Malari pushed open the doors to the school building, and ran through the hallway as fast
as she could. Malari knew that Potions took place in a dungeon...but she had no idea how
to get to it.
Malari looked behind her to see Draco close behind her.
" Excuse me, Draco, but do you know where Snape's class is held?" she asked.
"Yes," replied Draco. "In fact, I have Potions, now. Come with me, Malari. I'll
show you the way."
"Thanks," said Malari. "Well, Draco...I hope that your team wins the
Quidditch cup."
"That's surprising," said Draco. "Especially for the fact that you're a
Gryffindor. I would think you would be rooting for your house."
"Well," said Malari, "Maybe my ego just isn't as large as the other
Griffindors."
Draco stopped Malari in front of the door to a dungeon room. The slight
sound of voices came from the inside.
"Thanks, Draco," said Malari. "Without your help, I never would have found
the classroom. Maybe you could show me the way everyday, until I can memorize the
route."
"Yeah, sure," said Draco. "That would be okay."
The door to the dungeon room opened, and a man with a hooked appearance in
his nose, with greasy black hair down to his shoulders stepped out. Malari knew that this
must be the Potions master, Severus Snape.
"I am aware that you two were having a very nice schmooze in the hallway,
but when you should be in classes, I do not appreciate shmoozing, and loitering in the
hallway."
Many of the students sniggered.
"Very sorry, Professor," said Draco. "But Malari didn't know the way to the
classroom. I was showing her the way.
"Today, we are going to have a quiz on Potions. You will be assigned to make
a potion that you have made before. It must be perfect. This will be going on your grade,
and help you fifth years with your O.W.L.s."
"Oh no..." moaned Neville Longbottom. It was known that he was the worst
potions maker in the school.
Malari raised her hand.
"Professor Snape! I haven't done any of these potions before. What will I do?"
"You will try your best," said Snape gruffly. "Just because you haven't been
here before does not mean that you don't know any of the potions. You are fourteen,
Ms. Freleska, They did not teach you nothing at Durmstrang, I am sure."
"Yes, Professor."
Throughout the class, Malari racked her brain, trying to remember the
ingredients, and their amounrs to a werewolf taming potion. A very hard potion to make.
Neville Longbottom was having a much worse time than her. He could barely remember
the ingredients, let alone the amount that was supposed to be added to the potion. And it
wasn't made any easier for him, all with Snape strutting around the classroom, and
breathing down everybody's necks.
"Class is over," Snape announced. "You may all go and get ready for dinner."
He paused. "But not you, Mr. Malfoy."
Draco stopped dead, and turned around to face Snape.
"Is there something wrong, Professor?" he asked.
"I need to talk to you, Malfoy," he said sternly. He looked around at all the
other students who were staring at Draco. "Go on." He ordered. "This is between Draco
and myself."
Draco waited until the classroom cleared.
"Is there something wrong, Professor?" he repeated.
"Mr, Malfoy," said Snape, "I am not very happy to announce that your potion
was the most off-color, and unsuccessful. Even Longbottom did better than you, Malfoy.
I am sorry to say, but I am assigning you a tutor."
"A tutor?" shrieked Draco. "Oh, Professor Snape!"
"Don't disagree with me!" said Snape sternly. "Ms. Granger got the highest
score, but since it is a known fact that you do not get along well with her, I am assigning
you with the person who made the second best potion. Malari Freleska."
"But she barely knows anything! It's her first day at Hogwarts! Her only
friend is Potter's cousin, Kerry!"
"She knows more than you, Malfoy," said Snape with his brow furrowed. "Her
potion was the second best in a class of twenty. Five fourth year Gryffindors, five fourth
year Slytherins, five fifth year Gryffindors, and five fifth year Slytherins. You did the
worst out of twenty, and Malari, a brand new student, was a follow-up of Granger, who,
though I hate to adnit, is one of the most intelligent students I have ever seen in my life!"
Snape thought that Draco and him were all alone in the dusty classroom, and
indeed they were; but there was someone listening by the door. Malari. She knew that she
was going to be Draco's tutor, and ever since she had run off to potions class, she just
faced the fact that she had fallen for Draco Malfoy. This was going to turn out perfectly.
"Now, Draco," said Snape, "if you expect to do well in potions for your
O.W.L.s, I suggest that you start being tutored by Malari very soon, as O.W.L.s are not
very long from now."
"Okay, Professor Snape," said Draco. "But she's younger than me, and she's
tutoring me! Now, Professor, does that sound right to you?"
"It doesn't matter how young she is," said Snape sternly. "As long as she's
smarter than you."
"Well that's insulting to say to a student," muttered Draco.
"I heard that," said Snape. "But I'll deal with it later. Right now I suggest that
you find Malari, and tell her that she is going to be tutoring you until the O.W.L test for
potions."
Draco sulked out of the classroom, with a deathly look on his face. He turned
the corner, and headed down towards the library, where he knew that Malari had gone.
He entered the door, avoiding the eyes of Madame Pince, the librarian. He surveyed the
library, looking for Malari, whom he spotted reading a book on charms.
"Malari?"
Malari put her book down, and looked up at Draco.
"Yes?" she said. "Is there something wrong?"
"Canyouhelpme," he mumbled.
"I'm sorry, Draco," said Malari, unable to understand what he was saying,
"you're mumbling."
"Snape said that you have to tutor me for my Potions O.W.L.s..." said Draco.
He put his head down. "My...potion, it...wasn't that great..."
"Sure, I'll help you," said Malari. She closed the Charms Book, and slid it back
onto the shelf.
Harry walked into the library.
"Draco," he said in a disgusted sounding voice.
"Harry," said Draco in the same tone of voice.
Harry paced over to the table, and looked over at the book that Malari had
just picked out off the shelves.
"Potions?" he said, arching his eyebrow. "Malfoy, are you actually getting
tutored? By a girl? A Gryffindor? A girl Gryffindor who isa year younger than you? Oh, I
never thought I'd see the day when you'd let yourself do this!" He smirked.
"Well we'll see who gets a better O.W.L. score. I bet you've barely studied."
"Why should I study if I know Snape is going to give me a bad grade?" said
Harry.
"Is that Harry talk for, 'No matter how hard I study, I'm just to stupid to get a
good grade'?" asked Draco.
"No!" started Harry. He caught the aggrivated look on Malari's face, and
stomped out the door.
After tutoring Draco, and eating dinner, Malari and Kerry sat together at a table doing
their homework.
"Kerry?" started Malari putting her quill down. "Do you think I'll ever fit in
with all of the other Gryffindors?"
"Maybe," said Kerry. "I don't think I do very much. I transferred here a few
years ago, and I had this major crush on Draco Malfoy. He was my boyfriend for a while,
but it just didn't work out. Still, he's one of my best friends, and most of the Gryffindors
think I'm crazy."
"So that's what they'll think of me," Malari said to herself sadly. "They'll think
I'm crazy, and they'll never like me..."
Malfoy sat in a small chair in the Slytherin common room, while his friends, Vincent
Crabbe, and Gregory Goyle, sat on a couch near him.
"You've heard about the ball that's coming up? Not everyone does, but Snape
let me in on it a few days ago. He told me he's going to be telling everybody else tomorrow.
Did you hear about it from anyone?"
Crabbe and Goyle grunted in reply, and nodded their heads.
"Any idea who I should ask?"
Crabbe and Goyle shook their heads.
"Well, Harry," said Ron in the seventh year boys bedroom, "Cho Chang left
school last year. Who are you going to ask to the dance, now?"
"Well," said Harry, "I was...kind of thinking of asking the new girl, Malari
Freleska."
"Hey!" shouted Ron. "I wanted to ask the new girl! Besides, she likes me. It's
obvious."
"Ron, she doesn't even know you!" said Harry, surprised at how stupid Ron
was being. "I'm not sure if you two have even met!"
"Well, I'm still going to ask her," said Ron, crossing his arms. "You're not."
"Well that's just to bad, now, isn't it?" said Harry. "It all depends on who gets
her first."
"Which will be me," said Ron simply.
"Like hell you will!" shouted Harry.
They turned their backs on each other, and didn't talk for the rest of the night.