Throughout the whole lesson, Draco stared at the boy. He just sat there. He didn't smile, frown, or do anything. It annoyed Draco. He had no clue why it bugged him so much, but he didn't like it. Maybe because it seemed like Harry would have a stunning on the spot smile, but… Oh, he didn't know.
Draco mentally shrugged, and he continued his observation on Harry. Even from where he sat, Draco could tell that he was small and quite pale. His messy, raven hair brought out amazing emerald eyes, and the hair helped enhance his delicate feminine stature. All in all, he was quite beautiful.
Beautiful? Draco did not think another boy was beautiful? Nope, not at all, he thought looking away from Harry, and then his eyes drifting back to said boy. Oh, who was he kidding, Harry was gorgeous. It's not a shame to admit that another boy is pretty, he thought.
As if Harry knew that Draco was thinking about him, his eyes met Draco's. Draco gave a smile, but Harry didn't see it, as his eyes had immediately lowered back to the table where he was sitting. Draco frowned, that wasn't the reaction that he was looking for.
"Draco." Hermione whispered, nudging him in the side as well. Draco turned towards her, "What?" He mouthed back. Hermione grabbed a piece of paper, began to write, and then slide it over to Draco.
You need to pay attention.
I am.
No your not.
How do you know?
What is Professor Snape talking about?
Chemical equations.
No, he's talking about the Periodic table.
I knew that.
You've been staring at Harry this whole lesson.
So…is that a crime?
No, but your godfather keeps frowning at you.
Draco glanced up at the front of the classroom, and Hermione was correct. His godfather was indeed frowning at him, every so often throughout the lesson. He groaned, just what he needed, his godfather getting on his case about not paying attention. Personally, he didn't feel as if he needed to pay attention all the time. Snape was his godfather for crying out loud. The man gave him private lessons all the time; he was chapters ahead of his class. Not paying attention in one class was not going to hurt his GPA at all.
Thanks.
No problem.
Hermione wrote back, and then slide the paper into her binder. She really didn't want the Professor finding out that she was writing notes back and forth.
The bell rang, signifying the end of class, and everyone began to rise out of their seats. "I don't believe the bell dismisses you. Sit down!" Snape ordered. Most of the students groaned, but complied. "Mr. Malfoy, you will stay after class, and the rest of you, get out of my classroom."
Everyone rushed out of the room, Hermione and Blaise walking a bit slower, Ron waiting at the door. Draco nodded to Hermione and Blaise, signifying that they didn't need to wait for him.
Draco slowly gathered all of his belongings together, and then walked up to his godfather's desk. "Sir?"
"Mr. Malfoy, what is your excuse for not paying attention during my lecture?" Severus said glaring. Draco glanced over at Harry, who was still sitting at the same desk, looking down. Severus followed his eyes. "I see."
"What?" Draco asked.
"If Mr. Potter is going to be a distraction, then perhaps I should have him removed from the classroom. I'm certain that Headmaster Dumbledore will be able to find someone else to take him off of my hands during class time."
"No!" Draco all but shouted. Severus raised an eyebrow. "Don't do that, you shouldn't make Harry leave on my account. I was just curious about him, that's all. It won't happen again."
"How can I be certain?"
"You'll just have to trust me, godfather." Draco said truthfully. Severus scrutinized his godson, and nodded. "All right, I trust you, Draco, but no drifting off. I don't want you to fall behind." Draco scoffed. "Like that will happen." His eyes once again strayed to Harry. "What's his story?" He asked.
Severus opened his mouth to reply, but the tardy bell rang before he was able to answer. "I will have to indulge your curiosity later, Mr. Malfoy. You do not need to be any later than you already are. I will write you a pass." Draco almost interrupted, saying that it didn't matter if he missed his next class, but his godfather silenced him with a look.
"Thanks." Draco replied, taking the pass. "I'll see you after school then? Or am I going home tonight?"
"Unfortunately, your father is back in town, and he will be picking up today."
"Did is meeting go well, do you know?" Draco questioned.
"When I spoke with him on the phone, he didn't say, but he didn't sound all too happy." Draco's shoulders slumped. "Okay." Severus walked around his desk to his godson, "Draco, if you need anything let me know. Just a call, that's all it takes." His godson nodded. "Well, I better get to class. See you later, Sev." He said as he walked out the door. His head popped back in the door, "You too Harry." And he was gone.
Harry still stared at the desk, making no move that he had heard Draco speaking to him. "What are we going to do with you?" Severus said, looking at Harry. Said boy, lifted his eyes to Snape, as if saying, 'how should I know.'
"Well, boy?" Harry's eyes immediately lowered back down and Severus could have sworn that he saw Harry tense after he spoke. He walked closer to Harry, so that he was standing in front of him. What had caused it? He didn't know. All he had done was address him. "Harry?" Nothing. "Potter?" Still nothing. "Boy?" That was it. Harry flinched. So that was it, "Boy." He said with a little more venom, and Harry trembled.
Snape grabbed Harry's chin so that he could look Harry directly in the eye, but Harry averted his eyes. Severus gripped Harry's chin a little more roughly than necessary, and Harry's eyes locked with Snape's. His eyes were filled with fear. "Speak." He said, but all Harry did was tremble.
Severus dropped his hand from Harry's face, and stepped away from him. "What's going on in your head? Where are your relatives? Why me? And more importantly, how are you involved with Riddle?" Snape sighed. Too many questions, and too few answers.
--
Harry's involved with Riddle? Draco thought, as he walked to his next class. Okay, Draco had to admit that he may have lingered next to his godfather's door so he could listen in. He wasn't eavesdropping, definitely not. All right, maybe he did, but he was curious. How could he not be?
Draco walked into his Graphic Design class, handed the pass to his teacher, and then made a beeline to his table, where Hermione, Blaise, and unfortunately Ron sat as well.
"What did he want?" Hermione questioned, as soon as Draco took a seat. Draco grabbed his drawing book, and a pencil. "Draco?"
"Nothing really. Just wanted to know why I wasn't paying attention." He said, as he copied the notes off of the board.
"I told you he would notice." Hermione said, in an I-told-you-so voice. Draco glanced up at his friend. "But I didn't get in trouble."
Blaise laughed. "Ha! Five dollars to me. Pay up, Weasley." He said to a glaring Ron. "I knew Draco wouldn't get in trouble, he never does with Professor Snape."
He pulled out the money and handed it to Blaise, though not happily. "Here." Ron said, his face turning the color of his hair.
"What's the assignment this week?" Draco questioned, after he finished copying the random notes from the board.
"It's a three part assignment." Hermione stated, and Draco groaned. "Don't worry, its actually quite simple. All you have to do for the first part is find five examples different card decks. You can describe them, get pictures off of the Internet, or take a picture of it with a camera."
"Sounds easy enough." Draco said.
"For the second part, you need to come up with three different ideas, if you were to make your own card deck. It has to be pleasing to the eye, something that's profitable, and most importantly the deck has to be able to be shuffled."
"Okay, and the third?" He asked.
"After you present your ideas to Mrs. K, you have to make your own card deck. All 52 cards." Hermione smirked.
"Are you serious?" Draco exclaimed. "All 52?"
"All 52." Hermione replied.
"Great, just great." Draco grumbled. A few moments later Draco stated to his friends, "I have an announcement."
"What?" was the common response. Draco grinned, "I've found my excitement, actually it's more of a mystery than anything."
"What is it?" Blaise asked.
"Are you sure you want to know?" Draco asked, annoying his friends.
"Out with it, Draco."
"The mystery this year, and my excitement is Harry Potter." He declared.
"Did you say Harry Potter?" Asked a voice from another table. "As in the boy that just woke up from a coma?"
Hey everyone, sorry about the long wait. I finally finished Double Looks, so I am now dedicated to How To Live. To everyone that has been reading Double Looks, the first chapter of the Sequel, Keep Holding On, is now posted.
I hope you all liked this chapter.
Review, and let me know. If you have any ideas, I'm all ears!
(Passes out gumdrops to everyone that reviews.)