in this oversized prison cell was dirty. After visualizing Pansy Parkinson and Malfoy's two fat cronies Crabbe and Goyle plopping down on the couch, she opted to remain standing.

"Impressed? I wouldn't imagine the accommodations are nearly this nice in your piddly little raven's nest upstairs." Malfoy had somehow managed to creep out of the boy's dorm and turn up right behind her, causing her to jump. He snickered. "Scared you, didn't I?"

"You are a very experienced creeper," she admitted. "As far as this place is concerned, I'm more disturbed than anything. I don't know how you stand it down here. I personally would much rather be upstairs with my window seat, the little bowl of candies on the coffee table, and the fact that I don't have to worry about monsters murdering me in my sleep." As she mentioned that last part, she realized she was only half-joking. "Anyways, where is everybody?"

"I told them I had something planned and that they were all to stay out of the common room until further notice. Didn't want you to feel like we were ganging up on you." He flopped carelessly onto the loveseat and patted the spot beside him. "Why don't you sit down, Dennington?"

"No, thank you. I'll be fine standing right here."

His features hardened. "It wasn't a suggestion. Sit."

Andy wordlessly settled onto the couch and folded her hands in her lap. Any other time, she would have been too proud to comply with such a blunt command, but something in his eyes told her it was best not to argue. The small gesture of submission seemed to satisfy him; he smirked slightly. He's probably just overjoyed with himself, she thought with a spark of annoyance.

She was absolutely right. Draco felt as though he'd won a huge victory in getting her to follow his order. It was the first time since they'd met that he had been able to intimidate her, and it made him feel better knowing that he had at least a little power over her. He looked over at her: the strong lines of her cheekbones, her straight nose, and her amber eyes set straight forward, not looking at him. She was sitting rather stiffly with her hands clasped together in her lap, her back stick-straight as though someone had run an iron rod through it. He cleared his throat. "You liked the ribbons?"

When she looked at him, her head was the only part of her that moved. "Yes."

"Good. You don't know how much time I spent on that little endeavor." He studied her, trying to deduce why she was behaving so strangely. It wasn't like her to be so rigid, so mechanical. "Are you uncomfortable?" he questioned.

"I'm just cold," she replied, not mentioning the nervous feeling that enveloped her. The reality of the situation was starting to set in. I just walked into the Slytherin common room, and there won't be anyone else here per Malfoy's orders. What if he tortures me to death and makes it look like an accident? She silently chided herself for being so ridiculous.

"Ah, I see. Wait here," he said, holding his hands toward her as if to hold her in place as he rose from his seat and wandered through a doorway on the far end of the room. He returned a few moments later with a black throw blanket, which he tossed into her lap before settling back into the loveseat. She simply stared at the blanket in silence for a few moments. "You know, it would be more effective if you unfolded it," he muttered.

"Are you sure you want my germs on it?" Her voice wasn't playful; it was flat and disgusted. Malfoy realized this bothered him, though he wasn't entirely certain as to why.

"I'll worry about that later. I can't have you freezing to death because I brought you into my dark, musty dungeon." He reached over and unfolded the blanket, draping it over her in a gesture of goodwill.

She relaxed a bit, acknowledging the truce he had just made with her. "Thank you. Anyways, you said you had something to show me?"

He nodded, pulling a small box from his pocket. As he opened it, Andy could see something sparkling inside. "This is a necklace I bought for Pansy."

She raised her eyebrows. "I'm not following. Isn't that a little counterproductive, since people usually buy gifts for people they like?"

"Yes, but it's cursed," he explained. "Whenever she wears it, she will see all my flaws."

"I'm surprised you were even able to admit to having flaws, O Prince of Slytherin," Andy said with a chuckle.

Malfoy rolled his eyes. "If I'm lucky, she'll get bored with me and run off to bother some other rich, handsome man."

Just as he finished his sentence, Pansy came clomping out of the girls' dorm and gasped at the sight in front of her. She glared at the blonde as if to ask for some sort of explanation. When he didn't give her one, she turned to Andy. "What are you doing in here, mudblood?"

I'm going to have fun with this, she thought. "Draco invited me," she said calmly. "I thought he would have told you."

Pansy's eyes shot back over to Malfoy. She was growing angrier by the second. Catching onto Andy's plan, he cleared his throat and tried to look as guilty as possible. "I'm sorry, Pansy, it must have slipped my mind. You know Andrea, of course." It was all he could do to keep a straight face.

"Andrea the mudblood that makes your life hell and ruins your reputation?! Andrea that made a fool of you in front of half the school? YES, DRACO. I KNOW ANDREA. AND IF YOU DO NOT EXPLAIN TO ME WHY SHE'S SITTING HERE ON OUR COUCH, I AM GOING TO…" She continued carrying on like that for a good five minutes. The bomb had finally gone off, and there was no stopping her now.

Meanwhile, Malfoy made a big show of apologizing profusely to Andy about all the yelling. "I'm so sorry, dear. I don't know why she's like this. I've never even dated her."

"Please get her to leave, Draco! I don't think my fragile heart can handle much more of her yelling at me!" Andy's eyes watered from all the laughter she was suppressing.

This was his big opportunity to drive the point home. "This is my big secret, Pansy. I've told you. Are you happy now?" Her eyes bulged at his words. "Now if you don't mind, I would like to spend some time with Miss Andrea." He waved her away dismissively.

Pansy let out a strangled sob as she turned around and bolted back into her dorm. As soon as she was out of earshot, the two fell over and started laughing hysterically. "Did you see her face?" Andy giggled. Malfoy just nodded; he was laughing too hard to speak. His pale face was turning bright red, which only made her laugh that much harder. After a few moments, they both collected themselves. "I should probably go," she said. "It's getting late." She threw the blanket off her and stood up.

"There's another party in the Room of Requirement tomorrow night. I'm sure I'll see you there." He looked almost sorry to see her go.

"Of course. Where the booze goes, I go." She grinned and slipped out of the stone door, leaving Malfoy sitting on the couch.