The Drarothy Trilogy: Part Two

Conquest of the Heart

Chapter Eight

Classes and Flaunts

I yawn and look up at Professor Snape's desk. The weekend passed so quickly and now the first day of classes has begun. Once again I'm early to class and the only one here as well. It's deadly quiet in here and I feel sleepy just sitting here by myself. I prop my head up on my hand as I wait for someone to come in. I look over my shoulder when I hear the door open and frown in dismay when I see who's just entered. Pansy and Draco. I roll my eyes at how Pansy's swooning over Draco and turn my gaze back to the front of the class. Under the desk, though, my leg is bouncing in her irritation.

Pansy and Draco both sit directly opposite the aisle from me. Try as I might to focus on the different shaped vials on Snape's desk, my eyes keep glancing over to see what they're doing. I grit my teeth and gnash them together under my lips when I see that Pansy is practically sitting on Draco's lap. I grip my skirt tightly in my hands and I try to block out Pansy giggles of malevolence and delight. Oh, that cow! I swear if I ever get her alone in a dark, closed in place I'll rip her throat out with my bare hands!!

I chance another glance in their direction again. Now she is in his lap! … He doesn't look too pleased about that, though. Heh, heh. My eyebrows rise when I see her lift her skirt a little too. I shake my head with a disgusted air. This is not a striptease, Parkinson. How happy I would be right now if I could just run over and shove her off…too bad she jumps off herself when the professor enters. I grin inwardly and take a slight sigh of relief. I don't think I've ever been so happy to see Snape.

He flicks his wand against the board and the usual notes come up. I dip my quill in the inkbottle in front of me and start taking down the instructions on how to make a Hallucination Solution. Hermione and Harry both join me soon after and Ron is just barely here on time. Hermione sees the irritant look on my face and I jerk my head in Draco and Pansy's direction. Hermione mouths 'Oh' and then continued to write her notes. After I finish writing my notes, I lean back in my chair and look around the room and my eyes stop on Pansy who's smirking triumphantly at me. My brow arches sardonically at her before I turn back to my notes and review them.

"Please get your ingredients out and begin concocting your potions. It will take a full week for you to be finished with them so get to work and finish what you can," Snape says finally. I do as instructed and get out the several ingredients required for the potion.

DM

I shudder inwardly and quickly remove Pansy's hand from my leg before retrieving my potions kit from my bag. I get out a few of the ingredients that I need for today and start cutting up my beetle legs. I look over and see that Dorothy is already at the point where you mix the ingredients and stir them. She's moving really quickly I can tell. Her robe and blouse sleeves are rolled up and I can see those scars that I had been able to see for the first time in the prefects' bathroom last year. Some of the cauldrons in the class have started to steam and emit heat so the room is becoming a little stuffy. Dorothy and I both adjust our ties at the same time and I see something all out of her shirt and glint in the little light in the classroom.

My breath is caught in my throat when I recognize the little trinket on the simple gold chain around her neck. The ring that I gave her for Christmas the year before. It looks to be in good condition but it's not on her finger anymore. Too bad. I get a little distracted and feel steam from my own cauldron shoot up into my face. I back up real quick and see that Dorothy's ladling some of her potion into a vial and popping the stopper into the top. Snape walked over and looks at her potion skeptically.

"You're finished already, are you?" Snape asks her. She nods curtly.

"Yes," she replies, starting to put her things away. Snape gives her one last charier look and then takes the vile up to his cabinet, writes her name on the vial, and puts it away.

When I look back at Dorothy, I see her head is resting on her hand as she stares off into space. I wonder what she's thinking about. Her blue eyes are glazed over and she's staring at the now blank blackboard at the front of the class. Pansy's hand finds its way to my leg again and I quickly shove it off before finishing off the rest of the potion that was due at the end of that lesson. I pour some in a vial and my cauldron automatically drains. Snape takes the vial from me and I take a deep breath, relaxing in my seat and smirking my trademark smirk.

I see Dorothy shake her head, coming out of her daze and turning to Hermione who is looking at some sort of really thick book. Gods, is reading the only thing that mudblood does? I roll my eyes and see Dorothy flipping through the pages and point at something…hey, it's a photo album. What do you know? That's when I see the familiar gold letters on the front that spell out "Dorothy Agel." Hey! That's that photo album with me in it! She's showing that mudblood pictures of us! Granger doesn't seem surprised about it, though. She laughs a little!!! What's so funny!?

DA

"…and here's Coal after jumping in the fountain in the backyard when he tried to catch one of the fake, enchanted fish in it. When we dried him off he kind of reminded me of a black sheep. It was so funny," I say, pointing to a picture. Hermione is laughing a little and we try hard to hide our joy from Snape as I continued to point out and explain each of the moving photographs.

"Those of you who haven't finished your potions yet, stay after class until you're done," drawled Snape, staring pointedly at Harry and Ron. "Otherwise, class is dismissed."

I put the photo album under my arm and look at my schedule. "Hmm…" I murmur. "Defense against the Dark Arts is next. Who's the new professor?"

"I was so ecstatic about being Head Girl and upset about having to share a common room with Malfoy that I wasn't looking at the staff table. Sorry," replies Hermione.

"No problem," I assure. "We can find out now."

"See you guys in a bit?" Hermione asks Harry and Ron who both nodded, dismayed.

"Don't worry," I say to them. "Just mind your arms and legs and I'm sure you'll be done soon."

Hermione and I leave the dungeons and are heading up the first flight of stairs when suddenly someone snatches the photo album out from under my arm. I turn around so abruptly that I slip and nearly fall down the stairs, but Hermione and the person who took the photo album both grab me and hold me in place. When I look up, I see Draco is the one with my album. When I'm steady on my feet again, he opens the first page.

"So, showing off this album, are—what the hell?" he blurts. "Where are the other pictures?"

"What other pictures?" I ask innocently.

"Don't play dumb with me!" he snaps. Temper, temper. "The other pictures! The ones of us!" I raise my eyebrows when some of the people around look at him.

"Why, I don't know what you're talking about," I reply, snatching my album back. "Why would I have pictures of 'us'?"

He's glaring at me. Ouch…that really hurts. I roll my eyes and then continue up the stairs with Hermione beside me. I try to hold in my laughter but a few snickers escape as I watch Draco turn into the Transfiguration classroom. Hermione nudges me and I look at her.

"Are there other pictures? Of you and Draco?" she asks and I grin knowingly.

"Yeah," I reply. "I'll show them to you later, okay?"

"Okay."

A/N: So? R&R? Please? I'll prolly have to update in short intervals because our compu is screwed up and my new laptop doesn't got internet. –Sigh- Well, anyway…I think this is getting a little better as it goes. I plan on having LOTS of chapters for this story! More than (hopefully) twice as many as 'Rain.' Well, that's it so Ciao.

The Author