And if we dream - Draco Malfoy/ OC
Chapter 18- The wrong enchantment
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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THIS CHAPTER IS dedicated to Saskia.. Aka- thislookslikeajobforme. A constantly brilliant reviewer who always makes me want to update asap, in this case the next day! Aha, also your idea… so brilliant I had to put it in a chapter! Not this one, but the next. Looks like were on the same wavelength! Its not quite what you said but to fit it in it had to be even more subtle than you suggested! Thanks very much lovely! Hope you enjoy!
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Avery had never seen such a large bowl of ice cream before, and having been at Hogwarts for six years that was saying something. The yellow scoops, seven if she counted correctly were drizzled in chocolate sauce and sprinkles and looked extremely mouth-watering.
Slughorns room was dimly lit, a large circular table adorned the middle surrounded by a number of chairs. The professor himself sat ruddy cheeked in his high backed chair smiling hugely and gestured them inside, "Come in! Come in! Let the fun begin!"
"Why am I here again?" Avery asked Hermione who looked just as awkward as she did as she moved towards one of the chairs.
"Because professor Slughorn Invited you too, Avery, when you were cleaning your shirt at the Three Broomsticks." the girl replied.
"Why us though? Harry and you I can understand but why me?"
"Your name is very famous Avery." Hermione stated as she settled into her seat, "As is everyone elses here, well those who aren't top of the year grade wise anyway."
"Thanks." Avery frowned as she sat herself beside Hermione.
"So." the professor said loudly, "I trust everyone has had a good week and is raring to go?"
He received nods of confirmation and awkward mumbled replies.
"Good, good, so," he turned to his left, "Cormack, tell me, do you see anything of your uncle Tiberius these days?"
Cormac swallowed his bite of ice cream and smirked, "Yes sir, in fact I am meant to go hunting with him and the minister of magic over the holidays."
The professor moved onto the next student, a boy called Marcus who was shovelling his food as if he had never tasted it before. Zambini, who occupied the seat beside him grimaced at his behaviour as he replied to the professors questions with his mouth full.
"And you Granger?" he moved on, "What do your parents do in the muggle world?"
Hermione swallowed and placed her spoon onto her bowl, Neville, next to Avery stopped eating too as he also knew nothing of Hermione's family.
"They're dentists." A pause, "They tend to peoples teeth."
"Is it a dangerous proffesion?"
"No." she said quickly, "Though one boy did bite my father once, he needed ten stitches." She laughed awkwardly in the silence that followed until the professor moved on to Avery.
"Miss Greenwood, how is your mother?"
"Uh, I don't know professor," Avery replied slowly, "I haven't seen her since fifth year."
"Oh?" Professor Slughorn continued, "Why is that?"
"She's uh," Avery glanced to her friends, the professor, Zambini and all the other students who stared in anticipation, "She's not on our side."
"Oh. I had heard rumours, though I.. Yes, well.." To Avery's enormous relief the door opened quickly, revealing Ginny Weasley in a glittery dress.
"Ah, Miss Weasley!" The professor cried, also looking extremely relieved at the interruption.
"Look at her eyes, she and Dean have been fighting again." Hermione whispered as Harry moved to push back his chair.
"Is she okay?" Avery asked to which Hermione shrugged.
"Sorry," Ginny said, "I'm not usually late."
Avery bit her lip to stop from laughing as Harry stood for seemingly no reason as Ginny took her seat and sat back down awkwardly, shooting a hissed "What?" towards Hermione who was also smiling at him.
Conversation remained slow and rather strained and Professor Slughorn seemed reluctant to talk to Avery directly after his little slip up and the red head was extremely thankful when the night wound down and everybody moved to leave. "Goodbye, thank you for attending, goodbye!" the professor called through the door.
"Bye professor." Hermione said politely as Avery thanked him.
"So, Mione, did you notice that McCormack was staring at you through the whole meal?"
"Yes I noticed." Hermione sighed, "He's repulsive."
"I'll assume Harry is staying to talk to the professor." Avery smiled.
…
"Avery! Wake up this minute!" Hermione's voice cut through her sleep, "You'll be late to Herbology."
"That's not such a bad thing though is it." Avery stated as she pushed her covers off, the cold air of their room biting at her legs and skin, "It's freezing." she complained.
"So cast a warming charm."
"Sometimes I hate you Hermione." Avery groaned.
"I love you too Avery, now get ready, we've already missed most of breakfast already."
"We? You're up late too?"
"Yes, well, it was a rather late night last night wasn't it."
Avery grinned as she moved around to find her uniform and by the time she was even remotely presentable she had only ten minute before she had to be to class, both she and Hermione who was in a panic at this point travelled quickly to the great hall, grabbed a piece of toast to go from the rapidly emptying tables and moved to class as quickly as possible.
Avery slid onto her seat in Herbology just seconds before the start of lesson, still chewing on her last bite of bread. "You look terrible Greenwood." Malfoy scoffed from his usual seat, dressed in black and as immaculate as ever. Her only response was to narrow her eyes in his direction and turn towards the professor.
"Today, as it is nearly Christmas we will be talking about mistletoe."
Avery heard a resounding groan from the males in the room and a number of sighs from some females in the room. Avery herself just found mistletoe to be annoying rather than romantic, more anger inducing that love creating. Especially Hogwarts mistletoe. Hermione had told her about mistletoe in the muggle world, it was a simple plant that hung in doorways and a couple beneath could chose to kiss if they wished to. Mistletoe in the wizarding world was a whole other story however.
A twig of mistletoe appeared before each student, ripe with lush green leaves and bright red berries.
"No one touch the mistletoe." The professor said, "It could cause human contamination. Today we will make these pieces of mistletoe into the mistletoe that we have come to associate and subsequently fear with Hogwarts. The enchanted kind."
"I'm sure a number of you have been caught in their clutches over the holidays," Avery groaned quietly, remembering a particularly awkward encounter with Fred- or George- at the Christmas dance in fifth year before all of the ministry mayhem. Everybody except Avery found the whole thing hilarious.
It seemed a number of the students in the room were remembering similar incidences if the look on their faces were anything to go by.
The professor chuckled, "I see I am correct. So, who can tell me how it gets to the point where only a kiss can free you?"
"An enchantment of course." Malfoy snorted.
"Yes," the professor replied, "But why is it that mistletoe is the only plant that has this effect when enchanted."
Avery grinned when the smug smirk on Malfoy's face dropped at the question. He obviously didn't know the answer.
"Neville?"
"Because there is a special product in the berries, professor, an aphrodisiac if you will, it brings forth feelings towards the person you're with. Anything from friendship up can lead to a kiss, pure hate, often leads to a fight, it sort of makes these feelings more prominent." Neville explained, confidently. Avery felt proud of him, she had never seen her friend so confident, or as he would put it, smart.
"Correct Mr Longbottom. Ten points to Gryffindor house." Avery cheered internally at the house points. "Mr Longbottom is correct, there is a liquid in the berries that when enchanted bring forth often dormant emotions and feelings towards another. Today we will be practicing this enchantment. For most of you it should be simple, for others…" her gaze found Avery's table of failures, " it will not be. You will find the enchantment in your book, at NEWT level it is not up to me to divulge this information to you. Begin."
"I hate this lesson." The blonde Hufflepuff girl, Amanda sighed from her seat opposite Malfoy. "How do we eve find the enchantment."
"Look up mistletoe in the plant list." Avery explained, "I've seen it in the book before."
"That seems too easy." Amanda replied.
"No. Red's right. It's all on the mistletoe pages." Malfoy interrupted, opening his book to the page, a pointing haughtily, "You would know that if you looked yourself."
The Hufflepuff scowled and roughly opened her own book, promptly ignoring the people before her, "Malfoy." Avery growled, "Must you be so rude to everyone?"
"Only people not worthy of my manners."
"And what is with the nickname?" She asked.
"Your hair." Was once again the only reply she received to the question.
With a roll of the eyes she began to study her book in earnest in search of the enchantment, noticing that most of the students had already found it and were beginning to practice it, though she couldn't pick out any specific words to help her along.
The Hufflepuffs opposite didn't look to be having much luck either, and it seemed as if they were just taking turns to jab at the lifeless plant before them with their wands, the darker skinned girl, Lexi cried something that Avery didn't quite catch and the plant seemed to jump to life , glowing slightly around the edges, the majority of the class stopped in their progress to observe.
"Congratulations girls! You've done it! Now class, look what happens next." the professor cried giddily.
The mistletoe rose slowly into the air, the glowing growing brighter and spreading throughout the leaves wrapping like a coil around the berries. Avery raised her eyebrows, it was a beautiful sight to behold.
"Wait." The professor said wearily, "That's not quite right."
"What do you mean?" Lexi, who had been smiling warmly before that comment, asked.
"Everyone just-" Whatever the professor had been about to say was lost in the loud bang that exploded from the mistletoe, covering Lexi in a fine red liquid, Avery guessed possibly from the berries.
"Oh no. Everybody stay here, I'll get the nurse!" The professor shouted moving swiftly from the room.
"The nurse!" Amanda shrieked, "What's happening Lexi?"
Her friend did not reply however, she was staring transfixed and wide eyed at Draco Malfoy of all people.
"What?" He spat towards the girl who seemed unphased by his attitude. Avery shrugged when the Slytherin shot her a questioning look. "Neville?" She asked.
"If Lexi has done what I think she has done then she's enchanted herself." Neville explained.
"Enchanted herself?" Malfoy asked the boy with none of the usual snide comments, or attitude.
"Yes, I think it means that the first person she sees of the gender she is attracted to becomes the object of her affection. Intense affection."
Malfoy swallowed and inched closer to his red haired partner who in return earned an angry glare from the previously harmless Hufflepuff.
"And jealousy." Neville added not so helpfully. Lexi raised her wand and Avery found herself grabbing her own in case she were made to defend herself.
"Malfoy," she hissed as the blonde moved closer still, "Stay the hell away from me."
"Not a chance!" the Slytherin bellowed, ungracefully jumping backwards and moving behind Avery, a hand gripping the back of her robes tightly his wand pointed over her shoulder towards the girl opposite who seemed to be absolutely livid.
"Lexi." Amanda started, "Stop being silly. That's Malfoy."
"Isn't he beautiful?"
"Malfoy! Get off of me." Avery struggled, cursing under her breath about stupid Hufflepuffs who manage to find an enchantment way more powerful than was needed.
"You get the bloody Hufflepuff away from me first." he argued as Lexi moved slowly around the desk, cautious as if approaching a feral beast.
"This is ridiculous. She's going to curse me Malfoy."
"Better you than me."
"Bloody ferret." Avery grumbled stepping back harshly onto Malfoy's foot, who yelped in pain but maintained a tight hold on her robes, and stepped backwards with her.
"It's like a mating ritual. I've seen it in Snorkcumbers." Lunas dreamy voice spoke, "The females fight and the male takes the side of his favourite. It's all rather romantic really."
Avery ignored the girls rambling for fear of her life until the professor returned, nurse in tow with her wand pointed towards the obvious suspect. Lexi, eyes still resolutely on Malfoys face immediately stiffened and rose into the air.
"No one worry," the nurse, one whom Avery didn't recognise spoke, "We'll take her to the hospital wing, it should wear off in a few hours."
As the girl was removed from the room the students inside seemed to let out a collective sigh of relief, though Avery didn't think there was anyone more relieved than herself, accept maybe Malfoy, who still had a death grip on her robes. She could feel his ragged breath against her neck and had to reel herself in before she could speak.
"You can let go now." Avery growled, "The big bad Hufflepuff is gone."
"Shut up." Malfoy grunted as he roughly let her go.
"Snake." she mumbled, straightening her robes.
…
Later, at dinner, Avery listened in silence as Neville recalled the lessons events to their friends, laughing throughout.
"The ferret hid behind Avery?" Ron snorted, "That's bloody brilliant."
"It's a wonder that Avery didn't cause the problem." Hermione joked receiving a piece of chicken to the cheek for her efforts.
"Nope." She replied, "This time I was completely innocent."
"I cant believe Malfoy used you as a shield though." Harry added, "What a wimp."
" I cant really blame him." Avery found herself saying, "the look in Lexi's eyes was frankly terrifying. I would've hidden too."
"But behind a girl!" Ron cried, "Behind you!"
"I'm a girl who can still kick your arse Ronald." Avery threatened, adopting the boys full name in the same way only Hermione and Mrs Weasley did when they were very angry at him. The ginger winced slightly and mumbled an apology as he bit ino a chicken leg.
"Now if you will excuse me." Avery said, "I have to go visit McGonnagal to talk about my progress in Herbology. This should be a brilliant anecdote to start off the meeting."
"Good luck." Ron said around a mouthful of food as Avery climbed off the bench.
She ignored the people staring, having obviously heard of the afternoons proceedings as she made her way from the hall and sighed gratefully as she made it to the empty corridor, only just realising the schools decorations were up, which made sense considering it was only a few days until people left for Christmas. Once the Quidditch match of Gryffindor vs. Slytherin was done they would be leaving for Rons. Only a week or two to go. Brilliant Avery thought as she came to McGonnagals office, a whole Christmas of the Weasleys, who had graciously allowed her to spend it with them and Harry since Matilda would be spending it with her own son whom she had not seen for years and her grandchildren. Though her nanny wished for Avery to join them, Avery knew that this was an important time for their family and she was more than happy to give them the alone time they needed. Besides, Ron's would be brilliant and she would have a great time.
"Come in." McGonnagals voice called and Avery blinked.
The best part, she thought, would be no Herbology.
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Thanks for reading! More up soon!
