Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter characters. :)
Author's Note: Thank you all soooo much for all the views and favorites! I want to say a big thank you to ShadowSpecter5 who sent me a lovely review. It truly makes me unbelievably happy when I get a review from one of you. I appreciate you taking time out of your day to send me a review, and I try to respond to every review that I receive. I forgot to mention this in the last chapter, but the scene in the hallway was a nod to Bex-chan's Isolation. Also, can I get some props for updating so quickly? If you haven't already, check out my blog where I post schedules for posting and extra info. The link is on my profile. I hope you like this next chapter! Don't forget to read, review, favorite, and follow!
His Sixth, His First
Chapter Six: Ghostwriter
"But I don't understand, I would have gone back to the common room if I had finished my essay," said Hermione, puzzled. She looked down at her essay with furrowed brows. A buttered piece of toast was in her hand and she was absentmindedly chewing it.
"I don't know why you're complaining," Ron said through a very full mouth, "I would kill to wake up and have my essays finished." Hermione looked up at him with a disapproving look.
"Honestly Ronald, chew your food," she sighed. She read and reread the section she didn't remember writing. Something was off about it. The tone was very similar, but not quite her style, and the handwriting was a little strange. Could I have really been so tired that I don't remember writing it and be so tired that I wrote with sloppier handwriting? She shrugged and put it away, best not to stress over it.
Harry and Ron were babbling on about quidditch sounding like two school girls with crushes. Hermione let her mind wander to potions and Malfoy's odd behavior. He had tried to initiate a civil conversation, granted it was about quidditch, but a conversation nonetheless. Maybe he was making strides and pushing past his prejudices. Hermione was hopeful but resigned to the fact that he probably would never get over his prejudices.
Malfoy was in a panic. He could not believe what he had done last night. What if Granger found out? What would she think? She was the smartest witch of their age and bound to figure it out. He was pacing in his dormitory. He would just have to avoid her all day. That was the only way. If she didn't see him, she wouldn't think about him and make the connection. Teddy walked into the dormitory and glared at Malfoy. They were still not on speaking terms and both were determined not to be the one to give in.
Malfoy gathered his things and hastily left to avoid another row with Teddy. He had a lot to think about already and a fight with Teddy was just one more thing to deal with. He entered the great hall, sat by himself, and promptly began eating toast. Draco heard the growing hooting signaling the mail. He looked up and saw his great eagle owl swoop down and drop off the Daily Prophet and what looked like a letter from home.
He glanced at the paper and saw: 'Scrimgeour Succeeds Fudge.' The bold letters caught Malfoy's eye and he scanned the paper for the article.
Rufus Scrimgeour, previously Head of the Auror office in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, has succeeded Cornelius Fudge as Minister of Magic. The appointment has largely been greeted with enthusiasm by the Wizarding community, though rumors of a rift between the new Minister and Albus Dumbledore, newly reinstated Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, surfaced within hours of Scrimgeour taking office. Scrimgeour's representatives admitted that he had met with Dumbledore at once upon taking possession of the top job, but refused to comment on the topics under discussion. Albus Dumbledore is known to…
He scoffed as he turned the pages to continue reading. Typical Dumbledore to disapprove of everything.
Before he could continue reading, Pansy decided to attempt to sweet talk Malfoy. "What are you reading?" she hummed lightly in his ear. Malfoy let out an exasperated sigh. She leaned over and made sure to let her lips graze his cheek as she picked up the letter next to his plate. He moved to snatch the letter from Pansy, but she was too quick.
He growled threateningly, "Give… it… back…" He punctuated each word and moved to grab his wand. Pansy raised her eyebrows in surprise. She attempted to look innocent as he stepped closer.
"I'm sorry, Drakey-poo. Is this a letter from your parents? I bet they weren't too happy when we broke up. It's not too late you know," she said coyly. Draco let his eyes lazily gaze over her body. He took in her skinniness from starving herself and her face covered in makeup. He chortled and snatched the letter from her hand.
"I am not interested, Pansy," he stated before sitting back down. Pansy huffed and stomped away loudly. He continued nibbling at his piece of toast and opened the letter. It was indeed from his parents, but to his dread, it was written by his father. Malfoy did not like his father and hated the endless punishments he had received as a boy. He wished that he and his mother could leave that monster, but she was devoted to him and was scared of what would happen if she and Draco left. He began to read.
Draco,
I see that you have not made any progress. The Dark Lord will not be pleased. I expect some results before the break that leaves you six weeks. If you are not successful I cannot stop the Dark Lord. Do not disappoint me.
Your Father
He set the letter down. He knew what don't disappoint me meant. It meant pain if he did disappoint. It meant his mother getting hurt, and it meant he might never come back to Hogwarts again.
"What do you mean you still have the book?!" Hermione exclaimed.
"Lower your voice people are looking," Harry whispered. Hermione turned and saw a couple of second years looking at them quizzically. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were in the courtyard talking about the potions textbook that belonged to the Half-Blood Prince.
"You told me you got rid of it ages ago!" she said more quietly.
"He sleeps with it every night like it is his teddy bear," Ron added.
"You knew he still had it and didn't tell me or tell him to get rid of it?!" Hermione half-whispered half-shouted angrily. Her eyes flashed dangerously and Ron took a step back.
"Look, Hermione, it has so many interesting things in it," Harry said in an attempt to defend himself.
"We don't know what those spells do! That book could have dark magic in it. Remember Riddle's diary?" Hermione pointed out. Harry didn't say anything. Hermione looked at both of them in exasperation before turning, shaking her head, and walking off muttering to herself. Harry and Ron caught, "Idiots...dangerous...trouble...McGonagall…"
"You think she'll turn you in, Harry?" Ron asked.
"No. She is not happy with us, but I don't think she would tell McGonagall." Harry and Ron followed behind Hermione, careful to give her space, on their way to Transfiguration.
When they arrived, Hermione seemed to have calmed down. They sat down next to her and pulled out their essays. Hermione looked down at her essay and began to wonder again. "I just find it odd. I have no memory of writing this last bit. I feel that I would have gone up to bed if I had finished, and this point here, that's something I would have never thought of. I mean it is a brilliant conclusion to make based off of the information, but it isn't what I planned to do."
"Stop grumbling about your essay being finished," complained Ron, "not all of us can have essays finish themselves." They had class with the Hufflepuffs today, which meant they didn't have to deal with Malfoy. McGonagall entered and promptly began class.
"Pass your essays to the front, please," said Professor McGonagall. There was a great shuffling as papers were passed forward and people began whispering.
"That was not an invitation to pass your thoughts to the person next to you as well," she said curtly. The room grew silent again and she smiled.
"Thank you. Now, today we will be covering transfiguration to turn things into bubbles. Mister Finnigan, if you would be so kind as to help me distribute these parrots." Seamus got up and began moving the birds in cages to each of the desks. Hermione turned back to Harry and Ron and attempted to continue their discussion from earlier.
"I really think you should turn it in, Harry, and tell McGonagall. You never know what could be in that book," scolded Hermione. Harry didn't bother responding and turned to pay attention to McGonagall's next instructions.
"If you turn to page 236 in your textbooks, you will see the description of proper wand movement for this spell," McGonagall continued, "Now, taking turns, raise your wand and repeat after me, Ebublio." The parrot in front of her transformed into a cloud of bubbles that began to float up to the top of the cage. "To reverse the spell, simply cast Reparifarge, which you should remember from previous classes." McGonagall returned the parrot to its original state with a quick flick of her wand and stepped away from the front. Students turned and began casting spells in an attempt to turn the parrots into bubbles. Squawking from distressed parrots echoed and bounced off the chamber walls. Hermione turned again, and had opened her mouth to reprimand Harry again, but was cut off by McGonagall.
"Miss Granger, perhaps you will demonstrate your master of bubble transfiguration before gossipping with Potter and Weasley," she suggested. Hermione's face grew a tinge pink and she quickly turned to her parrot.
She decisively pointed her wand, waved it, and calmly said, "Ebublio." Unsurprisingly, the parrot immediately turned into a cluster of bubbles that were slightly-colored red. McGonagall nodded approvingly before wordlessly restoring the parrot. A particularly loud squawk was heard and McGonagall turned to see Seamus' bird with fire on its tail feathers. She quickly whisked away and hollered, "Mister Finnigan, put out your bird!"
Hermione, having effortlessly completed the task, began talking again. The three could not be heard over the chaos and knew no one was listening.
"I am not getting rid of the book, Hermione. Would you rather I have it, or Malfoy? He could get it and use all of these 'evil spells,'" retorted Harry.
"We don't know that Malfoy will get it; it could stay with McGonagall or Dumbledore for years," responded Hermione.
"I agree with Harry. I think we should keep it, said Ron. Hermione huffed in indignation and did not comment again. She turned to watch the chaos unfolding across the classroom. Her thoughts went back to her essay and how she couldn't remember finishing it. McGonagall was casting incantation after incantation, but somehow Seamus' fire was spell-resistant.
Draco Malfoy was really feeling the sleep deprivation. He was in Professor Binns' already boring History of Magic Class, which meant extreme drowsiness, and with his mission, he was exhausted. His eyelids fluttered shut and quickly reopened. "Maybe just a few seconds of sleep," he thought to himself. He let his eyelids flutter shut.
"Oy, Malfoy, get up," Blaise said. Malfoy woke with a start and saw Blaise standing over him. For a minute, Malfoy thought that Blaise had chosen his side, or that Teddy was here to apologize, but he saw that class was over and everyone was leaving. Blaise didn't wait for Malfoy and left with the rest of the class. Malfoy looked at the board and copied down the assignment. He left the classroom by himself and walked to Defense Against the Dark Arts. This argument with Teddy was stupid; he wanted to talk to his friends again, and if Teddy was going to be immature and not apologize, Malfoy would just have to do it.
Malfoy walked up to Teddy and exhaled deeply. Teddy gave him a look like Malfoy was something he had just scraped off the bottom of his shoes. Malfoy grimaced and slowly said, "I am sorry for getting mad at you." He had an expression like it physically pained him. Blaise and Teddy smiled and burst into laughter.
"Was it really that bad, apologizing?" Teddy asked between laughs.
"Shove off!" Malfoy growled with a smile. He took a seat next to his friends, glad that things were back to normal.
"I am sorry, too. I shouldn't have said that," said a remorseful Teddy.
"You only told the truth," Malfoy admitted. The three smiled and turned to face the front.
Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed that, loves! Don't forget to read, review, follow, and favorite! The next chapter should be up soon!
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