Not many bothered to be in the Owlery so early on a Saturday morning, making it the perfect time to send out correspondence. Specifically this early in the year, many students cherished the few extra hours of sleep they could get, before the coursework and exams got the better of them. And with that safety net in place, this made it the perfect time to send a letter or two to my brother. I tried as much as I could to keep in contact with him. Obviously it wasn't so simple keep in touch, especially in a time like this. But he was my brother and I'd die before I let anything or anyone keep us apart again.
That being said, it hadn't been much of a conversation. He was still upset I had told Draco our secret. I still believed fully that he would not spread what I had told him, but in retrospect, it would have prevented a lot of grievances if I had just kept my mouth shut. But I certainly wasn't going to tell him that. Instead I focused on much lighter conversations including classes, homework, friendships, and the like. All the while I was making it a point not to mention Draco and I had hit a rough patch, as it would only bring an unwanted 'I-told-you-so' into the mix. Merlin knows he loved to give those out whenever the opportunity presented itself.
Taking one more look through the windows of the Owlery, I let out a whistle and called down Draco's owl, Balthazar. Since I had brought Lev to school, I couldn't also bring my own owl, so Draco was gracious enough to lend me his own. Besides, Zary was a fine owl, properly trained to carry sensitive information, and being just a little older than Whiskers he could certainly take care of a letter like this. And it's not like I could ask one of the school's owls anyway, I doubt they knew what to do in the instance of an attempt at interception anyway. I pet Zary's head as he nuzzled against my fingertips. Carefully I gave him the correspondence, directing him as I always did to be careful when on his flight, and saw him off.
I watched for a moment more as he departed only to be interrupted by the sound of footsteps. Someone was near. I didn't need any unnecessary questions, so I made the decision to avoid interaction if at all possible. Quickly I dove near the entrance, placing myself directly against the wall. It was most common for people to stare straight ahead when walking so, if I limited my movement, I could slip by without a fuss. From the corner of my eye I noticed Gryffindor robes walk through. Great. He paused, making me pause as well, until I noticed their head turn away, and realized who it was. Harry Potter. Perfect.
Of all the people to be here, it had to be one of the nosier bunch. Not that I cared for him either way but, due to my association with Draco, he was always quick to judge and argue with me. Or in this case question. But Potter was squinting through the light, seeming almost blinded by the open windows and the sun's streaks between them. Taking advantage of the stutter, I slid past him. After a second, I paused near the entrance. There was a reason why I had walked to the Owlery at such an hour, but why was he there? Turning to hide myself on the other side of the wall, I stood contemplating if it was worth the risk to linger for another minute or two. It wasn't the smartest of ideas, and it was basically what I had been dreading he try with me, but I was nothing if not curious. With a bit of an internal lecture to myself, I gave in and stood by the window, curious to see if I could hear anything of interest. It was his fault really, for not taking better care of his surroundings.
The sun was still shining bright overhead, washing out most of his figure from where I stood. But it could also work to my advantage, as his sight was betraying him. I watched as he stepped back and forth across the Owlery, looking for a particular owl. Finally, he stopped, having spotted the one he wanted, and called it forth.
"Get down here, I've got a letter for you" Potter called, making me more curious. Of course it was of no shock he would be in the Owlery to send out a letter but, if that were true, it most likely also contained sensitive information. At least, that's why I was here. I etched closer to the Owlery entrance, careful not to be spotted, but wanting to make sure I didn't miss anything of value. He leaned down to the owl, giving him the letter and the command attached. "Right, I know this says Snuffles on the outside, but it's for Sirius, okay?"
Draco was right, that dog was Sirius, and I assume "Snuffles" was what he went by when in his canine form. So the Order was involved, meaning George was involved, and now I was involved, caught in the middle of it all. Wonderful. I made a face and turned away from him; that was enough of that. The longer I stayed, the more likely it was I would get caught, and I was already far more involved with all of this than I would have preferred. From a distance I caught sight of a Thestral diving for a snack, and decided to head for one myself. I scurried back to the castle and into the Great Hall for some breakfast. Through the sea of students I managed to catch sight of a specific little blond boy. Thinking it perfect timing, I rushed forward to catch up to him. He gave me a smile but, before he could say anything, I pulled him away from the horde. Finding a proper corner in the corridor to hide in, I pulled him away for a little chat.
"What?" Draco snapped, his smile gone from being dragged by his robes.
"I wanted to talk" I answered, watching him swat at his clothes to straighten them.
"About?" he insisted, having not gotten any details. I took a second to look around, this wasn't the best place I could have chosen, but curiosity was getting the better of me again.
"Remember how we were talking the other day?" I asked, trying to be as subtle as possible. He looked back at me blankly, apparently not having had enough information to piece it together. I rolled my eyes and thought of how else to word it. "About how a friend of ours recently got a pet."
"What friend?" Draco frowned. I had to try really hard not to reach over and slap the side of his head.
"Our old friend, remember, Draco?" I called slowly. "Remember how you mentioned it was odd they had never mentioned having that pet before. How you mentioned it was something they probably would have told us by now. How you mentioned it when we were boarding the Hogwarts Express."
"Oh!" Draco called, finally getting it. I let out a slow breath, annoyed at how dense he could be. "What about that pet?"
"Do you have any idea why this friend of ours would want that kind of pet around?" I asked, hoping it wouldn't take him so long to understand this part of it. "They never really seemed like the type that would adopt that kind of pet. Can you think of a reason why they would want that breed specifically?"
"Why are you asking all of a sudden?"
"Curiosity." It wasn't the most descriptive I could have been, but if I was it would have only brought up more issues. Draco watched me a moment, but I couldn't tell if he was thinking about my statement or what I was asking.
"So what you're saying—what you're asking is if I know why they decided this dog wouldn't be so bad when they're usually too goody-goody for… dogs."
"Yes."
"It's complicated… but I could look into it" he finally answered, still watching me carefully.
Nodding, I gave him a smile. I would do the same, but this kind of information was tricky to look into, if you didn't have the right connections. Their group, and I would assume anyone in the Order, would have a moral compass pointing far too north for a convicted Mass Murderer. There had to be a reason why it seemed Sirius was such an integral part of their group. Draco looked at me a moment, as if trying to piece together what I was thinking. I gave him a nod once more and walked past, wanting to join the rest for breakfast. Still giving me an odd look, Draco followed after.
We sat together with the rest of the Slytherins at our table. Everyone sorted themselves into their newly chosen places. Draco sat next to Pansy, as was just usual now. While we always sat together, the actual seating arrangement between us seemed to change every so often, usually at the start of the year. I sat chose to sit across from Blaise, not wanting to watch the other two make stupid couple faces at each other. I wouldn't be able to hold down my food that way.
Daphne gave me a tired wave before sitting on the seat beside me, having taken up the part as Draco's replacement. Some students were still trying to find their place as the owls swarmed in for delivery. Zary wasn't among them, currently working on the errand I had given him. A copy of the Daily Prophet dropped between us on the breakfast table. Daphne was the first to reach for it. She shifted her drink to the side and gave herself more room to read. Draco seemed curious about the new paper too and leaned forward.
"Anything good today?" he asked, sounding far more interested in the paper than he normally did.
"Oh! It looks like someone's getting married" Daphne smiled down at the page. "Looks like it's the bassist for the Weird Sisters. They were just great at the Yule Ball last year, weren't they?"
"Super" Draco answered in a monotone voice. "But I thought there might be something else in there this morning. Something more interesting."
"Let me see that" I frowned, noting his tone. I reached over to take the paper from Daphne but as I went to pull it to my side she kept her grip on it. Apparently she was still upset I had helped Astoria retrieve the password for the prefect bathroom. Now, instead of the elegant shops and sights of France, they were going to a historical tour through Greece. But I gave her a look and pulled the paper completely from her grasp.
"I bet the wedding will be somewhere lovely, like France!" Daphne half stood to scream the latter part of her sentence in the direction of her sister. From a little ways back, Astoria raised her cup at her sister, cheerfully rubbing it in. I rolled my eyes at them and turned to skim through the paper until I found what I thought he was looking for.
"Sirius Black… notorious mass murderer…" My expression shifted over to Draco as I read the last of the sentence. "Is currently hiding in London?"
"That is more interesting" Blaise leaned in, placing a hand on the Daily Prophet.
"I wonder how they'd know that" I mentioned, swatting away Blaise's hand to let me read. Draco gave me a look back.
"It's a mystery, I suppose" he shrugged away the comment.
"Guess it is" Blaise commented, turning his smug expression over to Draco. "If Malfoy's father knew anything about it, we wouldn't be hearing the end of it from him."
Blaise let out a chuckle as Draco reached over to punch him. Finishing up with breakfast took some time. That always happened when I had to wake up early, it also woke up my stomach, so when it was finally time for breakfast, I was starving. Throughout our time at the table, I didn't say much to Draco. I hoped it wasn't something he shared. It was an unwritten rule between us that whatever was shared in our conversations we wouldn't repeat to anyone else. The fact that he knew it would be part of the paper meant he was somewhat involved, but he wasn't taking credit, and he wasn't denying Blaise. That above anything else made me think he might have broken that unspoken rule.
I finished my meal and let out a stretch. Not wanting to contribute to the conversation they were having, about whose winter travel plans were the best, I gave them a short goodbye and left the table. Outside the sun was shining pretty bright. I let out another stretch, now in the fresh air, walking out into the courtyard. Placing my arms back down, I felt someone grab me by it. With a firm grip, Draco spun me around to face him. He looked down at me with a serious expression on his face.
"I didn't say anything, if that's what you're thinking" Draco tried to explain.
"No, of course I didn't think that" I answered with heavy sarcasm. "Why would I assume that, what we discussed only a few days earlier, and what is now apparently a main article in this morning's Daily Prophet, would have anything to do with one another?"
"I didn't say anything" he insisted.
"I don't believe you" I insisted.
"Why? Because I didn't right out say that what we talked about didn't have to do with it? Then that would be admitting we talked about it, and in front of the others. Father figured it out too. You're not the only one capable of piecing information together, you know?" he called back, almost accusingly. "He's the one that told me about the animagus, if you don't remember."
"I want to believe you, but…" I drifted off that sentence. Draco frowned at me, and I gave him a look in return. "All I'm saying is, it's rather convenient."
"There you go overthinking everything again. And always, it falls on me" he shook his head in my direction. I smiled a bit and he gave me a smirk in return. Again he pulled on my arm, more lightly this time. "Now, come on, if you're done throwing your fit, the rest of us were going to make plans for the day."
"Actually," I paused, looking down at his hand on my arm, "I didn't come out here to throw a fit. I came to meet George. We're spending some of the Saturday together."
"Oh?" he noted, in a particular tone, and let go of my arm. Draco let out a breath and put up a guarded face, trying to hide his obvious annoyance. "I'll see you at lunch then."
"If we make it back in time" I mumbled. That seemed to be enough to break his expression, and he let out a frown.
"Where exactly are you planning on going? Or doing for that matter?" Draco said, throwing out any attempt at pleasantness.
"Why are you saying it like that?" I frowned back. "I don't know exactly but sometimes, time flies by and—"
"Whatever. I don't want to hear about it" he interrupted, swatting his hand between us.
"Then why did you ask?"
"I'll see you eventually then. Unless you have plans for then that you forgot to tell me about too" Draco crossed his arms. I gave him a tired look.
"So, what, now I'm required to tell you my entire life's schedule?"
"Clearly not, since you never bother to tell me anything" Draco snapped down at me.
"Oh, don't start" I snapped back, raising my voice.
"Start what?" he asked frowning, and took a step closer.
"You know what" I frowned. "We were getting on fine, then you go and mess it up, starting by being so impatient, and now this!"
"So this is all my fault? Of course it is! Because you're just fucking perfect" Draco leaned in closer to complain.
"I've told you not to use that sort of language with me" I snapped before letting out a slow breath. "It's not just you, it's this whole situation! I already told you—"
My sentence was cut off by a surprising pull from behind. With an arm around my waist, George leaned me back for a kiss. He pulled back a second, long enough to give me a very satisfied smile. I frowned a moment, having told him not to do this sort of thing in public.
"George, don't just—Wait, Draco!" I called realizing he wasn't in front of me anymore. He was already more than a few steps away and, if he did hear me, he was choosing to ignore me. Not that I blamed him. I might have before but, with the recent news… I let out a sigh and turned to frown at George. He smiled back down at me. "Why'd you have to go and do that for?"
"What does it matter if I give a kiss to my girlfriend?" he replied with a smirk.
"Right…" I mumbled. If I argued any more, I would have to admit what Draco told me. That would only make things worse. "Right. Let's get going then?"
I grabbed onto George's arm and pulled him away from the castle. Leading us forward, I pulled us towards the outskirts of the grounds. It would be good to get some more distance between them, and anyone else around here for that matter. It was one thing for Draco to know, and another entirely for the others to find out. And if George thought for even a second that I went back on our promise, told Draco what he had made me promise to keep a secret, he would have never let it go. They hated each other, for a variety of reasons, but one now seemed very apparent. Now I was stuck keeping their secrets, from each other as well as everyone else, and it sucked. I hated it.
"You're not still mad, are you?" George asked, snapping me out of my thoughts. It took me a second to take in my surroundings. In the Forbidden Forest, George stood on the opposite side of a fallen log, hand outstretched to me. "Look, I'm sorry I interrupted you. I thought you were just waiting for me. It didn't look like you were talking about anything important, just looked like you were arguing. In fact, I didn't appreciate his tone with you. He's lucky kiss you was all I did. Should have punched him, is what I should've done."
"We weren't" I mumbled, ignoring the latter part of his statement. I shook my head, taking his hand to help leverage my weight. "You weren't really interrupting anything either. It's just…"
"What?" he leaned in, a particular look on his face. I looked back up at him and gave him a smile.
"I've just been thinking about what to expect from the O.W.L. examinations" I lied, at least partly. It had been something I had been thinking about, just not at that exact moment. But it was a good topic to sidetrack. "What are the requisites for each mark? Do they vary by professor, or is it measured through some sort of rubric? If my score isn't one I'm content with, is there some way to change it, or are all grades final?"
"Making you a little nervous then?" George asked, sounding entertained at the thought.
"Making me nervous?" I repeated dubiously, but glad he was distracted now.
"I could give you some ideas" he commented, leaning in. "You know, tutor you and that lot."
"Tutor me?" I asked skeptically. George grabbed my waist and pulled me closer to him.
"Yeah, maybe I could teach you a few things" he called softly and leaned into me. George gave me a smirk before letting out a sigh and standing himself up straight. "Or I could at least tell you what things I failed in. I doubt they've changed much in terms of the curriculum in just a couple of years."
"That might actually be of some help" I mumbled at the thought. George pulled me closer and into a kiss before grabbing my hand and leading me forward again.
The two of us wandered through the woods for a while. Every so often we would stop near the shrubbery and hunt for supplies. It didn't appear George wanted anything specific, just finding some things he thought he could put to use later on. We chatted over a few things but always settled back into a silent lull. I had become somewhat comfortable just standing silently with George, almost like with Draco, but not entirely in the same way. With Draco I had gotten so used to being with him there was no need for words. But with George… it always felt as if, when one of us was quiet, it was because something wasn't being said. In this instance, I was the one trying to keep things hidden.
I took some time still thinking. With what had happened in the morning, I wasn't a hundred percent sure I believed Draco. It was entirely possible that Lucius would have gathered all that information himself, but I still felt some doubt. That was the part that bothered me the most, not whether he had been lying to me, but the fact that I doubted him. I was beginning to lose trust in him. I wasn't entirely sure if it was the realization he could keep this large of a secret from me, and for so long, but something about the experience as a whole had changed the structure of our relationship from the ground up. The pure base of our relationship was beginning to crumble. And if we continued to ignore it, the structure would soon fall to the ground.
"There's something else that's bothering you. What is it?" George asked, getting my attention once more. Looking at him, I knew he didn't have a doubt his statement was right. Honestly, I wasn't sure how long we had been quiet, that's how far into my thoughts I had fallen. There was no point in lying then.
"This morning, did you see today's Daily Prophet?"
"Oh, you mean about the bass player of the Weird Sisters getting married? Yeah, saw it on the front page" he nodded but he had a small frown on his face, as if unsure as to why that was what was bothering me.
"No" I smiled a little, shaking my head. "I was talking about the section with Sirius Black."
"Sirius Black?" he repeated slowly, like he had never heard the name before.
"Yeah, you know, the convicted murderer" I mentioned. "Escaped Azkaban, broke into Hogwarts a couple of years back…"
"No… must have missed it" he shrugged carelessly, not giving the topic genuine attention.
"Well, I didn't" I went on, ignoring his attempt at sidetracking. I also didn't miss the fact that the few details he gave me of where he had been staying this summer perfectly lined up with the topic at hand. He looked down at me, looking as if he was trying to read my expression carefully. I gave him a sigh. "I have to ask, or it is just going to be another thing I keep thinking about when I really shouldn't."
"What?" George leaned in at the question. With another sigh, I focused on him, looking at his eyes.
"Who did you stay with this summer?" I asked him with a serious tone. George took a breath and began to answer, but before he could say anything I raised my hand to stop him. "Before you answer, you should know I have an almost certain idea of who it was. So, whatever it is you say, I want you to think it over carefully before you answer."
"You do?" George drew out the question. I nodded slowly and he gave me a sigh. "So you're not really asking then, you just want to see if I'll say who you think it is. And considering what you lead with…"
"You were staying at Black Manor" I spoke softly. He didn't confirm it, but didn't deny it either. "If that's the case, I can see why you were told not to say anything."
"I'm not saying you're right" George spoke slowly, and I made an attempt not to roll my eyes, "But if I did…"
"Considering what I know of you, I would imagine Homicide would be something you would frown upon, from an ethical standpoint."
"I am but— again, I'm not saying yes" George interrupted himself. "But maybe, it's possible, he didn't do the thing everyone says he did."
"If your family has reason to believe he's innocent, why not speak to Fudge about… Nevermind, that was a stupid thought" I shook my head. "Without viable proof, or witnesses, Fudge wouldn't listen. Especially considering your parents don't have any specific relationship with him. It also doesn't help that he escaped his cell, making him look even more guilty than the initial conviction already did. That, along with breaking into Hogwarts castle, and damaging not only our school's property but also students' psyche—"
Without warning, George grabbed my face and kissed me. I frowned up at him, not appreciating his interruption. George looked down at me with a soft smile before leaning our foreheads together.
"You're so beautiful, but so frustrating" he let out a groan.
"Should I thank you?" I mumbled, still frowning up at him. Still smiling himself, he took his hands off my face. But he was right in a way, I needed to stop before I further involved myself. "Fine, I'll put aside the fact you are obviously dodging the question, at least for now. But what did you want to do out here, anyway? You never did say."
"I just wanted to spend some time with you" George shrugged in response. With that he grabbed my hand, before looking at our surroundings. "But, since we're already in the forest, mind if I pick up a couple of things?"
"Isn't that what we were already doing?" I mentioned, choosing to fall into the distraction.
"I suppose, we should look for some woodlice then, they're useful against bowtruckles" he mumbled, leading us deeper into the woods again.
"I really can't stand those things, they're so boring" I grumbled, following behind him. George let out a chuckle, and gripped onto my hand a little tighter.
"Why do I get the feeling you're not talking about the woodlice?" he chuckled to himself. "Not many people would describe creatures that can claw your eyes out as boring, but I suppose that's part of your charm."
"Last time we had that woman as a substitute for Care of Magical Creatures, she made us spend the entire time sketching the creatures, and that was it" I threw up my free hand in outrage. George gave me a satisfied smirk in return.
"It is true, Hagrid hasn't returned yet…"
Something in his tone made me pause. His tone conveyed no curiosity, meaning he probably already knew where he was. Draco had mentioned something to me about it, but not much in the form of details, and I could always ask George…
I looked disapprovingly to the side, the gesture directed at myself. I shouldn't ask too many questions. Already at my brim, any more secrets from either side and my head would split in half. I shook my head at the thought. George turned over curiously at my reaction. I made an effort to straighten my face, not thinking it the right time to be asking questions. I gave him a shrug in response.
"Well, he might not follow the preferred curriculum, but his classes are always interesting."
George led us around, stopping occasionally to pick a few things up. At a certain point, hunting for supplies had become pretty simple now that I was familiar with the forest's layout. But eventually we wandered back, bag full of supplies, some we had looked for specifically while others we found on the way. George had been far more careless than I, his robes now dirty almost from head to toe. He dusted off the dirt from his clothes and noticed my disapproving look, deciding to return to me a smirk.
"So this is all for the Snack Box?" I asked, sifting my hand through some of the items we had collected.
"Some, not all, but yes. We need more ingredients, some are convenient and I can usually just find them in the forest, a few I have to buy, some… I gather in other ways" he trailed off the last bit, making me guess this fell into the grey area of his morals I had learned to appreciate over the years.
"Have you been testing them at all?" I asked, a small smile from his previous statement.
"We did try, at first. Then, Hermione got involved" he frowned down at his robes. "She threatened us when we tried to use first years to test our snacks. I honestly don't know what she was so up in arms about, we weren't going into it blind."
"Are you still testing on yourselves then" I mumbled back, looking forward.
"Of course, we just needed them to make sure they worked the same for everyone. They're all still alive, plus we were paying them!" George threw his arms up as if that should have been enough reason for Hermione. "Prefects always come and ruin everything. So now we have to find some other way to test the things."
"Still, I didn't peg you as someone who would bend so easily. What exactly did she threaten you with?" I asked curiously. George let out a sigh before narrowing his eyes forward, frowning at some invisible creature in front of him.
"She… she threatened…" George stuttered through his words, as if what she had said something so vile he could barely get the words out. "She threatened to tell our mother."
"Honestly, didn't expect that from her" I nodded approvingly. Out of everyone in my life, Hermione had certainly been the person with the most 'by the books' disposition. So threats, and pretty good ones at that, showed growth. He didn't seem to appreciate that nearly as much.
"She's not stupid, she knows our mother. If that woman found out what Fred and I had been doing, what we've been planning… It would ruin our lives" he continued, still sticking with the same horrified and overly exaggerated expression.
"Why are you so scared of your mother?"
" She's a frightening woman when angered" George shivered next to me.
Still sure he was over exaggerating I reached over and patted his shoulder, in a semi-comforting. George took that more of an opening than I meant it to be and pulled me into a hug. Putting us in a deadstop, he shifted himself so he was standing behind me. Now seeming completely composed he leaned his weight against my back, happily resting his head on my shoulder. I turned away from him a moment to look at the Quidditch pitch just in front of us. There were a few from the Gryffindor team already there, brooms in hand. That must have meant lunchtime was over. It also meant George was most likely stalling for time.
"Maybe you just frighten easily" I mentioned, looking over my shoulder to him. He let out a grin and shook his head.
"If that were true we wouldn't be dating" he answered and kissed my cheek. "Although, you do also terrify me."
"Thank you" I smiled back, taking it as a compliment. "I've been told it runs in the family."
"Yeah, I definitely see that" George nodded his head before frowning forward. For a moment I thought it may have been due to our conversation, but soon found that wasn't the case.
"You missed lunch" Fred called out to us. I gave him a wave as George kept his sour expression.
"Got a bit distracted" he shrugged at his brother in response.
"If he messes up during practice, I'm blaming you" Fred called sternly to me. At his serious expression, I couldn't help but let out a giggle.
"How is it my fault he's easily distracted?"
"Not to argue with you, but it's entirely your fault" George interjected, as Fred nodded behind him. I rolled my eyes at both of them.
"You're the one dragging us all over the place looking for ingredients you might not even need" I argued.
"Oh, you got some more Wiggentree bark. Nice" Fred called approvingly, rummaging through the items in George's bag.
George nodded happily at his brother, finally letting me go to show him what other supplies we had managed to gather on our time out. I turned from watching them sip through their bag to focusing on the outer field. The Gryffindor Quidditch team would be starting their practice soon. They had recently held tryouts, needing to fill some positions left vacant at the start of this year. According to some of the Slytherin team, as I had heard them discussing this with Draco in the common room, they had also recently gotten a new captain. Their last one graduated the year before and the new one was already failing at gathering proper talent. Through what they interpreted as nepotism, Ron had been included as their newest member. At least, that was all according to the Slytherin captain, but Graham Montague wasn't necessarily an unbiased source of information.
"So how are you feeling having your brother as a teammate" I called, being reminded of their current situation.
"Well, you know, he is lacking in some aspects, but I think Fred is an alright beater" George answered putting his bag carelessly over his shoulder. Fred hit his brother's arm playfully, seemingly flattered. I rolled my eyes at the two and, after a moment, they both changed their expression.
"Honestly, we don't entirely know yet" Fred sighed.
"Today's your first official practice, right?" I asked, turning back to the pitch. A couple more of their teammates seemed to be trailing out of the changing rooms, ready to start.
"Yeah, Angelina wants to see how we all mesh as a group."
"Who?" I asked with a bit of a frown. At my question, they both let out a chuckle. They paused, then realizing I was being serious, laughed even more.
"You've met her at least a dozen times!"
"We dated" Fred interjected. That made me frown a little more.
"You were dating someone?"
"You knew that. We've literally had conversations about this. Are our lives just not interesting enough for you to remember?" Fred chuckled, shaking his head at me.
"Trust me, you would have noticed if you had access to our common room during those months" George made a face. At that Fred let out a large smirk.
"Well, now she's become our new captain, with Wood gone and all" Fred moved on, getting back to the subject. He let out a long breath at the thought. "She certainly is taking to the role well."
"Being a bit hard on you?" I asked with fake pity in my tone.
"Not more than Wood was, but worse than I expected" George answered, nodded his head mournfully. "But it should be alright. Ron's covering the keeper positions, and he's not terrible."
"'Not terrible', huh?" I repeated. "That's some high praise you're handing out."
"Well, at our tryouts he… could have been better" Fred added, sounding like he was choosing his words carefully. "There were others Angelina wanted, but schedules didn't all align, and some had higher priorities I guess. Ron was the best in that respect; he has no life."
"He's not bad, he's actually quite decent" George continued, albeit giving a chuckle at Fred's comment. "He has helped as a keeper for all of our family when we practice over holiday. We know he's not as bad as he seems right now. He just needs to get over his nerves and prove that to the rest of the team."
"Have you told him that?" I asked, and both gave me horrified looks in return.
"Merlin, no" George shook his head quickly, as if disturbed that I would even suggest so. "First a prefect, now part of the Quidditch team. If we tell him he's somewhat decent, he'll be a wretch to deal with. Once he settles into the team he should improve on his own."
"Or, maybe he really is awful. We'll find out soon" Fred added with a casual shrug.
"And there's the vote of confidence to match the praise" I giggled at the comment.
"But seriously, we should get going" Fred gave a stretch, motioning towards the changing rooms. "I was about to go out looking for you. Angelina wouldn't be too happy hearing you were late because you were cavorting with the enemy."
"But she's cute" George wrapped his arm around my shoulders as if to prove his point. Fred gave him a shrug, as if the point was valid. I rolled my eyes at the two.
"You should go then" I called, stepping from under his arm. "If you go and lose to Slytherin, I don't want to hear any of you blaming me."
"No, if we lose, it's because your team cheated."
"Obviously" Fred nodded, agreeing with his brother.
"Obviously" I repeated, albeit with a thicker tone of sarcasm. I turned and gave a nod to the pitch. "Just go, I'll see you later."
"Love you" George called, kissing my cheek, before jogging in the direction of the changing rooms. Fred turned back a second to give me a wave, before dashing off as well.
I waved back, though I doubted they could see me, and headed off in the direction of the castle. Hopefully their new team member would work out well. I'm sure he wasn't as terrible as they were making it seem, he had to have been somewhat decent to be admitted into the team. The Slytherin team had made a lot of different remarks, from favoritism to lack of choices, but I couldn't think of them being that in need. As I walked past the pitch, as though some summoning spell had been activated, I spotted a crowd gathered at the foot of the stairs to the stands. Recognizing some of the faces, and then after, their robes, I let out a sigh and walked closer to them. By the time I reached them, I was already shaking my head at the team of idiots.
"What are you doing here?" I called loudly, catching the attention of the Slytherin team. Not having realized there were others nearby, some of them turned up in shock. I should have expected they would do something obnoxious. The team as a whole was a special kind of bunch, with Draco fitting perfectly into their ranks. Once the surprise passed some turned up with smirks, as if glad to have an audience for whatever they had plotted.
"Not that it's very much your business, Volkov, but we're here to check in on the competition" Graham answered for his team.
"What competition? We're here to watch the wreck" Miles called out with a smirk.
"Is there a difference" Cassius shrugged, joining in. A couple of the others laughed as he and Miles gave smirks to one another. I rolled my eyes at them.
"If you had a problem with it, you should have been there when Graham made the suggestion this morning" Draco called with a look. I shot him a look back. The others had already begun to climb up to the stands. Still trying to decide how much I wanted to get involved, I followed. Draco climbed after me, a foul expression still on his face. "Where's the beggar at, anyway? He return to his dump?"
"He's getting ready for practice, just like the rest of his team" I answered, ignoring his tone and overall comment.
At the top of the stands, the rest of the team was already trying to find their seats. They settled into the middle of their section, gathered together as an obnoxious yet united front. Crabbe and Goyle sat near the front, having been added as the newest team members, and replacement beaters for those recently graduated. They hadn't bothered with tryouts for those two, yet Ron being included into the Gryffindor team was what had been done through favoritism. Apparently Graham's hypocrisy knew no bounds. Pansy was also in the section, impatiently waiting for Draco. Outstanding. That pushed me into thinking that standing watch over them maybe wasn't worth the bother.
"Speaking of which, Volkov, I've been meaning to talk to you" Graham tried to interrupt my thoughts as Draco went to take his seat next to Pansy.
Pansy slid to the side, making a small space directly next to her. As if there wasn't already plenty of room for both, but no, she needed him directly next to her. Draco leaned in to give her a kiss, making me frown. What exactly was his problem? One moment he was angry I was spending time with George then, the next, he goes off and acts all Lovey Dovey with Pansy. I had been trying to be nicer to her, now understanding her plight, but they weren't making it easy. She let out an obnoxiously loud laugh, once again pretending Draco was funnier than he actually was, as the two made cutesy faces at each other.
They made me want to vomit.
"Katerina?"
"Talk about what?" I asked, getting out of that train of thought. Not looking for any specific place, I settled on a seat in front of them. At least then I wouldn't have to look at them. Graham remained standing, watching as the rest of his team found their seats.
"You're dating that Gryffindor beater, Fred Weasley, right?" he asked. I frowned over at him.
"No, I'm not."
"Oh, you're not?" Cassius asked, sliding a bit closer from the seat next to me. Draco kicked his back, but didn't say a word.
"No, I'm dating George" I corrected as he swatted back in Draco's direction.
"Oh" Cassius called blandly, all interest drained from his expression and slid back. Miles laughed next to him as Graham gave them a look, pausing for a moment until they got themselves composed once more.
"Fine, whatever, some Weasley. That's basically the same thing anyway" he called once the attention was back on him, waving his hand nonchalantly at the comment.
"How is that the same thing? It's really not. They are entirely different people—"
"Look, whatever, alright. That's not the point" Graham interrupted, raising his voice. I paused at his tone, narrowing my eyes a bit. But before I could respond, Draco let out a roaring laugh from behind me.
"Oh, yeah, loudly interrupt her. That's the way to win her over" he called sarcastically, in between a few chuckles.
"Win me over? What for?" I asked carefully, still keeping my expression fixed on the Slytherin captain.
"Here they come" Adrian interrupted, his tone monotone. He didn't seem like he cared much about their little team building exercise, but he certainly called the attention of the rest of the team.
Fred walked into view as he and a girl from their team carried forward the ball crate. They dropped it in the middle of the field as the rest of their team followed slowly after, making their way from out of the changing room. Taking that as a signal to start their plan the Slytherin team sat up in attention, leaned in closer, and began their verbal assault. Beginning with a few catcalls, and other such sounds, I rolled my eyes, realizing I shouldn't have expected much more than what they were showing. Quite a few of the Gryffindor team shot annoyed glances up to us, but none seemed to engage. It was either a sign of the difference in maturity between the two houses, or that new captain of theirs was really reigning in their behaviour. Either way, I turned away from the echoing calls and gestures, and turned back to Graham.
"Convince me of what?" I repeated, having to raise my voice quite a bit this time.
"What's that Weasley's riding?" Draco called out loudly. I gave him a look at the volume, but if he noticed, he ignored me. "Why would anyone put a Flying Charm on a moldy old log like that?"
I turned back to the front to see most all of them were up in the air now. Potter and Ron were flying together, the former most likely there for moral support. A girl nodded to one of the others before addressing the team. Her orders could actually be heard pretty clearly, her voice being louder than I expected. That must have been Angela, or whatever her name was, their new captain. Her face did seem familiar, but I expected that was just from crosscontact with the twins.
"I was thinking" Graham continued, now sitting next to me on the stand. "How would you like to join the Slytherin Quidditch team?"
"What?" I asked in genuine surprise. That had not been the question I was expecting. Graham gave me a smirk, as if somehow pleased with my reaction. I opened my mouth to answer but was interrupted by a much louder and more obnoxious voice.
"Hey, Johnson, what's with that hairstyle anyway" Pansy shrieked from behind me. I scowled up at her, rubbing my temples gently as she continued to screech. "Why would anyone want to look like they've got worms coming out of their head?"
"I was thinking you should join the Slytherin team" Graham repeated, sliding closer so I could hear him more clearly. I shook my head at him.
"No, I heard you the first time" I answered, trying to have my voice rise just over the calls of the Slytherin team. "Why are you asking? And why would I?"
"Because if you say no, Malfoy here is off the team" he answered with a smirk, tapping his fist against Draco's knee for emphasis. I looked between them for a moment before settling back on Graham.
"And?" I asked simply, not really sure how that was any of my business. That seemed to have caught him by surprise. Graham blinked a few times, as if needing the time to process my answer.
"Because you're close friends, right? Right?" he repeated his question, turning to look at Draco when I didn't immediately answer. Draco gave him a simple look and shrugged in response.
"It varies by the week" Pansy answered for us, and Draco gave her a smile.
"If I knew that's what you were leading with I would have advised against it" Draco spoke, that stupid smirk still on his face. He glanced at Graham for a second before focusing on the Gryffindor team ahead. "Unfortunately for you, Montague, she doesn't put much thought into anything outside of herself. I doubt she would care even if you really did kick me off."
"You bought your way in the first time, I'm sure you could do it again" I shot him a glance back.
Draco made a stupid face in response before turning back down to the pitch. He looked back just as Ron was pelted towards the ground. He slid sideways off his broom, in an attempt to catch the quaffle they had been passing between them. I noticed Fred and George exchange a look, neither of them saying anything even if in normal circumstances they would have. But that didn't prevent the Slytherin team from doing it for them. Eventually, the Gryffindors continued their practice, settling back into their simple circle, most likely trying to ease their newest member into their training regime.
"Why would you want me to join anyway?" I turned back to Graham and asked. He didn't answer right away, still seeming confused about our previous exchange.
"Hey Potter, how's your scar feeling? Sure you don't need a lie-down? It must be, what, a whole week since you were in the hospital wing, that's a record for you isn't it?" Draco called loudly behind us again, not missing a beat from his oh-so-witty remarks. The Gryffindors were certainly trying their best not to show any sign that they heard, but Draco seemed satisfied with himself either way. It was at least affecting their newest member; Ron's face was shining bright red. That in itself seemed to be the goal of their little get together.
"I think you could be useful" Graham smiled, continuing our side conversation. He seemed at least glad he had my attention, making me feel as though I should stop him before he deluded himself.
"Don't take this personally, Graham, but I don't believe you are as convincing as you like to think you are" I called, still looking down at the pitch. "Also, I'm not particularly thrilled about the possibility of being 'used', so I'm going to have to decline."
"You sure you want to push for this, Montague?" Draco chuckled from behind us.
"You have a full team as is, if you needed back ups you could always hold tryouts, or simply post a flyer in the common room" I went on, ignoring him. "But if there's a reason you specifically want me, I'm afraid you're going to have to adjust your plans, because I refuse your offer."
"Why are you overthinking this? Just say yes and join" Graham frowned down at me, as if he hadn't taken into account I may not be completely on board with his offer. From behind him Draco began to laugh a bit louder, and I had a feeling it had nothing to do with the Gryffindors. I let out a breath and turned to give the Slytherin captain a stern look.
"I'm not an awful flyer, but I'm not amazing either so there is no benefit for you in that sense. Yet you still want me to join your team, meaning there's something you specifically want from me. That's one red flag. You're plotting something and, instead of leading with that, you're choosing to purposely keep those details hidden from has to be a reason why, making that flag number two" I continued, raising my second finger as a visual. Already not happy, Graham gave me a frown. "Lastly, in the list of reasons why I don't see a benefit in joining you, I am in my fifth year, in preparation for my O.W.L.s examinations. I'm not going to give up my precious time to practice for something I care very little about instead of focusing on exam prep, where it could be better spent. That's not necessarily a red flag in regards to you, it simply demonstrates another reason why I don't see a benefit in joining whatever it is you're trying to get me into. It's not me overthinking, it's simply thinking. I'm sorry if you don't often surround yourself with people that do that but, as someone of sound mind, I don't just simply say yes to whatever someone asks me to do."
"That's too bad, I was really hoping to see you in the dressing rooms, Volkov" Cassius muttered with a smirk next to me. Draco kicked him again as I stood from my seat.
"Too bad, but as I said, I'm going to have to decline" I repeated, stepping past a few of them, deciding this was a good time to head back.
"We're not done here, Volkov" Graham frowned standing up as I did. I saw him reach out but Draco slapped his hand before it could reach me. He gave Draco a stern look but paused at whatever expression Draco was making. They were both facing away from me but I saw Draco shake his head.
"Don't be such a brat and just think about it" Draco called, still not turning to me. I rolled my eyes at him but raised my hands in defeat, agreeing to at least that much. That seemed to be enough for Graham too, deciding to take his seat again. On his way down he slapped Draco's arm in retaliation, but didn't say a word. I turned back, deciding to leave them to their little team bonding exercise, and headed back into the castle.
For the rest of the day, the rest of the weekend, I focused what time I could to our assigned Potions essay. Professor Snape said he would be grading it as he would our O.W.L. examinations, meaning, if I took this seriously, I could see where I stand in terms of the actual exam. With this I could see what areas I should focus my time strengthening, any shortcomings I may have, and overall adjust anything I may need to with my studies. With any luck I could come out of this with an Outstanding right off the pitch, but that might also prevent me from being able to better myself, or become complacent by the time the actual exams pass. Whatever free time I had soon disappeared into my studies, making me even more annoyed once Defense Against the Dark Arts began.
Having already stared at text for hours, Umbridge's little group reading sessions weren't helping. Her class was the definition of boring. If Defense Against the Dark Arts wasn't a course I needed a N.E.W.T.s certification on, I would have simply stopped showing up. I had already read past halfway of the assigned text, in just a few days time, but even still I had to pretend to read it so as not to upset her highness. Instead, I used this time to piece some thoughts together, scribbling down notes, things that would keep my mind organized: Letters, homework, a general To Do list, of which included a reminder to work on a charm. It would take a bit of practice, and possibly a few replacements, but I made it a priority to learn to disguise our History of Magic text into the stupid theory book, without affecting the text. That would allow me to work on the assigned History homework instead of just pretending to take notes for the allotted hour. As soon as I completely finished with the Defense Against the Dark Arts text, which should realistically only take a few more days of powering through, I could switch to History homework and cut two useless classes down to one.
Eventually that nightmare ended and we moved on to Double Potions, where Professor Snape had finished reviewing our homework. The Moonstone essays were handed back to each student as our professor weaved between our workstations, frowning every so often to what I assumed were the lower scores in the class. Looking at the E written on my parchment, I let out a pout. Beside me I felt Draco lean against me, wanting to get a look at my score, probably curious from my reaction. Curious as well, I turned down to the A written on his. I let out a smile assuming that had been through the generosity of our professor. Having been the one to revise his essay, as he pleaded me to the night before it was due, I knew his Acceptable score was only a very slight step above Poor. I had a lot of markings on that page, and I highly doubt he had corrected them all in those few hours before it was due.
"How'd you pull that off?" he let out a grumble, sitting himself up straight once again. I waved him away as Professor Snape began talking.
"I have awarded you the grades you would have received if—"
"So what'd you get?" Draco leaned back on his chair to ask the others, once the professor was out of earshot. Looking over at him, I was really tempted to kick the seat out from under him. But I didn't want to interrupt Professor Snape more than Draco was already doing.
"Why do you care?" Daphne hissed sharply, quickly sliding her score under her text to hide it. Blaise leaned back as well, a smirk on his face, just far enough to leave her peripheral vision. Melting his movement into what appeared to be a stretch, Blaise pointed at her before making a letter shape with his hands.
"You got a D, Greengrass? How 'Dreadful'!"
Draco let out a large smirk, barely able to contain his joy to a low volume voice. In shock, Daphne spun around to Blaise, who was a little too slow in removing his hand signals. Turning a shade redder, Daphne took her text, no longer seeing a reason to hide her score, and began to hit him with it. Blaise let out a couple of noises, somewhere between pain and laughter, finding the whole thing hilarious. Ignoring those two for now, I tapped Draco on the shoulder and nodded towards the front, where Snape was nearly done with his speech.
"…I expect to see a great deal more effort for this week's essay on the various variety of venom antidotes, or I shall have to start handing out detentions to those dunces who got D's."
"Some people got D's? Ha!" Draco called forward in a very loud whisper. From the corner of my eye, I saw Daphne shoot him a glare, holding her text like she was ready to change targets.
"That's probably because they did it of their own merit, instead of cheating or having someone else do the work for them" I called just loud enough so that she could hear too. Beside me, Draco rolled his eyes.
"Yes, we call those people idiots" Draco whispered back to me. "It's not too hard to find a bookworm, just stop by the library on a Saturday and you'll find at least five. They're helpful for this sort of thing. Why do you think I keep you around? For your charming personality?"
I gave him a look and a kick under the desk. Draco bent forward like it hurt but he kept the same smug expression on his face. I giggled a bit at that before focusing up front, to where Professor Snape had begun the lesson. For the rest of the class, we focused on some Strengthening Solution. Finished, I smiled down at the flask of the expected clear turquoise liquid. Next to me Draco's was at least blue, and that's all I could ask for at this point. Honestly, I worried about what would happen if I stopped helping him one day. He was hopeless without me.
"Are you coming?" As if reading my mind, Draco lingered by Professor Snape's desk, just after turning in his brew. But I had something else I wanted to do first.
"Save me a spot?" I called back, staying by the desk.
Draco rolled his eyes at me but headed out. When he knew I would in fact join him, he wasn't as annoyed when I'd tell him I would be late. Even after he left I lingered by the front a bit longer, waiting for the room to clear. Out of curiosity, I looked through the submitted potions. They all varied in shades of blues, one was clearer than the rest, which I assumed to be Hermione's. But one stood out even more, looking very different than the rest.
"It's pink…" I mumbled, looking down at the flask with a small frown. Whenever I seemed to be disappointed in Draco's work, there would be someone who proved to me it could get much worse.
"I don't suppose that's yours" Professor Snape called, looking down at the mix that had been placed on his desk. I smiled over at him and shook my head. The professor took a moment to gather the assigned work in a corner on his desk before taking a seat. "May I help you with something, Miss Volkov?"
"I wanted to talk about the essay that was handed back today, if you had a moment."
"Dissatisfied with your marks?"
"Of course, it is not good enough" I frowned down to myself. I paused for a moment, realizing how that could sound, before looking back up at him. "But I do not mean I am dissatisfied by your method of grading, rather just my own skills. I need to improve, and I would like to know how it is I could do so."
"How was the internship?"
"It went well, and thank you once again for the letter of recommendation you wrote for me" I added my gratitude, realizing I hadn't done so since returning to Hogwarts. "I was able to do a lot more than just watch from afar, like I was initially told I would do, because of it."
"You are a decent student, among the sea of idiots" Professor Snape spoke down, looking at the pink liquid in the midst of all the blues surrounding it. I had a feeling he knew exactly who that was from. I giggled a bit as he leaned himself back against the chair. "But, I don't suppose you came here simply to thank me."
"Not just, no" I replied honestly, taking a step forward. "I didn't feel it right to bring this up during class, as we were clearly in the middle of a lesson, but I wanted to speak to you about the mark I received for the moonstone essay. Essentially it was lower than I was hoping for."
"A mark is not given simply because one hopes for it."
"I understand" I answered, nodding in agreement. "However, I am not simply hoping for such a score, I wanted to speak with you so I could find out how I could work to achieve it. There must have been something specific that brought my essay down from the Outstanding I'm wanting, down to the E I received."
"You were lacking in more detailed descriptions" Professor Snape muttered an explanation. "It was clear you understood the qualities of the gemstone, as well as included examples of the more commonly made potions that have it as a required ingredient. However, a basic understanding of the subject at hand is merely passable at best. You happened to show a deeper understanding, which is why you were awarded the E on your essay. But, if you wish for a higher mark than that, you need to give more detailed explanations, and not just leave things at such a basic, and shallow, level."
"I did think about that" I pouted a bit, thinking I may have lowered my mark through the editing process. "It seemed to be making the piece a bit redundant, rephrasing it too many times, I simply removed those lines. But I do suppose it is a bit lacking without."
"I would suggest you add more detail in your writing. Excess of information does not always correlate to redundancy" he answered. At that I let out a nod.
"I understand… Would it be possible for me to resubmit the essay then?" I asked. Noticing once again how that sounded, I spoke up to clarify. "Not that I expect a higher mark to be placed in lieu of this one. I merely wish to see if I understand the direction you are attempting to lead me on, as it would help in future work. And, of course, I don't expect you to prioritize this over any of our assigned work, I would simply appreciate your criticism, if you are able."
"I won't change your marks but if you so wish, you may resubmit your assignment" he called slowly, having given it a second of thought. "Submit it with the next assignment and I shall grade it then."
"Thank you, Professor" I smiled, nodding a goodbye to him, and leaving him to his work.
I excused myself politely and headed out of the dungeon. Taking my things with me, I made my way up to the Great Hall to have lunch with the rest. As soon as I finished I would need to revise my essay. I disagreed with his statement, as I did believe there could be too much writing, as was proven by the text Umbridge was making us read, but it was clear my own work had been lacking. I would need to do more research in the library, possibly find other external sources to expand on what I had already written. Peer editing was a possibility as well. Not that I had many paths to that avenue, but I was sure Theo wouldn't mind the help too much, as it could eventually be of benefit to him as well. But as it stood, an E wasn't good enough. Outstandings were the marks I needed if I was going to become Head Healer.
"Look who decided to bless us with her presence this time" Blaise called out as I reached their spot at the table. Or at least that was what I heard. It was hard to tell what he said through his mouth full of food.
"You know, sometimes I forget you and your mother are related" I commented, finding a seat from between them. "That woman actually has class, or at least she's good at pretending she does."
"Yeah?" he asked, taking an exaggerated drink to wash down the food. "I think the same thing about you and your mum. If it weren't for your looks I would think you were adopted. Then again, at this point, they would have probably returned you."
"Yeah? Well" I began but finished my sentence by swiftly kicking him. Blaise bent down to grab his shin and shot me a glare in response. Next to him, Draco let out an audible laugh.
"He's right, you know. Greengrass acts a lot more like Karissa than you do" Draco called, having felt it necessary to add his opinion.
"Who asked you?" I snapped back, but he continued to chuckle. I suppose he was right, but that didn't mean I had to agree with him.
"So, now that we're all here" Theodore interrupted, probably already fed up with the childish conversation, "can we return to our previous conversation, about the Potions preparation essay?"
"Why does it even matter? It's not like it was the real O.W.L. exam or anything" Daphne huffed, looking down at her food. Once again Blaise formed a letter D with his hands, as Draco let out a smirk. Recognizing the gesture, Daphne leaned forward to slap his hands down across the table.
"Fine then, let's have a show of hands" Blaise continued, raising his hand and smirking at Daphne's pout. "Which of us here got the lowest possible passing grade, an Acceptable score, or above?"
"I don't see why that matters either" Pansy spoke up, prickly. Blaise let out a horrid laugh as Pansy defensively threw some of her food in his direction. It really was hard to believe sometimes these were all members of highly praised lineages of witches and wizards.
"Would you yourself be seperate from the very group you're trying to mock, Zabini?" Theo spoke up, in defense of Daphne, who was still pouting beside him. She quickly perked up at his comment, nodding intensely, happy to agree.
"If you are referring to the fact that I found someone to write the thing for me, I don't see your point" Blaise gave him an uncaring shrug. "I'm no idiot, I do alright, Nott, but I am not about to waste my precious time writing a stupid essay. That's what money and poor people are for."
"You do realize that when the actual exams happen you will be under such drastic scrutiny that you will not be able to get away with such childish actions" Theodore answered blandly, turning back down to his food.
"Says you" Blaise mocked in return, shoving more food into his mouth. I smiled a little at their exchange.
"You're just jealous some of us know how to get what we want, without having to shove a book in our face for hours at a time" Draco inserted himself in the already finished conversation. Theo rolled his eyes at the comment but didn't say anything more, above such talks. I, however, was not that mature.
"Keep talking like that, and the next time you come crying to me last minute about making sure you don't fail, I'll edit your work down to Troll" I narrowed my eyes and warned. Draco frowned back at me, looking unsure if I was bluffing or not. Blaise snorted out a laugh.
"Could I convince you to do it anyway? His expression would be priceless, but I'm willing to negotiate a number" Blaise smirked, turning to avoid Pansy as she threw some food at him again.
"Maybe if you spent less of your time hounding rival Quidditch teams during your weekends, and more time studying, you wouldn't need me at all" I continued, as Draco narrowed his eyes across from me.
"Don't say that, Volkov, you're going to break his little heart" Blaise chuckled, both ignoring him this time as Draco turned up to frown at me.
"Maybe if you just agreed to join the team, I wouldn't have to spend my weekends listening to Montague bitch at me, as if I have any say in what you do."
"Language. And what does Graham want with me anyway?" I asked, somewhat curious about why he was being so insistent. Draco looked like he was about to say something, but was stopped before getting a word out.
"Montague said not to tell her" Pansy interrupted before he could say anything. Draco rolled his eyes as I frowned in her direction. No one asked for her squalling opinion.
"I wasn't going to" Draco sighed, looking at her a second before turning to me. "I'm sure you'll figure it out, why he would ask you what he did, then specifically ask you to join the team. It would be useful to have you, but I'm not going to try and convince you. Whatever I say just goes in one ear and out the other with you. You always do just whatever you want, without regards to other people anyway."
"I'll think about it" I sighed, watching him chewing his food grumpily. But a few bites for me was more than enough. Having finished with lunch myself, not having been too hungry in the first place, I placed my empty cup on top of my plate before standing up. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to revise my essay."
"You literally just got here. And what do you need to revise it for, anyway?" Blaise asked, shoving more food into his mouth. I wasn't entirely sure if he was genuinely curious or just wanted to hear the sound of his own voice, but I answered him anyway.
"My score wasn't acceptable" I pouted, pulling my bag further up on my shoulder. "Professor Snape said if I rewrote the essay I could submit it with the next batch of homework. It won't change the mark I received but it will help me with any future essays I may have to submit."
"Don't tell me you failed too, Volkov" Blaise smirked up at me.
"She got an E" Draco answered for me.
"And that's not good enough" I continued, giving him a look, having noticed the tone.
"It's the second highest possible score you can get" Daphne made a face. I had a feeling she resented me a bit for that, but moved on.
"Exactly, second highest" I sighed, "and second isn't good enough."
"She's right" Theo called up casually, still focused on his food. "If Katerina expects to be Head Healer in the time she has set for herself, then she is going to have to stand out against her competition. The internship she fulfilled this summer at St. Mungo's surely helped but getting just passable marks will not be good enough. An Exceeds Expectations is the minimum required mark for all five subjects so, to make herself seem above those others with the exact same marks, an Outstanding would be what she needs to strive for."
"Thank you" I stretched my hand out in emphasis, glad someone understood my side of it. And, as if reading my mind, Blaise perked up to say something himself.
"You better be careful, Malfoy. Keep pissing her off and you'll find her in the arms of a man who truly understands her. Isn't that right, Nott?"
"Shut it" Draco called halfheartedly, his mouth half full. Honestly, I didn't know how any of their parents trusted them to carry on the family name. Then again, some of their parents weren't the classiest of people, yet they seemed to manage when the situation called for it. After swallowing, Draco gave me a look. "If you're really leaving at least take some food up with you, or you're going to waste away if you keep skipping meals like this. Keep it up and I'll be forced to shove food down your throat."
"I'm sure that's not the only thing you want to shove—Ow!"
"I said shut it!" Draco interrupted, much more loudly this time, elbowing Blaise on the side. He bent over a bit at the impact, and I let out a sigh.
"I'll be in the library" I announced, getting back to the subject at hand. With that I began to walk away from the bunch, before they dragged me into another unnecessary dialogue. "I have books to read, topics to research, and I do not need any of you distracting me from it when you can very well do that back in the common room. And I'll grab some food from the house-elves later. So unless the castle is engulfed in flames, do not come and bother me."
"Set the castle on fire, got it" Draco called out while still within hearing distance. I rolled my eyes but waved goodbye and let out a small smile. He was an idiot, but at least he made me laugh.