Disclaimer: I do not own any content or characters related to The Covenant, nor do I have any intention of trying to make any money off of this strictly recreational work of fiction.

Draco Malfoy

She was quiet and introspective as she sipped her coffee that morning. Kate was still sleeping when Sarah headed for the cafeteria and she found herself the sole occupant, bar the small staff. She picked at her food and doodled various protection sigils with the tip of her finger on the tabletop. She'd wanted to visit the library to look into the creepy crawly now nestled securely between two pairs of sweatpants in her dresser, but it didn't open until she had class. She'd briefly thought about breaking in, but had dismissed the thought. She'd actively used more in the past 24 hours than she had in over a month and wanted to spend some time outside before she decided to use again.

In addition to her spider problem, she was also considering the fight she'd spied on yesterday. Caleb was yelling at Reid about using too much (from what she'd felt the last couple days, she agreed with him). He'd said something about abusing the power and knowing what it could do. She thought of her aunts and remembered Emma, who had used without taking the proper precautions and had withered away by the time Sarah was ten. Excluding that one case, though, none of her coven had died that way in a very long time. She thought about the fathers of the Sons of Ipswich and wondered if any of them were still around. With the way Caleb assumed responsibility for the others, she doubted it.

Her thoughts were interrupted as someone plunked a tray across the table from her. Jerking from her thoughts, Sarah looked up to see Chase settling in with a full breakfast and a big smile. "Good morning!" He chirped before taking a bite of eggs.

"Morning." She murmured back. She liked Chase, but was in no mood to deal with his cheerful demeanor until she'd at least finished her coffee.

"Aww. What's wrong, Grumpy?" He teased.

"Had trouble sleeping last night. I promise I'll be better company after more coffee." She smiled wanly at him and turned her gaze back to the melon that she'd been pushing around with her fork.

"I'm sorry…bad dreams?" Chase asked, his voice softening. For approximately point five seconds, Sarah considered telling him the truth, but then firmly dismissed the idea. The only guys at this school who could possibly hope to understand her concerns about her dream were the Sons of Ipswich and Chase wasn't a member of that particular fraternity. Instead of answering verbally, she nodded and continued to push the melon around her plate.

(((((DoJDoJDoJDoJDoJDoJDoJDoJDoJDoJDoJ)))))

Though she had been incredibly excited for the start of the school year, Sarah struggled to remain enthusiastic during classes that day. Her mind was teeming with questions and her eyes were heavy after two nights of interrupted sleep. Kate joined her in their lit class later in the morning and acted as a pleasant distraction from the heaviness that plagued her thoughts.

She was packing up to head to lunch when she felt a presence stop just to her left. Kate had already headed out the door with Pogue and Caleb had been called to see the provost, so Sarah found herself one of the few students remaining. Looking up from her bag, she saw Reid leaning casually against the end of the pew. "Hey, Sarah…you're looking good today."

"Thanks." She responded with a wry smile. He stepped out of the way as she hefted her bag onto her shoulder and made for the door. Once they hit the hallway he fell into step beside her, strolling with his hands in his pockets, shoulder occasionally jostling her as he weaved slightly from side to side. "What can I do for you, Reid?"

"Go out with me tonight." It wasn't a question. "I figured we could get dinner…go see a movie… What do you think?" He raised his eyebrows at her comically.

"That's really sweet, but I already have plans tonight." Sarah wasn't trying to upset him, so she left out the fact that her plans were with Caleb.

"What could be better than dinner and a movie with me?" Reid's eyes were knowing, regardless of her trying to spare his feelings. He also didn't seem as upset as she thought he might.

"A trip to the library, followed by dinner in town."

"You're picking the library over a movie!? I can offer you motherfucking snakes on a motherfucking plane!" Sarah could see why girls liked him—when he wasn't trying to be a smooth talker, Reid was actually pretty funny. "What's the library got that me and my man, Samuel L., don't?"

"Books about dream interpretation…and books about spiders." She watched him closely, but he didn't seem to have any reaction beyond puzzlement and mild disgust.

"I fuckin' hate spiders. They give me the creeps." As they got in the cafeteria line, Reid conceded defeat. "Fine, enjoy dinner with your spider books and I'll go see Snakes on a Plane by myself."

Sarah rolled her eyes at him and put a bottle of water on her tray. "You do that. I hope you and yourself have a very nice time together." Her response was snarky, but not aimed to hurt. Fortunately, he took it in the spirit of teasing and waggled his eyebrows at her.

"Sweetheart, I always have a good time with myself."

She snorted before she could help herself. "Has anyone ever told you that you look like a pervy Draco Malfoy?" Tray full, she turned away from him to find a seat and bit back a smile as he choked and sputtered. Catching up with her, Reid was grumbling, but not denying anything. "Oh my God, they have!"

"Shut up, it's the hair." Kate and Pogue were looking at them with some confusion as they sat down across the table from them.

Unable to contain her laughter any longer, Sarah couldn't resist one more dig through her chortles. "Oh God, I'm definitely calling you Draco from now on." Cottoning on, the others started laughing too.

She could see the knowing amusement glittering in Pogue's eyes as he chuckled. "Yeah Reid, you're like a bratty teenaged wizard." Throwing a fry across the table with a frown, Reid told him to shut up.