And if we dream - Draco Malfoy/ OC

Chapter 17- Avery's judgement.

Summary: Like some magnetic force, like some unbreakable bond she was drawn back to him again and again. And now, staying away was an inconceivable notion. "Always." she murmured, one hand finding his, the other tangling into his platinum hair, "Always."

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I'm re writing it to my story so the dialogue is not that same as it is in the books or films in the scenes you may recognise =]

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"Oh Avery, please stop your sulking!" Hermione snapped, "You've been groaning all morning."

"Yeah Ave, you're bringing the rest of us down." Seamus added from his seat by the common room fire.

"Gee guys, I truly am sorry that you all get to go play in the snow in Hogsmeade and I have to stay in the library, working on my least favourite subject with Draco Malfoy." Avery snapped, "Of course you'll all have a terrible day and I'll have a brilliant time."

"No need to be sarcastic Avery." Hermione replied with a roll of the eyes.

"No need to be sarcastic Avery." Avery copied in a high pitched impression of her friend as she stuffed some more parchment into her bag, ignoring another roll of the bushy haired girls eyes.

"Avery," Neville's voice piped up tentatively, "I really don't mind staying and helping you. I'm sure I can handle Malfoy for while."

"Thank you for the offer, Neville," Avery replied, "But as much as that would help me I can't let you miss your trip. You've already planned so much with Luna, I'll be fine. I'm just a little cranky."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." Avery lied with a tight smile, "and I have to go." She yanked up her things sending a withering glance to Hermione, "See Mione, Neville is nice."

"Goodbye Avery." was her only response.

The red head poked out her tongue childishly and shot a "have a good time." to Harry and Ron who found the whole spectacle highly amusing, "push Hermione in the snow for me."

"Will do." Ron cried as she closed the common room door behind her.

Avery moved slowly towards the library, only partially because of her cold stiffened muscles in the icy air, really she just wanted to prolong the inevitable- hours alone with Draco Malfoy to work on a Herbology project. There was no doubt in Averys mind that if she was angry at missing the Hogsmeade trip then the Slytherin would be absolutely livid. He'd more than likely curse her the moment she stepped foot inside the library as if this was all somehow her fault.

She breathed deeply, gulping in the crisp air before she stepped inside, knowing that for the next few hours all she would be able to smell would be the dusty, damp smell of hundreds of old, more than likely alive books.

"Greenwood." A voice sounded behind her, "Do you plan on going inside or would you rather do the project out here on the floor?"

"Just preparing myself for a few hours of torture Malfoy." she recovered quickly.

"Believe me Greenwood," the blonde grumbled pushing past her and through the library door, "It's much worse for me."

A few hours later she threw her quill onto the table with a loud groan, earning herself a shrill glance from the gnarled librarian and an equally hard glare from Malfoy as her quill splattered some ink onto the corner of their barely started project. "I give up." she sighed, "I don't see how we're supposed to concentrate on our exams if we have so much work on a subject we can actually do."

The Slytherin merely continued to read the Herbology textbook, she looked him over with a frown, "Why are you doing this Malfoy?"

The blonde mumbled something, "Buying time?" Avery questioned, "For what?"

"What?" Malfoy replied, "Shut up Greenwood."

Avery stared at him incredulously, "Why do you wear that?" she asked, noting his all black ensemble which was definitely not school uniform.

"Why not?" came the reply.

"Its not uniform." Avery stated.

"Quite brilliant observational skills you have there, Red."

"Red?"

"Your hair. Look," Malfoy started angrily, "Are we done here?"

"Judging by the lack of project I would say no. What's up with you, you haven't stopped fidgeting since you got here." Avery stated, realising the truth behind her words only as she spoke them, Malfoy had been acting stranger than usual, shifting on his chair, almost nervous, as if he were waiting for something.

"Spending all this time in such close proximity to a Gryffindor, makes me agitated. I can almost smell the reckless bravery permeating from your skin."

"Your insults are really weak today, Malfoy." Avery said with a sigh picking her quill back up and returning her eyes to the open text book before her.

She raked her eyes down the list of roots, written in tiny, almost unreadable scrawl, barely taking in any of the words before her, the writing blurring slightly. She pinched the bridge of her nose with thumb and forefinger and squinted against the words before her, blinking slowly as they began to swim in the blur of her vision.

"Nope." She said again, "I am done. I cant do this right now." Avery scraped back her chair as silently as possible and moved towards the library window and the welcoming light beyond it reflecting from the beautiful snow blanketing the grounds of Hogwarts that just beckoned her to go outside.

"What in the name of Merlin?" she asked as she spotted Hagrid walking briskly up the path towards the school, a limp female body in his arms, followed closely by who else but Avery's three best friends.

"What is it?" Malfoy asked curiously, eyes glinting as he moved towards the window.

"I don't know. I have to go." Avery replied, moving quickly towards the table and unceremoniously shoving her things into her bag.

As she practically ran from the library she missed the look of disappointment that Malfoy shot towards Hagrids figure and the look of anger that followed in Harry Potters direction.

Avery caught up to her trio of friends and the half giant in the main hall way at the same time a number of nurses came to remove the body from Hagrids arms, Avery recognised the girl, Katie something from their year.

"What happened?" Avery asked.

"Oh Ave, it was awful." Hermione responded, "It was the necklace, it was cursed it had to have been." Harry lifted a necklace time object wrapped in brown paper to show Avery.

"Who would want to curse her?" Avery asked, but before she could receive a response Professor McGonagall beckoned them sternly into her office, along with a distraught looking brunette that Avery hadn't noticed until now but guessed to be the Katie girls friend.

Once they were all situated in their head of houses office, Avery and her friends stood separately from the girl the professor began to question them.

"You're sure," she asked the girl, "that Katie didn't have the necklace in her possession before she entered the three broomsticks?"

"I already said," the girl replied, anxious to see her friend, "She went up to one of the rooms, she said she was going to the loo but I saw her and she came down with the package and said it was important she delivered it. She wouldn't answer any of my questions she just kept walking."

"Did she say to whom she would deliver it to?"

"Professor Dumbledore." The girl replied and Avery found that she was not at all surprised by this news, Dumbledore was a powerful, respected wizard, the only wizard in fact that Voldemort himself feared. It only made sense that there would be attempts on his life, but a student? An upstanding student like Katie? No, she obviously received the package from someone and was forced to deliver it. Cursed herself maybe.

"And you four." This snapped Avery from her thoughts and she realised the girl, whose name she still hadn't caught was gone and McGonagall had her attention turned towards them. "Why is it when something happens it is always you?"

If the situation weren't so dire Avery would have laughed, she often asked herself the same question. Hermione fidgeted beside her and Ron grimaced. Only Harry met her eyes. Before she could acquire a response her eyes moved to the doorway behind them, all four Gryffindors tensed as she sighed, "Oh Severus."

Avery turned to see the bat like man striding grimly into the room, wand already pointed towards the cursed necklace which promptly rose from it case, "What do you think?"

"I think Miss Bell," Snape drawled, "Is lucky to be alive."

Harry, as expected immediately jumped to the girls defence, mentioning how gentle she was and how he knew her from Quidditch and off the pitch she would never hurt anybody. Avery remembered that she knew her from watching the games, though they never really spoke despite being in the same classes a lot of the time. Katie was a quiet girl and she found herself agreeing with Harry with a nod of the head as Hermione and McGonagall were also doing. Katie did not plan to deliver the necklace to Dumbledore as her own choice.

"She was cursed." McGonagall stated in agreement.

Avery started as she heard the words, "It was Malfoy." slip from Harrys mouth.

Both professors rounded on the be speckled boy, demanding evidence to which poor, reckless Harry could only respond with, "I just know."

"You just know?" Snape asked, "Your abilities astound me Potter, how gratifying it must be to be the chosen one, to have abilities that mere mortals could only dream of. However," his eyes slid towards Avery, "these abilities should also tell you that Mr Malfoy spent all day with your friend here. Didn't he Miss Greenwood?"

Avery swallowed, nodded, felt like she was betraying Harry somehow.

"I suggest you return to your dormitories, all of you. Speak nothing of this."

"Yes Professor." Hermione said, grabbing tightly to Harrys arm. Avery and Ron followed close behind until thy were out of earshot when Hermione rounded on the dark haired boy, "Harry, you cant just go around blaming people like that!"

"I know it was him Mione!" Harry replied, "I just know it."

"He was with Avery all day!"

"He was acting rather strange." Avery added, "But yes, I was with him all day there was no way he could have gotten that package to Katie."

"Then it was already there, or he did it some other way. But he did do it." Harry argued, "I'll prove it somehow."

Avery sighed as Harry marched ahead, Hermione and Ron following close behind.

She breathed deeply and glanced around wondering who was out for Dumbledores life, perhaps it was Malfoy, he had been acting strange after all.

By the time dinner came, Harry was still fuming, stabbing angrily at his food and his anger only increased as mail arrived with the newest issue of the Daily Prophet depicting more muggle attacks by the death eaters. A long, rectangular envelope landed before Avery and as Harry ranted to Ron, pointing angrily to the paper she ripped the seal open to find her own quill inside with a neatly written letter.

Red,

I borrowed this today as I forgot my own.

I don't particularly want to be seen interacting with you in public more than needs be so I mailed it to you instead.

Possibly it will break when dropped by the owl, an added perk I think.

P.S, If you don't find out the name of that root by next Herbology lesson I will personally hex you to next Wednesday. Fair warning.

Avery found herself grinning at the unsigned letter obviously from Draco Malfoy, who sat between his friends, eating slowly but did not look up towards her. She shook her head and folded the letter into her robe pocket. Draco Malfoy was indeed a strange one and she found herself wondering over the nickname, Red, fitting she supposed what with her hair and she had often been told she had a fiery personality but surely only friends gave nicknames? Unless it was meant as an insult? She didn't know. She fed the owl a treat and pulled some parchment from her bag under the table and using the exact quill she had been mailed, she wrote,

The quill is fine.

I'm using it now. It's working rather brilliantly actually.

P.S I don't see why you can't get the name of the root yourself, it would probably take less time than it would to keep bugging me about it, I'm sure you can manage to spare some brain power, however minute that might be. We're partners remember, however reluctantly.

P.P.S You're a jerk.

P.P.P.S Jerk is a muggle word, Hermione said it means something bad. So there.

She rolled up the parchment and tied it to the owls leg after she fed it another treat, it took off with a hoot leaving a pale grey downy feather on the tale before her, circling the room before landing before Malfoy who quickly removed the parchment. He reluctantly fed the greedy owl before his grey eyes scanned the letter quickly, a small smirk growing on his face. The parchment in Malfoys hand found its way to the pocket of his trousers. Grey eyes met hers in a hard stare and she found herself twisting the quill between her fingers and almost hoping that Harry was wrong about the culprit of the curse. Because either Avery's judgement was way off the mark or Draco Malfoy wasn't so bad after all.

Thanks for reading! More up soon!