Chapter 16: Seven Deadly Sins

Draco had difficulty concentrating that day. Octavia, as usual, awed the teachers with her knowledge of the past and wisdom.

All in all, he was tired. Of all Draco could fathom, meeting Lilith, even in a dream, was not comforting. He even worried that the Vampire Queen would try to have him killed for his attitude towards her. Draco laughed at the growing possibility that the hat had misplaced him. He was certainly acting as stupid as a Gryffindor.

He doubted that Octavia knew about the Vampire Queen. But even so, he wondered what the Queen wanted with him. She didn't seem so terrible as he had thought before.

Draco thumbed through a book he found in the library. He didn't know much about the book, but he kept thumbing through it. So far, it seemed pretty safe.

Draco stopped at a page almost in the middle of the book.

The title of the chapter was:

The Seven Deadly Sins

Draco stopped paying attention all together and read.

The seven deadly sins are seven strong emotions that are usually said to be negative for humans. Each sin is a version of derivative of a similar human emotion. For example, lust is the sexual perversion of love.

The seven deadly sins and their original emotions are such:

Gluttony—Hunger; Lust—Love; Envy—Jealousy; Wrath—Anger; Greed—Possession; Pride—Pride; and Sloth—Comfort.

Draco looked up from reading. Thank Merlin its History, Draco thought. The class was more animated than usual as Binns and Octavia were arguing over…something. Draco wasn't sure.

He returned to the book. Yawning, he skimmed the pages following, but only skimmed—he only paid attention to the more detailed definitions that followed for each sin.

Gluttony is better described to be the need for excessive eating or over doing…

Lust is the sexual perversion of love or romantic feelings…

Envy is extreme jealousy of a person or persons…

Wrath is intense or extreme anger that is near impossible to sate…

Greed is a want for more than one already has; an unfulfilling desire for more…

Pride is the most common and possibly the deadliest of the Seven Sins. Pride is both self confidence and a desire to strive forward no matter what the cost…

Sloth is extreme laziness and comfort; the desire to do nothing…

Draco glanced up again just when the rest of the class gasped.

"What happened?" he whispered to Blaise.

"Binns actually got a name right!"

"Octavia's?"

"Yeah. What? Were you not paying attention?" Draco showed him the book. "Wicked." Blaise took out some parchment and began to write.

"What are you doing?"

"Those seven sin thingies, I wanna make a list of people we know who have them."

Draco shrugged.

"Gluttony…hate to say it but Vincent and Greg fit that." Draco laughed.

"Lust…ooh…that's tough."

"Big list…we'll get back to it. Envy. I'd say—"

"You."

"What?" Draco hissed.

"You're jealous of Potter. You just don't want to admit it."

Draco shrugged. "The Weasleys all have wrath. And pride."

"Agreed," Blaise said, writing it down. "Greed's also tough."

"Pride…"

"Potter. And Granger."

"Potter?"

"He's no saint, Drake," Blaise whispered. "If he's got anything, it'd definitely pride."

"Sloth is…"

"Vincent."

"He's a bad boy," Draco muttered. Blaise snickered. "Okay, Lust and Greed. Augustan Mello for both."

"Octavia's old boyfriend?"

"If you saw his memories like I did, you'd say the same."

"I'm also putting you with greed, Drake."

"Put yourself with Lust."

"What?"

"Millicent…"

"Fine—but I'm not lusting for her." Blaise finished the list. "Anyone we're missing?"

"Teachers!" Draco said. Blaise snickered. "Aunt Bella's with Lust."

"Ouch."

"You don't want to know."

"Ron Weasley's gluttony."

"Abbott's Envy."

"What about Octavia?"

"Definitely wrath."

Draco winced. "Be nice to her, mate."

"She's fun to tease!"

"True…"

"You and she both have pride."

"I'm a horrible person," Draco sighed dramatically.

"Pansy…she's not listed yet."

"St. Parkinson."

"Mr. Malnourish! Mr. Zucchini! That is enough!"

Draco and Blaise looked up. Binns was fuming. The students, Octavia included, were giggling madly.

"Class," Binns growled, "is dismissed."

Once he vanished, names were shouted out for them to add to the list.

"Snape? Definitely pride and wrath!" Millicent shouted.

"Draco's dad's greed!"

"I always wondered why my dad laundered money," Draco joked.

"Master Slytherin's greed to!" Octavia chimed.

"What about the other founders?"

"Father was pride. Madam Ravenclaw was gluttony—she could be a tad neurotic—and Madam Hufflepuff was…um…oh…add her with Pansy in the saint column."

"You're all jerks!" Pansy laughed.

The group roared with laughter.

The bell rang and they filed out of the classroom.

The Slytherins returned to the common room in good spirits.

"That was mean, guys," Millicent chuckled. "Truly, it was."

"No one cared," Blaise said. "Besides, the truth is supposed to hurt."

"You're still jerks," Vincent agreed.

Draco and Blaise shrugged. "The Golden Trio ain't here," Blaise said.

"So it's our turn to shine," Draco finished.

Octavia linked her arm with Draco's. "Silly fool," She chided, leaning against him.

"Get a room!" Pansy snapped.

"Go Draco!" Blaise cheered.

"So," Millicent chimed. "When's the ceremony?"

"Shut up!" Draco shouted.

"Come off it, Romeo."

"Way to go, lover boy!"

Draco grabbed Octavia's hand and ran in the other direction. The catcalls still followed, but at least the others didn't run after them.

Draco stopped at the Room of Requirements. "We can hide here for a while."

"In my old clubhouse?"

Draco glanced at Octavia. "Clubhouse?"

"Not even the founders know I created this room."

"Octavia, everything about the school you know about it just surreal."

Octavia shrugged. A door appeared before them and they entered—the room was styled like a medieval sort of bedroom.

"When I was angry, I'd come here just to get away," Octavia said, sitting on the bed. "Sometimes I'd be here for minutes, other times, hours. Sometimes I'd be gone long enough to worry my father. The house elves were in contract with me. They were allowed to come bring me food and clothes, but never to reveal my whereabouts."

Draco sat next to her. He took her hand and kissed it. "Were you bothered by what Blaise and I did during class today?"

"No," Octavia said. "It did not. I actually found it quite fun. I've never done anything so fun. Even one thousand years ago."

Draco snorted. "Wow. The Middle Ages," he joked.

"The most fun I had then was when I went unicorn hunting with Father."

"Isn't that illegal?"

"It is now, but then, Unicorn blood and hair were poached. We went for Master Slytherin."

"You adjusted rather well for being in a coffin all those years," Draco teased.

Octavia shoved him. "Silly fool." Draco pouted, rubbing his shoulder. Octavia leaned against him. "I love thee," she muttered. "More than thee couldst ever know."

Draco wrapped his arm around her.

"If thou doth not face injury before the age of twenty, wilt thou allow me to turn thee?" Octavia asked.

Draco petted her head. "Yes."

In the shadows of the walls around them, a red eyed woman smiled.