Part II
[Monday, October 3rd, 2016]
"Oh my god," Oveyus grumbled beside Draco. They'd been chatting before class started and the students had started to trickle in.
"What is it now?" Draco tried not to get roped into another ridiculous conversation but it had quickly become inevitable. The more time Draco spent with Oveyus, the more he realised the man really didn't have any friends. Oveyus had taken to unleashing every thought and muse in real time.
"Is that a tattoo?"
Draco looked up to see that among a group of students that had walked in was an older man with a fresh tattoo on his neck of what appeared to be a quill. It looked ridiculous, yet he made sure that everyone could see it.
"Alright. Here we go." Oveyus got up as most of the students had taken their seats. "Good afternoon everyone, we're going to do something a bit different today. We're a month into the school year and this is usually around the time when I have to do some damage control.
"At the start of term we had a conversation that I always hope my students pay close attention to. For some of you, it seems to have gone over your heads… or on your necks."
As ridiculous as the man could be sometimes, Draco couldn't help but smile as he proceeded to explain to the students that not everything revealed in class should be taken to heart. It made him reflect on his own findings and how it had rendered him temporarily insane.
And yet…
Granger hadn't been by his office again after last week. She still sat in her seat in the second row like she had been, though she hadn't participated again. He had played around with the idea of having another pop quiz and seeing if he could bait her into speaking in class. He realised then that he was losing sleep over it and tried to put it out of his mind.
He was actually looking forward to seeing her project on Ganymede, he didn't even mind if it was longer than the assigned four pages or four feet of parchment… He noted how she usually opted for parchment, and ink. He had imagined she out of all people would prefer pen and paper.
His idle musings came to a stop as he zoned back into the cautionary lecture Oveyus was still parroting.
"Your goal here should be to learn the craft. If you internalise every reading, vision, and prophecy you will never be able to master the tools needed to help others.
"With that said, I had hoped we would dive into our next topic this week, Dream Interpretation, but I'm not convinced we won't walk out of that lesson unscathed."
The class seemed to grumble as if he had dangled candy in front of them and snatched it away. Draco was convinced the man had mastered the art of manipulation because by the end of it the students had unanimously agreed not to get carried away or make any drastic changes to their lifestyles, at least not before talking to him.
"I've asked Professor Borage to brew up a batch of Sleeping Draught with an added side effect. This brew should put you in a sleep that will allow you to dream easier and theoretically you should be able to retain the memory of said dreams.
"Now if you have difficulty sleeping or are already predisposed to dreaming, do not take this. Otherwise, from here to our next class on Thursday, please record your dreams and we'll review them together. Also be advised, the sleeping draught is a pretty common potion, however if you are not familiar with its uses please familiarise yourselves with them before drinking.
"I think we'll end class a bit early. Reflect on what I said and I hope so see you all on Thursday. Class dismissed."
As the students filed out, some took a vial of the potion, others stayed clear of it. Oveyus turned back to Draco with widened eyes.
"A quill! On his neck! How anyone lets someone have a sharp object so close to their neck for hours at a time, I'll never know." He slumped back into his chair. Draco shook his head with a small smile.
"Are you going to take one?" Oveyus asked. The question was innocent enough, but Draco tensed slightly.
He had already been over-thinking things with Granger. With no real possibility for friendship in sight he had again begun to worry about the consequences of avoidance. Taking the draught could just make his waking thoughts become amplified in his sleep.
"I think I've seen enough of my fate for a lifetime," he shook his head.
"Or–"
"Don't," Draco warned. He was already on edge about his decision and he had literally just made it. He didn't need a master manipulator to push him over. Draco could see the man wouldn't be deterred and nearly covered his ears.
"I'm just saying that maybe, just maybe, it would help if you had a bigger picture. It might clear up the mud and put you at ease. A wizard's mind is quite powerful and can be your biggest ally."
Draco glared at him, mostly because yet again he made sense, but a part of him hated that he was so easily influenced and wondered when his ego decided to take a vacation. He huffed and got up from his seat.
"See you Thursday!" Oveyus called.
As he left the classroom he eyed the trolly of phials. Draco knew he was going to regret this and yet, he snatched one.
