Disclaimer: Don't own it. Don't remind me.
the-fly-screen says: Yes! I FINALLY finished this chappie! I have no idea why, but it was really hard to write. I'm sorry about all the mistakes in my other chappies, but I'm reading through this one so there won't be as many, I hope. Anyway, thanks to everyone who has reviewed ever since I started this, my first ficcy. AlliRoxMySox, Bloomingheart, smart-cookie and bertiebottsgeorge, you guys all ROCK! lol, okay on with the fic!
Chapter 4: An Unlikely Accomplice
Lori's gentle footsteps echoed throughout Hogwarts' vast halls as she walked slowly but surely to the Great Hall for lunch.
She has just come from Transfiguration and, though Professor Mcgonagall's lessons always tired her out, the most recent class had thoroughly exhausted her. The reason was that today they had started work on human shape-shifting, and Lori was having quite a lot of trouble turning her friend Tim Leeds into a koala. She had her Apparation test coming up soon too, and she wasn't ready for it in the least. Not to mention the fact that she now also had her own little fan club comprising of first and second year girls who had been given word of her little run-in with Snape on the grapevine and were now constantly on her tail, watching her every move.
So as you can see, Lori Windlay didn't particularly want anybody to annoy her at the present moment. But as everyone knows, you rarely seem to get what you want when you're tired, hungry and in one of those 'moods'.
So as it happened, as soon as Lori was about to turn a corner just past the ancient and of course moving portrait of Wendelin the Weird, a pale figure suddenly jumped in front of her. Lori squeaked in confused shock and took (or rather fell) a step back, slamming into the painting of Wendelin and causing the picture to burst alive with angry shrieks.
"Oi! What do you think you're doing?! I'm over a hundred years old, you know!"
"Uh . . . sorry." Lori answered quietly, trying to brush herself off. She didn't know that something made out of oil paints could get so furious.
When she was steadily back on her feet, she looked to the person who had shocked her and caused her to trip.
It surprised her that she recognised him as Draco Malfoy: Slytherin Seeker and known around the Gryffindor Common Room as one of the most unpleasant students at Hogwarts. Knowing this information rather well, Lori tried to push past him and walk away. Unluckily for her, he grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back. Stunned, Lori's eyebrows raised themselves up into her hair as Draco's clear, hollow voice began to speak.
"Windlay, finally I found you. Listen, I-" But Lori cut him off.
"Just leave me alone, Malfoy. I don't think that I should really be-"
"Windlay." He said again, his tone quite firm. This time, she didn't interrupt. It was obvious Draco seemed surprised by this, judging by the look of his eyes. Wide and white as he spoke once more.
"Um, well . . . I heard what you said in Potions this morning and er . . . I thought it was good."
The hard expression on Lori's face softened a little, but all that could emerge from her mouth was a sleepy, "Huh?"
"Well," He turned his head, peering up and down the corridors surrounding them. "Uh . . . Could we go somewhere and, you know . . . talk for a minute?"
"Eh? Why?"
"I'll tell you in a second. Please?!"
He looked very anxious, which kind of scared Lori. She was not used to seeing somebody who was usually so calm and collected now so nervously excited. It was strange. For example, every single time she had seen him, either in the corridors or the Great Hall, he was always strutting around or showing off in front of his cronies and the other Slytherins, usually at Harry Potter's expense. But now a completely white, timid and fearful expression replaced his usual smug glow. And his eyes were constantly flicking around contents of the hallway in which they stood.
Even though Lori wasn't too comfortable with this new Malfoy, she was almost dying to know what he wanted with her. Because . . . well, she was Lori, a Gryffindor girl he had had nothing to do with before now. His reason for wishing to talk to her must have been important.
"Er . . . okay." She whispered curiously as a few strands of her looped over her forehead, covering her high eyebrows.
Draco began to lead her down the narrow corridor until finally they reached a small wooden door that Filch had said was the entrance to a room full of mops, dusters and other such things.
Draco pulled out a key as Lori's upper lip pulled itself up, exposing her front teeth in slight disgust.
"You want us to talk in a broom closet?" she asked. Draco laughed coldly.
"That's what you think this is?" He said as he unlocked the tiny door and pulled her into the room within.
Inside, Lori gasped. There were no cleaning devices in this room. Instead, almost every square inch of its walls were stacked to the ceiling with everlasting candles that were glowing a luminous scarlet and there were a few armchairs placed randomly across the deep jade carpet.
Draco casually strolled over to an especially lumpy one and plopped himself into it, but Lori stayed in front of the closed door, stunned. This room made her wonder what other things were in the castle that the students didn't know about.
"What? . . . How did you get a key to this room?" She sighed. Draco laughed again.
"I'm a Malfoy. I DO get certain privileges, you know."
"Wow . . ." She was still allowing her eyes to float lazily around the room, open-mouthed.
After a few moments, Draco became impatient and spoke.
"Come on then!" He snapped at her. "Sit down!"
Lori suddenly fell back to Earth and stared at Draco, wide-eyed. He moved his hands around in front of a second armchair, indicating for her to take a seat.
Lori moved nervously towards the chair and sat down right on its edge, as if scared something would happen if she got too comfortable.
"So . . ." She muttered. "What exactly did you want to talk to me about?"
"Oh! Right!" He suddenly jerked up straight. "Er . . . well, I need your help with something."
Lori frowned and pointed her finger right in his face.
"Listen here, Mr Malfoy. I'm not going to help you with any stupid prank or joke or whatever it is that you-"
"Hey!" He hurriedly pushed her finger from its place of about a centimetre from his nose, where it was waving quite menacingly to and fro.
"I'm not asking you that!" He cried. "Do you think I would ask a Gryffindor for help with something like that?!"
"Well what then?" She folded her arms and looked to the side. Draco gritted his teeth in frustration and looked down to the floor.
"I need your help with . . . with . . . Well, it's about a . . . a girl."
Lori's eyes began to twinkle ad she grinned.
"Ohhhh." She said. "And you came to ME for help?"
"We;;, yeah . . . Everyone knows you're really into that kinda stuff and well . . . I thought I would ask and expert because . . . you know, I-"
"Okay, okay." She stuck out her bottom lip, though Draco could see she was trying not to smile at what he had just said. "So tell me. What's this terrible problem that you have?" She put her palm up to make him begin talking and leant back in her seat, finally becoming settled.
By the look on her face, she was obviously turning it all over in her mind as Draco explained his situation. Though, all through his story, he managed not to mention the object of his desire and affection's name.
"Hmmm . . . Well, who's the lucky girl who you need so desperately to notice you?" Lori teased when he had finished.
"Uh, well . . . her name is er . . . Tamsin Bell . . ." He mumbled in response. Lori's jaw dropped.
"Tams?!" She shrieked. "You have a crush on Tams Bell?!"
"Shhh!" He hissed frantically. "I don't want anyone else to know that!"
"Oh, right. Sorry." Lori whispered, coming back to her senses.
"Are you serious?" she asked, though this time she was a lot quieter and Draco nodded.
"Okay . . ." She said, tugging gently at her lip. "Well, I want you to do something."
"And what's that?" Draco's eyes narrowed at the fair-haired Gryffindor.
"Oh, don't be so stupid!" Lori scoffed. "It's nothing sinister!" I just want you to write down everything that's happened between you and Tams."
"Well that shouldn't take up much parchment at all." He sighed, more to himself than to Lori.
Anf for the next few minutes, the Slytherin scribbled messily over a piece of paper, biting his lip. Eventually he passed it over to Lori while firmly stating,
"Don't tell anyone."
But Lori didn't answer. She was pouring over Draco's parchment, totally wrapped up in deep, romantic thought.
Malfoy tried to get her attention by waving his hands in front of her face, but it didn't work. He was only able to get her to 'wake up' after many other ideas and finally flicking her quite hard on the forehead.
"Ow! Hey, you just remember who's helping you, Mr Malfoy!" She squeaked.
Draco smiled. "So you're going to help?"
"Of course, this is what I do best after all."
"Right, yeah! Um . . . so what do you think we should do?"
But Lori didn't answer yet again. Only this time, it was because she was rubbing her stomach. Then she looked down at her watch, chewing her lip.
"Wow!" She said. "We've missed lunch!"
Draco raised his eyebrow.
"Yeah, so?" He asked. Lori looked shocked.
"A growing girl needs her food, Mr Malfoy!" She cried. "Now, It's been fun, but my stomach is rumbling, so I'd best be off and find something to eat in the Common Room."
Then, to his surprise, she stuck out her hand. And to her surprise, he shook it without argument.
"Mr Malfoy, it's been a pleasure doing business with you. I've got a few ideas in my head, so is it okay if we meet here again tomorrow? At around . . . 7pm?
"Ahh . . . yeah, okay." Draco was slightly surprised at how much she resembled an important businesswoman.
Then Lori gave him a sly smile and left through the door, excitedly scuttling down the corridor and leaving behind a satisfied and yet confused Draco.
~**********~
Arrgghhh! I'm done, finally! I didn't have time to proof-read. TIRED!!!! Anyways, plz review. Thanx!
the-fly-screen
the-fly-screen says: Yes! I FINALLY finished this chappie! I have no idea why, but it was really hard to write. I'm sorry about all the mistakes in my other chappies, but I'm reading through this one so there won't be as many, I hope. Anyway, thanks to everyone who has reviewed ever since I started this, my first ficcy. AlliRoxMySox, Bloomingheart, smart-cookie and bertiebottsgeorge, you guys all ROCK! lol, okay on with the fic!
Chapter 4: An Unlikely Accomplice
Lori's gentle footsteps echoed throughout Hogwarts' vast halls as she walked slowly but surely to the Great Hall for lunch.
She has just come from Transfiguration and, though Professor Mcgonagall's lessons always tired her out, the most recent class had thoroughly exhausted her. The reason was that today they had started work on human shape-shifting, and Lori was having quite a lot of trouble turning her friend Tim Leeds into a koala. She had her Apparation test coming up soon too, and she wasn't ready for it in the least. Not to mention the fact that she now also had her own little fan club comprising of first and second year girls who had been given word of her little run-in with Snape on the grapevine and were now constantly on her tail, watching her every move.
So as you can see, Lori Windlay didn't particularly want anybody to annoy her at the present moment. But as everyone knows, you rarely seem to get what you want when you're tired, hungry and in one of those 'moods'.
So as it happened, as soon as Lori was about to turn a corner just past the ancient and of course moving portrait of Wendelin the Weird, a pale figure suddenly jumped in front of her. Lori squeaked in confused shock and took (or rather fell) a step back, slamming into the painting of Wendelin and causing the picture to burst alive with angry shrieks.
"Oi! What do you think you're doing?! I'm over a hundred years old, you know!"
"Uh . . . sorry." Lori answered quietly, trying to brush herself off. She didn't know that something made out of oil paints could get so furious.
When she was steadily back on her feet, she looked to the person who had shocked her and caused her to trip.
It surprised her that she recognised him as Draco Malfoy: Slytherin Seeker and known around the Gryffindor Common Room as one of the most unpleasant students at Hogwarts. Knowing this information rather well, Lori tried to push past him and walk away. Unluckily for her, he grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back. Stunned, Lori's eyebrows raised themselves up into her hair as Draco's clear, hollow voice began to speak.
"Windlay, finally I found you. Listen, I-" But Lori cut him off.
"Just leave me alone, Malfoy. I don't think that I should really be-"
"Windlay." He said again, his tone quite firm. This time, she didn't interrupt. It was obvious Draco seemed surprised by this, judging by the look of his eyes. Wide and white as he spoke once more.
"Um, well . . . I heard what you said in Potions this morning and er . . . I thought it was good."
The hard expression on Lori's face softened a little, but all that could emerge from her mouth was a sleepy, "Huh?"
"Well," He turned his head, peering up and down the corridors surrounding them. "Uh . . . Could we go somewhere and, you know . . . talk for a minute?"
"Eh? Why?"
"I'll tell you in a second. Please?!"
He looked very anxious, which kind of scared Lori. She was not used to seeing somebody who was usually so calm and collected now so nervously excited. It was strange. For example, every single time she had seen him, either in the corridors or the Great Hall, he was always strutting around or showing off in front of his cronies and the other Slytherins, usually at Harry Potter's expense. But now a completely white, timid and fearful expression replaced his usual smug glow. And his eyes were constantly flicking around contents of the hallway in which they stood.
Even though Lori wasn't too comfortable with this new Malfoy, she was almost dying to know what he wanted with her. Because . . . well, she was Lori, a Gryffindor girl he had had nothing to do with before now. His reason for wishing to talk to her must have been important.
"Er . . . okay." She whispered curiously as a few strands of her looped over her forehead, covering her high eyebrows.
Draco began to lead her down the narrow corridor until finally they reached a small wooden door that Filch had said was the entrance to a room full of mops, dusters and other such things.
Draco pulled out a key as Lori's upper lip pulled itself up, exposing her front teeth in slight disgust.
"You want us to talk in a broom closet?" she asked. Draco laughed coldly.
"That's what you think this is?" He said as he unlocked the tiny door and pulled her into the room within.
Inside, Lori gasped. There were no cleaning devices in this room. Instead, almost every square inch of its walls were stacked to the ceiling with everlasting candles that were glowing a luminous scarlet and there were a few armchairs placed randomly across the deep jade carpet.
Draco casually strolled over to an especially lumpy one and plopped himself into it, but Lori stayed in front of the closed door, stunned. This room made her wonder what other things were in the castle that the students didn't know about.
"What? . . . How did you get a key to this room?" She sighed. Draco laughed again.
"I'm a Malfoy. I DO get certain privileges, you know."
"Wow . . ." She was still allowing her eyes to float lazily around the room, open-mouthed.
After a few moments, Draco became impatient and spoke.
"Come on then!" He snapped at her. "Sit down!"
Lori suddenly fell back to Earth and stared at Draco, wide-eyed. He moved his hands around in front of a second armchair, indicating for her to take a seat.
Lori moved nervously towards the chair and sat down right on its edge, as if scared something would happen if she got too comfortable.
"So . . ." She muttered. "What exactly did you want to talk to me about?"
"Oh! Right!" He suddenly jerked up straight. "Er . . . well, I need your help with something."
Lori frowned and pointed her finger right in his face.
"Listen here, Mr Malfoy. I'm not going to help you with any stupid prank or joke or whatever it is that you-"
"Hey!" He hurriedly pushed her finger from its place of about a centimetre from his nose, where it was waving quite menacingly to and fro.
"I'm not asking you that!" He cried. "Do you think I would ask a Gryffindor for help with something like that?!"
"Well what then?" She folded her arms and looked to the side. Draco gritted his teeth in frustration and looked down to the floor.
"I need your help with . . . with . . . Well, it's about a . . . a girl."
Lori's eyes began to twinkle ad she grinned.
"Ohhhh." She said. "And you came to ME for help?"
"We;;, yeah . . . Everyone knows you're really into that kinda stuff and well . . . I thought I would ask and expert because . . . you know, I-"
"Okay, okay." She stuck out her bottom lip, though Draco could see she was trying not to smile at what he had just said. "So tell me. What's this terrible problem that you have?" She put her palm up to make him begin talking and leant back in her seat, finally becoming settled.
By the look on her face, she was obviously turning it all over in her mind as Draco explained his situation. Though, all through his story, he managed not to mention the object of his desire and affection's name.
"Hmmm . . . Well, who's the lucky girl who you need so desperately to notice you?" Lori teased when he had finished.
"Uh, well . . . her name is er . . . Tamsin Bell . . ." He mumbled in response. Lori's jaw dropped.
"Tams?!" She shrieked. "You have a crush on Tams Bell?!"
"Shhh!" He hissed frantically. "I don't want anyone else to know that!"
"Oh, right. Sorry." Lori whispered, coming back to her senses.
"Are you serious?" she asked, though this time she was a lot quieter and Draco nodded.
"Okay . . ." She said, tugging gently at her lip. "Well, I want you to do something."
"And what's that?" Draco's eyes narrowed at the fair-haired Gryffindor.
"Oh, don't be so stupid!" Lori scoffed. "It's nothing sinister!" I just want you to write down everything that's happened between you and Tams."
"Well that shouldn't take up much parchment at all." He sighed, more to himself than to Lori.
Anf for the next few minutes, the Slytherin scribbled messily over a piece of paper, biting his lip. Eventually he passed it over to Lori while firmly stating,
"Don't tell anyone."
But Lori didn't answer. She was pouring over Draco's parchment, totally wrapped up in deep, romantic thought.
Malfoy tried to get her attention by waving his hands in front of her face, but it didn't work. He was only able to get her to 'wake up' after many other ideas and finally flicking her quite hard on the forehead.
"Ow! Hey, you just remember who's helping you, Mr Malfoy!" She squeaked.
Draco smiled. "So you're going to help?"
"Of course, this is what I do best after all."
"Right, yeah! Um . . . so what do you think we should do?"
But Lori didn't answer yet again. Only this time, it was because she was rubbing her stomach. Then she looked down at her watch, chewing her lip.
"Wow!" She said. "We've missed lunch!"
Draco raised his eyebrow.
"Yeah, so?" He asked. Lori looked shocked.
"A growing girl needs her food, Mr Malfoy!" She cried. "Now, It's been fun, but my stomach is rumbling, so I'd best be off and find something to eat in the Common Room."
Then, to his surprise, she stuck out her hand. And to her surprise, he shook it without argument.
"Mr Malfoy, it's been a pleasure doing business with you. I've got a few ideas in my head, so is it okay if we meet here again tomorrow? At around . . . 7pm?
"Ahh . . . yeah, okay." Draco was slightly surprised at how much she resembled an important businesswoman.
Then Lori gave him a sly smile and left through the door, excitedly scuttling down the corridor and leaving behind a satisfied and yet confused Draco.
~**********~
Arrgghhh! I'm done, finally! I didn't have time to proof-read. TIRED!!!! Anyways, plz review. Thanx!
the-fly-screen