Part XXI

Managing Ravenclaws

(i) The characters and world of Harry Potter are the property of J.K. Rowling. I make no money from this.

(ii) Please read and review. I would love to know what you think of the story.

Severus had just moved to the small kitchenette that lay off to the side of the sitting-room to brew some coffee when they heard Dumbledore's voice in the lab. He couldn't stop the sigh that emerged. The Headmaster had been expected, but he had so much to think of all of a sudden. He really didn't want to deal with the twinkler and play word games.

"Shall I go and let him know we're here?" asked Padma softly. She could see from where she sat the fierce frown that had bloomed on the dark man's face.

"Yes, yes, might as well," he grumbled.

As she stood up and smoothed down her skirt and robes, Severus broke his perusal of her to address Filius. "Strong and black, five teaspoons of sugar, isn't that right?"

"You noticed?" asked the diminutive man with a twinkling smile. He had not missed the close observation the Slytherin had made of his student, but he knew Severus was a man of integrity. Miss Patil would be safe, unless she didn't want to be.

Severus smirked. "One must, or one is likely to be poisoned if one takes the wrong mug during staff meetings."

Filius chuckled. He and Severus were the only two in the staff to prefer their coffee black. Severus, of course, didn't take sugar.

Padma made her way out to the lab where she found Dumbledore looking through the potions and brews in progress. The sly look on the old man's face as she emerged from the archway to the private quarters was enough, if the conversation before hadn't been, to put her well on her guard.

"Good morning, Headmaster," she said as pleasantly as she could. "I'm sorry, but Professor Snape is speaking with Professor Flitwick right now. Can I be of help?"

Albus continued to twinkle slyly at her. "In his chambers already, my dear?"

Padma wanted to slap the bastard. "They are in the sitting-room sir." She complacently ignored the innuendo. He had no right to such familiarity of address.

Albus sighed. He was frustrated that everyone seemed to miss his attempts at suggesting Severus was fooling around with his young assistant. Even the young woman herself seemed immune. Perhaps it really was that Severus was a sexless monk-like figure when not acting under the forced auspices of the Dark Lord.

"Right, my dear, I'll just make my way there," he said, passing her on his way through the lab.

Padma did not say a word but followed the Headmaster back into the Potion Master's presence.

She entered to find the two teachers drinking coffee and looking at her time-table. She didn't even know where they had found a copy from.

Albus looked further disgruntled to see the two men pouring over the schedule. "Problems?" he asked in a hopeful voice he couldn't really mask. He didn't like that people seemed to be thinking for themselves of late. He had been furious to see Minerva visit the Head of Ravenclaw's chambers. Now here was the meddling dwarf visiting Severus.

"Not really," responded Filius cheerfully. "Miss Patil had spoken to me about brewing both during the evenings and the mornings when her homework allows such activities. But I was worried that she is trying to take on too much. Severus agrees." Here he turned to smile brightly at Padma, "We're sorry, my dear, but we both feel restricting your brewing to just the mornings is the right way to proceed. Then, if you really are able to manage things, and we should know that when your end of term exam results come in, we can re-evaluate your schedule."

Padma nodded. She bent her head as though she was disappointed to hide her smile. Her Head of House's cheerful tone of voice had really displeased the old meddler. "Whatever you think is best, Professor," she said quietly. Oh, if only her mother could hear her now. How demure she sounded. Thank goodness she could channel her sister-in-law at her most obsequious.

Filius nodded amiably. "Good girl. And if you do have extra time on your hands, I'm sure Severus here can give you reading to do, or perhaps utilise your skills for marking the first-year essays."

Severus inclined his head. "We'll see." He wanted to grin like a Gryffindor at the way Filius was managing the conversation. He'd not had to do a thing.

That evening Padma didn't return to the Common-Room after dinner. Instead, she parted company from Morag and made her way to the library. She'd made sure she'd stopped fairly close to the Slytherin table to explain to Morag that she really had to do some research into beautification charm-work. "My sister keeps bugging me to take an interest and if I don't, you know she'll try to gang up on me with Lavender."

Morag shuddered. The studious Ravenclaw was suitably unimpressed. "Well I've got better ways to spend my time. You're on your own."

Padma laughed. "Some friend."

Morag grinned. "Unlike you, I've got to finish my Arithmancy essay. I don't know how you manage to wake up so early every morning to ensure everything not completed in the evenings is done."

Padma laughed again. "I'm a lark, not an owl. Waking up isn't that hard for me."

As Morag and she parted company Padma quickly scanned the Slytherin table. She had planned the little conversation well. She saw Draco and Theo, who were sitting not too far away perk up at her walking away alone towards the exit of the Great Hall.

Once in the library, she immediately went to the Charms sections and pulled out a few books on old-fashioned fashion, beauty and feminine adornment charms. It was stuff that people like her sister always failed to utilise, preferring to resort to the tips in Witch Weekly, but she'd never really paid the magazine much heed. But if she was to make herself approachable to Malfoy and his friends, she'd have to appear completely harmless. Researching something so obviously frivolous and feminine was the right way to go.

As she moved to a quiet alcove at the back of the library, she hoped the spot she had chosen was not too out of the way. She didn't want to sit at the front, nothing too obvious, but she also didn't want them to not find her. Hoping she'd not been too clever, she pulled out a long piece of parchment, quill and ink and began leafing through the books she'd chosen.

Surprisingly, some of the charms were rather interesting. There was one that was designed to give a witch an up-swept psyche knot that was reminiscent of the Mucha style that she thought might actually look good on her.

Padma hadn't actually expected to find something useful. Generally what she'd seen her twin and Lavender attempt just made them look overly made up. Glad it wasn't going to be a totally wasteful evening, she began copying out the instructions for wand movements and incantation. She could try it out when she got back to her dorm-room. If things went in the direction she thought they would, she'd need to be able to fit into the Slytherin social scene soon enough. It was the easiest way for them to check her out with taking her in front of the Dark Lord.

She'd just finished the task, and was turning to look at another charm further into the book when she heard foot-steps approaching her quiet hide-away.

She looked up, just in time to see Draco Malfoy sauntering towards her.

She smiled slightly. She knew she had to play this really cautiously. Too friendly and they would know something was up.

Draco inclined his head regally.

Padma couldn't help it, she blushed. Which was really, the best response anyway, she told herself. He'd be flattered that she was so susceptible to the Malfoy charm.

Draco and Theo had discussed how to proceed with Padma Patil since their conversation. They'd been delighted when they'd over-heard her plans to go to the library. Now, Draco smirked at how easily he had disarmed her and smoothly approached the table.

"Research?" he asked majestically.

Padma shrugged. "My sister keeps going on that I am not taking an interest in my appearance. One of these days she says she's going to corner me and tart me up. So, to appease her and not end up looking like Lavender Brown's version of an exotic bird, here I am."

Draco chuckled. It was a laugh he'd learned from his father and it sounded dark and dangerous to his ears. To Padma, it just sounded like he was trying a bit too hard. But then, she supposed, given what Professor Flitwick had said to Severus this morning, sounding dark and dangerous was important if they wanted to stay alive amidst the shifting sands of the times.

She smiled at him and he took a seat across from her at the table. He leaned over to read her parchment. He looked up to meet her gaze and smirked.

She laughed and gently pushed his hand away from her notes. "Boys are lucky. You don't need to do so much. It's really unfair that girls are judged by their appearances."

Draco snorted. "Everyone gets judged on their appearance. Not just girls. If I didn't take care of how I dressed, how I carried myself, I'd be ignored and made a fool of."

This was a surprisingly candid and honest thing for the Slytherin to say. He seemed a little shocked at his own words and frowned. "Are you using some kind of spell? How did you get me to say that?" His wand was out and pointing at her in seconds.

Padma shook her head. "I've done nothing. But Malfoy, Draco, I'm not a," she sighed, "you know, for the other lot. You know, that lot."

Draco frowned. "I don't trust you."

Padma sighed. This was too candid a discussion. She had been planning for subtle dancing around the topic. "I don't think we should talk here. Do you mind if we go to the dungeons? Might be safer."

"You would...," began Draco before stopping to frown at her again. "Come on, then."

She gathered the books together and debated checking them out. They'd served their purpose and yet, she was a Ravenclaw. Now that she'd begun a project, she hated not completing it. And the one charm she had found would be useful.

Draco watched her debating taking the books and laughed. She looked up to meet his clear grey eyes.

He shook his head at her and scooped up the books. Then, when she starred in alarm at him, he grinned and began walking. "Don't forget your book bag, Patil."

Padma had very little contact with the Slytherins. This Draco was different to the boy she'd seen in the Great Hall or in the corridors. She seemed to have successfully breached the first defensive wall with no understanding how that had happened.

But she wasn't going to let him get away. This was important. Swallowing the sigh that wanted to emerge, she tided up the parchment, ink and quill, packed her bag and followed the blond. He'd already reached Pince's desk and was checking out the books for her. It was the kind of thing boyfriends did for their girls. If Pansy saw him, Padma was going to be in trouble. Unless, of course, the dark-haired Slytherin knew what was going on too. Even more puzzled, intrigued, she let him finish the task and followed him down into the dungeons.

A/N: Love it or hate it, please let me know what you think.