Twenty.
Draco's POV
Lena suddenly stood and began to walk away from him. She turned around to say something.
"..." He heard nothing, but he saw as her lips mouthed, "No," and she turned away and walked away. Draco was stunned. He sat there for a long time thinking of her, of her elegant beauty, and of her high pride, which he was surprised he was even attracted to.
Everything about Lena attracted him. Hell, dating Pansy had started out as only to make her jealous and want to actually date him or do something with him. However, until Lena was ready for that kind of stuff, Pansy would have to suffice. An overwhelming sense of guilt filled him.
Her answer to his question burned in his mind. Was it possible that she did not love him enough to want a serious relationship with him?
Draco suddenly saw Blaise meet Lena casually as she was walking away from Draco. They held hands and quickly kissed each other-so shyly- and began to stroll around the lake.
He punched the ground next to him.
I hate you, Blaise. I told you she was mine. I told you not to fuck with me. I warned you, man.
Lena's POV
Provoking Draco satisfied Lena. She loved the butterflies that swarmed over her body gently...
Or maybe that's just Blaise.
She looked in his eyes and stopped at the edge of the lake as it entered the forest, far out of sight from Draco.
She withdrew her wand and conjured a blanket on the ground for the two of them to sit on.
"Blaise," she muttered.
"Yeah?"
Lena looked into his eyes, into their blackness and the red seeping around the edges of his iris.
She couldn't help herself, she leaned forward and gave Blaise a passionate kiss. A stunned second later, he joined the snogging.
She wrapped her arms tightly around him, loving how his big hands held the small of her back, pushing her closer to him, pulling her on top of him.
Draco's POV
Draco crept through the brush, ever quietly, trying to catch the two lovers unexpectedly.
Beginning to get frustrated, Draco was careful not to lose his touch. He had to be quieter than he had ever been in his life. He forgot to breathe.
The edge of the plaid blanket was visible. Then, he saw it.
Ugh, disgusting. Sucking face for all to see.
He paused to take a slow, short breath. Anger filled him with the air. His pulse sped up and his adrenaline surged through him. He wanted to kill him. He wanted to torture Blaise, beat the living shit out of him for how he was touching his girl.
He was moving closer, less than fifty feet away under the dark canopy of the forest.
Blaise's girl, Draco realized suddenly, stopping in his tracks.
The worst thing that could have possibly happened, happened. Draco cursed himself.
Blaise's POV
A hallow echo of a twig snapping filled the silent fall day.
Immediately, Lena and Blaise shot up, looking for the culprit that was creeping around in the forest.
Nothing. Not a movement, not another sound; and yet Blaise knew who it had been.
He looked at Lena, wondering if she knew as well. He immediately realized the clever girl had probably known he was there before he had even made the sound.
Draco is up to something. Something more than trying to kick my ass this time.
In all honesty, Blaise knew he had lost the fight with Draco, however, the aspect of surprise does that. And his egotistical mind conveniently made up his excuses. He wondered if he could beat Draco in a fair fight. He let his egotistical mind handle that one too.
"What a sneaking bastard," she whispered to him with her soft velvet voice.
"You're so beautiful, Lena." He gazed over to long blonde hair, green eyes, slender body, and her now blushing red cheeks. "You think he's gone now?" He continued.
Her voice like a gentle ripple in the lake, "No." He couldn't help but stare at her.
He kissed her on the cheek and stood, offering a hand to Lena.
Lena's POV
Lena took the offered hand and stood.
The two walked back to Hogwarts slowly. In the common room, Draco was taking advantage of a giggling Pansy Parkinson on the couch, which Lena now considered contaminated and would have the house elves clean immediately; either that, or never sit on it again. Whichever.
She kissed Blaise on the lips, and explained of the massive pile of homework. Blaise respectfully declined her offer of sitting with her in the library for the next twelve hours to watch her work.
With her stuffed messenger bag, Lena headed to the library.
She sat at her usual table and got to work.
She finished all the easy assignments first. The small, single digit essays from each of her teachers. She had the strange feeling that Professor McGonagall had convinced the teachers to give her more homework because of what she did.
Three hours pass...
At the bottom of her daily school assignments was Professor Snape's pile. A letter attached to the top.
Miss Yavari,
I have missed you our last several sessions of Advanced Potions. However, I understand you are very busy lately, so I will advise that you continue your work in every aspect of your life. We will continue our lessons after the Holiday season.
Severus Snape
The hidden message Snape had sent her was very clear.
Lena knew she needed to stop stalling, but how was she supposed to get Draco off of Parkinson?
Shaking her head, Lena got back to work, hoping to finish within the next few hours, though, writing thirty pages of bullshit for Professor McGonagall-who would read each and every word- now that would take time.
Snape clearly gave her the shortest amount of homework.
No more or less than one page on the effects, attributes, uses, and regions to find troglodyte oil.
Four hours later, her thirty page masterpiece was complete, it was by far the most difficult task she'd ever completed for school.
She dried the ink on the last page with her wand, packed it all away in her bag, and stood. She first went to Professor McGonagall's office. The candlelit hallway had more of a breeze than usual, several of the flames had blown out. Lena knocked.
"Enter."
The woman was sitting in her chair, grading that day's papers.
"Ah, Lena. You're mistaken. Miss Parkinson came by earlier for the same reason, thirty pages was not a mistake, you really must write that many."
"Actually, I was not mistaken." She withdrew the essay from her bag and neatly placed it on her desk, along with the ten pages of Transfiguration homework. "I know how serious you are about these things." Lena droned sardonically.
McGonagall, who dropped her jaw in amazement, clearly shocked that Lena had finished the essay at all. Finally, she clenched her jaw and it creased into a smile.
"You know, Lena," she simpered with pride, "You kind of remind me of myself as a teenager."
Lena laughed in her head, struggling to keep herself from laughing aloud. "Thank you, Professor McGonagall," she replied, faking her sincerity.
Nodding, the professor gestured her out of the room, and Lena left with a nod.
Delivering the rest of her work around the castle took a little over an hour, and finally, she was at her last stop, in the basement in front of Professor Snape's office. She knocked.
He opened it immediately, shrugging her in. He sat at his desk. Lena took the seat across from him.
"You got my message?"
"I did, Severus."
"So you see the severity of what you must do?"
"Of course."
Lena took out the page essay for him. He smiled.
"You know, Professor McGonagall told me to make sure I knew you were being punished."
"I don't even deserve to be punished at all," Lena began smugly.
"Lena, do you realize that these kinds of things are not to be happening so close to your initiation. The Dark Lord does not need a skittish follower, nor does he want one. You must be omniscient and mature these next few months, your life may depend on it."
"Are the tasks always the same?" It was a stupid question, but Lena wanted comfort.
"No."
Enjoying the long silence of thought, Lena asked another question. "How do I control someone's mind, invade it and move in my own thoughts?"
"Ah. I'm glad I was expecting this question after you asked about reading minds. Now, Lena, it is very important that you wait to attempt this in any form until after your initiation. Especially in confidential places, though it is extremely difficult to catch with a skilled witch or wizard." Severus winked. "Of course, you must begin by entering their mind, and being careful not to be detected; you must push their thoughts around to hide your own presence... Well, here's a book all about it." Snape began searching in a trunk for a few minutes before Lena continued.
"How do I become as good as the Dark Lord?"
"The Dark Lord has had many more years of practice than you, Lena. You will probably never reach what he has become."
Lena doubted that. She'd be his second in command soon, she was sure he liked her that much...
But perhaps I am not, perhaps Lucius has claimed his place with more than intelligence. He's created it with his faithfulness.
"Go get some sleep, Lena, you look deprived. You'll need your rest more than ever." He stood from his kneel and held the book out to Lena.
Lena nodded, exited and walked back to the Slytherin common room. She diddled with her wand in her hand and thought of Draco, and his perfection, his handsomeness, his ruggedness, his evilness- his current situation with Lena.
She was a zombie by the time she passed out on her bed.