"All this time and you haven't thought the mention…"
'He is going a little over the top isn't he?'
'Shut-up'
"- that of all people, or things, your dead father is communicating with you? I…"
'Tell the hooked nose bugger to relax'
"ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME ELIZABETH?" Severus yells making me yelp in surprise, it was hard to concentrate on both conversations at one so I had been drifting in and out of listening to Severus scolding me.
"Yes, I am. I didn't come here for that though I just wanted to know if we were still spending Christmas and afterwards together?" I press trying to change the subject. Seriously I didn't care if he researched the crap out of my little problem but I was more concerned about Christmas.
"Yes, I hadn't told you otherwise so I don't know why you'd even come ask" he reply's in a calm tone staring me down as if egging me to argue.
"Alright well I'll be off to bed then" I cheerfully and innocently state trying to stand only to be pushed back onto the couch where I had been forced to sit through the duration of my lecture like some toddler.
"You will stay down here tonight, it's too late to have you wandering about the castle"
"How is it wandering if I go straight to the Common Room! Neville has my-"
"Go, bed, now" he demands sternly, I grumble while standing about not being some little kid anymore and how I was almost of age.
I hated staying in Severus quarters, not for regular reasons but because I always had to answer stupid questions from Lavender the next day because she thought I was getting some 'good ol' love-in' or something equally ridiculous. I mean I know her and Ron had to practically have sex now every time they were around each other because they were dating but seriously. I blame her for anything wrong in my social life. Hermione has retreated to the Library when ever Harry or I aren't around to talk to her, Harry has been spending increasing amounts of time with Dumbledore and with that I am left to my own devices. Which is when I have stupid ideas and end up down here in the bedroom I spent most of my childhood in.
It was a simple room decorated in cream and blue, I hadn't been down here since around this time last year and a few times during exams when Hermione was stressing me out more then studying. I liked the room enough but I always felt like I was a little kid when I stayed in here. I lay on the bed kicking off my shoes and stare at the ceiling letting a memory rise to the surface.
"Elizabeth you have to finish eating"
"But I want to go play with Auntie Minnie! Please Sev-rus?"
"After you've finished, she has a class to teach and doesn't need you running about her classroom like some sort of animal" Severus says sternly pushing my plate back to me. I turn up my nose at the vegetables that were on my plate, gross. I bet my brother didn't have to eat his vegetables. Only a couple more years and I would get to meet him.
"Do I have to?" I whine poking at the carrots, I hated carrots.
Severus sighs shaking his head, "Eat two, then you may go play in your room until I can take you to see her"
Success.
"I only do what I do because I care Elizabeth, one day I may not be here and then I won't be able to protect you" Severus voice says from behind me, he wasn't angry any longer but I could tell her was still a little frustrated. After a moments hesitation he crosses the room sitting stiffly on the edge of the bed.
"I don't need protecting"
"You may think that but it is untrue, as long as you are who you are, you will need protecting"
I scoff at this, I could take care of myself I don't need someone coming in to save me every time something goes wrong. "Normal sixteen-year-old girls don't need protecting" I grumble burying my head under the comforter choosing to ignore the presence in my room. Him and his conversations I thought I was supposed to be sleeping.
"You are anything but a normal sixteen-year-old girl, normal ones are not you and only need protecting from the male population. Which reminds me, Mr. Malfoy? I couldn't think of anyone worse for you to pursue" he says hotly I could almost feel his gaze piercing through the blanket, which I was sinking lower, and lower behind now that the conversation had taken this turn.
"What no answer for that?" he asks now mockingly, before waiting for me to say something. I wasn't trying to pursue him, just talking to him now.
"Goodnight Elizabeth" he says finally standing quickly and darkening the room with a wave of his wand. "Goodnight Dad" I reply watching his back stiffen slightly as he shuts the door behind him making me laugh.
'Goodnight Lizzie'
'Goodnight Daddy' I mentally reply closing my eyes, tomorrow was a new day and it would probably start at the butt crack of dawn.
-----------
"Oh Won-Won, did I tell you Lizzie didn't even come up to bed last night?" Lavender Brown giggles while stirring her Potion, the wrong way I might add. I roll my eyes continuing with my work. Ron knew I wasn't doing anything immoral but the rest of the class seemed very interested in this bit of news.
"So I thought maybe she was down in the Common Room and being the good person I am I went to check on her" I'm so sure.
"I was very surprised to see that she wasn't there" she finishes looking over at me with an innocent expression. Beside me I could hear Hermione mock gag, the majority of the class Malfoy…er Draco included was now openly staring at me waiting for me to argue back.
I shrug adding in some snake venom, "You're right I spent the night in the Hospital Wing, I've been having some troubles sleeping, I wasn't aware you cared for my well being so deeply Lavender" answer in the same innocent tone watching as people began to loose interest in the happenings in my life now. After all a Potter in the Hospital Wing was believable.
Lavender's expression turns to one of defeat as she looks thoroughly disappointed before speaking again, "Well any friend of Won-Won's is a friend of mine". I snort before turning back to my work. I'm so sure.
For the rest of class I could still feel Mal-Draco's eyes on me, I wasn't the only one either Harry eventually picked up on the silent observer and took to shooting glares over his shoulder every two minutes.
"Why is Malfoy staring at you?" Harry finally whispers as Slughorn passes by praise in his eyes at the sight of our Potions. Mine way only okay compared to Harry's wonderful one, that just reeked of cheating. I wish he'd let me use the book.
"Why not, I think I'm pretty hot. Don't you?" I ask cheekily tossing my long lair over my shoulder and shooting a wink and a flirty wave over at Draco who looked thoroughly stunned at my behavior and promptly returned to his work.
"Don't give him any ideas Lizzie" Harry orders warningly making me roll my eyes, a little late for that, even without my ideas word on the Victoria was that Draco loved me, well during the summer. I had nothing to do with that other then insults, yelling and looking cute.
"I mean it"
"You can't order me around Harold" I tell him making Hermione giggle we had taken to calling him that when we were annoyed even if Dad insisted Harold was not Harry's full name. Which was a total bummer I must add.
"I'm not trying to, I just don't want you getting involved with Malfoy"
"Harold, I'm a big girl I can do what I want"
"STOP CALLING ME THAT!" Harry yells catching the attention of everyone in the class. I laugh lightly, "I was joking Harry, chill alright" I smile at him seeing his posture relax visibly before he turned to apologize to Slughorn.
Hermione leans over, "You shouldn't lie to him" she whispers eyeing Malfoy who was working now only glancing over now and then. "I didn't tell him I was joking about the Malfoy thing, just calling him Harold" I reply evenly seeing her shake her head, but not amused. This would probably blow up in my face, and in a big way.
"I just hope you know what you're doing" she warns lightly, I shrug not really.
"Look, Harry will forgive me, Dr…Malfoy, he wouldn't if I betrayed his trust now, just trust me" I tell her quietly looking over at the blonde who was mixing and preparing his Potion with ease, he looked at home like it was his second nature.
It was almost…cute.
"Well as thoughtful as that is" Hermione starts tapping my jaw with her hand lightly, "let's try not to drool"
"I was not drooling over Draco Malfoy!" I say loudly as the class suddenly quiets everyone once again staring at me shocked.
"Lizzie!"
"I said not Harold, calm down" I mutter blushing slightly and turning back to my work sinking lower in my seat. What I wouldn't give to have the floor swallow me whole right now.
-----
I pace outside the Room of Requirement, should I go in? No definitely not after today in class now he's going to think I was some kind of crazy fan girl or something. Taking a deep breath I turn the handle that had long ago appeared the only good thing about this place was that no one would find us because after my little scene today I don't think I'll be able to get away with being caught with Ma-Draco, alone.
"About time" a now very familiar voice drawls as soon as I walk into the Common Room style room. It was comforting and had a Christmas-y feel to it.
"I was thinking, stuff it" I roll my eyes sitting on the opposite side of the couch from him drawing my knees up under my chin and hugging them. I always judged how well people knew each other by how close they sat on a couch. It was how well and or how comfortable they were with each other. Right now we were opposite ends of the couch kind of people.
"Alright, So, how has you day been so far?"
I look at him with a blank stare; this is what we were going to talk about? This was going to be how or conversations started. Alright then…
"Well where do you want to start? Lavender in Potions? My brother in Potions? Hermione in Potions or Hermione and Ron battling at lunch?" I sigh slightly thinking about the rather interesting fight they had gotten into regarding Ron's lack of table manners which had so many subtexts in it even I got lost.
"Granger in Potions? What did she do again?" Draco teases slightly making me blush. I was not drooling over him people had been bugging me about that all day. It wasn't helping my matters with Harry either. Then again who wouldn't drool over Draco he was attractive, in a…forbidden kind of way.
'You could not pay me enough to be a sixteen-year-old girl'
Had the kind of hair that made you want to run you're fingers through it…then there were his eyes, which were captivating in more ways then one. I felt as if I had a handbook I could see directly into his soul…WHAT THE HELL WAS I SAYING.
"You know very well what she did, anyways, any plans for Christmas break?"
I ask trying to detour the conversation drawing lines in the sofa with my finger tracing the patterns in the material. I hear a small snort, "Nothing, I planned personally. We have a Christmas Ball at the Manor every year so the break is preparing for that and then the rest of break leads up to the New Years Eve Ball and then school starts again"
"Oh no not a party" I joke in mock horror watching his nose wrinkle, "If you were forced to spend the night with Professor Snape's daughter you'd think differently. She's a nice girl but my mother is intolerable after I've been talking with her"
"Snape has a daughter?!" I ask in mock horror but really doing a little dance inside my head I was kind of hoping this would come up.
"Yeah, just don't go spreading that around… I don't think she goes here for a reason and I don't really want to get into any kind of trouble for-"
"I got it, secret kept. What's she like? Greasy and mean?" I prod wanting to know what kind of image I put out.
"Victoria? She's very nice actually but tries to hide that fact. She's just normal I suppose, not too much like Snape actually she was adopted so he's not her biological father" he explains, I nod to show my understanding a little surprised he knew that little fact. I think the majority of pureblood children thought I was Snape's child.
"Thankfully because of that fact my father would never let my mothers idea of a marriage between us be arranged."
"Because you don't know about her birth parents?" I grind out slightly getting a tad defensive. I mean yes I don't want that but it was kind of insulting.
"That was his reason" Draco admits honestly starting at me directly in the eye, "but I was thankful because I want to choose who I marry, they should have no say in it at all" he pauses cocking his head slightly, "besides, Victoria isn't my type she seems a little high maintenance".
At this I have to laugh.
-----------------
"WELL THEN MAYBE YOU SHOULD JUST JUMP OFF THE NORTH TOWER"
"OH THAT'S MATURE"
"I'M HERMIONE GRANGER AND I KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT EVERYTHING, I THINK I KNOW WHAT LAVENDER'S BOYFRIEND LIKES" Lavender screams making me back up out of the door once more watching the scene unfold a bit more. Hermione was holding some god-awful necklace up and shaking it in Lavenders face and Lavender looked close to tears.
"So how's everyone doing?" I ask cheerfully holding my hands up in surrender when they both turn their glares on me. All I wanted was to get my book for Charms, I didn't need to be killed.
"Hermione says she knows more about what Ron likes then I do"
"I was saying that I've been buying him Christmas gifts for 6 years and this" Hermione waves the silver…thing around, "is not something Ronald will like"
"It is I know my Won-Won, Lizzie, do you think he will like it" Lavender address me as I was backing towards the door slowly book in hand.
"Ron doesn't wear jewelry" I answer truthfully with a shrug but hoping she gave it too him anyways if he had to wear something that ugly my life would be awesome.
"Well he'll wear this" she says firmly grabbing it from Hermione hand, I bite my lip and turn for the stairs. What an interesting day this has been.