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Here is the next chapter - I hope you enjoy it :)
"It's a dragon!"
Lauren visibly startled, almost knocking her bottle of ink all over her parchment at the scare Draco had just given her. She was currently seated at one of the tables in the Slytherin Common room, revising for the upcoming exams, and she did not appreciate the disturbance.
She shot Draco a dark scowl of irritation as he seated himself next to her. Tracey, who was seated on the other side of her, directed a questioning look towards Lauren at Draco's exclamation.
"A…what? What are you going on about, Draco?" Lauren grumbled, moving her ink bottle well out of accidental-knocking-over distance. She had been totally absorbed in her revision that Draco's abrupt interruption had left her momentarily confused as to what he was referring to.
"A dragon," he enunciated slowly and clearly, almost as though he were conversing with an idiot. "Hagrid has a dragon in his hut."
"A dragon?" Tracey piped up, incredulity and disbelief clear in her tone. "I don't think Hagrid's hut is big enough to fit a dragon, Draco."
Draco rolled his eyes, leaning forward in his chair and resting his crossed arms upon the surface of the table. "A baby dragon, Davis. A baby dragon."
"Ah," Tracey said. Then after a thoughtful pause she added with enough disparagement in her tone to do McGonagall proud, "Well, why didn't you say so in the first place. It would have cleared up the confusion rather quickly."
Lauren tried in vain to smother her smirk.
Draco huffed impatiently. "It doesn't matter. The point is, there's a bloody dragon in that oaf's hut."
Lauren shrugged. "So? This is Hagrid we're talking about. It's not surprising, really."
"So?" Draco asked, his ice blue eyes flashing with indignation and the pitch of his tone hitching. "So? I'm quite sure it's illegal to have one, especially as a pet." Draco shook his head in disbelief, the movement barely disturbing his virgin-white hair, and Lauren had to wonder if he used some kind of super glue type of hair product to achieve such a result. "What is that oaf thinking, anyway?"
Lauren had to drag her attention away from his hair and concentrate on what he was saying. "Not really sure what goes through Hagrid's mind sometimes…" she muttered, trailing off as she divested her energy in trying to find her place in her textbook once more.
Draco gaped – quite dramatically - at her. "Aren't you in the least bit concerned."
Lauren grumbled, knowing full well that Draco was not going to let this go, and snapped her book shut sharply. "Nope. I really couldn't care less if the dragon burns down his hut or decides to eat him. In fact, I would find it highly entertaining."
"But -."
"But what, Draco? What exactly is there to do? Because as far as I can see, there are only a few available options; either you can alert the Ministry of Magic, or inform Dumbledore, or just leave it be."
Draco's eyes glinted with cunning as an idea took hold, his body practically thrumming with anticipation. "I could inform my father – he works at the Ministry, you know."
"Yes, we are well aware of that fact, considering that you never pass up the opportunity to tell whoever is willing to listen," Lauren replied bitingly, her words accompanied by an eye-roll. "But," she continued, wagging her finger at him, "I'd bet anything that the Golden Trio are already making plans as we speak to get rid of it, especially if they discovered you were spying on them. Did they discover you spying on them?"
"Yeah," Draco admitted reluctantly, leaning back in his chair.
"Well then," she mused. "By the time you get anyone to investigate, the dragon will be long gone."
"Unless I manage to catch them in the act," Draco stated, straightening up in his chair with renewed determination.
"And then what?"
"Then I plan for them to get into trouble…maybe even get them expelled."
Lauren scoffed. "Well, good luck with that."
"Why do you say that?"
"It's Harry freakin' Potter," Lauren spat, finally losing her patience. "You honestly think Dumbledore's going to expel him?"
"He might if he knows about the dragon," Draco retorted, proving that he could be just as headstrong as Lauren.
Lauren could spot quite a few flaws in Draco's plan, as well as his line of thinking, but she recognized that it was useless trying to talk any sense into him. "Like I said: good luck with that."
"You're not going to help me?"
"I know a lost cause when I see one."
"C'mon, Ward," he whined, sounding distinctly like a little five-year-old.
Lauren levelled him with a stern look. "You remember what I told you last time?"
Judging by his blank expression, Lauren could tell that he didn't.
"I told you that I am not a follower and that I would tell you to piss off and do it yourself. Well, here's me telling you to piss off and do it yourself, Draco. I have no desire to get into any more trouble – I have enough detention as it is."
A petulantly sulky look washed over his pale, pinched features. "So that's it then?"
A shallow huff escaped her lips. "Look Draco, I'm going to act completely Slytherin here and opt to save my own skin. But I will tell you this. If I were you, I would first find out what they are planning. The more you know, the better your chances of getting them into trouble are."
Draco seemed mollified at her advice, petulance giving way to defiant glee as a plan started to formulate in his mind. "Not a bad idea, Ward."
"Good. Now can you bugger off and leave me to study in peace?"
Draco's eyes darted to her textbook, then to the identical one settled in front of Tracey.
"How long until exams?" he asked warily.
"A month," Tracey replied primly as she resumed jotting down notes.
"A month?" Draco groaned.
"Best put your nefarious plans on hold for a bit and maybe do some studying," Lauren stated, pointedly picking up her book again.
Draco didn't linger and disappeared in the direction of his room, undoubtedly to squeeze in some revision.
"That was very sneaky of you," Tracey mused, her quill scratching upon the sheet of parchment before her.
"What are you talking about?" Lauren muttered, wishing everyone would just leave her the hell alone so that she could study, though part of her wondered where this enthusiasm for learning had come from since it had been nonexistent most of her life.
"Putting the idea in Draco's head."
"No idea what you're getting at."
"Really? So you didn't just suggest that Draco spy on Potter and learn all he can before he tries to get them into trouble? And…maybe get in trouble himself." Tracey paused, scratching her cheek absently as she eyed Lauren. "That really was quite Slytherin of you."
"I'll take that as a compliment," Lauren mumbled, her eyes still glued to the open pages of her book; neither confirming nor denying Tracey's musings.
She happened to glance up and see Tracey shooting her a knowing look before turning her attention back to her notetaking, her hair falling across her pale cheeks and hiding her features from Lauren's view.
"I have a feeling it's not going to end too well for Draco, though," Tracey murmured, cutting her gaze back up to Lauren, a small smile tugging at her lips.
Lauren quickly ducked her head to hide her own smirk at the thought of how much trouble Draco really was going to land in, finding she could barely muster up much sympathy for him. Her only regret was that she couldn't be there personally to witness him squealing like a little pansy-assed girl in the Forbidden Forest.
~oOo~
Two weeks later Draco plonked down next to her during breakfast, looking decidedly foul tempered.
Lauren eyed him, the vindictive part of her wanting nothing more than to goad him. It would be so easy in his current mood. But they had formed a truce and Draco was thus far sticking to it, so Lauren was forced to tamp down the impulse, stating instead, "I take it things didn't go according to plan…"
Draco snorted, his arms folded crossly in front of him on the table and annoyance radiating from his hunched form. "You could say that."
"What happened?" Lauren enquired before taking a bite of her buttered toast.
A sour look passed over his features at the memory. "I found the note from Weasley's brother stating when and where they were going to collect the dragon. I was on my way to inform Filch, but McGonagall caught me and refused to believe me when I told her what Potter was up to…" Draco paused, his eyes glinting. "Though, Filch did catch them in the end, but only after they had gotten rid of the dragon. They now have detention for being out past curfew."
"So why do you look angry? Surely you should be elated that they did get into trouble?" Lauren asked, even though she already knew the answer.
Draco's dark scowl bore into the empty golden plate in front of him, which reflected back his distorted, angry image. "McGonagall said it was only fitting that I get detention as well…"
"Because you were out past curfew," Lauren finished, placing her unfinished piece of toast back on her plate.
"Serves you right for trying to cause trouble," Tracey muttered beside her, though low enough that Draco, thankfully, didn't hear her.
"So any idea what you have to do for detention?" Lauren asked, turning her attention back to Draco.
Draco ruffled inside his robe pocket and produced a rumpled piece of parchment, which he handed to her without an utterance of a word.
Lauren smoothed the piece of paper out before her on the table and instantly recognized the sharp, yet elegant handwriting of Professor McGonagall, stating that his detention was to be served with Hagrid this upcoming Saturday night in the Forbidden Forest.
Lauren shuddered at the knowledge of the questionable creatures lurking deep within the forest, and had to contemplate the wisdom of McGonagall for issuing such a detention. Sending in teeny tiny eleven-year olds into the Forbidden Forest seemed rather extreme.
"Just…be careful," Lauren murmured, handing him back the parchment, the image of giant spiders and the hooded Grim-Reaper-like figure of Quirrell/Voldemort drinking Unicorn blood springing to mind.
Draco frowned as he accepted his note back, levelling her with a look that bordered on puzzlement. It was then that Lauren comprehended that she had actually been somewhat kind towards him.
The ringing bell, thankfully, saved her from any further uncomfortable conversation that would have surely ensued after those words, and she and Tracey departed the Great Hall to begin the first lesson of the day.
~oOo~
That Friday evening Lauren stood behind her workstation, trying to concentrate on generating a Star Grass Salve, which was a slightly more complex variation of the simple Healing Salve. But her thoughts kept drifting to Draco's upcoming detention, and she had come dangerously close a few times to burning the salve as a result. Absolute attention was required whilst brewing and her current state of distraction was not conductive at all.
Logically, she knew that they would all come out of the Forbidden Forest unscathed, maybe a bit shaken up, but still…
"Something on your mind, Miss Ward?" Snape's silky voice sounded, slicing through her musings like the swishing of a sharp-edged blade.
Lauren startled and glanced down at her cauldron, only to witness the contents within congealing unappealingly. There was no saving this mess, she knew, and she doused the flame beneath the cauldron with a resigned sigh. She lifted her gaze to find Snape on the other side of her desk, observing her with those fathomless black eyes that revealed nothing. How long he had been standing there watching her, she had no idea.
"I expect mindless dithering from my other airheaded students, but not from you, Miss Ward. You disappoint me," he drawled with his usual cutting derision.
Ignoring his jibe, Lauren asked in frustration, "How do you do it?"
"Be more specific, Miss Ward. I have neither the patience nor the inclination to decipher the true meaning behind your question."
"How do you concentrate on say, brewing a potion, when the world's going to shit and there are much more important things to worry about?" That was her roundabout way of enquiring as to how he was going to manage to stay focused on the mundane aspects of everyday life in the upcoming years, especially when things would become infinitely more stressful and bleaker for him.
Snape regarded her for a few heartbeats. If he suspected what she was truly asking, he did not show it. "That's where controlling your emotions comes into play," he finally stated in a dry tone. "Learning to focus and channel your energy on the task at hand must take precedence above all else. It's simply a matter of compartmentalizing your emotions."
"Easy as that?"
"No, it's not as easy as that. It is all rather dependent on how strong-willed and strong-minded a person is."
Character traits that you, Severus Snape, possess.
Lauren nodded and ran her hand through her wild tresses, wishing she had thought to tie it up before she had begun brewing.
Her gaze landed once more on her cauldron and with a grimace, she extracted her wand from her pocket and cast the Evanesco spell, effectively vanishing the congealed sludge within.
Pocketing her wand, she glanced back up at Snape, who had silently observed her cast the spell, but true to his nature had not offered any hint of approval at her having successfully cast it.
"Do you know about Draco's detention?"
Snape gave a single nod of his head, his lank hair that framed his face in a black curtain fluttering slightly at the movement. "I have heard, yes."
Lauren frowned. "Don't you think detention in the Forbidden Forest is a bit…extreme? Unethical even?"
Snape arched a brow. "Don't tell me you have suddenly come to care about Draco's safety, Miss Ward. Or is it Potter's safety that concerns you more?" There was no mistaking the frostiness that had now entered his voice, morphing the silky baritone into something more ominous.
Lauren narrowed her eyes at his tone. "I am not without empathy. And even though I am not particularly fond of children, it doesn't mean that I think sending them into a giant spider infested forest is a good idea."
"Acromantula."
"What?"
"That is the correct term for the species."
Lauren rolled her eyes at his correction.
Snape slowly folded his arms, his hand cradling his elbow as he traced his bottom lip with his index finger in contemplative thought while he regarded her. "You profess to dislike children, yet I have noticed that you are particularly close to one…even going so far as to get into a physical fight to defend her and thus earning yourself an ongoing detention."
"Tracey is an exception to the rule. She acts more like a miniature adult than a kid. Plus, I couldn't get rid of her if I wanted to – she decided to stick to me like a Sticking Charm since my first day here."
Snape openly smirked at her, clearly not believing her protests. Truthfully, Lauren didn't believe them either. She didn't want to be rid of Tracey. She had grown rather fond and protective over the girl - though she would never admit to it.
Snape surprised Lauren by changing tactic and choosing to answer her previous question. "I am opposed to the severity of the punishment. But seeing as it was Professor McGonagall who caught them out past curfew, it fell to her to issue the detention. It is entirely out of my hands."
Lauren had to conceded that there was only so much power Snape had within the school walls.
"They'll be fine," she muttered, though whether it was to assure Snape or herself, she couldn't tell.
"Which brings me to another issue," Snape stated after a pause.
Lauren stilled, the slight inflection in his tone foretelling that she wasn't going to like what he had to say.
"This will be our final…'detention'."
Her heart sank, for Lauren really did enjoy these private lessons with Snape. He truly was an exceptional teacher - when he wasn't hellbent on being a snarky git.
"Getting bored of me already?" she asked with feigned indifference, glancing away and absently running her fingertip along a groove embedded into the rough wood of the workstation.
A soft snort sounded, but he didn't answer her question. "McGonagall has grown suspicious at how long your detention has been going on for and has raised her concerns. I think it would be prudent to discontinue."
Lauren wanted to protest, but once Snape had made up his mind, there was no changing it. Also, the last thing they needed was for the truth of what he was actually teaching Lauren during these so-called detentions to become known to the teachers and, by extension, Quirrell. That, most definitely, would not be good. For either of them.
"This should also free up you Friday evenings, in which you can dedicate more of your time to revision. Exams are almost upon us," he continued.
Lauren groaned. "Don't remind me. It's bad enough that I have Tracey constantly hounding me to sit down and study – I don't need you doing the same."
He shot her an amused smirk.
Lauren lowered her gaze and murmured softly, "I am going to miss our lessons, though."
Snape made a derisive sound in the back of his throat. "I had thought you would be rather pleased at the thought of not having to endure my presence any more than you had to."
"No, that's you always proclaiming that," she pointed out. "No, I rather enjoy our lessons together. Believe it or not, I have learned more from you these past three months than what I have in my entire bloody school career, and I am going to miss…" Lauren trailed off at the look Severus was giving her. Both brows were raised, and a rather arrogant, supercilious look now shadowed his features. A slight curl on his lips offset the effect, though, and by the wicked gleam in his eyes, it was almost as though he were daring her to continue. She shook her head. "I really need to work on developing the infamous Slytherin silver tongue. Or maybe learn to bite my tongue altogether."
"It would be advisable, yes," he sneered. As he turned his back on her in a billow of black, his words floated back to her. "Though I find I rather enjoy your bluntness, Miss Ward."
Lauren was sure hell was freeing over at this very moment.
Finally she snapped out of her stupor. "My, all these compliments are going to make me think I'm your favorite, Professor Snape."
The look he shot over his shoulder at her could have curdled milk, which only had her laughing out loud. She rather enjoyed wheedling a reaction out of him.
"And I, for my part, shall rather enjoy the blessed reprieve," he grumbled.
Lauren shrugged, not taking his words to heart, especially not after what he had just admitted to her. With Snape, one needed a very thick skin - something Lauren had an abundance of. It also helped that she really didn't give a damn what people thought of her. Oh, Snape could definitely drive the knife in deep and hurt her with an angry retort if he wanted to, but the fact that he wasn't even trying right now was telling in itself.
~oOo~
The sight of a rather pale and shaken up Draco Malfoy greeted them Sunday morning, but by the end of the day he was regaling to whomever was willing to listen about how he had heroically faced down a gigantic, hideous monster in the forest.
Lauren rolled her eyes but was inwardly relieved that he was now bouncing back to his usual ferrety, annoying self.
The next two weeks flew by in an atmosphere of panicked chaos as everyone scrambled to revise and study, as well as complete last-minute essays that needed to be handed in.
Then all too soon their exams were upon them.
Lauren was half expecting Tracey to break down in a jittery mess but, outwardly, she radiated an aura of cool collectedness. This was in stark contrast to Hermione Granger, who was seen constantly muttering to herself in a frenzied manner as she held her book up to her nose as she walked down the hallways, or was constantly diving for a book in her bag during mealtimes with such regularity that Lauren was surprised that someone hadn't smacked her upside the head yet.
No, Tracey's unflustered demeanor was very much welcome.
The day of their first exams dawned and Tracey seated herself next to Lauren in the Great Hall, the only indication that she was anxious was the almost imperceptible wiping of her clammy palms against her robes.
"Nervous?" Lauren asked.
Tracey turned her head towards Lauren and gave her a very dour and very Wednesday Addams look. "We have been studying for almost three months, Lauren. If we are not prepared now, then we will never be," she replied philosophically.
Tracey then turned her attention to the food before her and dished up a plate for herself, though Lauren noted that she merely pushed her scrambled eggs around the plate with her fork, clearly having lost her appetite.
"You'll do great," Lauren assured, bumping shoulders with her.
Tracey merely nodded her head and decided to drink her tea instead, too squeamish to even hold a conversation.
Soon the bell rang, signaling that they were to make their way to the assigned classrooms for their exams. As they filed in, Lauren squeezed Tracey's shoulder in reassurance before making her way to her allocated desk.
She sat down and drew in a deep breath, pre-exams nerves noticeably absent. She had done this far too many times to be nervous anymore. She glanced over at Tracey, who was sitting with rigid poise, her hands clasped tightly in her lap.
And then the exam started.
Maybe it was because she still possessed her adult mind and was able to focus more clearly because of it, or maybe it was because of all the studying she and Tracey had done, but Lauren found it hadn't been as difficult as she had expected.
"How did it go?" Tracey asked as they exited the exam room.
Lauren shrugged. "It's done now." This had been but the first one, and they still had four more days to go before it was all finally over.
"Do you think you passed?"
"I'll find out during the Summer holidays, won't I," Lauren pointed out. "Now stop stressing out."
Tracey frowned at her friend's unconcernedness, but Lauren noted that Tracey was less tense as the days wore on.
The last exam – History of Magic – finally drew to an end, and the school burst in a raucous and excited babble of activity as students ran through the halls, jubilant that it was all finally over.
Lauren and Tracey made their way down to the Black Lake to celebrate post-exam freedom, Lauren toting her bulging school bag over her shoulder.
"Why did you bring your school bag?" Tracey asked.
"You'll see," Lauren stated cryptically.
They found a sunny patch on the rolling green lawn and stretched out languidly upon the grass, the bright sun warming their bodies.
After about half an hour of just enjoying the peace, Lauren reached into her bag and pulled out the mountain of notes that she had accumulated over the school year. She had left her invaluable Potion notes safe and sound in her trunk, Snape having given her invaluable hinters and substitutes that could never be found in any textbook.
"What are you going to do with them?" Tracey asked, a slight tint of alarm entering her voice.
Lauren smirked. "Watch."
She flung a piece of paper up into the air and then aimed her wand at it, sending it bursting into flames.
Tracey gasped in shock. "Lauren! You…you can't!"
"Why not? It's not like we need them anymore," Lauren remarked as another piece of parchment met the same fate. "Come on, join me."
Tracey's eyes flickered to Lauren's bag. "Are there textbooks in there?"
"Yup."
Tracey shook her head vigorously from side to side. "No! Do what you like to your notes, but you are NOT going to destroy those books."
Lauren's grin widened, for Tracey's bookish nature and her love for reading was coming to the forefront.
Tracey scooped up her bag, hugging it protectively to her chest. "I'm taking these back to our room."
Lauren shrugged. She hadn't really planned on destroying the books, but it was fun to make Tracey think so. "Okay but bring that timetable of yours back." At the look that crossed Tracey's face, Lauren continued slyly, "I know you secretly drew one up. Time to destroy the blasted thing, Tracey."
Tracey backed away.
"The textbooks for the timetable," Lauren bargained, sending another sheet of paper into a ball of flames.
Tracey sighed in defeat and turned around, making her way back up to the castle.
"Need some help, Ward?" a familiar drawl sounded, and Lauren turned to see Draco approaching her, approval glinting in his eyes.
"Show me your moves then, Malfoy," she challenged, handing him a stack of papers.
The next hour passed with Draco and Lauren taking turns obliterating the notes, the challenge notching up a bit as they tried to turn their flames red or green, extra points given if they managed to make the notes explode and shower them with confetti. The crowd that had now gathered cheered enthusiastically at the show, though Lauren noted that it was mostly Slytherins, with a few Hufflepuffs sprinkled in between. The passing Ravenclaws and Gryffindors shot them disapproving glares, but Lauren didn't care. If she couldn't have a post-exam drink, then this was the next best thing to let off some steam.
The notes reduced to nothing but ash now, the crowd dispersed, leaving Lauren and Draco alone.
Draco eyed her and then in a surprising move, he extended his hand. "Next year again?"
Lauren shook his proffered hand. "You bet."
Lauren watched as Draco headed to the Quad and then she decided to head back to their dorm to find Tracey. She had been gone for a suspiciously long time.
Maybe she's trying to find a safe place to hide those textbooks – and her timetable, she mused to herself.
But Tracey was neither to be found in the Common room nor in their bedroom. Not even Lauren's rescued schoolbag was anywhere to be seen. A sinking feeling was starting to form in the pit of Lauren's stomach like a lead ball.
She must be somewhere else in the castle, Lauren thought to herself as she wandered back to the Common Room.
Just then Pansy, Daphne, and Millicent entered the room, giggling and talking animatedly amongst themselves.
"Hey," Lauren stated, approaching them. "Have you guys seen Tracey?"
"Yeah," Daphne said, twirling a strand of her sleek hair around her finger. "I saw her and Professor Quirrell together about an hour ago. I think they were heading back to his classroom."
The blood drained from Lauren's face.
Okay, don't panic. Maybe Tracey wanted to speak to Quirrell about the exam paper…
"Did she seem okay?"
Pansy shrugged. "I suppose."
The girls left, oblivious to the bubbling panic rising in Lauren like acid, threatening to claw her insides raw.
Tracey is alone with that creep…But why? Quirrell doesn't want her, he wants me, she pondered as she tried to quell her rising fear.
No! she realized with horror. He's using Tracey as bait to lure me to him. Lauren suddenly felt sick to her stomach.
Fuck! Her mind screamed in frustration.
Lauren sucked in a deep breath and willed herself to calm down. If Quirrell thought she was going to play hero and go running to the rescue without a plan like some foolish Gryffindor, he was sorely mistaken.
She needed help and there was one person she knew and trusted enough to go to for said help.
Lauren marched over to the door and yanked it open forcibly before making her way to Professor Snape's classroom, her heart beating frantically the whole time in her chest. She struggled to tamp down her terror, willing herself to remain calm and clear-minded. She could not afford to give over to the drowning emotion. Not now.
She reached the familiar door of the Potions classroom in record time, and Lauren reached out to grab the door handle.
But before her hand could even so much as wrap around it, Lauren was suddenly frozen in place.
What the fuck?!
Then her body was falling towards the floor and Lauren was helpless to save herself. But before her she hit the ground, she was levitated up into the air.
Slowly she was revolved around, coming face to face with Quirrell.
And he looked rather pleased with himself.
Fu-
Before she could finish that mental curse, her world was plunged into pitch black oblivion.
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