I was checking some science notes on my laptop and realized I hadn't posted this yet. Oops. Anyway here you go.
Oh, and please don't hate me after this...
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I stepped out onto the grounds, along with the other Slytherin girls. Pansy was giggling at some joke of hers with Daphne and Millicent. I trailed beside them, drifting in and out of their conversation. Draco, Theo, Crabbe, and Goyle were all ahead of us on the grounds. They had headed out a little earlier than the rest of us, not bothering to wait around for unnecessary chatter. Part of me was annoyed I hadn't joined them. Blaise, of course, was somewhere in the dungeon, having decided not to take the class in the first place.
Once again, I turned back into the girl's conversation, just in time to hear her say Hermione's name. Pretending not to hear what Pansy said I kept my face forward and ignored her remarks; she just wanted attention as usual. In truth I was a little worried about Hermione. She had received an alarming amount of owls during breakfast, ones she didn't look to be expecting, then rushed out of the Great Hall cradling her hand. Now I didn't see her on the grounds, next to the other Gryffindors where she would usually be. And unfortunately I wasn't the only one to notice.
"Potter, have you split up with your girlfriend? Why was she so upset at breakfast?" Pansy called out as we neared the class. Harry frowned at her but pretended not to hear. That was smart, it was better not to encourage her.
We met the boys as we neared the gamekeeper's hut. Professor Hagrid stood outside of his cabin, waiting for his students to gather. Our last lesson we had finished with the unicorn, now we were all unsure of what he would chose next. At our instructor's feet were a few open crates. And, with that sight, many of the students were made anxious.
"Oh, Merlin, not again" Daphne whimpered. My guess was, she was imagining another hybrid like the skrewts.
"Relax, it's not like that" Theo smiled at her, joining the rest of us. At that comment, though not entirely reassured, Daphne peered down at the crates.
Down in those boxes were black furry creatures, all who were looking back at us. Their long snouts twitched back and forth as their front paws, flat and pointed almost like spades, scuffed against the crates. They looked just as puzzled to see us as we were to see them. But something about their appearance looked familiar. I had seen them before, maybe in a book somewhere, but I couldn't quite place where that was...
"These're nifflers" Hagrid announced, ready to begin the lesson. A couple of the creatures at his feet perked up, as if recognizing their name. They were nifflers. Recognizing the name I took a step back, placing my book bag slightly behind me. To my side I noticed Theodore having done the same thing. "Yeh find 'em down mines mostly. They like sparkly stuff… There yeh go, look."
As he spoke, one of the nifflers jumped up from its box and towards Pansy. It's snout reached out and tried to bite her watch off her wrist. I couldn't help but giggle a little as she shrieked and jumped back. But that stopped as I saw Draco reach out to her. She curled up beside him as he patted her shoulder comfortingly. I paused, frowning slightly at the action. That… was odd.
"Useful little treasure detectors. Thought we'd have some fun with 'em today. See over there?" Hagrid continued happily, pointing at a large patch of freshly dug up earth. Pansy glared at him, not at all interested in that. "I've buried some gold coins. I've got a prize fer whoever picks the niffler that digs up most. Jus' take off all yer valuables, an get ready ter set 'em loose."
At that, a number of students moved to remove their valuables. Still not looking too happy with our professor, Pansy took off her watch. Draco moved his hand to his wrist too, seeing as he was still wearing the watch I had gifted him. Daphne removed her earrings and bracelet. Apparently the possibility of getting one's hand bitten off, as Pansy had so dearly demonstrated, was enough motivation to not have to repeat the warning.
"Why aren't you taking anything off?" Draco asked, walking towards me. He was rubbing his now unoccupied wrist.
"You are lucky Zabini doesn't take this course" Theo chuckled moving closer to the nifflers. Daphne giggled and followed after him.
"You know, I don't like jewelry" I answered, pretending not to notice the not so caring gesture Draco was making at Theo. Instead I followed after them, to start with our lesson. Draco walked beside me. "Besides, if I need the time I could just ask you."
"Hang on, there's a spare niffler here… who's missin?" Hagrid asked, looking down at the crate by his feet. "Where's Hermione?"
"She had to go to the hospital wing" Ron explained, though rather vaguely. That didn't prevent Pansy from listening in to what she could. But how badly was Hermione injured that she would need to be at the hospital wing?
Draco pulled at my arm lightly, reminding me of where we were. He reached down and pulled one of the nifflers up from its crate. Taking a quick scan of the box I did the same. I moved to grab a small one, not too far from where his had been. From what I had read the ones who were longer, with slimmer snouts, were normally the most effective at finding things. Those with wider paws were better diggers. The one I chose, however, was cute, and that was good enough for me. Whatever prize Professor Hagrid was planning on giving us was surely not too hard to get for myself if I really wanted it. Once everyone had their own of the creatures, our so called contest began. Each of the nifflers dove into the earth, as easily as if it were water. Every now and then one would return with gold. Draco's nifflers left him a handful of coins before quickly diving back into the dirt. I crouched down and waited for mine.
"Looks like mine was a better pick" Draco smirked proudly, coming to join me. He didn't realize, of course, that was because I had chosen a fairly young breed. I shrugged at him in return. "Still, how did that prat manage to get this much gold? Even if he sold everything he owned it would still not be a percentage of this."
"Ah, Draco, oh my god, you are so funny. Did you know you are so funny?" I replied in a monotone voice. He gave me a look as I smiled in return. With that, Draco sighed.
"Why do I even try with you?"
"Mostly wishful thinking, I'd say" I replied, standing up as mine dropped a bit of gold in front of me. My niffler scratched at his face briefly before returning to the ground. I smiled at it. He was adorable.
"Pansy would have laughed" Draco mumbled at me. I paused.
"Speaking of which, what was that?" I asked suspiciously. Draco frowned at me, needing clarification. "When Pansy almost got her hand bit off, you were consoling her."
"Is that wrong?" he smirked at me. I lowered my eyes at him, he knew what I meant. Draco rolled his eyes at me. "You hate her, I don't. And with people you don't hate it's normal to want to make them feel better, no?"
"It still seems weird" I mumbled. But before I could ask any more questions, that he would probably just avoid, I saw someone walking towards our class. Hermione had returned, her hand bandaged. I frowned again as our professor called out to us.
With the lesson almost to an end Hagrid instructed his students to count the "leprechaun gold" he each had; that also answered Draco's earlier question. Ron's niffler seemed to have gotten the most, making him the winner. No surprise there, really. With that he received his prize, a big slab of Honeydukes chocolate. I figured as much. If I ever craved anything like that I could just get a piece from my pile in the room. Or, if that ran out, I could always sneak to Hogsmeade and get some more. But with that, the bell rang for lunch.
As we all walked back towards the castle, everyone began to put their valuables back on. I, myself, felt better without all that; nothing was there to weigh me down. If anything, I did love scarves, but that was more of a seasonal thing. Besides that, I also noticed something else on the way to the castle. Pansy was still acting off. That lasted for a long time.
Pansy was being very clingy with Draco. Whenever he wasn't sitting by me she made sure he was by her side. She would often offer him a snack, cackling loudly at his jokes. I tried to think back, to see if this had always been a thing or if I was only now noticing him. But the more I thought about it the more it seemed off. Something was different. Still, I couldn't think of why there was this sudden change. It wasn't until the next morning that I was informed to the horrible truth behind her actions.
"For Merlin's sake, Draco! Ew!"
I pulled at Draco's sheets to wake him. During the usual morning routine I decided to ask Pansy why she had been disgustingly happy lately. That was a mistake. I had barely finished getting dressed when she told me the terrible news. Immediately I made my way to the boys' room. I needed to know the truth and I was not going to wait around to get it.
"I'm guessing she told you" Draco mumbled, sitting up on his bed.
"Dammit, can't you two bicker after I've had my breakfast?" Blaise grumbled, rolling over and pulling his sheets over his head. Theodore just yawned, having been the one to open the door for me.
"Don't talk about food, I'm going to throw up" I made a face as I moved to sit next to Draco on his bed. He rolled his eyes at me.
"Don't you think you're being a tad overdramatic?"
"No, as a matter of fact, I don't" I narrowed my eyes at him. "Really, her? Of all the girls in Slytherin, in Hogwarts, you choose her? I thought you had better taste than that!"
"Is this about you dating Pansy?" Theo mumbled. I turned to look at him for a moment before turning back to Draco.
"You told them before you told me? You told them before you told me?" I repeated, outraged.
"No, I didn't" he yawned. I grabbed his pillow and hit him with it, annoyed at his apathy. He grunted in return and pulled it away from me, ignoring my glare. "I didn't, relax. She told them one of the times she came up here. In fact, I'm surprised she didn't tell you sooner. It's been… how long now?"
"About a few days?" Theo offered. Draco shook his head at him.
"No, it was a bit after Hogsmeade… So more like a week—"
"You kept this from me for a week?" I snapped at him.
"I was trying to avoid this sort of reaction" he replied, waving his hands between us as if to prove his point.
"Well, you're getting this sort of reaction" I exclaimed, reaching for his pillow to throw at him again.
"Does your nagging have to happen right now?" Blaise grumbled into his pillow. I gave him a look.
"Yes, yes it does. Because, first of all, eww" I turned to give Draco a look again. "Second of all, a week? And third of all, eww!"
"Katerina, you are not forming proper sentences" Theo commented, stretching a bit. He rubbed the back of his neck as he moved towards his dresser. "Also, you repeated your first point to form your third one."
"Would you stop screaming" Draco complained.
"Well I think it's gross" I insisted, crossing my arms.
"Yeah, I can see that. But you shouldn't—Nott, do you have to do that right now?" Draco turned to give Theo a look. He had begun to take off his shirt, about to dress. Draco's frown didn't change Theo's plan however.
"Katerina just started screaming at you. She's not leaving anytime soon and I don't plan on going down for breakfast in my pyjamas" he insisted.
"Stop" Draco insisted as well.
"I don't mind him," I intervened. He wasn't the one annoying me. Theo turned to Draco and nodded in my direction.
"She doesn't mind, why should you?"
"You know why?" Draco glared in return before turning to me. "Go wait outside."
"No, you go wait outside" I crossed my arms and turned away. "You seem more bothered than I am about him changing."
"Why do you never act like a girl?" he frowned at me. "Girls shouldn't be watching guys get undressed."
"You undress in front of me all the time" I retorted. From across the room I heard a chuckle.
"Malfoy, you been holding out on us?" Blaise smirked, sitting up from his bed.
"Shut it, Zabini!"
"Alright, I changed my mind. You can stay as long as you like" Blaise gave me a sleepy smile from his bed.
"I'm just going to get changed" Theo answered them with a sigh. He continued to unbutton his shirt. I turned away from them and gave Draco a look.
"Gross" I told him simply. He sighed then gave me a small smile.
"I get it, alright" he told me calmly. Draco pulled his sheets back, setting himself free from them.
I moved a little to the side, to give him a bit more room. He sat next to me and let out another small sigh. With a warm look he gently patted my head. Theo headed down for breakfast almost as soon as he had dressed, with only a brief farewell. Crabbe and Goyle, who were much more awake now, walked out after him deciding to get some breakfast themselves. I hadn't noticed they had dressed, or woken up for that matter.
"Ow" Draco complained as I hit his side. I glared at him, remembering something. He sighed at me. "Kitty—"
"You lied to me" I lowered my eyes at him. He gave me a surprised look.
"What? When?" he asked. I frowned at Draco.
"Not telling a truth is in itself a lie. You didn't tell me you two were dating for a week, even after you knew I was suspicious of something."
"She said she wanted to be the one who told you—"
"I don't care what she wants! You lied to me!" I hit his arm again. Draco rolled his eyes at me, reaching to put an arm around me, to stop me from hitting him again.
"Honestly, I figured she had told you already and you were either trying to pretend she hadn't or in some kind of denial."
"Yeah, yeah" I pouted, trying to shrug out of his grip. He kept his arm around me but gave me a sweet smile.
"Fine, next time I get a girlfriend I'll make sure you be the first to know."
"That's all I ask" I nodded. Draco chuckled and rubbed my arm. Across from us, Blaise let out a sigh.
"Well, that was uneventful" he grumbled at us, throwing his sheets off himself. Blaise stood up from his bed, his posture tired.
"I'd argue it was moderately eventful" I shrugged at him. Blaise twirled his finger in the air, in a very sarcastic manner, and began to remove his shirt.
"Hey!" Draco complained, moving his hand from my arm to my eyes. He turned my face back to face him.
"What?" Blaise called back, unapologetically. "She already watched Nott strip."
"I didn't really watch him. My back was to him" I clarified, swatting at Draco's hand. He ignored it.
"Yeah well there's ways to make things happen that way too" I heard the smile in his voice. Draco's position shifted, making me assume he gave him a look, and Blaise let out a chuckle. "What, you're telling me you wouldn't be into that?"
"Would you hurry up, before he decides to blindfold me" I sighed. He was being overly sensitive. Again Blaise let out a chuckle, this time sounding slightly more amused.
"Oh, so you're into that, are you, Malfoy?"
"Out, now" Draco snapped, pointing angrily towards the door. He let enough of his grip on me go so that I caught sight of Blaise go. His shirt was still unbuttoned, his hands raised up sarcastically, and in them his shoes. Still, if he left now, he could avoid more nagging and finish getting dressed in the corridor. "Prick."
"I don't think he's that bad" I shrugged back. Draco rolled his eyes at me.
"Of course you don't" he grumbled, taking his hand from my face. Instead I took his hand in mine and moved to sit closer to him. Draco looked down at me curiously.
"So, really, why?"
"'Why'?" he repeated, confused at the question.
"You two are really dating?"
"Yes."
"Eww. I… eww" I made a face, picturing the two together. I couldn't see the attraction. There was only one thing I could think of. "Is this your way of getting back at me because I'm dating George?"
"Not everything I do is about you, you know" he replied, a mixture of humour and annoyance in his voice.
"You didn't answer my question."
"Yes, I did. Besides, it's about time I got a girlfriend, isn't it? I can't just sit around and wait for something to happen…" he mumbled off to the side. There was something in his tone, something that made me sigh.
"Well, she is a pretty girl" I admitted, though frowning. "It's that mouth of hers, really. Ruins the whole thing, don't you think?"
"Kind of like you" he smirked at me. I smiled back.
"Aww, you think I'm pretty" I batted my eyelashes, leaning closer to him. That made his smirk go away.
"Shut up, I was trying to insult you" Draco complained, making me giggle. He let out a sigh. "We're dating, alright. It happened. Just get over it."
"Oh, so when I decide I want to date someone you can throw a fit and be angry and yell at me for nearly an hour. But when you date someone I'm supposed to just shut up about it?"
"Yes."
"Well, fine, but only because I'm too grossed out to think of anything else to say" I stuck out my tongue at him. With that, Draco let out a chuckle.
"Now you know how I felt. At least she isn't a vagrant."
"First of all, George isn't a vagrant. Second of all, shut up" I tapped his nose, making him smile. "And third of all, she may not be a vagrant but she's a loud, obnoxious, self-entitled narcissist who snores like an elephant."
"Do elephants even snore?" Draco gave me an amused look.
"I'm guessing that it's possible, but that's not the point" I waved away the comment.
"The point is, we're dating and you'll just have to get over it."
"Fine. But I'm not going to stop spending time with you because of it. You know that, right?"
"I know."
"And I swear if she complains about us spending time together, more than she already does, I'm going to lose it" I clarified, meaning what I said.
"I believe you" Draco half smiled at me. I returned it before leaning against his arm.
"You're a cute boy, Deedee. I always knew you would get a girlfriend, and honestly I thought it would be sooner, but this just feels weird, you know?"
"It was certainly not what I thought it would be like" he sighed, resting his head against mine. I frowned at him slightly.
"I'm going to ask you something and I want you to know that I'm asking for you, and not myself" I emphasized before continuing. Draco nodded and wanted for me to continue. "Do you really want to date Pansy of all people?"
"Honestly it wasn't my original plan, but yes. Unlike you I actually like her."
"Well if you change your mind I would be more than happy to break up with her for you."
"I'll keep that in mind" he replied and leaned down to kiss my hair. He kept his face against it for a second before sighing and sitting up. "Now, let's go get some breakfast."
"Yeah, yeah," I waved my hand at his tone, "but one more thing."
"What?" he sighed. I smiled up and kissed his cheek. Draco smiled in return.
"If she thinks this makes her more important than me she's dead wrong. Right?" I emphasised the last word. He chuckled.
"Trust me, no one could ever replace you" he smiled sweetly at me. "I told you already, you're more important to me than anyone else."
"Good" I stated and sat up. "Now, would you stop all the blabbering and get changed already, I'm starving over here."
"Shut up" he chuckled but stood. I stick out my tongue at him teasingly before laying down, waiting for him to dress before heading up for breakfast.
Unfortunately things took a turn for the worst after that. Pansy was making sure to annoying me at any chance she could. Apparently, she had taken her role of obnoxious and overly attached girlfriend quite seriously. It shouldn't have been a surprise really, she had been basically the same way even before they had started dating. But now, she seemed to consider it her job. More often than not Pansy would interrupt our conversations. She would take it upon herself to follow us if we decided to go for a walk together or would just refuse to stay silent and keep quiet about what the two of them decided to do together on their days off. And, on the worst days, it would be all of the above.
But other than being slightly more aggravating than usual though, I didn't particularly care for their newly titled relationship. Daphne, however, had been in a state of confusion and frustration since she heard the news. Part of her was thrilled for Pansy; her possessiveness towards Draco was finally paying off, after all. The other part of her was in a state of despair, for whatever reason. Though her reaction was similar enough to the one she had displayed when I had dated George that I guessed it to mean it wasn't part of her plan for them.
But worst of all, even when we reached summer term, Pansy was still the same.
Draco and I sat in the common room, having decided to study for Arithmancy. On the couch we sat comfortably, working on some possible exam questions. In the parchment were different events from the past, giving us the task of trying to find what it all led to. It was like a practice exam. The questions were difficult, I had to admit, but I had gotten through them decently well. Now, Draco sat frowning down at his questions, either not understanding them or just not liking what he saw. I smiled at him. Before I could make him a suggestion Pansy decided to interrupt. I frowned at her as she sat next to Draco grabbing his arm, the one that just happened to be holding our worksheet.
"Draco" Pansy cooed at him. She leaned closer to him, as if purposefully trying to distract him from our work.
"What is it?" Draco asked, not looking up. He was still frowning, thinking about one of the problems.
"What are you doing here?"
"What does it look like I'm doing? Studying. Is it a fire or something?" he turned up to ask me.
"No" I shook my head. "That was number five. Do you think there would be repeated events?"
"How should I know?" he frowned again and turned back to his work, switching it to his other hand, the one Pansy didn't have her grip on.
"How long do you think it will take?" Pansy asked sweetly, running her hand down his arm. I resisted the urge to gag at that.
"I don't know. There is like twenty of these and I'm stuck on number nine. Is it a flood?" he added, turning from her to me.
"No, and I told you to stop guessing" I scolded. Draco rolled his eyes at me.
"Maybe taking a break will help" Pansy suggested, scooting herself closer to him. "We could go for a walk. It might clear your mind.
"No."
"Or what about a snack?"
"No, I want to get this done" Draco replied with a sigh. I wasn't sure if that was directed to his work or towards her.
"Pansy" I frowned at her. She ignored me. Leaning closer to her I repeated myself. "Pansy!"
"What?" she snapped back. I lowered my eyes at her.
"You might not have noticed but we're studying. So leave" I smiled. Her face gave me an annoyed look but it didn't linger. Instead, she turned to Draco.
"Do you want me to help you study?"
"What marks do you have in Arithmancy again?" I asked sweetly. She shot me a look but kept smiling at Draco.
"We could go up to your room, study alone. That way there wouldn't be any distractions" she added looking at me in a not so subtle attempt at an insult.
I placed a hand to my chest, made a face, and turned away as if offended. From the corner of my eye I saw Draco's lip twitch, stopping himself from letting out a smile. Must have thought his girlfriend wouldn't have approved. Instead he turned to look at her, placing a hand on her leg.
"We're fine, thanks. I'll meet you later, once Katerina helps me figure out these stupid answers. It's not a famine, is it?" he asked, turning to me. I shook my head and Draco let out a groan.
"Can't you come back and annoy him later?" I asked. At that, she gave up the farce of ignorance and glared at me.
"Why don't you go ask your boyfriend for help?" she suggested, putting a decent amount of emphasis on that word.
"For one, George doesn't take Arithmancy, so he would have no clue what any of this is. Besides, genius, I'm not the one who needs the help. But by all means, you try to teach him" I raised my hands and began to stand. Draco grabbed my wrist to stop me.
"You said you'd help me" he reminded me, not looking like he wanted the same thing Pansy did.
"Fine" I raised my hands again and flopped down on my seat.
"Pansy" he said calmly, turning to her once he was sure I wasn't going anywhere. "We're busy right now; I need to get this done. When we're done here I'll come find you myself. Until then, can't you go talk to Greengrass or something?"
"Fine" Pansy grumbled. Then, she let out a sudden smile.
Pansy took hold of his face and leaned into him. I made a face and turned away as she bent down to kiss him. She continued to do that and every time I couldn't help but want to vomit. But it was only a moment before she stood back up and gave me a triumphant smile. I smiled back and waved, making her smile waver. Pansy moved to the stairs, heading to our dormitory. I made a face as she disappeared up the stairway, as Draco snickered beside me.
"Shut up, I might just throw up on your face" I frowned.
"That's attractive" Draco said sarcastically. I gave him a look.
"I'm not trying to be attractive."
"Oh, I know" he replied, sounding awfully honest. I rolled my eyes.
"You know what I mean. How long do you think she will be this obnoxious?" I asked.
"I told you she would do this" Draco turned to me, resting his back on the couch.
"You say that like it's my fault you're dating her" I replied accusingly, to which he merely shrugged. "Now that she's your girlfriend, can't you tell her not to be so obnoxious?"
"Sure" he replied sarcastically.
"Fine, now do your work."
"I'm trying!" he exclaimed. I let out a giggle.
"I'll give you a hint" I said, scooting closer to him. "See how it looks off here? You forgot to account for the population surrounding the village as well. Adding them will change the equation, giving you the correct answer."
"Why did you wait until now to tell me?" he scowled at me, leaning down to correct his work. I shrugged back.
"Why did you wait a week to tell me you had a girlfriend?" I replied with a smile.
"Spiteful brat" Draco grumbled under his breath. I giggled and leaned against him. And with that we both turned back, making an attempt to study.
Well, we tried to at least. The atmosphere was perfectly suitable; with only slight murmurs of conversation from a slight number of students in the common room. But, contrary to what she had said, Pansy had not kept to herself after she initially left. Through the course of studying she constantly wandered over to us. Mostly she glared at me while asking Draco if there was anything she could do to help. Every now and then however she wouldn't even humor the pretence of asking him something, she'd just stop by to ask if he was finished before kissing him and walking away, making me feel nauseous roughly every ten minutes or so. After the fifth occurrence I finally let out a sigh.
"Can't you have better control of your girlfriend?" I grumbled at him. Draco raised an eyebrow at me.
"I've known you over twice as long as I've known her and you barely listen to a word I say."
"Yes but look how obedient you are to me" I smiled at him. Draco looked away from his parchment for a moment and gave me a look. I ignored it. "My point being, you can't have two people in charge of you; it doesn't work like that. I'm not planning on giving you up so at least try to be in charge over that thing you call a girlfriend."
Draco didn't answer me, instead just gave me one of his usual smirks before turning back to Arithmancy. I, however, let out another sigh. I had no idea Pansy was planning on being this obnoxious. But, there was something I could do about that... I hadn't thought about it for a while but it could definitely come in very handy in this particular situation. Something that could remind Pansy of her place.
"Question" I began and waited for Draco to look up before continuing. "If I were to do something, let's say, to Pansy... how upset would you most likely be?"
"Why are you asking?" he gave me a confused yet slightly amused smile. I rolled my eyes and moved to explain but he put up a hand, stopping me. "I know that why. What I mean is, why are you asking me like you're asking permission when you've hated her for far longer than we've been dating?"
"Of course I hate her" I state, waving a hand at the unnecessary comment. "But just like I hate Pansy you hate George and, though I understand that feeling well, I would be upset if you decided to act on that without talking to me first."
"We both hate the person the other is with" Draco acknowledged. I shrugged at him.
"It was bound to happen."
"Why do you say that?" he asked, frowning slightly with confusion.
"Well, you didn't help by picking someone I already had such strong feelings against," I mumbled to my side, "but I doubt I would have liked any girl you chose as your girlfriend."
"Why?" Draco asked, still confused.
"Because you're my Deedee" I cooed at him. I let out a giggle as he scowled at the name. "You're my best friend, Draco, and one of the most important people in my life. I don't think I could ever find any girl good enough to be with you."
"I know the feeling" he muttered quietly. Draco turned to look at his work. It looked as though he was reading it for a second, but his eyes were fixed. Then, after a moment, he turned to me again. "I definitely don't think he's good enough for you."
"I know" I rolled my eyes and he gave me a small smile. "Anyway, back to the subject, how upset would you be if that were to happen?"
"What you do is your business" Draco shrugged at me. I was about to speak but he interrupted. "Now, obviously, if you tell me your plan she would get incredibly upset at me for knowing and insist I should have stopped you. But if I don't know what you're doing then how can I stop you?"
"I feel as though you should care more about what happens to your girlfriend" I noted, frowning slightly at the word. It was still gross. Draco smiled at me, as if knowing what I was thinking.
"You won't do anything too bad. If it was too noticeable, or too drastic, it would catch our Head of House's attention and get you in trouble. So instead you'll probably do something that will just annoy her. In which case, you've been doing that for the past four years. So why should I stop you now?" he answered, making me laugh.
"That's true" I smiled. "And it's really unlikely you'd be able to stop me, either way."
"That too. So, is it an earthquake?" he added, staring back at the parchment in his hands.
"Yes."
"Really?"
"No" I smiled. Draco gave me a look before leaning back against the couch.
"I hate you so much" he mumbled and closed his eyes. I let out a laugh again.
"I love you too" I pinched his cheek. Draco swatted at my hand but saw him smile a bit. I let out a sigh before scooting closer to him and glancing down at his work. "Come on, let's see where else you've messed up."
It took a while longer for us to finish up the practice work. It was good to go over the equations at least. If he just tried a little harder we wouldn't have to study so often but I doubt he ever would. Still, it would have been much more effective without Pansy's constant interruptions. If Draco thought of George as territorial then I have no idea what he considered her. Every time we chose to take a slight pause she took that as a sign to intervene. The worst part was that, if this behavior persisted, it would eventually impact my work as well. So, I would need to fix that.
That weekend, taking advantage of the time off, I made my way to find George. If I was going through with the potion then there was one ingredient I still needed to get. I would have been more prepared if I hadn't put it off for so long. Luckily for me I knew he would be able to get the missing ingredient for me. Unluckily for me, however, it took me a while to find him. It took a few tries but finally I found him out on the grounds, by the otherwise abandoned Quidditch field. George looked to be there with Fred and their roommate Lee. They all spotted me coming around the same time. Fred extended his arm to wave at me before turning to mutter something to his brother. He and Lee turned back to whatever it was they had been doing as George made his way towards me.
"You are annoyingly difficult to find" I frowned at him as he stopped in front of me. George let out a chuckle.
"It's nice to see you too" he replied, leaning down for a quick kiss.
"I need a favor" I began, to which he didn't look as surprised as I expected. "Can you go to Honeydukes and get me a box of caramels? It's important."
"Sounds important" George nodded at me, placing a hand on the side of my waist. "Is Lev being difficult?"
"No, he has plenty of sweets of his own" I shook my head at him. "And besides, he wouldn't get like that with me. I'm the one who needs the caramels. I would just use some of his chocolates, but I need something that can't be eaten in a few bites and won't fall apart as easily."
"And you need this now? Are you planning on poisoning someone or something?" he asked, obviously hesitant about walking to Hogsmeade and back for a bag of sweets.
"Can I just explain later?"
"Why not now?"
I let out a sigh. I didn't like having to ask for something more than once but I also didn't like having to explain myself. For one, if anyone overheard our conversation all of this could easily be traced back to me. Besides that, it was simply time consuming. Rolling my eyes at him I decided on an idea I had saved, figuring it could come in handy in this sort of situation. I moved to stand on the tips of my toes and pulled myself up to him, leaning in for a kiss. George stood momentarily surprised but not a second passed before he kissed me back, using the hand on my waist to pull me closer to him. But after a moment I pulled back.
"Will you go to Honeydukes and get me a box of caramels?" I asked again. This time, he just gave me a nod.
"Yeah, alright" he smiled lazily.
"Good" I nodded back, glad to know that method worked well. I would need to keep that in mind. "Leave them in the room when you get back. I have something to do now, I'll see you later."
George leaned down and gave me a quick kiss. I swatted lightly at his shoulder, making him chuckle. I waved to the other two as I left. George gave me one last smirk as I headed back into the castle before returning to the other two. I moved towards the dungeon, but instead of heading towards the common room like I normally would, I entered the Potions room. Giving a slight knock on the edge of the door, I walked in.
"Miss Volkov" Professor Snape's voice greeted me from his desk as I entered the room, though with a questionable tone.
"I have an experiment in mind. May I borrow some supplies?"
"What is the nature of this experiment?"
"A mixture of curiosity and need."
"Is this something I will need to make an antidote for later?" he questioned still.
"Not if I do it right" I shrugged, ignoring the fact he was the second person to ask if I was planning on poisoning anyone.
"Clean up after yourself once you are finished" he mumbled then looked back down to his desk. With a nod I stepped the rest of the way inside and moved to grab some supplies.
It wasn't long before everything was set up and I began the potion. I began with the basics, since not everything was here yet. Adding what I needed to begin with, deluding what needed to be deluded, I let the cauldron get just below the boiling point with the ingredients. Nearly an hour later, having taken more time than I anticipated, I left the cauldron to lightly simmer and headed out. I didn't bother to say anything to Professor Snape; I would see him in a moment anyway. It was time to see if George had gotten what I asked of him. In the room I spotted the caramels. I smiled at the two boxes of sweets, grabbing them alongside the atropa belladonna and a handful of other herbs. Storing them safely in my bookbag I headed back to the Potions room, making a note to thank George later.
Once back in the room, Professor Snape looked up only briefly at me before returning his gaze to what was on his desk. Returning to my brew I lowered the temperature and prepped the rest of the herbs. Working back and forth between the ingredients, I made sure to adjust the appropriate dosage for the belladonna. I didn't want to kill her after all, at least so far. Looking at the brew I was glad George had decided on two, that way if I made a mistake on one I could have a spare.
The process of setting the caramels was kind of time consuming, though not nearly as long as the mixture itself took. Grabbing them one by one I had to make sure the caramels had enough of the potion to be effective, but keeping in mind that, being bitter by nature, I had to mask the taste among the caramel flavor. Once all of them were ready I waited a second for them to cool, settling back to their original shape, I placed each back onto its place in the box. It looked quite similar, the difference was slight enough that I doubted anyone else would notice. In that aspect, they were perfect. Once all were placed back into the their place I turned to the potion, depositing the remainder of it into a vial for safe keeping. Now all I needed to do was clean up and head to the common room for the finishing touch.
"Miss Volkov" Professor Snape began, stopping in front of me as I began to pack my things.
"Yes, Professor?" I replied, pausing for a moment . He took a slight pause himself before speaking.
"Where did you find this?" he asked, eyeing the atropa belladonna. So he had recognized it after all.
"It was a gift from home" I answered and continued to pack my things.
"Why?"
"Experiments."
"Must I remind you to stay out of trouble" Professor Snape mumbled, watching me place the caramels into my bag.
"As I recall, I've never needed such a reminder, Professor" I smiled at him.
"Giant Squid attacks" he muttered slowly. I shrugged in return.
"I don't know what you mean. I have never been proven to have been involved in anything of the sort" I answered innocently, making him let out a wry smile.
"Any actions my students take reflect on me. I would prefer you not cause trouble for me, Miss Volkov."
"That would mean causing myself trouble as well, and believe me when I say I don't want that. Thank you again for allowing me to express my curiosity towards my studies."
Neither of us said anything else as I gathered my things and exited the Potions room. I made my way to the Slytherin common room, but instead of heading up to my own room I made my way towards the boys'. I stepped in without knocking as usual; the door was unlocked. Inside Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle were the only ones there, talking to one another. They glanced at me as I walked in. Without a word Draco turned back to them, nodding at the door. Both of them understood, stood up, and walked out of the room. The two nodded and waved to me as they left. I waved back before closing the door behind them. With that I reached into my bag and moved towards Draco.
"What?" he asked as I sat next to him on his bed.
"Here, sign your name" I said, handing him a piece of parchment.
"Why?" he asked suspiciously, causing me to roll my eyes at him.
"Because I have some documents set aside that require your signature and I need a template to forge" I replied innocently. He didn't look the slightest bit convinced.
"If that were true you would have brought me the actual documents and told me to sign that instead. What is this for?" he repeated.
"It's for a box of sweets" I shrugged. Draco gave me a confused look. "I'm going to put them on a box of caramels and pretend they're from you."
"Is this your way of telling me you want me to buy you sweets?"
"We both know if that was what I wanted then I would have just told you."
"Fair enough. So then this…" He let his sentence hang so that I could finish it for him. I let out a sigh. One thing I certainly hated was having to explain myself and, as we grew older, he definitely requires more answers.
"I'm going to put that signature on a box of sweets and pretend they're from you. Then I will have the box delivered to my dormitory. When Pansy sees them, with your name, she'll automatically assume I stole them and insist on taking them. Once she does—"
"Alright, I got it. I know when to stop asking questions with you" he interrupted, making me smile a little.
"Smart boy" I noted and gave him a quill and ink.
"I imagine," he began as he moved towards something sturdy to write against, "she won't fancy the idea of me sending you caramels now that we're dating. So what am I supposed to tell her about this?"
"Nothing" I replied simply. "She'll probably just assume I forged your signature."
"Why didn't you?" he asked curiously.
"Why try for a copy when I could have the real thing?"
"Point made. Here" Draco said, handing me the signed piece of parchment. I leaned against his shoulder and smiled at him. He didn't return it. "This isn't something I will regret, is it?"
"I wouldn't think so" I shrugged at him, placing the note in my bag along with the rest of the things. "At most you will be slightly annoyed but in a few days realize it's actually quite funny."
"Alright" he repeated doubtful, but deciding to trust me enough to believe me, or at least want to.
"Relax, I won't get you in trouble" I smiled up at him teasingly.
"You've said that for years now but when will that actually be true?" Draco gave me a look. I let out a giggle and leaned in to kiss his cheek before standing.
"Stay here, she might come try to find you soon enough. I doubt she'll say much about what happens, though" I added, chuckling a little to myself. Draco gave me a slightly concerned look as I waved and exited his room.
Now was time to head back into the common room, next was step three. Hopefully I would only need to go into the common room this time, instead of searching all over the grounds like I had to do with George. But thankfully it only took a quick scan of the common room as I came down the stairs from the boys' dormitory to spot her. I smiled, glad not to have to wander around much more. Stepping into the common room I made my way directly to her.
"Hey, Astoria" I called, once I was almost to her. She met me halfway, stepping away from her little second year friends. "Can you do something for me?"
"Are you going to poison someone?"
"Why is everyone asking that? No" I sighed. Astoria smiled at me. "Can you take something—"
"Am I going to be considered an accomplice?" she asked.
"No, you'll be more of an unassuming bystander to say the least" I waved away the comment, and the fact that she interrupted me. "Now, can you do something for me, or not?"
"What do you need?" Astoria asked, sounding more determined. I nodded and grabbed the things from my bag.
"Just drop this off on my bed. Don't open the box or bother reading the note. If anyone asks just say you were asked to bring these. Do not say anything else."
"And what do I get from this?"
"What do you need?"
"A favor" she smiled. I raised an eyebrow at her.
"That is a very vague statement."
"This is a very vague request" she stated. I rolled my eyes but held the things out for her again.
"I'll agree so long as whatever it is you ask for does not intervene with anything I may or will have planned. If it does, consider this agreement null."
"Pleasure doing business with you" she nodded at me. Astoria gave me a smile and reached for them.
With that she moved towards the stairs. I liked Astoria. Whenever I asked for her help she never asked any unnecessary questions, and her requests were simple enough to fulfill. Having gotten that out of the way I moved myself to a nearby seat, waiting a few minutes while she completed the last step to my plan. Once I was sure she had finished with her end of the deal I followed where she had left, up the stairs. Stepping into our room Astoria was gone but I was immediately met with the hushed bickering of Pansy and Daphne. And, going along with the plan, I frowned at them.
"What are you doing?" I asked. Pansy's head quickly snapped towards me.
"What does it look like we're doing?" she replied.
"If I could guess then I wouldn't have asked" I rolled my eyes, stepping closer to the two. Pansy moved forward as well. She stomped up just before me and raised something to my face; the box of caramels.
"This. Why was this on your bed?"
"Why are you taking things that were on my bed" I demanded, trying to grab the box from her hands. Pansy pulled it back in time.
"I am taking what is mine," she snapped in return, moving to her side of the room. I frowned deeper and followed after her.
"Do not touch my things" I called, snatching the sweets away from her. Pansy scowled in return. I gave her a warning look, keeping her in her place, then turned towards Daphne. "What were these doing on my bed, anyway?"
"My sister, she brought the box in a few minutes ago. Said someone asked her to bring this and left it on your bed. Then, I… I may have checked the name on the card and—"
"You what?" I lowered my eyes at her. Daphne raised her hands defensively and began to quickly and almost incoherently defend herself.
"Well it was Astoria, and she wouldn't have done it for someone she didn't know or she couldn't get something from. So I was curious and checked the card because, well, like I said I was curious. It's not like I opened anything, it could have just as easily fallen open with some wind or something, right? And I read it and it turned out it was from Draco, which I guess made sense because she wouldn't have done that for too many people but—"
"It was a mistake, obviously!" Pansy interrupted. "My boyfriend must have sent me something and she just got confused as to whose bed she was leaving it on."
"Wouldn't she have just given it to you then?" I replied, giving her a doubtful look. It took her a moment to answer me, which answered the question in itself.
"Maybe I wasn't here then" she replied defiantly. I rolled my eyes at her and moved towards my bed. Pansy pulled the sweets away from me. "You can think whatever you want but these are mine."
"Pansy, give those back" I hissed at her. For a second Pansy paused, as though she might, but inevitably stood her ground. Instead, she moved to open the box. "I'm warning you."
She took that as her cue and opened the box. Pansy took one of the caramels from its wrapper and placed it in her mouth, defiantly. I waited a moment, wondering what would happen next. If I hadn't deluded the formula enough she might have fainted for a few moments, or at least spat it out, finding the sweets too bitter. But no, to my pleasant surprise she continued to savor the treat, making a triumphant face at me as she did. I continued to wait, making sure my face remained even. The effect wouldn't take place for another minute; I had to keep her distracted enough that she would finish her bit of caramel. Although that didn't feel like much of a problem as I watched Pansy reach for another piece, before even finishing the one she was currently on. At that I couldn't help but let out a giggle.
"I get that you're trying to prove a point but how many are you planning to shove into your mouth at once" I chuckled.
"I can eat as many as I want" she snapped, taking a tighter grip on the sweets.
"Wait," Daphne intervened with a confused look. "Shouldn't you be… you know, upset?"
"What do you mean? I'm obviously torn up about all this" I answered with a smile. Daphne still looked confused but Pansy became suspicious.
"Why were these on your bed?" she asked, closing the box of sweets before setting it down slowly.
"How should I know?" I shrugged and sat on my bed. Now, she looked slightly alarmed. Quickly she moved to a nearby waste bin and spat out her one piece; it was already too late for that though.
"What did you do?" Pansy gave me a look. I ignored her.
"Hey, where is Lev?" I looked around Pansy to Daphne, who still looked somewhat confused.
"I don't know" Daphne answered slowly, looking between Pansy and I.
"What did you do?" Pansy repeated.
"Why do you always suspect I'm up to something? Honestly, I'm hurt" I placed a hand against my chest. At that, she became anxious.
"These weren't even from Draco, were they?" she demanded. I shrugged at Pansy.
"How should I know?" I repeated, which she didn't accept as an answer.
"I don't have time for your games! If you did something to these I want you to tell me right—"
Suddenly she stopped. Pansy put a hand up to her mouth. She tried to talk but no coherent words came out. I feigned surprise but she didn't buy it. Instead she glared at me and tried once more to complain but this time she paused all together. Her eyes grew wider and her hand moved to her neck. No sound was escaping her throat. That was surprising; an unexpected side effect apparently.
"Tell me you didn't poison her" Daphne grumbled.
"I'm not saying I did anything," I began, to which Daphne rolled her eyes, "but it looks like whoever did this must have used some form of relaxant that numbed the mouth. That is what's preventing her from being able to speak. The lack of sound must be a side effect. The vocal cords most likely received some of the same toxins from the caramels, I'm assuming, and relaxed to the point of silence. It's quite interesting, really."
Not thinking the same thing Pansy shook her head. She began to stomp and make some very unladylike gestures at me. I pretended to be offended once more, which only aggravated her. So, instead, she began pointing and making faces at different things around her. It was mostly gestures but I could guess what she was trying to say.
"What? You're going to tell on me?" I guessed by her pointing. She nodded vigorously. "Good luck with that."
"The potion will wear off eventually" Daphne tried to reassure her, though sounding doubtful herself.
"Will it?" I asked. Pansy's eyes grew bigger and I let out a small smile. "Relax, the effects aren't permanent. Either way, I don't think you have much of a case against me."
"What do you mean?" Daphne asked for her.
"Well, you saw what happened. The package was addressed to me; it was on my bed and obviously my property. Pansy had no right to any without my permission, and I made it clear I did not want to give it to her. Then I find out that the sweets meant for me actually cause this. If anything I'm the victim, aren't I?" I said innocently. Daphne let out a giggle. Pansy stomped her foot, making Daphne smile sheepishly.
"It was funny" she admitted in a quiet voice. Pansy glared at her in return.
"Well, if you will excuse me. I have something to do with the rest of these."
I left the two to sort things and made my way out of the dormitory. I was glad my experiment at least had been a success. She had spat the caramels out rather soon but even so, since she had grabbed two, the brew still did its job. I would have to properly dispose of those later, but I doubted either of them would think to do anything about that themselves. So, for now, that wasn't much of a priority. I stepped onto the common room floor and moved towards the entrance.
Well, that was done, and now I know a new way to shut her up, if need be.
I made my way out of the Slytherin common room and headed back towards the grounds. Stopping only briefly by the room I dropped off one of the boxes of caramels. I could possibly use them at some point later on. It would most likely not be Pansy again; she wasn't the brightest girl but she wasn't that stupid. Walking up the steps towards the Entrance Hall I turned and headed out of the castle. Since the experiment had worked so well I wanted to go thank George for getting the caramels. Without them the whole experiment would have been impossible. As I stepped through the courtyard, on my way to see him, I spotted Hermione. She waved at me, walking towards me. I smiled back as she approached.
"Oh, hey" I greeted Hermione, walking the rest of the way to her.
"Hey, are you busy?" she asked.
"Not really, I was just on my way to find George."
"Oh, then I'll be quick" she stayed with a particular smile. Reaching into her bag to pull some parchment out Hermione smiled at me. "I think I found our estate agent."
"Really? Who is it?" I asked curiously.
"Jennifer Wood" Hermione stated, glancing down at her parchment. "She works for percentages, like you asked, and is based in London so she knows the area quite well. I've contacted her; sent her a letter and even used stamps to make it seem valid."
"You used what?" I paused, confused at the last part.
"It's how muggle mail works" she explained with a wave of her hand. Hermione looked down at her parchment again and sighed. "But, we might have a slight problem."
"What is it?"
"I made sure to use proper terms and what not, you know, to sound like an adult. But she still wants to meet with us beforehand. And then, what about when she finds a place? You did say you might have an idea…" Hermione drifted off, hoping that I would. I nodded back.
"Next time you send her a letter explain to her that I'm a business woman who is currently away overseas but want a home to come back to. Tell her to send pictures as a way for us to see what the house is generally like. Make sure you mention we are willing to give her an advance on her payment, to make her more trusting. How much of a percentage does she charge" I asked, remembering it varied on the agent.
"She wants two percent. And I know that is a little higher for a residential home—"
"It's fine" I waved away her anxiety. People of value have a right to ask for more. "You said last time that it would be around 40,000 galleons for a home… In that case she will be wanting around 800. In that case, offer her 300 galleon in advance. That way she won't think we're joking around about this."
"300—that's about 1,500 pounds!" she exclaimed at me. I shrugged in return.
"You worry too much about numbers."
"I'm a little scared that you don't" she shook her head at me. "So, then, what about looking at the house? Pictures are one thing but visiting is another."
"Well" I mumbled, thinking about it, "we already talked about what kind of house get, so for now we'll settle for pictures. After we number them down I was thinking about lining up a handful and sending an 'assistant' to have a look around. And, if he ends up liking one, he can sign the final documents on my behalf and I will pay the rest."
You're going to have your brother look at his own house" she whispered with a smile. I nodded.
"I can't very well buy him a house without letting him look it over first."
"Alright, I'll start the letter" she nodded, placing her notes back in her bag, then let out a sudden smile. "I don't want to keep you any longer."
"It's fine," I shrugged, "I just wanted to talk to George about some sweets."
"They even have you involved in their mischief" she let out a sigh and shook her head. I gave Hermione a smile.
"See, you worry too much" I giggled, thinking it best not to mention that I was the one developing the sweets in this scenario.
"Have fun with George" she gave me a small smile and wave before scurrying off. I waved back and continued on my way farther into the grounds.
Deciding on a particular place to search I moved to look at the Quidditch pitch first. Since that was the last place I had seen him I was hoping he was still there. I stepped onto the open area and spotted the three, George, Fred, and Lee, still sitting there like before. They faced one another as they spoke animatedly. Most likely it was about their mischievous sweets, like Hermione had suggested. In which case, these caramels would come in rather handy. I would have to remember to write down the recipe for Fred, since he asked before.
"Hey" George called, standing up from his place as he spotted me. I gave them a small wave.
"Un, hey" Lee mumbled as I reached them.
"Hi" I replied, though slightly confused. Usually when he spoke to me at was some form of remark; he had never bothered with just a greeting. I turned back to George. "Thank you for the caramels. They were very helpful."
"You're welcome" he said happily, leaning over to hug me from behind.
"What did you end up doing Whit those, anyway?" Fred asked curiously.
"My roommate was annoying me, so u decided to start on a potion I had planned a while back. It was a deluded form of a poison. I mixed the brew with the caramels to create a sweet that numbs the mouth. Although, it did travel down to her throat, causing her to be silenced altogether. I hadn't considered that before but it was a pleasant side effect. I don't know, however, if that had to do with how she went about eating them or if it's a common occurrence" I mumbled the last to herself.
"You poisoned your roommate?" Lee frowned at me. I couldn't help but let out a smile; that was the sort of comment I was used to.
"She was being annoying" I shrugged. George chuckled behind me as I moved to pull the caramels from my bag. "Besides, I knew it wasn't going to kill her. I did bring these for you, to see if you wanted to test them out."
"Really?" Fred asked excitedly. He quickly stood and, when close enough, grabbed them from my hands. "Don't you want these in case she keeps annoying you?"
"No, it's alright" I smiled, considering he had basically already accepted them. "I made two boxes of these anyway. I am keeping one around in case I need them. But I will probably just end up taking them home. I don't believe she's dumb enough to fall for the same thing twice."
"Then why make so many?" George asked,
Mostly as a precaution, I would say" I mumbled, thinking about it. "In case I made a mistake on one box I could still have another seemingly harmless one. With Pansy every now and then I like to remind her what I could get away with doing. She knows that of I wanted to do something other than silence her for a few hours that I very well could have. That fear keeps her from being as annoying as she could be on a daily basis."
"You're so cute" George cooed, pressing his cheek against mine. I let out a giggle at that. Lee frowned at us.
"How did you get a poison into Hogwarts, anyway?" Lee asked suspiciously.
"My father gave it to me" I replied simply. Lee shook his head and I shrugged in return. "It's not that bad of a poison, not really. It would take at least a. If and a half of those caramels to experience any noxious effects."
Lee continued to give me a particular look as George chuckled behind me. Beside us, Fred was still eyeing the caramels. He opened the box, glanced at the sweets, then closed them again before looking up. At that, he let out an impish smirk.
"This could be fun."