Chapter Four – Revelations
____Aurora-Jasmine____
The message our old codger of a Headmaster had delivered had sent a ripple of excitement across the Slytherin table; the sloth like boy beside me positively shivered with anticipation.
The model of absolute perfection who was seated opposite me kept shooting furtive glances at the table on the far side of the Hall, where those students wore the colors red and gold; these, therefore must be, Gryffindor… My parents had both pre-warned me of the common misconception that all of those students who ended up being sorted in either Ravenclaw or Gryffindor were the most intelligent students ever to have graced the passages of the school. I discovered that this piece of pure-blooded perfection was staring at the obviously openly-gay couple.
As soon as the final word was spoken each of the tables was ready to leave the cavernous Great Hall. Strangely enough, the boy whose name I took to be Draco, from what his 'girlfriend' had hissed at him, remained at the table when the rest of us were dismissed, looking thoroughly depressed to be flanked by two ape-like creatures, both shoveling further helpings of the mediocre food into their mouths.
I followed slightly behind the eager eyed first years, some of whom barely reached by waist, towards the dungeons. The dismal walls did nothing to improve my failing excitement; it transpired that for my remaining three years at this Castle, I was to sleep below the surface level, underneath the surface of the Great Lake.
This opinion soon changed when the Prefect at the head of the group whispered the password to the Portrait at the end of the corridor and we were free to enter the candlelit chamber; its high arched ceiling was spotted with great green chandeliers hanging low over an assortment over chairs and tables around the grand fireplace. The room gave the impression that it belonged to a gothic queen or princess. Oh, how right that impression would be by the time we came to the end of this year.
I followed a group of girls and boys whom I had overheard discussing the fourth year of Hogwarts; Draco's 'girlfriend' included. The staircase spiraled up to the dormitories, where I found that my trunk and my belongings had already been placed at the foot of my bed.
_____THE NEXT MORNING// BROOKLYN_____
Not that I had been overly happy since Draco had been staring at the newest arrival at the Slytherin table, however, my visit to the Snape's office had been more productive and managed, in a very, very strange way, made me smile.
Barely had Malfoy scuttled away from the dungeon corridor than I had knocked once on the door and forced it open.
"Good evening, Brooklyn." Snape said curtly, nodding me into the chair opposite his desk. I sat, albeit begrudgingly. "I was under the impression that the students had been dismissed and were being sent to the common room." He added curiously. I shrugged; the matter at hand required the more personal touch.
"Father told me that he wanted me to speak to you; in person." I nearly growled, throwing a heavy letter down onto the desk.
"I thought you would have remembered by now, that, although I am your... God father," he forced the phrase past his lips like a curse, "You could merely have sent this letter via your owl, Lestat. I'm sure he would have found me..." He answered shortly, having heard my repressed growl.
All too soon I was nodded from the office. Thankfully, the meeting hadn't lasted all that long and there remained a number of students milling through the corridors towards their own dormitories. I followed a group of green and black clad students towards the dungeons.
I muttered the password to the concealed entrance and hurried through the hole that appeared and into the common room. The first year students were still milling about the room, examining the decorations, some of their faces mirrored my own reaction to the expanse of the common room upon first time viewing; however, there was one of the new students whom seemed more dismissive than impressed – she was the girl of the 'first years' that Draco had been staring distractedly at through the entire feast. I glared at her as I swept up the staircase to the dormitory.
Several other of my fellow fourth years, Pansy Parkinson included, had already arrived and were unpacking and readying themselves for bed. I too was settling back into the comfort of Hogwarts when, the girl who had already placed herself in my bad books, strolled through the door and took a seat on the bed beside mine.
"Hi, ladies. My name's Aurora Jasmine." She grinned, extending her hand to each of us in turn. I looked once at it and turned away from her, determined not to become friends so soon with a girl who was under the impression that she could flirt with Draco and successfully get away with it.
"Hello, Aurora." I said simply, keeping my head buried in my trunk. I was not willing to share any unneeded airspace with this... new Slytherin. I was of the impression, that to be a true SLYTHERIN, one must have been sorted into the house from our first year. Anyway, I tugged the hangings of my bed shut and collapsed on the bed, ignoring the mutterings behind the curtain.
By the morning, I found that Aurora and the others had only just left the dormitory and were in the common room. Draco was sat, lounging on one of the faded velvet sofas with Crabbe, Goyle and, with a twinge of annoyance, I noted that the new brunette was perched on the edge of the sofa, watching Draco intently.
"Morning, Brooklyn, sweetheart." Draco greeted me, cheerily, giving me a swift kiss on the cheek. I smiled sweetly and returned the peck to his cheek.
Together, Draco and I made our way down to the Great Hall for some breakfast. I noticed that, despite the fact that I was wrapped so closely around Draco, Aurora was still eying us with a mingled curiosity and misery. Finally, I decided that the time had come for me to use the fact that Snape was my god-father to my advantage.
I slipped away from the table and headed in the direction of Snape's office, however, half way to the office, I quickly changed direction, realizing that the best place for me to find what I needed was in the Potions room...
Once inside, I made for the desk behind which Snape usually dictated instructions. The drawer I needed was predictably locked, and therefore I drew my wand and muttered, "Alohamora", the drawer flew open, and there, hidden beneath a mass of spare parchment and quills, lay the inoffensive glass bottle. Gleefully, I thrust the bottle into my pocket and returned to the Hall for a very quick breakfast. I decided that the bottle should be administered during dinner that evening; the hall was much livelier and louder.
____LATER THAT DAY: DINNER TIME____
All through the day, I had noted that Aurora kept a short distance from Draco and myself, and yet, he made no effort to rid us of her presence. As I slipped my arm around his neck to pull Draco into an embrace, I discretely poured several drops of the potion into the pumpkin juice that sat in front of Draco.
Gently, he touched his lips to my cheek, and then drained what was left in his goblet in one. I watched his facial expression closely as he took in his surroundings, particularly the Gryffindor table and Aurora who sat opposite me.
"Sweetheart, aren't you going to eat something?" I asked gently, shoveling a slice of cottage pie onto his plate.
"I don't want anything, Brooklyn. Leave me alone." He hissed, climbing to his feet and disappearing off in the direction of the table across the hall. I watched with a wary eye and listened with a keen ear to hear the true thoughts regarding the Pansy couple and THE girl.
_______SUMMMER_______
The first day, having started on a low note, had picked up greatly through the day. By the time we had reached our final period Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson with new teacher, crazed ex-Auror, Mad Eye Moody, Frank had given up trying to discover what was the matter with me, and consequentially, spent our evening meal chatting away merrily with Harry and Ron and Mikey about Quidditch and other such boyish things. Well, that was until Ellie noticed that the Snake had slithered up the aisle between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables, his face set and determined.
"Frankie, Gee; look who it is..." I hissed, tugging on the sleeve of Frank's robes.
Both Frank and Gerard turned to face the figure approaching us, his pace steady and focused. Beneath the table, my hand rested lightly on my wand, ready, at a moment's notice to curse the scumbag into a thousand pieces if he insulted any of us.
"Good evening, guys!" He greeted cheerily, raising a hand in salute-like welcome,
"What do you want, Snake?" Harry hissed into his plate, having been restrained by a reproving Hermione look.
Malfoy looked unabashed as he ploughed on through what he had to say, "I came, Harry, to speak to Summer." He smiled, not sneered, and yes, it was a genuine smile
"Slither, if you want to talk to Sum, you talk to all of us," Interjected Frank, his own wand, not so subtly pointing directly at Draco. Obviously, he was still ruffled by the insult Malfoy had delivered regarding he and Gerard.
Draco nodded once and his eyes sought me. Dark gray finding hazel. Something in the depths of the gray pair was different; there was a true glimmer of innocence and purity. I nodded once at Draco for him to begin.
"Well, I thought that I'd come and tell you that, despite the fact that I know well shall never see eye to eye, I find you such an interesting and beautiful person. You amaze me, each day; I'm blown away by your loyalty to your brother and your dedication to be the best friend you can be." The words came out as an incomprehensible mess, the only discernible words to my ear, being 'interesting' and 'beautiful'.
I held up my hand to prevent him from continuing; Bella had muttered into my ear during his speech something that I thought he would find of interest. Obviously, Brooklyn Sanders was not too happy with the choice of company that Draco had decided to keep for the time he was away from her and his fellow Slytherins. Brooklyn sat on the far side of the Slytherin table, her eyes fixed on her partner, so readily spilling his true feelings to us.
It appeared however, that Draco had not finished with us yet, he next turned to Frank and Gerard, a similar mask of confusion and doubt....
"Frank, I'm sorry. I cannot say it more clearly than that. I know that I have been awful to you and Gerard, but, honestly, I see nothing wrong with the way in which you two go about your lives." He concluded simply, turning on his heel and marching back towards his own table, however, maneuvering with determination so as to take up the seat beside the newest fourth year who had been in our first potions lesson of the term.
_____AURORA-JASMINE_____
Across the dinner table from me, Brooklyn was staring daggers in 'Draco's direction. It became clear why, when, she shifted her position slightly and momentarily flashed the tiny glass bottle that was still hidden in her palm. I had enough knowledge of the wider magical world to be aware of a truth potion so strong that it would need only three drops for anyone to spill their darkest secrets to any question asked. This potion was called Vertiteserum – predominantly, it had been used by the wizarding authorities in my old home to trace either under-age or dark magic.
The most memorable time I had seen the effects of this potion was when the local authorities had gained information that my younger sister, Tempest Ariel, had been performing in public for the local muggle children. You understand, of course that Tempest had been doing no such things, and yet, the authorities appeared at our home and, not even attempting to hide what they planned, forced the potion down her throat, therefore forcing Tempest to tell the truth. Horrifically, it seemed that answers came to her lips with no hesitation. Even for a person as well grounded as I, the sight of my sister subjected to such treatment was quite enough the batter me emotionally. It was because of this incident that our parents had agreed the move to the United Kingdom.
Anyway I gazed across the hall to where the Gryffindors sat, raking my eyes along the rows of students, searching for any whom seemed interesting. I soon stumbled across what, or more precisely who, I was looking for. Two identical twins with flame red hair. Something about the more extroverted twin appealed to me. He laughed merrily with his brother and the person whom I took to be their best friend.
My attention soon turned to another figure, a figure that seemed out of place in his surroundings. Draco Malfoy, surrounded by Gryffindors, yet, despite the fact his face seemed perfectly at ease, the rest of his body language betrayed the fact that he was more than nervous to be in such close proximity to a boy with which he shared a mutual animosity.
Draco returned to the Slytherin table, but, instead of joining Brooklyn across the table from me, he sidled along the bench to my side. I stared; a fork of food suspended in front of my mouth as I watched the model of perfection slump himself into his seat and begin to eat.
"I'm Draco Malfoy, by the way, Aurora." Draco smiled through mouthfuls. I didn't care how he knew my name; all I cared about was the fact that he acknowledged my existence in a more friendly way than he had left his girlfriend's side.
____Brooklyn____
It seemed as though my plan to use the Vertiteserum on Draco to find out what his true feelings were had backfired on me. Not only did he feel comfortable at the Gryffindor table, he, upon returning to our table, sat alongside Aurora… Furious did not even begin to describe my mood. Betrayed was a more accurate description.
Across the table, Draco and Aurora seemed to be enjoying a very interesting conversation. Both their plates of food lay forgotten. I grumbled into my plate, suddenly more aware of those students sitting either side of me; Warrington, a large sloth-like sixth year, and, on my other side, in Draco's vacated seat, Blaise Zabini. Zabini was one of Draco's lesser known cronies, yet, he was also one of my good friends.
"Brook, I know you." Blaise sighed, turning in his seat to face me. "What's wrong with you and Draco?" He hissed, keeping a wary eye out for either Draco listening or one of the specters of the school, namely Peeves.
"Have you seen her?" I groaned, waving my wand in Aurora's direction. Blaise caught my wrist quickly as I had unwittingly caused a drift of snow to start falling.
"Yes, Brook. I've seen her." He said simply, placing our linked hands on the table softly. "But, honestly, I can't see why Draco would rather spend time with her, than with you." He added cheekily.
"Thanks, Blaise. That's sweet." I simpered, my cheeks glowing a slight pink.
I noticed that across the table, Draco had stopped mid-flow in his conversation with Aurora to stare at Blaise and I. With a barely concealed smirk, I continued with my own conversation. Maybe, just maybe, there was some good that could come from this situation.
____Mikey____
The confrontation with Malfoy had been far from comfortable to watch and listen to. It was easy to see why Frank had been so defensive of Malfoy talking to his sister; the last time that Draco and Summer had had a conversation, the outcome had not been pretty, both having been forced to complete a detention; Summer in Snape's office, Malfoy emptying the cages in the Transfiguration Classroom with McGonagall; the term's project had involved mice. Anyway, let's just say, none of us wanted to witness that mess again. Seeing as Malfoy had a reputation of being more knowledgeable with his jinxes and hexes than he cared to let on. Do you remember the Dueling Club incident; 'Serpensortia'.
I watched his approach with bated breath, my hand on my own wand that lay nestled in my pocket, ready to curse the scumbag for, well, even insulting Sum. Unfortunately, I needn't have worried about this insulting. He was polite. Too polite for him; something was wrong. Funnily, I was not the only one to notice his change in attitude, Summer had too. She seemed wary of making eye contact with the Snake as he spoke of her features that I myself had long since admired and adored. Silently, my heart broke. The girl that I had loved for four long years was having attention thrust upon her by an unworthy soul. Not only could Draco Malfoy not understand this beautiful woman, he didn't know her like I knew her; I had lived side by side with her since Frank and Gerard had begun their relationship; I was practically a brother to her, yet, I loved her more than a brother should. She was perfection… Not only was she a gifted witch, she was beautiful, funny and, when we weren't trapped in the castle, a magnificent Quidditch player.
After Malfoy had slithered back to his own table, Frank watched my expression curiously.
"What's wrong, Mikes?" He questioned, shaking Gerard's arm off his gently. Gee took the hint and begun a conversation with Summer and Bella.
"Nothing's wrong with me, Iero." I grumbled, poking at my food angrily, "Nothing at all."
Strangely enough, Frank wasn't convinced. He shook his head disbelievingly. "I have practically lived with you and Ger for however long now, Mikey." He chuckled, "I know you better than that, I know what's wrong. You love her don't you?" He added, nodding in Sum's direction.
"How do you do that, Frank?" I wondered, "Yes, Frankie… I love your sister, more than anything in the world. She's the most amazing person I've ever met." I sighed, feeling my cheeks burn.
Frank clapped me on the back and joined in Gerard's conversation therefore leaving me with the revelation that I loved Summer more than I had ever previously known buzzing around my head.