Usagi dug into her bowl of chocolate ice cream at a dangerous pace, sure to incite a brain freeze, but it didn't hinder her in the least. Across the table, Draco looked on with mild amusement as she avidly ate through the mound of dessert with her eyes shining enthusiastically. Truthfully he hadn't seen her as happy in years and found that he'd missed her cheerful self, even though he would never say this out loud.
"So, it looks like everyone in school is going to find out we're siblings now." Usagi commented as she licked the remainder of chocolate from her lips. Shaken from his reverie, Draco raised an eyebrow at her.
"What makes you say that?" He asked.
"Well you told that guy I was your sister, I doubt he'll keep it to himself." She elaborated, proceeding to lick her spoon clean. Draco looked pensive for a moment before shrugging nonchalantly.
"I guess you're right. Stop that." Usagi looked at him over the rim of her bowl, which she had also been licking clean, and broke into a fit of giggles at the look on her brother's face. She sat the bowl back down on the table and looked at him with all seriousness, unaware of the chocolate smudge on her nose.
"So what are we going to do about it?" Draco frowned, trying to suppress the urge to laugh.
"You have chocolate on your nose." He informed, and Usagi quickly grabbed a napkin to rub it off. "What do you mean what are we going to do about it? Obviously we can't deny it; we're just going to have to go with it." Usagi stared at him misty-eyed, and he just blinked back before standing.
"Anyways, I still don't think it's a good idea for you to be hanging out with Potter, of all people." He said as she followed his lead.
"Believe me, if I had my way we'd never even look each other's way. But in a way, I'm kind of glad." Usagi smiled lightly as they left the kitchens and walked back towards the Great Hall. Draco sent her an inquiring glance, nodding for her to continue. "I'm finally going to stand up to our father, and you're talking to me again. It's not all bad."
Before Draco could respond, Usagi pushed open the door to the Great Hall and walked inside. As he went to follow, he found her frozen in the doorway, and quickly realized that most of the hall had silenced and turned in her direction. Frowning, he nudged her forward and slipped in the hall behind her, heading to the Slytherin table without even acknowledging the stares and whispers he was receiving.
Gulping down her anxiety, Usagi followed his example and took her usual seat at the end of the Gryffindor table, away from the rest of the students. Slowly, the normal chatter of dinner built back up to its usual level. Usagi let herself breathe again and began piling food on her plate carefully, skipping on the mashed potatoes that were placed beyond her reach. She didn't dare ask anyone to pass her anything.
"Welcome back, students." Professor Desdemona smiled impishly at her classroom as she leaned into her podium and observed them with her silver-hued eyes. Several students squirmed in their seats when her glance fell on them, which only fueled her grin more. She waved her wand at the blackboard next to her and the word 'Quiesco' appeared in shimmering silver letters. Another wave and 'Quies Quietis' materialized below it.
"These are the next two spells you'll be learning, and trust that they won't be as simple as Curatio Planta. They look similar, I know, but they're very different spells. The one on top is a simple sleeping spell, but extremely effective." Professor Des raised her wand to the board again and twitched it. The word 'Excito' popped up next to Quiesco. "This is the charm that reverses the sleeping spell. The spell on the bottom is a silence spell, also very effective. 'Narro' is the speaking spell that counteracts Quies Quietis."
The students watched with interest as the spell appeared on the board next to its counterpart. Professor Des stared at them for several moments before she sighed heavily.
"Well, get with your partner and try them." She instructed, rolling her eyes as the students jumped into action. Usagi turned her desk to face Harry's and frowned lightly as she pulled her wand from her robes. The green-eyed boy smiled at her as he put their desks together and sat back down. A few minutes of silence passed before he realized that he was going first. Slowly, he traced a circle with his wand as before and glanced at the blackboard quickly.
"Quiesco." He said uncertainly. Usagi blinked as she felt a wave of drowsiness hit her, but it was gone just as quickly. Harry stared for a moment before sighing. "No go, then?"
"I felt tired for a second..." Usagi trailed. "Try again." Harry nodded, and traced the invisible moon in the air once more. Though he spoke clearly, the spell still had very little effect, as did the silence spell when he tried it.
"Um...I'll try now." Usagi offered, raising her wand. As if on cue, Professor Des popped up beside her and grabbed onto her hand.
"Come now, Miss Usagi, surely you'd like to try without your wand?" She asked sweetly. Usagi sighed and reluctantly stuck her wand back in her robes. "Good. Now, hold out your hand towards Harry, palm outwards."
Professor Des demonstrated what she meant and Usagi mimicked her, feeling rather foolish. Harry just stared at the pair of them blankly, still unsure what this whole thing was about. Hesitant, Usagi glanced at the board once more before saying the spell clearly. To her surprise, Harry's head hit the desk and he began snoring. She blinked several times before looking at her professor with astonishment. The black-haired woman grinned back and nodded her approval.
"I think I should give you private lessons, one on one. These basic spells are far below your potential." She said, holding out her hand and saying Excito. Harry sat up again and rubbed his forehead, which was still red from hitting the desk moments before. "See me after class if you want to set that up." Professor Des told her before whisking away to a student who was completely butchering the pronunciation of the spell.
"What was that about?" Harry inquired. Usagi shrugged and quickly exited the class as the bell rang.
"Settle down. I want you in groups of four to six and I want the potion on the board to be completed by the end of class. This assignment will count as a portion of your exam grade so I suggest you don't goof off." The whole dungeon seemed to groan at once as Professor Snape made his announcement.
"This potion is ridiculously hard." Hermione commented as she began laying out ingredients on their table. Harry looked at his friend with worry. If Hermione thought it was hard, there was no chance for the rest of them. Unless...
"Hey Usagi, come be in our group." Harry called. Said blonde girl jumped and looked over at his table, at which Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Neville Longbottom and he was seated. Apprehensively, she collected her things and made her way to their group, smiling apologetically towards her brother.
"Usagi, this is Hermione, Ron, and Neville. Guys, this is Usagi, and she's a genius when it comes to potions." Harry introduced with a grin. Usagi flushed lightly as she piled her belongings on the table and took a seat. They shared awkward hellos before immediately starting on their project.
Usagi and Hermione both took charge in their own separate ways. Hermione took care to make sure Neville did everything he was assigned properly while also tending to her own tasks. Usagi chopped the ingredients and made sure that Harry and Ron measured all the powdered substances correctly. Harry instructed Hermione to let Usagi stir the potion, and she did so without argument, though she appeared slightly indignant. She had no complaints later as she watched Usagi at work, brewing the potion as if she were the potions master herself.
"How did you become so good at potion brewing?" Neville asked dreamily. Usagi blushed lightly as she directed Harry to add the next ingredient and began stirring clockwise.
"I don't know. It's just a natural thing for me I guess." She replied, glancing over at the group her brother was in. To her surprise, he wasn't there. She looked around with confusion and nearly jumped out of her skin when he appeared beside her seconds later. The rest of her group eyed the Slytherin boy warily, but she smiled brightly at him.
"Hey, I need your help." He mumbled to her, too low for the rest of them to hear. Usagi looked at him uncertainly and then turned her eyes down to her potion. Sighing, she turned to Hermione.
"Could you take over for a minute?" The brown-haired girl nodded and took Usagi's place in front of the cauldron while she followed her brother over to his table. One look at the substance in his cauldron and she immediately knew why he'd called on her. "Draco, it's pink."
"I know." He grumbled.
"It's not supposed to be pink."
"I know."
"You have to mess up pretty bad for it to be pink."
"I know, okay? Just fix it please." He snapped angrily. Usagi grinned in amusement as she surveyed their remaining ingredients.
"I'll help you if the rest of your group will stop glaring at me." The blonde informed cheerfully, glancing at said Slytherins with an unwavering smile. They averted their glances as requested. Usagi nodded in approval and began measuring ingredients frantically, stirring the potion the whole time with one hand. It took her a good ten minutes, but she finally returned the potion to its expected murky green color.
"There, I've saved the day." Usagi smiled at her obviously annoyed sibling and rushed back to her own group to make sure everything was running smoothly. She arrived just in time to prevent Neville adding the wrong ingredient and ruining all their good work. Otherwise, the potion was absolutely perfect, which Snape had a very hard time admitting. He appeared ready to explode as he wrote down their grades and moved on.
"So, Usagi, how do you know Draco Malfoy?" Hermione inquired nonchalantly, receiving a rather upset look from Harry that she blissfully ignored. Usagi looked over at her fellow Gryffindor and then over at Draco, who was deep in conversation and not even acknowledging her gaze. Biting her lip with nervousness, she turned back to her group to find them eagerly awaiting her answer, except for Harry who already knew the truth of their relationship.
"He's my twin brother." She said calmly. Surprised looks and widened eyes invaded the faces of her classmates as they looked between the two siblings, noticing the uncanny resemblances they shared. Usagi smiled lightly to herself, glad that she didn't have to lie about it anymore. "I know it's unexpected for someone in the Malfoy family to not be in Slytherin, but we really are siblings."
No one at the table spoke. They just glanced at each other every once in a while, no idea what to say. A Malfoy in Gryffindor? The thought seemed to defy the very laws of nature. The girl before them didn't look fazed by their lack of conversation or their blatant shock; she just smiled to herself and piled her things back into her school bag.
Hello my avid readers...or first time readers...this chapter is relatively uneventful/boring, but it's all leading up to the excitement of next chapter. Lucius Malfoy will receive the letter his beloved daughter sent to him, Usagi will begin private lessons with Professor Des to learn more complex Lunarian Magic, and some other things that shall be a surprise. I still need reviews for inspiration. –wink wink-
Thank you all and...review some more:)
-SachiNyoko-
