It was early Wednesday morning when Viviel awoke. She glanced at the ticking
clock on her bedside table, groaning and pulling her covers over her head
when she realized it was only twenty past four. The Slytherin girl tried
vainly to fall back asleep but the ticking from her clock rang in her ears,
every now and again joined by a thunderous snore from the behind the curtain's
of Millicent Bulstrode's four poster bed. She rolled around under her warm
covers doing her best to block out all sound. Eventually, Viviel gave up
the struggle to regain some sleep, slipped out of her bed, and into her school
robes.
She grabbed her school bag and stuffed it with a few spare rolls of a parchment and a quill as she made her way into the common room. It was dark, as there were no windows to let the light shine through, though Viviel doubted there would be any light at all this early in the morning in late November. Students weren't allowed to roam corridors until six, so she sat infront of the fireplace, taking a faint note that someone, a house elf probably, had tended to the fire so there were be flames rather than glowing coals.
"What are you doing up so early, Dorgen?" called a voice from the direction of the leather chairs.
Viviel turned her head quickly and peered into the darkness to look for who was talking. From out of the shadows came Draco Malfoy, already dressed with his silver prefect's badge pinned to his robes and his blonde hair artistically tousled to give him an almost dashing look.
"Bulstrode's snoring kept me awake." she said shortly, remembering the night before in the common and not altogether keen on talking with him.
"Same here, Crabbe though. That ogre could snore a giant down, it's that offensive." drawled Draco in an offhand tone. He strolled casually up to the fireplace and leaned against, looming over her so that his perfect face was illumined by the firelight.
She was a bit surprised that he'd be talking about one of his friends in such a vulgur manner that it must of shown on her face, for he said, "Just because he's an aquaintance doesn't keep Crabbe from being a oafish dult. Goyle for that matter, too. The only thing they're good at is swinging Bludger bats."
"Ah." she muttered. Why am I surprised? No one is Draco's friend except for Draco himself, the big-headed prat.
Silence reigned in the common room a couple of minutes, the sole sounds coming from the logs crackling in the fireplace. Finally, Draco sat down next to her, and watched her for a moment or two. She waiting, expecting him to say something.
"You know... if you're having trouble in Potions, I wouldn't mind helping you." he offered quietly.
"What?"
Viviel was so taken aback by this that for a moment she just stared at him dumbfounded. When had the almight Draco Malfoy stepped off of his throne to help others? As though he could help her with her essays.
He smiled a bit too wide for her taste before saying, "I know you're one of the tops students in seventh year and all, but if you're really worried about that P you got from Snape, I wouldn't mind helping you out now and again."
"How could you help me?" she said incredulously. While he was in many of her N.E.W.T. classes, Malfoy didn't recieve as many high marks as she did from their teachers. Where she recieved O's and E's, he usually scraped by with A's and an occasional E or two.
"I'll have you know, Dorgen, I got an O on that last potion we made in class. That Deflating Draft, remember? As I recall, you only managed an A." he said. She could see a hint of a smirk on the corners of his lips that he was trying to hide, and reddened a little, both with embarrassment and anger.
But as furious as Viviel was with Draco for bringing up her marks into the conversation, she did admitt to herself that Potions was one of Malfoy's better classes. Snape often refered to his potion making techniques during class or read bits and pieces of his essay aloud for the rest to hear. More than anything, she didn't want to lose her place on the list for trainee entries at Saint Mungo's. But with a Potions mark like that, she would.
"What would you want for it?" asked Viviel, eyes narrowed.
She knew Slytherins and she knew Draco. Rarely in this house did anyone do anything without expecting some sort of payment in return. It was too much to hope he'd want to help her out of the goodness of his heart. He didn't have a heart. Viviel reminded herself. She set her blue eyes on him, suspicious of what he might want.
"Hang out with me for a bit." he said in too casual a tone. "Do some things once and awhile for me Be... with me."
"No way!" she exclaimed, outraged. She had expected gold or homework favors. "I am not going to be your lap dog."
"Did I say that?" said Draco standing up. He kept cool about her accusation and lounged for a bit. "No. You just need to get around a bit more, and I'm sick of only having this fools to talk to. There's as much in it for you as there is for me." He held out his hand to help her up, setting his cool grey eyes on hers.
A horrible battle raged inside of her, the part wanting nothing to do with Draco against the other tat was desperate for anything that would help insure her future as a Healer. It was over in a matter of minutes. Her ambition won over her judgement of his character and Viviel graciously excepted his hand up.
"That wasn't so bad." Draco joked, keeping ahold of her hand for just a second longer than a person normally would. He winked roguishly at her. "Maybe there's something in you yet, Viviel."
She grabbed her school bag and stuffed it with a few spare rolls of a parchment and a quill as she made her way into the common room. It was dark, as there were no windows to let the light shine through, though Viviel doubted there would be any light at all this early in the morning in late November. Students weren't allowed to roam corridors until six, so she sat infront of the fireplace, taking a faint note that someone, a house elf probably, had tended to the fire so there were be flames rather than glowing coals.
"What are you doing up so early, Dorgen?" called a voice from the direction of the leather chairs.
Viviel turned her head quickly and peered into the darkness to look for who was talking. From out of the shadows came Draco Malfoy, already dressed with his silver prefect's badge pinned to his robes and his blonde hair artistically tousled to give him an almost dashing look.
"Bulstrode's snoring kept me awake." she said shortly, remembering the night before in the common and not altogether keen on talking with him.
"Same here, Crabbe though. That ogre could snore a giant down, it's that offensive." drawled Draco in an offhand tone. He strolled casually up to the fireplace and leaned against, looming over her so that his perfect face was illumined by the firelight.
She was a bit surprised that he'd be talking about one of his friends in such a vulgur manner that it must of shown on her face, for he said, "Just because he's an aquaintance doesn't keep Crabbe from being a oafish dult. Goyle for that matter, too. The only thing they're good at is swinging Bludger bats."
"Ah." she muttered. Why am I surprised? No one is Draco's friend except for Draco himself, the big-headed prat.
Silence reigned in the common room a couple of minutes, the sole sounds coming from the logs crackling in the fireplace. Finally, Draco sat down next to her, and watched her for a moment or two. She waiting, expecting him to say something.
"You know... if you're having trouble in Potions, I wouldn't mind helping you." he offered quietly.
"What?"
Viviel was so taken aback by this that for a moment she just stared at him dumbfounded. When had the almight Draco Malfoy stepped off of his throne to help others? As though he could help her with her essays.
He smiled a bit too wide for her taste before saying, "I know you're one of the tops students in seventh year and all, but if you're really worried about that P you got from Snape, I wouldn't mind helping you out now and again."
"How could you help me?" she said incredulously. While he was in many of her N.E.W.T. classes, Malfoy didn't recieve as many high marks as she did from their teachers. Where she recieved O's and E's, he usually scraped by with A's and an occasional E or two.
"I'll have you know, Dorgen, I got an O on that last potion we made in class. That Deflating Draft, remember? As I recall, you only managed an A." he said. She could see a hint of a smirk on the corners of his lips that he was trying to hide, and reddened a little, both with embarrassment and anger.
But as furious as Viviel was with Draco for bringing up her marks into the conversation, she did admitt to herself that Potions was one of Malfoy's better classes. Snape often refered to his potion making techniques during class or read bits and pieces of his essay aloud for the rest to hear. More than anything, she didn't want to lose her place on the list for trainee entries at Saint Mungo's. But with a Potions mark like that, she would.
"What would you want for it?" asked Viviel, eyes narrowed.
She knew Slytherins and she knew Draco. Rarely in this house did anyone do anything without expecting some sort of payment in return. It was too much to hope he'd want to help her out of the goodness of his heart. He didn't have a heart. Viviel reminded herself. She set her blue eyes on him, suspicious of what he might want.
"Hang out with me for a bit." he said in too casual a tone. "Do some things once and awhile for me Be... with me."
"No way!" she exclaimed, outraged. She had expected gold or homework favors. "I am not going to be your lap dog."
"Did I say that?" said Draco standing up. He kept cool about her accusation and lounged for a bit. "No. You just need to get around a bit more, and I'm sick of only having this fools to talk to. There's as much in it for you as there is for me." He held out his hand to help her up, setting his cool grey eyes on hers.
A horrible battle raged inside of her, the part wanting nothing to do with Draco against the other tat was desperate for anything that would help insure her future as a Healer. It was over in a matter of minutes. Her ambition won over her judgement of his character and Viviel graciously excepted his hand up.
"That wasn't so bad." Draco joked, keeping ahold of her hand for just a second longer than a person normally would. He winked roguishly at her. "Maybe there's something in you yet, Viviel."