A/N: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. All rights go to J.K. Rowling. I only own my OC's.

Chapter 18: The Bet

The first month of classes flew by and the cold, crisp Autumn air started to settle into the Hogwarts grounds. The smell of hot apple cider and fresh ground cinnamon began to fill the nostrils of students in the school. Classes were going smoothly, Sienna finding that Transfiguration had progressively gotten harder throughout her time at Hogwarts. Her favorite class so far was Care of Magical Creatures, even though she heard Hagrid was much more of a better professor than Grubbly-Plank, but Sienna enjoyed learning of the different creatures in the world.

Sienna's Wednesday typically were spent with double Potions in the morning with her father. Though she didn't mind being around her father, unlike most students, she dreaded Potions the most. She excelled in the class, thanks to Draco who helped her as needed, but she struggled to retain each recipe and the ingredients that it required. After double Potions, Sienna had History of Magic with Professor Bins, her least favorite class. Ginny has had to nudge her a few times to keep her awake. Now that she was a third year, she had Care of Magical Creatures with Hagrid. Lunchtime was around 1:00 in the afternoon, and Sienna found herself venturing to the courtyard on some days and forgoing lunch all together. She had brought herself around Draco more often. She finally came to realize that everyone was going to gossip about it, but it shouldn't prohibit her friendship with him. Severus tends to chuckle at the term "friendship" associated with those two… but Sienna insisted that's all it was. She knew she was lying to herself, but Draco hasn't officially said anything else to her, so that's how she kept it.

In the courtyard, she could overhear the Hufflepuff 7th years talking about who is going to put their name in the Goblet of Fire. The crowd favorite was Cedric Diggory to represent Hogwarts, although the Slytherins highly disagreed. Sienna felt it was a great choice after getting to know Cedric at the World Cup. Cedric was very modest of course, thanking them for their kind words but never boasting himself. Rumors had it that Cedric was going to throw his name in, which was no surprise at all.

One night, it was clear enough that Cedric was the most entitled person to be the champion for Hogwarts. However, it was a shock to learn that Harry Potter was also on the list of wizards capable of competing in the Triwizard Tournament. Everyone was flabbergasted, even Sienna's father's face, which showed little to no emotions often, displayed a sense of confusion. That was when Sienna knew something was not right - this wasn't supposed to happen. That night she noticed Ron walking back to his house in silence, while Ginny chewed on her bottom lip out of anxious thoughts. Nonetheless, Sienna knew who she would be rooting for in the upcoming tournament.

Sienna was able to finally go on trips to Hogsmeade and was more than excited to spend the weekends with her friends. For the most part, Sienna stuck to her Gryfinndor pals, and occasionally hung out with Olivia and Chloe, though half the time all they did was talk about other Slytherin girls. Although, Sienna always preferred to sit with Ginny over anyone else.

She found it interesting that going out to Hogsmeade made it more exciting when it included two other schools. Sienna, just starting to learn about herself and her interests in life, noticed that Hogsmeade was made for dates and shopping trips. She saw Seamus Finnegan talking to Katie Bell at the Three Broomsticks, and she also saw a student from Beauxbatons on a date with a student from Dumstrang, who in her opinion had way too much facial hair for her liking.

When did she realize she didn't like facial hair?

This particular trip was spent with Ginny as they shopped for anything that caught their eye - scarves for the upcoming Winter, books to read when they weren't drowning in homework, and even tried on some silly hats for some laughs. Hermione joined them halfway through their excursion, also trying on hats and suggesting what books the girls should read. Once they were done with shopping, they eventually settled for a cup of tea at Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop. The girls particularly chatted about the one thing Sienna didn't want to speak about - boys. Her usual braided hair was freed from her elastic band and flowing through the Fall breeze. She tugged her black and white plaid infinity scarf closer to her.

"So, Sienna, how is everything going with Malfoy?" Ginny probed.

Sienna raised an eyebrow at her and she sipped on her Earl Grey tea. She placed the cup down and laid back into her seat. "Fine, I guess. He's Malfoy."

Ginny smirked. "Yes, but has he asked you out on a date yet?"

Sienna almost choked while taking another sip. "He has not… Why do you ask, Gin?"

Ginny kept her smirk on her face. "I bet you he will."

Hermione couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Sea, you're not actually thinking about dating that bloke, are you?"

Although she tried her hardest not to show it, Sienna's cheek tinted a bit more pink than she would've liked. She took another sip of her tea. "I haven't really thought about it." What a lie.

Ginny took the opportunity she saw coming. "If he does ask you on a date, I think we should make a bet as to what happens."

Sienna was now intrigued. "What are you plotting?"

"I bet he'll cave and confess his love for you. We all know he's fancied you since his second year. It's only a matter of time."

Sienna's face could not have been any hotter, coming to realize her feelings for him are well known behind her own thoughts and dreams. "It's Malfoy, I don't think that boy has any feelings for anyone other than himself and his hair gel." Another lie.

"Then this bet will be simple." Ginny continued to smirk, also sipping her tea.

Sienna's eyebrow hitched, the look of questioning so very apparent on her face. "Fine. If you're right, you have to ask Dean to the Yule Ball."

Ginny started to choke on her tea, coughing and face turning red. Once she was calm, she looked back at her best friend, taking a moment to comprehend what was just asked. "Fine."

Sienna continued, "and if you're wrong, you have to do my History of Magic homework for the rest of the semester."

Ginny nodded, "Done."

The two took each other's hands and shook on the bet, Hermione rolling her eyes and shaking her head. "This isn't going to end well, is it?"

Draco didn't mind hogsmeade trips. He found it relaxing at times, not having to be pressured into being the perfect student, the perfect son, or the perfect mate. Although he would much rather spend his trips with Sienna, he settled for Crabbe, Goyle, and Zabini. They were on their way to the Three Broomsticks for some butterbeers, a chill in the air catching Draco's neck and raising the hairs on his body. Draco pulled his scarf closer to his body, hearing the chatter of his friends but not listening thoroughly.

Draco couldn't seem to get his mind off Sienna Snape. A few days earlier, something happened that he couldn't quite wrap his mind around.

Sienna sat in the common room on the big black leather couches, reading a book and keeping to herself. The distant sound of the fire crackling soothed her and kept her in the moment. She heard students coming in and out of the common room as well, some laughing, some whispering. The candles in the common room reflected off the chandeliers and illuminated a glow that helped Sienna see the words in her book better. She found in this moment she was content - no eerie feelings, no pressure to be perfect, no unsettling feeling that something was wrong.

She felt a body sit next to her on her right and the couch cushion sinking down. She looked up to see none other than Draco Malfoy, where he typically sat when she was reading her books. He nodded towards her book, "What book do you have this week?"

"It's a muggle book - The Fault in Our Stars." She flashed the bright blue and yellow cover to him. He nodded once again, scrunching his nose in confusion. "Sounds...thrilling."

Sienna chuckled. "It's quite the read."

The left side of Draco's mouth twitched up, breaking his gaze and looking off towards the common room door. He noticed throughout the years that he couldn't hold a gaze with Sienna for too long, only because he felt that she was looking too deeply into his mind and soul, where he held his fears, secrets, and knowledge. He noticed she may be the only person to delve that deep into him, and he didn't know if he was prepared for that.

"What brought you here, Malfoy? Bored of not being a ferret?" Sienna teased. She was ther that day in the courtyard when Professor Moody transfigured Draco into a pure white ferret with beady black eyes and put him in Crabbe's trousers. Although Sienna was not too fond that Draco was turned into a ferret, she couldn't help but laugh a bit when Draco was suddenly transfigured back to his normal self, his blonde hair disheveled and a leaf sticking out of his bangs. She laughed even harder when she heard "my father will hear about this!".

Draco rolled his eyes at her. "That professor doesn't know who I am, clearly."

Sienna giggled and rolled her eyes. There was the Draco she first met. "I'm sure he knows who your father is, Draco."

"To answer your previous question, I wanted to just sit here. Get away from my DADA homework, the usual."

"I see."

Draco looked back at Sienna, noticing her usual braided black hair was flowing freely today, her hair wavy from the braid she must've slept in the night prior. He smiled softly at the girl. "Your hair looks good today, Snape." He noticed her cheeks tint a light shade of pink. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Thanks, Malfoy. Thought I'd let it breathe today." He nodded. "Suits you well." She smiled at him.

"Hey, Draco?"

He raised his eyebrows to her, signaling her that she had his attention. She cleared her throat, adjusting her position so that her back rested on the arm rest of the couch, sitting criss-cross. She placed her book down in her lap, She looked up at Draco, that strand of hair falling back in front of her face. "Do you think… you'd um… want to go to the Yule Ball together?"

Draco felt his chest heave upwards, his heart skipping a beat. He didn't know how to respond. When he opened his mouth, he was cut off by Sienna again.

"I mean, you know, as… friends." She was blushing like mad, tripping over her words.

Again, he went to respond, but heard her voice utter another sentence.

"You don't have to. I was just thinking that, you know, it would be fun."

Draco finally was able to mutter words without Sienna cutting him off. "Snape, you don't have to assume that I'd go just as friends."

Sienna felt her heart sore, her ears starting to feel the blood rush to them. Her stomach did a somersault, signaling that she indeed had feelings for the boy sitting in front of her. She looked down at her lap, grinning. She looked back up for a brief moment, capturing the grey eyes that board into her blue ones. "Brilliant."

Draco was amazed with himself. Did he just tell Sienna he fancied her? He must've if she was the color of a tomato at the moment. "We'll coordinate colors when it gets a bit closer, yes?"

She nodded. "Absolutely."

Draco's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his name coming from Blaise. "Sorry, what did you say?" He asked.

Blaise repeated himself. "I asked if you had found a date to the Yule Ball yet."

Draco tried to hide his cheeks tinting a bright pink. "Of course. Why wouldn't I have?" He tried to play it off.

Blaise's eyebrow raised at him, "Brilliant. Who's the unlucky victim?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Snape's daughter, actually."

All three of his friends nodded their heads, silently approving of his choice. "Well done, Malfoy. Bet you can't man up enough to do anything serious about it, though." Blaise stated.

Draco looked at the boy. "What are you talking about, Zabini?"

"You have yet to snog the girl, though it's obvious you've wanted to for years now."

"Oh, come off it, Blaise"

"I'm serious. I bet you won't even hold her hand."

Draco felt the tinge of determination in his bones. Of course he would do all those things with Sienna. He of course didn't have a timeline, but he knew that he wanted to eventually. They were still young. "I think you need to piss off, Zabini."

Blaise smirked, "Fine, if you don't snog the girl by the time the Yule Ball comes along, I'll just assume you're too much of a pansy to do so."

Crabbe and Goyle chanted in, emitting an ooooh from their mouths. Draco's nose scrunched, his eyebrows creasing closer to one another. "Fine, you've got a bet. I will snog Sienna Snape before the Yule Ball."

Blaise stopped walking, turning towards Draco. He stuck out his hand for him to grab. "Fine. It's a bet."

Draco looked between his friend's hand and the space between them. Was this a good idea?

Draco grabbed his hand, shaking it vigorously. "Deal."

Hi everyone. Thank you all for sticking around to read about Sienna. I can't express to you all how much this story means to me. I currently work in healthcare in the U.S., and it's been stressful, as one could imagine. I find this story helps me escape from the reality of what pain and sadness this world currently gives to people. I'm also studying to get my masters in Social Work. I hope you all continue to be patient with me, and supportive. I cannot be more thankful that you all enjoy this story as much as I enjoy writing it. Stay safe and healthy, all.