AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks for all the reviews. I love them.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter.
"Adrienne," Melanie shouted into her roommate's ear. "Get up!" The dark skinned Slytherin burrowed under her comforter and mumbled something incoherent. "Ad-rie-nne!" Melanie tried again, shoved her friend's sleeping body with each syllable she spoke. Adrienne mumbled something that sounded like, "Piss off" from beneath the blanket, but Melanie didn't stop. "Get up!" she said, shoving the girl harder.
"FINE!" Adrienne shouted as she popped from under the covers much like a jack-in-the-box springs out of its box. Her brown eyes slowly adjusted to the lighting in the room and she exhaled softly. No longer was she at home. She missed the bright morning sun seeping through her curtained bay window. If she missed anything while she was at school, it was watching sunset and sometimes sunrises from the comfort of her bed. Instead, she awake to the light hazel eyes of the raven-haired girl before her. "Mel, back up," Adrienne said groggily. Melanie obeyed and her face was replaced by that of her black cat. The cat rubbed her head under Adrienne's chinned and purred loudly. "Hello, Lilith," the Zabini girl replied before pushed her away. The sixth year waited a moment, just to make sure nothing else was going to pop into her face, and that didn't happen she pushed the black comforter off her body, stood, and stretched.
"Shower," Melanie demanded as she tossed her friend's robe, towel, and toiletries on to her bed. "Come on, before Pansy takes the other shower." Adrienne sighed grabbed all of the things she needed off her bed and walked with Mel to the girl's bathroom.
Once Adrienne opened the door to the bathroom, she was greeted with a wall of steam strong enough to clear anyone's sinuses. Adrienne inhaled deeply, loving how the steam cleared her throat. She then waved her wand and the steam cloud thinned so that they could both see where they were going. Adrienne selected a shower and so did Melanie. Both of the girls undressed and slipped into the shower in the cover of the steam cloud. Adrienne ran her water hot, so hot that the liquid coming from the shower head burned her skin. Adrienne had always liked her showers hot, something that she'd acquired from living in the dungeons for six years. She washed her said and body as the hot water burned her skin.
While she stood under the water, her mind slipped to the events of the night prior. It all started with Draco keeping her from falling. He didn't have to do that, but he did. He didn't have to hold her hand, but he did. And he didn't have to kiss the back of her hand – the area his lips had touched tingled for hours after he'd kissed it – but he did. He didn't have to talk to her, to tell her his task from the Dark Lord, but he did. Was he opening up to her, because he wanted to or because he could keep now secrets from his betrothed?
"Addy, you're going to be all prune-like if you say in there," Mel call over the water. Adrienne rolled her eyes and turned the water off and wrapped her body in the towel. The Zabini then grabbed her wand and muttered a spell to dry her skin in hair instantaneously. She then pointed her wand at the wet roommate and did the same, "Thanks," Melanie said. Adrienne nodded mutely and pulled on her undergarments and then her Slytherin uniform of a plain white buttoned shirt and knee length black skirt, after brushing her teeth. She hung her green and silver stripped tie around her neck loosely, and pulled her hair into a high ponytail, leaving a sideswpet bang parted at the left. "Ready?" Mel asked as she walked to the door.
The two girls slipped out of the bathroom and into the dorm were Pansy was just waking. As Pansy hurried to shower and get ready, Adrienne opened her trunk and pulled open her turn and grabbed the first black v-neck jumper, with green lining around the cuffs and waist, she saw, and tugged it on. She them pulled her on a pair of black socks and the grabbed her cloak from the bed. Quickly she slipped her feet into her shoes and turned to Melanie.
"No makeup?" Melanie asked. "Now that you're betrothed you think that you don't need to look good?" the girl joked as she braided her hair over her right shoulder. "You have time," she added. Adrienne sighed and sat down on the floor in front of the floor length mirror and waved her wand. A small black bag fell into her lap and she pulled the zipper open. She didn't think that she looked bad without makeup, but she did always add a little eyeliner and mascara, just to make her eyes look more open. "Now, you look lovely. Let's go."
Adrienne and her best friend waltzed out of the dormitory and down into the common room. Adrienne was so concerned with brushing Melanie's fly-aways down that she ran straight into someone. Immediately, it was the person's fault. Adrienne looked down and scoffed, "Are you kidding me? Watch where you are going," she growled.
"Zabini, I believe that you ran into me," a voice drawled. Adrienne looked up and then sighed, seeing that Draco Malfoy was the person that she'd just run into.
Adrienne groaned. "Malfoy, you're stalking me."
"In your dreams, Zabini," he smirked.
Adrienne reached up, not noticing until then that Draco was a good four or five inches taller than her, and began to tie his tie. She'd been tying her own tie for six years and was kind of perfect at doing it. The moment seemed to last for forever, but in reality it was only less than a minute. Once she was done, she dropped the tie onto his chest and brushed a piece of lint off his tie. "There; don't you look dapper," Adrienne joked, before turning her attention to the untied tie around her neck and tying it quickly.
"It seems your brother and friend saw fit to give us some time alone," Draco commented as a giggly Melanie pulled a glaring Blaise out off the common room.
The girl sighed and pushed her hands into the pocket of her cloak. "Well, I suppose I could let you escort me to breakfast, Mr. Malfoy."
A smirk graced Draco's lips and he started off towards the exit of the common room without her. "You'd better come on if you'd like me to do that?" Adrienne sighed and fell into step with the blond Slytherin. "How'd you sleep?" Draco asked.
Honestly, Adrienne has slept much like Pansy. She was restless and her bed was suddenly uncomfortable, even though the beds at Hogwarts were more comfortable that most. She stayed awake for hours after Draco had gonna back outside into the night. She listened intently for the sound of someone entering the common room, but she never heard the sound, and by three am she could barely keep her eyes open. So she'd just crawled into bed. However, she couldn't tell him that. "It slept well; yourself?" she asked.
"I told you last night, I don't sleep."
Adrienne hummed and titled her head, her tell-tell that she remembered. She sighed as they approached the staircase ascending the Great Hall. "I'll help you, ya' know?" she asked, knowing she knew exactly what she was talking about.
"I don't know what you are talking about, and if I did I wouldn't need your help," Draco drawled as he walked past her and up the stairs. "I said nothing," Draco said to her. "You know nothing."
And just like that Adrienne was back at stage one with him. He was the old Draco Malfoy, the one that he'd been prior to last night. Last night, she thought there was a change in him. She hoped this was the start of something different, or a different side of him at least. One that was for her, but now she saw that he was the same, and she had no clue why she thought that he'd changed. Adrienne rolled her eyes and walked up the stairs and into the Great Hall where she slipped into a seat next to Melanie. Adrianne swatted her friend's arm and then took a piece of toast from the plate before her.
"You're welcome," Melanie said as she rubbed her arm.
"For the food or that little stunt you pulled?"
"Both."
"Well, I don't thank you for the latter."
Adrienne ate her breakfast quietly, and watched Draco from down the table. He was eating his breakfast quietly as well. Pansy was sitting across from him and talking at about a million miles an hour. She was smiling and twirling her short hair around her un-manicured finger, flirting with Draco. Adrienne felt a small wave of something wash over her. She felt like she wanted to get up and strangle her, although she felt that was about Pansy most of the time. However, the feeling was stronger now. She balled her fist and grabbed a handful of it in her skirt. Her brown eyes narrowed.
"Adrienne," her brother called to her, pulling her from her glaring. "Are you feeling alright?"
"Fine," she replied shortly. "Do you have Potions with me?"
"Of course, little sister," he replied. "Well let's go then."
Adrienne picked a tart off the floating tray and grabbed her satchel that Melanie sat in her spot. She thanked her friend quietly and walked off with her brother. Draco joined them; he was on the opposite side of Blaise. The three Slytherin sixth years walked out of the Great Hall and back into the dungeons for their first Potions class of the term.