POV: MONIKA
"Monika!"
Draco's voice cut through the Slytherin Common Room, loud and insistent as always. I glanced up from my unfinished Astronomy essay to see my friend sprinting towards me, urgency in his eyes.
"Oh, hullo Draco." I greeted him. "Anything I can help you wi-"
"Yes, as a matter of fact there is!" He rudely interrupted, reaching down to grab a firm hold of my arm. "Come on, we haven't much time before Potter-"
"Oi!" I protested, jolting back as he tried physically pulling me along. "Slow down and explain what's the matter, why don'cha?!"
He released an impatient groan, rolling his eyes at me.
"Without the attitude, if you'd please." I scoffed, raising an eyebrow.
"Fine." He sighed. "I need you to follow me to the Astronomy Tower and catch Potter, and I need you now!"
As if that summary perfectly explained everything, he made another lunge to grab me- only to immediately retract his arm when I pulled out my wand.
"Draco, I don't wanna have to curse you." I pointed it at his face. "But if you touch me like that again, I'm going to literally rearrange your face. Got it?"
I was treated to the amusing sight of a cross-eyed Draco Malfoy staring down the end of my wand, literally grinding his teeth in frustration. Eventually he seemed to understand the disadvantageous position he was in and nodded plainly.
"Good." I smiled, pocketing my wand. "Now, what in Merlin's name are you on about?"
"It doesn't matter!" He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "We've wasted enough time already, just follow. Me. Now!"
"No. I. Won't!" I mocked his overly needy tone. Honestly, where were his manners? "I've got homework to do. And even if I didn't, we can't just go outside the Common Rooms now! Students aren't allowed to roam the Halls this late and-"
"That's exactly why I need you! With your debate skills you can convince the staff to delay our punishment long enough for me to lead them to Potter, they'll see what he's doing, and forget all about us! Trust me, Scar-Head won't be able to wiggle his way out of this one!"
I stared at Draco, trying to determine if he'd actually lost his mind.
"That's… not how debating works at all? Why do you think Potter is out now? And what on Earth could he possibly be doing that would justify us breaking school curfe-"
I blinked, suddenly realizing something.
"…wait, this isn't about that dragon thing again, is it?"
Malfoy's pale face flushed up, confirming my suspicion. I groaned in exasperation.
"No, no, listen to me, it's true!" Draco insisted, but I had my doubts. He'd been rambling about this supposed creature for weeks on end now to anyone who'd listen, and had managed to convince exactly no one- except for maybe Crabbe, Goyle and Parkinson.
None of whom were exactly known for their sound logical reasoning.
It was just such a ridiculous and frankly disappointing tale to spin. Draco could be a bit unbelievable sometimes, but I'd never thought he'd stoop low enough to come up with something this outlandish just for the sake of a petty rivalry.
"Draco…" I sighed. "Can't you just let this thing go? It's really not that funny anymore."
"No!" He exclaimed, and actually stomped his foot on the ground, something I couldn't remember seeing him doing since the first time I'd beaten him in Quidditch at the age of five. The memory still brought a smile to my face sometimes. "You have got to believe me, Monika! That oaf Hagrid's-"
"Is adding 'oaf' every time you mention him really necessary…?"
"-obtained an illegal dragon egg, and kept it in his bloody hut for several weeks!" Draco kept going, ignoring me. "I watched the thing hatch myself through his windows!"
"…why exactly were you looking through Hagrid's windows again?" I crossed my arms, humoring the ludicrous scenario he was painting.
"Never mind that!" He dismissed my inquiry. "Potter and his lackeys were there too, they're all in on it! Weasley is in the hospital because he got bitten by something he refuses to identify! And as if all that wasn't enough proof, I got a hold of one of his books yesterday with a letter from his brother saying he'd come pick up the dragon tonight!"
"So wait, you stole and read one of their private letters?" I blinked in disbelief.
"You're focusing on the wrong things here!" He groaned, looking as though he might start pulling his hair out at any moment. "This proves there's a dragon!"
I closed my eyes, shaking my head.
"I'm... really not sure it does. I'm guessing lots of kids our age write letters with 'secret smuggled dragons' and what-not to their relatives. Doesn't make it any less fabricated." I shrugged. "I think the real mystery here is why you're so obsessed with busting Potter and his friends. You're not still mad over that sucker punch from Weasley back in February, right?"
"Of course not!" Draco denied, tenderly rubbing at the eye that'd been swollen and black a few months back. "I'm just… concerned, is all! I mean, a dragon at Hogwarts? Students like us could be in serious danger, and for some reason, nobody wants to believe me!"
"Gee, I wonder why."
"Just… come with me, Monika. Please." Draco looked at me with a rare look of pleading in his silver eyes, almost too precious to squander.
Almost.
"I have homework, Draco." I sat down and picked up my quill anew, hoping this would deter him from following through with his asinine plan. "I don't have time to go spelunking for imaginary beasts."
"…fine!" Draco hissed with venom in his voice. "You really think I needed you anyway? As if! I'll just go find Professor Snape, get him to help me, and you'll get none of the credit!"
"Draco, please stay." I sighed, half-heartedly. "If not for me, then for Slytherin. After that match against Gryffindor last March, we really can't afford to lose any more points!"
"You'll see." Draco huffed, approaching the exit to our common room with steadfast steps. "If Potter somehow manages to avoid getting expelled for this, he's guaranteed to lose so many points that our House Cup will be guaranteed. Mark my words, Monika!"
"And what happened next?" Sayori asked, tilting her head curiously.
"What do you think?" I sighed, tiredly recounting the events of last night. "The genius got himself caught by Professor McGonagall after about 15 minutes of aimless wandering."
"Sounds like a rather expected outcome." Yuri said, lightly blowing at the steam from her teacup as she seated herself at our conjoined desk-table. Her vibrantly purple hair almost seemed to glimmer in the bright afternoon sun shining through the windows.
"You don't say. Didn't I warn him about this? Didn't I tell him this exact thing would happen if he snuck out at night?!" I exclaimed, seeking some form of validation from my peers. "But nooo, the great and powerful Draco Malfoy believes himself imperceptible to the human eye! Honestly, what is wrong with him?! Is this just typical male behaviour that I'm too sensible to understand? Are they all this… stupid?!"
"No way!" Sayori energetically shook her head, making the bow on her head wobble dangerously. "Cedric is the smartest, most responsible guy I've ever met! He'd never do something like that, he's like the boy version of Yuri!"
"…he's the what?" Yuri paused mid-tea sip, looking as if she wasn't sure whether or not to take the Vice President's comparison as a compliment.
"I still can't believe this…" I groaned. "Can you imagine losing twenty points in a single night just because your friend's too daft to realize the rules also apply to him?!"
"Oh nooo, twenty whole points?" Came a dry voice from behind, drenched with sarcasm. "My word, how will you ever recover from such a devastating loss?"
"Hey, Natsuki." Sayori smiled faintly at the newcomer, and I turned to see the pinkette slouching towards us, dragging her feet and bearing the facial expression of someone twice her age.
I felt myself blush, instantly embarrassed that she'd heard me complain.
"I'm… so sorry, Natsuki." I smiled apologetically. "I know I really don't have any room to talk about… last night."
Draco hadn't been the only student caught out of bounds. In a shocking twist that'd surprised the entire school to its core, three further students from Gryffindor of all places had been busted near the Astronomy Tower only about an hour after Draco.
Suffice it to say, their punishment had been a bit more… severe, than ours.
"S'all right, I really don't give a shit about the points in this place." Natsuki shrugged, taking a seat next to Yuri. Judging by the morose look on her face however, I wasn't completely sure if I bought her claim. "And I can confirm it's not just a boy thing, by the way. Hermione Granger was totally in on it."
"Hmm." Yuri made a thoughtful noise. "I overheard about that as well, but I wasn't sure if it was really true."
"Oh, it's true all right." Natsuki nodded darkly. "She was the whole reason I even woke up last night. Her bed is right next to mine, and she sucks at stealth. Like, I'm surprised they weren't caught sooner with the way she was stumbling over everything."
"Can you tell us more about what happened?" I asked. It'd be interesting to hear what'd possessed four people to do something so extraordinarily idiotic at around the same time.
"I don't think I can tell you much you haven't already heard." Natsuki glanced at me. "I snuck after her into the common room and saw her leave the entrance with Potter. A few minutes later, poor Longbottom comes and starts rambling about Malfoy and dragons and whatever the heck, and leaves too. Since I was awake anyway, I decided to stay and do some homework, and after a few hours the three all return with the news that we somehow lost one hundred and fifty fucking points. A complete and utter shit-show, to sum things up."
"Really? That's… odd." Yuri frowned lightly. "From my admittedly limited interactions with Granger, such reckless behaviour doesn't seem like her at all..."
"She's changed since Hallowe'en." Natsuki explained. "She's still a stuck up know-it-all, but after that whole business with the troll in the bathroom she's started spending a lot of time with Potter and Weasley. Guess they're bad influences on her."
"Curiouser and curiouser." Yuri mused.
"Yeah, I really don't get it either." Natsuki shrugged.
I glanced between the two, wondering if they were being intentionally ignorant or just plainly incapable of seeing the blaring similarities right in front of their noses.
"It sounds to me like the three of them were able to find kinship between one another after facing and defeating a magical creature of insurmountable power together." I decided to try and spell it out to them. "That doesn't sound relatable to you at all?"
"No?" Natsuki raised a testy eyebrow. "Do you know what she's on about, Yuri?"
"Haven't the slightest clue, Natsuki." Yuri took another sip of her tea.
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.
Intentionally ignorant it is.
"So, uh…" Sayori spoke up. "…d'you think there's a chance the dragon story might be true?"
I had to chuckle. Oh Sayori, always such a delight.
"Beyond Draco's word, there really isn't much evidence for or against it." I made sure to be fair and unbiased before giving my personal opinion on the matter. "But I don't think so, no."
"It does seem very implausible…" Yuri echoed my sentiment, looking thoughtful. "That is to say… Suppose it could theoretically have happened, but… such blatant incompetence on display among the Hogwarts staff would be troubling to say the least…"
"It's fucking bullshit, is what it is!" Natsuki scoffed. "There's no way those morons could transport a freaking dragon all the way to the Astronomy Tower without getting caught or expelled. Not unless they had an Invisibility Cloak or something like that. They just wanted to have some dumb cover story for why they went snogging at night, and had it backfire right in their dumb faces!"
"Right, that reminds me." I changed the topic, feeling this dragon rubbish wasn't really worth discussing further. "How did Gryffindor react to the pointloss? At first, Slytherin weren't all too pleased with Draco for sneaking out, but after they got word of how many points you guys lost as a result, they changed their tune and started praising him like a hero. As if his ego couldn't get any larger…"
Natsuki made a muted noise that could be interpreted as a dark giggle.
"Potter, Granger and Longbottom have become the most hated people at Hogwarts." She said. "I think they've even surpassed Snape at this point. Nobody's talking to them anymore, I'm actually kinda jealous."
"Oh, that's terrible!" Sayori frowned. "I hope they're okay, I don't know what I'd do if Hufflepuff started hating me…"
"That'd never happen, you're far too lovable." I gave her an assuring pat on the shoulder. "And even if they did, you'd still have us. Just like they have each other."
"Yeah, they'll be fine." Natsuki agreed. "I actually think it's good for them to get this kind of backlash now. Back during Winter Break, I noticed Potter sneaking out three nights in a row for some reason. This should teach him to follow the rules and actually stay put at night."
"Is that why you didn't contact any Prefects to stop them?" Yuri asked. "To teach them a lesson?"
"Nah." Natsuki huffed. "I'm just not a fucking snitch. You'll never, ever catch me telling on anyone."
"How come?" I asked. "If you'd told a Prefect, you could have prevented a devastating loss to your House."
"Oh, get off your high hippogriff!" Natsuki sent me a withering glare. "I could ask the exact same thing of you!"
"Well…" I hesitated, feeling my face flush. "…yeah okay, good point. I guess I just wanted to believe one of my best friends wouldn't actually do something so mind-bogglingly stupid. Shows what I know..."
"Telling on someone is just so… cowardly." Natsuki shrugged. "And even if it wasn't, I missed the part where any of this shit was my problem."
I gave her a curious glance, trying to determine whether she was being serious or not.
"Natsuki…" I pointed out, keeping my tone as level and respectful as I could. "You are a Gryffindor."
"So what?!" She snapped her head toward me. "It doesn't matter! It's literally just a coat of paint we get on our robes to enforce some stupid school tradition, that doesn't mean I have to suddenly be up in arms about it! Why should I care if my House wins or loses anything when I hate everyone in it?!"
"It's about showing school spiri-"
"Oh, grow the fuck up!" Natsuki slammed her fist on the table, very nearly causing Yuri's tea to spill. "School is about learning, nothing else! It's about getting the O.W.L.'s and N.E.W.T.'s you need to get by in this shitty world we live in! Everything else is just… stuff! Distractions! None of it actually matters at all!"
"You can't seriously mean that." I frowned at her.
"But I do!" She hissed at me. "What, you, you think I care about the other stuff?! I don't! I don't care about this stupid school, or those stupid points or this stupid Club and I definitely don't care about you!"
I blinked, surprised by the sudden animosity. Judging by the looks of shock on their faces, Yuri and Sayori had similar reactions to the outburst.
Then, in a move that surprised me even more, Natsuki's expression softened.
"…m'sorry." She mumbled, taking a deep breath. "I'm just… tired. Didn't get much sleep last night."
"…it's okay, Nat." Sayori said gently, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Do you want to maybe rest a bit by yourself today?"
"I'm not some child needing an afternoon naptime!" Natsuki angrily protested.
"I didn't say you were!" Sayori quickly denied, shaking her head. "Did I?"
"I wouldn't say so." Yuri concurred. "After everything that transpired last night, exhaustion and irritation is only natural. Especially with Potter and Granger being so inconsiderate to you and the other Gryffindors with their nightly escapades."
Natsuki squinted at Yuri, suspiciously.
"…are you mocking me?"
"Uh…" Yuri hesitated. "…not intentionally, no."
"Nobody is mocking you." I spoke up, starting to understand where the others were going with this. "We're just concerned, is all. Remember, we have double Flying lessons tomorrow and you don't want to pass out during that."
"…fine." Natsuki said after a bit, rising from her seat and letting out a yawn. "I'm too tired to argue, so I'll just… sit for a few minutes by myself. Gimme a call when it's time to share poems."
"Sure thing Nat!" Sayori said brightly. "We'll make sure to be extra quiet!"
"Whatever…" Natsuki groaned as she approached the far corner of the room, and sat down on the floor. Perhaps ten whole seconds went by before her head slumped over, clearly fast asleep.
"Huh." I whispered, glancing between Yuri and Sayori. "Well, that happened."
"I feel so bad for her." Sayori said softly, glancing over her shoulder at the snoozing Natsuki. "It must have been such a rough night for her..."
"I just don't understand her at all." I shook my head. "How can she say she doesn't care about us or this Club? After everything we've been through together this year?!"
Sayori and Yuri both looked at me, before exchanging wordless glances between themselves.
"…What?" I asked, feeling left out.
"Uhm, I believe-" Yuri started, only to cease abruptly, looking down at her tea. "…no, I shouldn't say…"
"Please, Yuri." I encouraged her. "You know you only build up our curiosity when you make sentences like that."
"Oh." Yuri blushed. "...you're right of course, I'm so sorry. Uh- well, with all due respect President, I believe you aren't giving Natsuki enough credit here."
"Huh?" I frowned at her. "How can you say that? She was the one who just exploded and basically said she hated all of us!"
"No she didn't." Sayori denied. "You can't just listen to what someone says, Monika. With some people you have to hear what they mean, instead."
"Uh." I furrowed my brows, officially confused now. "Okay, you've lost me. What?"
"It took me a long time to realize this as well." Yuri said. "It seems very contradictory at first, but the thing about Natsuki in particular… her actions seem to speak much louder than her words. Have you noticed how she's never missed a single Literature Club meeting?"
"I don't…" I started, straining my memory. Now that she mentioned it, I couldn't recall any instances of declined attendances. She'd stormed off in anger a few times, sure, but she'd always made sure to at least show up in the beginning.
"…okay, but what does that have to do with anything?" I finally asked.
"Well, let's look at the facts presented to us and extrapolate." Yuri said, going fully into her 'lecturing' mode, the state where her shy nature evaporated on the spot as she got a chance to explain something to someone. "She keeps attending our Club despite repeatedly claiming she doesn't care about it. Why? What is she getting out of it? Furthermore, why would she stay up all night waiting while Harry Potter sneaks out instead of simply going back to sleep? Could it be that perhaps she was worried about what might happen if they got caught by Mr. Filch, or something more nefarious like Peeves?"
"So…" I said, trying to wrap my head around all this information presented. "You're saying she actually does care when she says she doesn't?"
"If she didn't, she'd quite possibly be the biggest psychopath I've ever encountered." Yuri surmised, taking another sip of her tea. "After all, going through the same unpleasant experience over and over again expecting a different result is the textbook definition of insanity."
"Natsuki is one of the kindest, most caring people I've ever met." Sayori said bluntly, crossing her arms. "Noticed it the moment I met her, it's so obvious."
"…did you just sass me, Sayori?" I raised an eyebrow at my Vice President whom immediately started to blush and pushed together her fingers, awkwardly.
"Uhm… no?" She tried, flashing me an innocent smile.
"I still don't get it, though." I said. "Why pretend like that? Wouldn't it be much simpler to just be honest about her feelings?"
"Nobody can answer that with any degree of certainty save for Natsuki herself." Yuri said, absently tracing a finger along the brim of her cup. "And even then, I'm not entirely sure if she's self-aware about it. If I had to guess, I'd say it's a kind of defensive mechanism. If she can convince herself that she doesn't have any attachments to the world at large, it won't hurt so bad when tragedy inevitably strikes. I think she might have had a very bad experience at one point letting someone or something too close to her, and has sought to keep everything around her at a solid arm's length, emotionally speaking, ever since."
At the deafening silence that followed in the wake of her speech, Yuri glanced upwards with a look of embarrassment on her face.
"U- uhm, but th- that's just a t- theory…!"
"No, no, it's fine." I assured her. "Makes a whole heck of a lot of sense, actually. I just-"
I let out a sigh.
"I wish I could make her trust me. Trust us."
"I'd like to think she will, eventually." Yuri smiled softly. "Once she feels comfortable enough at this Club and we don't put any pressure on her, perhaps she'll even tell us some of her secrets. Goodness knows I have some of those…"
"Oh, is that so?" I smirked at her, my interest piqued. "And is there any way I could entice you to maybe share some?"
Blushing, Yuri raised her cup to take another sip, hiding her expression from view.
"Mmm… no, I don't reckon there is." She spoke softly. "Not at this particular time. Sorry."
"Worth a shot." I shrugged.
"I hope you understand. Surely you have some as well that you wouldn't want to disclose?"
"I… don't really think I do?" I said, frowning as I searched my memories for some kind of thing I wouldn't want anybody else to know about. "I'm a pretty open book, honestly."
"Same here!" Sayori chimed in. "I'm not interesting enough to even have secrets, ehehe…"
"I… see." Yuri sighed. "It seems I've inadvertently outed myself as the odd witch out, yet again. I must confess to feeling a bit of envy for your confidence. It's very… admirable."
"Oh, I don't know about that. You guys have some traits that I'm quite jealous of, myself." I said. "For instance, all of you are apparently much better at reading people than me."
"Well…" Yuri hesitated, looking like she wanted to refute my claim, but lacked the evidence to back up the claim. "…perhaps you are correct there, President."
I chuckled.
"Well, I hope I can one day turn this Club into a place we may all be comfortable enough to share these secrets with each other." I announced, determinedly. "Don't know if I'll be able to, but I'll definitely try my best!"
"I think that is all we could ever ask of you." Yuri replied kindly.
"You definitely will." Sayori stated with absolute certainty in her voice, pulling me into a hug. "I promise."
