The next day wasn't much better. Emily still seemed to have been insulted by Draco, so she was constantly giving him the cold shoulder. Crabbe and Goyle immediately took a liking to calling him 'Dracy', and Pansy was hanging on him every chance she got.
Feeling particularly 'out of it' for his next Care of Magical Creatures lesson, he chose to stay behind while Hagrid presented them all with a couple of fully grown larynths — tall, massive birds with shiny and glinting feathers, piercing, silver eyes, and shiny talons that looked to be actual bronze.
"Now, they're very classy, them larynths," said Hargid. "They like ter show off an' are very proud."
Good thing Draco was listening. He didn't want to be attacked by another proud beast again.
"Who wants ter pet 'em then, eh?" Some hands were raised, and very carefully, a couple of Gryffindors went over to stroke the glowing birds.
Off to the side, Draco noticed Harry, Ron, and Hermione cutting up some caterpillars to feed the larynths, speaking in low voices. Slowly, he took a step in their direction, very curious as to what they were discussing. To his surprise, they were talking about him.
"Crabbe and Goyle are even bullying him," he heard Hermione say.
"Seems a bit out of it, doesn't he?" said Harry. "Heard he's been saying 'sorry' and everything."
"Are you kidding me?" said Ron. "I'd eat these caterpillars the day Malfoy goes soft." He stopped abruptly, his face suddenly turning green.
Harry spun around to see Draco standing a few feet away from them, his hands in his pockets. Apprehensively, he reached in his robes for his wand, in case he needed it. But Draco didn't reach in his robes for his. He didn't even scowl. He just looked at them with an expression Harry couldn't read. Very slowly, Draco turned his gaze back to the larynths, catching all three of them by surprise.
"Caterpillars are looking pretty good now, aren't they Ron?" said Hermione, smirking. Ron ignored her and continued to cut up the caterpillars while Harry continued to look at Draco. Something was certainly up with him, Harry thought. But whether it be a good or bad thing, he didn't know.
"What does that oaf think he's proving?' said Pansy, slipping her arm through Draco's as they walked down to the greenhouse. "Thinks he's such a great teacher. As if! Don't you agree, Dracy?" She batted her eyelashes towards him, but his gaze was to the floor. He didn't say anything, and continued to look at the ground with a blank expression on his face. Pansy shot Crabbe and Goyle a worried look, and the two did the same. They had noticed the change in Draco too, and quite frankly, it frightened them all.
"You'll only need your quills and a piece of parchment for your answer sheet," said Professor Sprout as the class assembled themselves in the room. "This is just an overview of Tuesday's lesson, don't' worry," she said, catching some nervouse looks on her student's faces.
But Draco had a lot to worry about. Everything Emily had told him the other night had leaked out of his head and he knew absolutley nothing about gillyweed. A great way to start the year, he told himself miserably, failing your first test. He let out a heavy sigh, glancing at Emily. She was inking her quill and wasn't looking worried at all. He scolded himself. He should've been listening to her, but he was too worried of what his friends would say — if you even call them that. He found himself feeling jealous of Harry, having two great friends like Ron and Hermione. But his train of thought was cut short when Professor Sprout handed him the test.
"Here goes," he said to himself, and dipped his quill in his ink bottle.
1. Gillyweed, when eaten raw, enables the eater to...?
2. Gillyweed is used is various healing potions such as...? (Name 3)
3. When is the best time to harvest gillyweed?
4. Legend has it that a certain planet affects the growth of gillyweed. Name that planet.
And it continued on all the way to number 38. Draco sighed again. His head was pounding. Never in his life had he felt so clueless. Feeling desperate, he caught himself glancing over Crabbe's shoulder — though it was pointless, for all Crabbe was doing was doodling all over his answer sheet. And it was no point in trying to cheat off of Goyle's, for Goyle — if possible — was even dumber than Crabbe. Add that to the fact that he was too tall for Draco to peer over his shoulder.
He looked across the table at Pansy, who was busy twirling her quill and playing with her hair. Her answer sheet was blank as well. He groaned. He was doomed. He cast a glance at Emily, and was not surprised to see that her answer sheet was nearly full.
Before he knew it, Sprout had called for them to place their quills down. He looked at his answer sheet — it was completely blank. Feeling like he had just handed in his death sentence, he nervously fiddled with his quill.
"Mr. Malfoy," said Sprout, her voice hard.
Draco winced and made his way towards her, his heart beating fast. She looked at him with hard, piercing eyes. She then took her eyes off of him, looked past him, and said, "Miss Mathers."
Draco looked at Sprout curiously. He heard Emily's chair scrape and she appeared beside him, just as curious as he was.
"I'm very disappointed in you," Sprout said. But to Draco's enormous surprise, she was talking to Emily.
"Pardon?" said Emily, just as shocked.
"Mr. Malfoy, hear, obviously did not understand the material," said Sprout, holding up Draco's blank sheet. "I expected better of you, Miss Mathers. Shall I assign him another tutor?"
"No!" Emily said quickly, looking nervous. "No — no, I can tutor him — I can."
"Very well," said Sprout. "And you, Mr. Malfoy — " Here it was, he thought. "I trust you'll give Miss Mathers your utmost attention?"
He blinked. That was it? No punishment? No lecture? But he wasn't about to object and so he nodded.
"You make take your seats." And so he did, feeling more confused than ever. Why had Sprout gotten mad at Emily more than he? He shook his head, feeling like he'd never understand women.
As the lunch bell rang, Emily ran up to Draco to ask if she could speak with him privately — much to Pansy's disgust.
"You didn't listen to a thing I said last night, did you?" she asked him, her blue eyes glaring. He shifted from foot to foot guiltiy, but remained silent. He noticed that he seemed to be doing that a lot lately. She let out an aggravated sigh. "Meet me at the Library tonight at 7:00," she told him, her hands on her hips. "I am not letting you ruin my chance at that extra credit." She left for the Grand Hall, leaving Draco to wonder about her words.
"Extra credit?"
Feeling particularly 'out of it' for his next Care of Magical Creatures lesson, he chose to stay behind while Hagrid presented them all with a couple of fully grown larynths — tall, massive birds with shiny and glinting feathers, piercing, silver eyes, and shiny talons that looked to be actual bronze.
"Now, they're very classy, them larynths," said Hargid. "They like ter show off an' are very proud."
Good thing Draco was listening. He didn't want to be attacked by another proud beast again.
"Who wants ter pet 'em then, eh?" Some hands were raised, and very carefully, a couple of Gryffindors went over to stroke the glowing birds.
Off to the side, Draco noticed Harry, Ron, and Hermione cutting up some caterpillars to feed the larynths, speaking in low voices. Slowly, he took a step in their direction, very curious as to what they were discussing. To his surprise, they were talking about him.
"Crabbe and Goyle are even bullying him," he heard Hermione say.
"Seems a bit out of it, doesn't he?" said Harry. "Heard he's been saying 'sorry' and everything."
"Are you kidding me?" said Ron. "I'd eat these caterpillars the day Malfoy goes soft." He stopped abruptly, his face suddenly turning green.
Harry spun around to see Draco standing a few feet away from them, his hands in his pockets. Apprehensively, he reached in his robes for his wand, in case he needed it. But Draco didn't reach in his robes for his. He didn't even scowl. He just looked at them with an expression Harry couldn't read. Very slowly, Draco turned his gaze back to the larynths, catching all three of them by surprise.
"Caterpillars are looking pretty good now, aren't they Ron?" said Hermione, smirking. Ron ignored her and continued to cut up the caterpillars while Harry continued to look at Draco. Something was certainly up with him, Harry thought. But whether it be a good or bad thing, he didn't know.
"What does that oaf think he's proving?' said Pansy, slipping her arm through Draco's as they walked down to the greenhouse. "Thinks he's such a great teacher. As if! Don't you agree, Dracy?" She batted her eyelashes towards him, but his gaze was to the floor. He didn't say anything, and continued to look at the ground with a blank expression on his face. Pansy shot Crabbe and Goyle a worried look, and the two did the same. They had noticed the change in Draco too, and quite frankly, it frightened them all.
"You'll only need your quills and a piece of parchment for your answer sheet," said Professor Sprout as the class assembled themselves in the room. "This is just an overview of Tuesday's lesson, don't' worry," she said, catching some nervouse looks on her student's faces.
But Draco had a lot to worry about. Everything Emily had told him the other night had leaked out of his head and he knew absolutley nothing about gillyweed. A great way to start the year, he told himself miserably, failing your first test. He let out a heavy sigh, glancing at Emily. She was inking her quill and wasn't looking worried at all. He scolded himself. He should've been listening to her, but he was too worried of what his friends would say — if you even call them that. He found himself feeling jealous of Harry, having two great friends like Ron and Hermione. But his train of thought was cut short when Professor Sprout handed him the test.
"Here goes," he said to himself, and dipped his quill in his ink bottle.
1. Gillyweed, when eaten raw, enables the eater to...?
2. Gillyweed is used is various healing potions such as...? (Name 3)
3. When is the best time to harvest gillyweed?
4. Legend has it that a certain planet affects the growth of gillyweed. Name that planet.
And it continued on all the way to number 38. Draco sighed again. His head was pounding. Never in his life had he felt so clueless. Feeling desperate, he caught himself glancing over Crabbe's shoulder — though it was pointless, for all Crabbe was doing was doodling all over his answer sheet. And it was no point in trying to cheat off of Goyle's, for Goyle — if possible — was even dumber than Crabbe. Add that to the fact that he was too tall for Draco to peer over his shoulder.
He looked across the table at Pansy, who was busy twirling her quill and playing with her hair. Her answer sheet was blank as well. He groaned. He was doomed. He cast a glance at Emily, and was not surprised to see that her answer sheet was nearly full.
Before he knew it, Sprout had called for them to place their quills down. He looked at his answer sheet — it was completely blank. Feeling like he had just handed in his death sentence, he nervously fiddled with his quill.
"Mr. Malfoy," said Sprout, her voice hard.
Draco winced and made his way towards her, his heart beating fast. She looked at him with hard, piercing eyes. She then took her eyes off of him, looked past him, and said, "Miss Mathers."
Draco looked at Sprout curiously. He heard Emily's chair scrape and she appeared beside him, just as curious as he was.
"I'm very disappointed in you," Sprout said. But to Draco's enormous surprise, she was talking to Emily.
"Pardon?" said Emily, just as shocked.
"Mr. Malfoy, hear, obviously did not understand the material," said Sprout, holding up Draco's blank sheet. "I expected better of you, Miss Mathers. Shall I assign him another tutor?"
"No!" Emily said quickly, looking nervous. "No — no, I can tutor him — I can."
"Very well," said Sprout. "And you, Mr. Malfoy — " Here it was, he thought. "I trust you'll give Miss Mathers your utmost attention?"
He blinked. That was it? No punishment? No lecture? But he wasn't about to object and so he nodded.
"You make take your seats." And so he did, feeling more confused than ever. Why had Sprout gotten mad at Emily more than he? He shook his head, feeling like he'd never understand women.
As the lunch bell rang, Emily ran up to Draco to ask if she could speak with him privately — much to Pansy's disgust.
"You didn't listen to a thing I said last night, did you?" she asked him, her blue eyes glaring. He shifted from foot to foot guiltiy, but remained silent. He noticed that he seemed to be doing that a lot lately. She let out an aggravated sigh. "Meet me at the Library tonight at 7:00," she told him, her hands on her hips. "I am not letting you ruin my chance at that extra credit." She left for the Grand Hall, leaving Draco to wonder about her words.
"Extra credit?"