A New School
Chapter Four: Reviewing
Hermione had to elbow me to wake me from my reverie and we continued down to the dungeons for Potions, the one class I was looking forward to.
"Miss Braddock why don't you sit with the top student?" Professor Snape said once we got to the class as he shot the trio a dirty look. I shrugged and he led me over to a vacant desk.
"Oh good, the top student doesn't exist, thanks Sev…Professor." I said sarcastically. Snape gave me a small smile that only I saw and I sat and waited.
"What's she doing on this side?" a whiny voice said. I was about to turn around and smack her, but was beaten to it.
"If Snape sat her here he has his reason Pansy." A familiar voice drawled as he sat down beside me.
"Sure Draco, of course." The girl swooned. Well at least she had decent taste.
"Top potions student?" I asked as he sat next to me.
"In the flesh." He said with a cocky grin that was all too attractive. I smiled and watched as Severus began to teach.
He went over a new Potion that Draco and I perfected within minutes and then called me up to his desk.
"So how has your day been?" he asked with a stern face so the other students wouldn't know that it was a social chat.
"Not bad, miss home, but not bad." I said with a straight face, I was trying not to smile or grin, but it wasn't really in my nature not to.
"Good, good." He said and looked down at a book in front of him.
"So are you always this dramatic in class or were you trying to make it special?" I asked, cracking a grin that I couldn't stop. He just shook his head and motioned for me to leave. I went back to my seat where Draco was lounging contently, watching the incompetent students fail.
"What did Snape have to say?" he asked as I sat down.
"I have to find someone to catch me up on all of the potions I've missed." I said with a smile. Hermione who was at the next table just shook her head at me.
"Someone from Griffyndor no doubt?" Draco asked laughing at the inept kid across the aisle. Snape swooped down to yell at the kid and I shrugged.
"He didn't specify actually." I said.
"How convenient." Hermione mumbled from beside me. I shot her a grin.
"Well if you don't mind meeting in the library, I'd be glad to offer my services." He said turning to me as Snape announced that he was deducting points from Griffyndor for being so incompetent.
"Sounds good to me." I said. "So after Defense in the library?" he nodded and I walked over to the incompetent kid and fixed his potions much to Snape's chagrin.
"You're lucky you seem to have acquired some help, Mr. Longbottom." Snape said and began walking away.
"So that would mean there was no point in taking points away, am I correct?" I called after him. The room went silent and everyone turned to look at me with their jaws on the floor.
"Pardon me?" he asked spinning around to look at me. "Are you questioning my judgement Miss Braddock?"
"No of course she wasn't!" Ron said from behind me.
"Silence Mr. Weasley I wasn't speaking to you." Snape snapped.
"I believe I was Professor. Of course if it's a problem to voice your opinions in this school then let me be the first to apologize." I said rolling my eyes at the blatant display of power.
"I shall let it slide this time. In the future Miss Braddock I suggest you learn to keep your opinions to yourself in my class." He said and swung his cape thing as he walked away. And with that we were dismissed.
"Word to the wise…" Ron started. "Don't bother Snape, he likes the GRiffyndors like he likes his steak…"
"Medium rare?" I quipped with a grin.
"Dead." The trio answered in unison making me laugh. I couldn't understand why they were so sketchy around Snape…okay well I could see it I guess, but I didn't find it any less funny.
We walked into the Defense Against the Dark Arts class and Hermione pulled to her table to sit next to her. I was about to comment when the teacher began before half the class was seated.
"Today class we learn Occaecus Aegis. No watch carefully." She went to the center of the class, as the desks were moved in a circle type thing…more of an amoeba but I'm not complaining, and did some sort of freaky wand movement and whispered 'Occaecus Aegis'. When nothing happened I just kind of looked around. "Throw something." Was all she said and to my surprise the students picked up whatever they could and launched it at her. It didn't hit her, but still, at my old school we'd need a bit more convincing before pelting our teacher with random objects. "Now who wants to try?"
I would have volunteered, but then it occurred to me that if it didn't work, you'd have no way of knowing and would end up getting pelted with random objects. Of course Mr. Bighead stepped up.
"Very well Potter, remember….jab and slash." She said repeating the freaky wand movements. After Potter had perfected it in just one attempt (shock and awe), we all practiced with our partners.
"Swear to god if you hit me with anything hard, I'm coming after you while you sleep." I warned and then did the spell. She lightly tossed the smallest book she had at my feet, and I smiled when it bounced away. "Well I'm perfect." I said with a shrug and Hermione just laughed. After she had perfected it in one simple attempt (shock and awe), we sat at the desk and chatted.
"You're not really thinking about going to meet him in the library are you?" she asked in a hushed voice and I just shrugged.
"I don't see why I shouldn't. I mean, yeah you think he's scum and I get that, but I still want a piece of him." I explained, then smiled at her facial expression of disgust.
"And you're meeting in the library for that?" she squeaked and I just shrugged again, I did a lot of that apparently.
"Don't worry we won't desecrate the library. Besides nothings gonna happen tonight."
"And why not?" she asked. I looked at her and realized that she was actually perplexed by this.
"Because then what? I mean I get with him, and if he is a dog like you say then I'm out of a flirting partner, and that's no fun. So I fully intend on dragging ti on as long as my poor little hormones can take it." It was her turn to laugh. "What's so funny? I mean, it makes sense."
"You are certainly going to be good for this school." She said with a smile.
"Aw thanks!" I said. "No chance you can calculate how long it will take Bob to get to Canada and back?"
"I could, or I could just say a couple more days and keep you from rendezvous' in the owlery." I had to laugh at that, quite loudly in fact.
"Does this mean I shouldn't count on you for directions to the library after class?" I said running a hand through my hair. She just sighed in a disapproving way and drew me a map on a piece of parchment. "Aw and look who's a pal!"
"I am in no way encouraging you! Let me get that straight." Hermione said pulling the map back from my hands. "I personally think that you should wait a few days and get to know some of the boys from our house."
"Okay, I promise we won't elope tonight, how's that?" I said sarcastically. She just hit my shoulder lightly and then everyone stood in unison. "Is there like some secret signal that I'm not seeing? Because this is just stupid." I complained as I gathered my books in a hurry. Hermione just laughed and handed me the map before walking out in Ron's embrace.
I followed the perfectly drawn map, swear to god even the scale was perfect, through the halls and finally to the library where I grabbed the nearest empty table and pulled out some parchment. But instead of starting on the homework that I was almost sure I had, I turned and stared out the window and found myself longing to be home more than ever. I bit my lip as I realized that I should be watching the Quidditch practice around now.
"Reminiscing?" the drawl came from beside me, waking me from my reverie.
"Something like that." I said turning to him with a smile. He slid into the seat across from me and slouched in the chair, making me wonder if he was actually human. And if he was there were very few humans that could move like that.
"Enjoying the view?" he said with a slight chuckle and a cocky smile that looked way too good on that face.
"And what makes you say that?" I said raising an eyebrow. He just shrugged and pulled out some parchment.
"You just seemed to be quite interested is all." He said, a smile playing on his lips. I shook my head.
"Well arne't we the cocky little shit." I said with a smile and he shrugged again. "Just admiring the stitching on that robe of yours, very well done."
"A sewing fan are we?" he asked as he flipped his book open.
"No but it was a good cover." I said with a cocky grin that rivaled his. He just laughed and nodded. "So where are we starting." I looked up at him to see an amused smile on his face. "And why are you lookinga t me like that?"
"Your accent." He said.
"I don't have an accent." I corrected him.
"Page four." He conceded and I found the page in the textbook.
"I know this one." I said and leaned back in my chair, making it balance on the back legs.
"Rumor has it you know them all." He said. "Which leads me to wonder why we're here. I'm sure there are plenty of other more private locations for us to become acquainted."
"Well it seems, that unlike your other trollops, I don't roll with those I don't know." I said. He just nodded. "Plus I hear that dreamy Harry Potter kid has his eyes set on me…and I mean who can resist that ugly hairdon't and grandpa glasses right?"
"Are you sure they sorted you into the correct house?" Draco said with a smile that would've made my legs give out if I were standing, how did he get his teeth so white?
"What do you mean?" I said cocking ym head to one side.
"I believe that one of the prerequisites for being in Gryffindor is worshiping the Boy Who Lived." Draco said. I shrugged.
"I wasn't 'sorted'. My mom was in Gryffindor so I got palced by default." I said and then smiled as SNape swooped in. "Checking in on me?"
"No, I am relieving Mrs. Pince so she can go eat her dinner." He said, but looked from me to Draco and back.
"I just thought that Ms. Braddock would like to go over everything we've learnt to make sure she knows it." Draco said smoothly.
"And the fact that you were the top potion's student at your old school was evidently forgotten Gwyn?" Snape said raising an eyebrow.
"Reviewing never hurt." I said with a huge grin. So what if I was straight busted? "But thanks so much for reminding me." I added through clenched teeth. "Well since reviewing is apparently frowned upon here, I'll take you up on your offer Draco." I shut my books and stood. "Excuse us Professor, we're going to go somewhere a bit quieter to get to know each other more intimately." I looked to Draco who was doing his best fish-out-of-water impression, looking from Severus to myself, gaping for air. "No? Alright then. See you tomorrow Professor." I said and waltzed out of the library in an attempt to return to the 'common' room. I found it after a half hour of wandering around.
"Well that was quick." Hermione said upon my arrival.
"Teenage boys have stamina difficulties." I said with a grin.
"Hey now!" Ron protested. "That's a generalization!"
"Word of the day?" I quipped and he blushed. "Turns out I misunderstood Severus' instructions. Thankfully he showed and clarified them for me." The joke was lost on the boys but Hermione laughed. "So what do you do for fun around here?"
"Interested in a game of Wizards Chess?" Ron offered with a huge smile that I couldn't possibly resist. After he beat me thoroughly, we went down for supper. I sat with Hermione and used every bit of my powers of restraint to refrain from glancing towards the Slytherin table to once again admire his hand to mouth coordination.
"I'm impressed." Hermione said finally. I smiled at her with questioning eyes.
"With what?" I asked drinking some strange liquid that tasted like Halloween. I'd never get used to their way of eating. I mean, you didn't even get to order what you wanted, it just appeared and you had to eat it. I missed home.
"You haven't glanced over at the Slytherin table once." She said, eyeing the boys who were far too engrossed in their Quidditch chatter to care about our trivial conversation.
"Oh trust me, it hasn't been easy." I said my smile growing as she shook her head at me. "Has he looked over here?"
"Several times in fact." Hermione said with a small nod. "So I was talking to Harry…"
"Really? That's a great story." I cut her off. She glared at me for interrupting and continued.
"And he apologizes for making such a rude first impression." She said. I just nodded.
"Wonderful." I said. "I'm not dating him."
"SO we should chalke up another point for Malfoy then?" Ginny asked from across the table, I had been unaware that she was listening.
"What?" I asked. Points? There was a score? There was a game? Was I playing in this game?
"Well, I have this theory." Ginny began, Hermione rolled her eyes, and I leaned forward. "See whenever someone new comes, or someone 'grows into her figure' as my mum would say, Malfoy and Harry both go after them, it's kind of like a competition. I'm keeping score."
"And who's winning?" I asked, I enjoyed this little game.
"Malfoy, by a landslide." Hermione offered, then looked at me pointedly.
"Are you sure?" I asked.
"Of course we're sure, we even made a chart." Ginny said.
"And how have you collected your info?" I asked leaning back and smiling at their bewildered faces.
"Well Malfoy has a tendancy to brag about his latest conquests and Harry tells Ron who tells one of us." They said, seemingly satisfied with their system.
"So there's no way that Harry could have fucked a bunch of other girls without you knowing?" I asked raising an eyebrow. This made them all flustered and I just laughed. "I'm just bugging you guys, don't worry about it." I reassured and they calmed down. "SO he's experienced then?"
"Far more than any boy his age should be." Hermione said, I giggled, earining a glare.
"You sound like my mom." I said with a grin and she just blushed. "And I wouldn't want to waste my efforts on someone who wouldn't know what to do when the time comes."
"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that." Hermione said with a grimace. Sounds like someone's saving themselves.
"Oh please, like you don't talk about sex all the time." I said sarcastically, stalling my eye rool only when they looked at me like I was crazy. "You don't? Seriously? What do you talk about then?"
"Other things." Ginny said. "Actually everything but." I just nodded and thought about how many times the guys had to yell at me and Aje to shut us up. I stuck out my bottom lip as I realized that I should be amongst the Quidditch team, listening to their strategies like I cared.
"You okay?" Hermione asked, placing a hand on my shoulder. I turned to her and nodded.