Sàga

“I know.”  I took another bite and picked up my glass, pointing my first finger at her with my hand still around the glass.  “But he also values intelligence and obedience.”  Taking a quick swig, I put the glass back on the table.  “Malfoy is only one of those things at a time.”

Ivy crossed her arms, resting them on the table.  “Frankly, I don’t know if he’s ever either,” she muttered, glancing over at the Slytherin table.

“What’s going on?”

Ivy and I looked up at the sound of the new voice.

The noise in the Great Hall rapidly increased, a large number of students pouring in, everyone just having gotten out of bed.

Ivy spoke up, talking just loudly enough that Drew could hear her over the chatter.  “Clarke here has decided she’s going to become Snape’s favorite student this year.”

Drew sat down on Ivy’s left, looking between us.  “She did, huh?”  At my nod he chuckled.  “Good luck with that.”

I narrowed my eyes slightly.  “I can do it.”

“Well, obviously you’re smarter than His Royal Brattiness, but I don’t think that matters to Snape,” Drew confessed, pouring himself a glass of pumpkin juice.

“We’ll see.”  I popped the last piece of toast in my mouth, wiping my hands together to clean off the crumbs.  “I’ll see you guys later.  I’m going to spend the rest of the breakfast period studying.”  Downing the remaining bit of my pumpkin juice, I stood, casting a quick glance to the platinum blond sitting at the Slytherin table before walking out of the Great Hall.

Not this year, Malfoy.

~~~~~~~~~~~

I hurried into the dungeon, my books clutched tightly to my chest.  Stopping outside of Snape’s classroom, I paused.  How early was too early?  Surely he wouldn’t scold me for being ten minutes early?

Taking a deep breath, I opened the door and stepped inside.  Looking around the classroom, I noticed that I was the only student here.  A feeling of horror overtook me when I saw Snape sitting at his desk at the front of the classroom.

His eyebrow was raised at me.

“You’re early, Miss Clarke,” he said, looking back down at whatever was on the desk in front of him.  “Is there a reason?”

I blinked, coming back into my senses as I hurried to my seat, placing the books I was carrying on my desk.  “I just wanted to do well this year, Professor.”

Snape didn’t look up from the parchment he was reading.  “Do you feel you have done unwell the last three years, Miss Clarke?”

I squirmed a little in my seat.  “No, sir.  But I know I can do better.”

His eyes raised to look at me, though his head hadn’t lifted.  Saying nothing, he looked back down at his notes.

A few beats of silence passed and I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding before opening my books to where I left off.  I really didn’t want him to push me any further.

He didn’t need to know that I was trying to outdo his favorite student.

~~~~~~~~

“Can anyone tell me what Bezoar is used for?”

I was quick to raise my hand.

Snape turned to me.  “Miss Clarke.”

I lowered my hand.  “Bezoar is used in antidotes for the majority of poisons.”

Snape raised an eyebrow and turned away slightly before looking back at me.  “An example of an exception?”

“Basilisk venom, sir.”

The room broke out in whispers, no doubt the students recalling the events that overtook the school a couple years prior.

Snape raised his voice, drawing the attention of the students again.  He nodded his head ever so slightly at me before moving on.

My chest puffed out slightly and I turned to look at Malfoy who was seated a few desks away from me.  Waiting until he felt my eyes on him, I sent an arrogant smirk his way.

His eyebrow cocked briefly before his eyes narrowed.

I held his gaze for only a moment longer before looking back to the front.

I didn’t need my attention off the lesson for longer than necessary.

~~~~~~~~

“Hey, I was thinking we could hang out tonight,” Ivy suggested as she sat across from me at the dinner table.

“I can’t.”  I stabbed a piece of chicken.  “I’m studying tonight.”

Ivy rolled her eyes.  “You’re always studying.”  She gestured at herself.  “I want to do well, too, I’m a Ravenclaw, but you’ve left no time for anything social.  I feel like I haven’t seen you in months.”

“You’ve seen me,” I defended.

“Yeah, eating, in class, or in bed.”  Ivy gave me a deadpan expression.

“Sorry, Ive, but I’m so close to my goal.”  I swallowed some pumpkin juice.  “I just need-” I glanced towards the Slytherin table, trailing off when I saw Malfoy’s eyes already on me.

He was looking me over thoughtfully, his eyebrows furrowed.

I turned back to Ivy, eyes wide.  “ShoOT- what if he knows?  Rowena help me if he starts getting competitive and studying harder just to keep Snape’s favor, I swear-”

“Clarke, calm down.”  Ivy reached her hand out, placing it on the arm I had rested on the table.  “Malfoy doesn’t strike me as the studying type.  Besides, you were the one that threw him that look in Potions last week.  You basically challenged him, yourself.”

I released my hair with my other hand, remembering that Malfoy had been looking at me.  I needed to remain calm.

Even if it was just a front.

I couldn’t show weakness.

Clearing my throat, I sat up straighter.  “Well, you could do something with Drew.”

Ivy pulled her hand away from my arm, picking up her own fork.  “I have been.  But sometimes I’d like to just hang out with you,” she paused as she scooped up some peas, “or even the three of us.”

I looked at her, frowning.  “I’m really sorry.”

She nodded, not looking up from her plate.

My frown deepened.  “Hey, the weekend’s coming up.  I’ll take a break from studying and we can do something, alright?”

She lifted her head, meeting my eyes.  Giving me a small smile, she nodded.  “Alright.”

Satisfied that she was content, I stabbed my fork into some potatoes.  “Where is Drew, anyway?”

She nodded her head towards the Hufflepuff table.  “With Cedric Diggory.”

I cocked an eyebrow.  “Why?  He’s never spent time with Diggory before.”

“Because he’s one of the triwizard…quad-wizard champions.”

I nodded my head, remembering how Drew had said that he would’ve entered if he was old enough.  Raising my head to look over at the Hufflepuff table, I found Drew easily, being the only one at the table to be standing.

Cedric Diggory was looking up at him, a polite smile on his face.

I swallowed my food.  “I wonder what they’re saying.”

Ivy shrugged, looking over as well.  “Drew’s probably geeking out.”

I chuckled, looking over at Ivy only to see her gaze still fixed in their direction.  Raising my hand to hide my smile, I looked up at her.

She leaned the side of her head on her closed fist, her dark hair, while in a ponytail, nearly ending up in her plate.  Her gaze stayed unmoving.

When it became clear that she was lost in her thoughts, I spoke up to break the silence.

“Diggory’s cute,” I mentioned casually, looking up at her.  I fought the grin that wanted to take over my face.

Her eyes snapped over to me.  “You’d have to be blind to not notice that.  Everyone in the school thinks so.”  Her gaze drifted back to the Hufflepuff before looking back at me, though it seemed it took some effort.

“Too bad he has people around him wherever he goes.”  I smirked up at her.  “All you’d need is some alone time…”

She scowled, slapping my arm as her face turned a cherry red.  “Knock it off!”

I couldn’t even attempt to hide my laughter.  “I’m just saying…” I shrugged one shoulder, “he’s perfect for you.”

Ivy deadpanned at me, but I saw her expression shift slightly.  “Why don’t you go study or something?”

~~~~~~~~

With the weekend beginning the next day, I had crammed in as much studying time as possible.  Ivy’s reminder about the triwi- quad-wizard tournament had me recalling that Quidditch had been canceled, and I realized that Malfoy had even more time to study if he wanted to, which Ivy kept insisting he would never do.

It didn’t make me feel any better, though.

I sat in Potions, eagerly awaiting the next chance to answer a question.  I just had to be careful to not get overly excited and pretentious.

“Does anyone know the effects of drinking a Manegro potion?”  Snape turned to face the class.

I raised my hand.

“Miss Clarke.”

“The Manegro potion causes the drinker’s hair to rapidly grow.”  I lowered my hand.

“Correct again,” Snape said.

I thought I saw the corner of his mouth twitch just the slightest bit upwards before he quickly began speaking again.

Risking a glance at Malfoy, I saw him already looking at me, his forehead creased in thought.

I raised an unimpressed eyebrow at him before looking back towards the front, not giving myself the opportunity to have seen his response.

Before I knew it, class was over.

As I collected my things I stilled at the sound of my surname, looking up at Professor Snape.

I tried to ignore the way Malfoy’s packing had slowed.

“Might I have a word with you?”

Ivy gave me a look that told me that she wasn’t sure if this was good or bad.

I gave her a similar one before heading towards the front of the class.

Snape waited until all the students had left before looking at me.

I fought the urge to shift on my feet.

“I must admit that I’m impressed with your knowledge this year.”

I waited a few beats to make sure that he actually wanted a response before saying “thank you, Professor.”

“I thought you would be interested to know that you have moved to the top of the class,” he remarked, looking down at a parchment.

I forced myself to keep a neutral face, but couldn’t stop the swelling in my heart.  “Thank you, Professor.”

Snape raised an eyebrow at me.  “Have you given any thought in becoming a Potions Master?”

I blinked in surprise as I looked over at him.  “Professor?”

He didn’t say anything for a moment.  “You would do well in that career.”  He didn’t make eye contact with me, instead making a note of something.

I briefly wondered if it hurt him to give a compliment, much less to a non-Slytherin.  “Thank you, Professor.  I will give it some thought.”

He looked over at me again before nodding and turning back to what he was doing.

A few beats passed and I deduced that he had said all he wanted to.

Getting a face-splitting grin the moment I turned my back on him, I collected my things and hurried out the door, being in such a good mood I called “have a nice evening, Professor!” as I rushed out of the classroom.

I had to find Ivy.  I had to tell her I had done it.  I had bested-

A hand caught my elbow, spinning me back around.

-Draco Malfoy.

My grin faltered and my eyes widened as I looked up at the Slytherin.

His gray eyes were staring down at me, his lips pressed into a thin line and his eyebrows furrowed together.

I had only felt this small seconds ago; standing in front of Professor Snape.

“Malfoy,” I greeted with a false sense of calm.

“What game are you playing, Clarke?”

“Straight to the point, I see,” I remarked, raising an eyebrow.

His eyes narrowed and I forced myself not to swallow nervously.

“I’m not playing any game,” I insisted.  “I’m just trying to do well in class.  Isn’t that normal?”

“You were doing well the last three years,” he said, eyeing me suspiciously.  “You’re going above and beyond this year.”

I smiled- a fake and confident one- at him.  “Thank you for the compliment.”

“Clarke.”

“Is it too hard to believe I just want to be better?”

Malfoy raised an eyebrow.  “Better than who?”

I swallowed, but responded in what I hoped would be fast enough.  “Myself last year.”

He said nothing, instead just searching my eyes.  “You’re lying to me.”

“If you say so,” I replied, yanking my arm out of his hold.  “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go find Ivy.”  Turning my back on him, I walked away, hoping he wouldn’t follow.

Thankfully, he didn’t.

~~~~~~~~~~

“I’ve done it!”  I exclaimed, sitting down across from Ivy and Drew.  I piled some food on my plate.  “Rowena, it feels so good.”

“Does that mean you can have a life again?”  Ivy raised an eyebrow at me.

“Yep.”  I grinned, spreading butter over my potatoes.  “As long as Malfoy doesn’t come for revenge, I should be fine.”  I pointed the knife at my friends.  “I’m going to keep studying, just not as hard.  I don’t want to slip from the top of the class.”

“Do you think Malfoy’s upset?”  Drew glanced over my shoulder before meeting my eyes.

“Well, he did corner me after class,” I admitted.  Furrowing my eyebrows, I looked up at him.  “Why?”

Drew nodded his head towards the Slytherin table.  “He keeps looking over here.”

I glanced behind me, only to meet the blond’s gaze.  Rolling my eyes, I faced my friends again.  “Annoying git.”

“Does he know?”  Ivy questioned, leaning forward.

“I hope not,” I confessed.  “Merlin knows I don’t need Malfoy having a vendetta against me.”

~~~~~~~~

“We are going to be splitting into teams to brew a potion,” Snape announced.

Ivy turned to me excitedly, grinning.

“Headmaster Dumbledore would like the houses mixed as a way to…” Snape raised an eyebrow and frowned, “overcome house differences.”  He lifted his head higher.  “Therefore, you cannot be on the same team with a member of your own house.  I will assign the potions once you have all chosen teams.”  He began to turn away.  “If you do not choose a teammate quickly, I will assign partners.”

As soon as he stopped talking, students began bustling around, not wanting to end up with someone they hated.

I stood on my tiptoes, trying to locate a Slytherin that didn’t look sour.

“Clarke.”

I whipped my head around, eyes landing on Draco Bloody Malfoy.

Cocking an eyebrow, I addressed him.  “Malfoy.”

He looked at me for a moment before leaning towards me, placing his hand on my desk so he could whisper without anyone else hearing.  “I’m not happy about this, either.  Let’s just do our best and get this over with.”

I held his gaze.  “I agree entirely.”

He stood up straighter, his eyes still on me and hand on the table for a few moments before he faced the front of the class again.

I let out a small sigh I had barely tried to hold in.

Rowena, this would be my luck.

Snape, realizing everyone was settled into teams, walked throughout the class, handing everyone papers.  “You all have different potions to prevent cheating,” he declared, making his way through the next row.  “This of course means that some are easier than others.”  He held out a sheet for me and Malfoy, which we both reached for and grabbed at the same time.

I glanced at him before looking down at the parchment.

“Everyone will be held to the same standards.”  Snape turned around to face the class once he handed out the last sheet.  “I will not tolerate laziness if you have an easier potion.  Is that understood?”

A murmur of acknowledgement swept through the whole class.

“Since some potions take longer to brew than others, these are due by the end of the month.  I’ve checked them- none should take any longer than that.  That means you will be forced to work outside of class if you have a longer brewing time.”  His gaze raked the classroom one last time.  “You may start your potions.”

My head shot down to look at the slip of parchment I- we- were holding.

Veritaserum.

My eyes widened.  From all the reading I had done about this, it was a difficult potion.

I couldn’t show weakness.

Not now.

Pulling out my large potions book, I flipped through it until I reached the right chapter.

Malfoy looked over my shoulder before wordlessly walking to the ingredient table.

Assuming Malfoy knew what he was doing- he was at the top of the class until recently, after all- I reached under the desk, pulled out a cauldron and poured the exact amount of potioning water into it before bringing it to a simmer.

I turned back to see if Malfoy had the ingredients only to be met with a chest.

I looked up, meeting his gray eyes.

He held out the vial of Ptolemy to me.

I accepted it wordlessly, turning back around and pouring the vial into the cauldron, making sure to pour it anti-clockwise.  “It says to let it simmer for ten minutes,” I said, not looking up from my book.

Malfoy walked around me, his arm brushing my shoulder as he took place by my side again.  He picked up a sand timer, turning it upside-down.

I looked over at him.  “We need ten ounces of powdered moonstone.”  My eyes dropped back to the recipe.  “It’s supposed to be stirred in one spoonful at a time.”

“Well, obviously.  It won’t dissolve otherwise.”

I looked over at Malfoy, watching as he measured ten ounces into a wooden bowl.  Once he was done, when it became clear he wasn’t going to do it himself, I put the top back on the bottle and returned it to the ingredient table.  Making my way back to the desk, I tied my hair into a ponytail as I approached my partner.

His back was to me as he stirred the cauldron, his head turned to the side as his eyes scanned the recipe.

Admittedly, seeing Malfoy hunched over something was odd, since he usually carried an air of such high importance.

I walked over, standing next to him as I pulled out a knife and adder’s fork, slicing the tongue in half.

When Malfoy had finished with the moonstone, I added the tongue halves and turned the cauldron to a boil.

As we worked in silence, I realized that Malfoy was indeed very bright, and if he spent half as much time studying as he spent bullying, he could be one of the smartest wizards in Hogwarts.  It left me with mixed feelings that I was glad he didn’t bother to study, since he would have been beating me still, and as a Ravenclaw I was not going to stand for that, but also that he could be so much more than he was.  He struck me as someone who always had things come easily to him, so he didn’t put in much more effort than that.

I must have been staring, because the confused look he gave me brought me out of my daze.

He gave me a bewildered, and somewhat judgemental, look before turning back to the potion.  “Are you going to help me or not, Clarke?”

“I didn’t think you ever needed help,”  I retorted as I moved closer, pulling the cauldron off the heat once I saw that it was at a rolling boil.  “You’re a Malfoy.”

“I don’t,” he replied sharply.  “Some people just think I do.”  Malfoy’s eyes lifted briefly to the front of the class before he crushed the three Sopophorous beans and added it to the mixture.

My gaze followed his, just in time to see Snape pull his attention away from us.  I raised an eyebrow as I looked back at the blond.

“Now it just needs to cool,” he said, looking at the book.  He plopped himself into the chair next to mine- Ivy’s- his arms crossed, resolutely not looking at me.

I gently lowered myself into my seat, staring at the cauldron, trying to will it to cool faster.

The silence stretched on and I pursed my lips.

Merlin, this was so awkward.

Pulling my book onto my lap to at least be doing something to occupy myself, I began reading over the recipe again.  Simply to fill the silence, I said “it takes twenty-eight days to mature.”

“I know.”

I glanced at him from the corner of my eye.

He still wasn’t looking at me.

I huffed.  I was never a fan of the Slytherin, but if we needed to keep checking up on the potion together, I would rather it not be the most uncomfortable thing ever.  I stared blankly at the page, pretending to read, but my head was swarming with possible topics of conversation.

Malfoy, on the other hand, seemed perfectly content to ignore me unless necessary.

Forcing a groan down, I looked over at him.  “Do you enjoy potions?”

He finally met my eyes.  He shrugged one shoulder before locking his gaze onto the cauldron.  “It’s fine.”

“Well, you’re good at it,” I reluctantly admitted, continuing to look at the side of his face.

His expression shifted ever so slightly, his gaze falling to his lap.  As if realizing his body language didn’t scream ‘confidence’, he straightened up, looking over at me.  “I know.”

I searched his eyes and he held my gaze, refusing to back down.

For a long moment we sat in silence as I tried to piece together…..anything.  I couldn’t think of anything to say, and I couldn’t even begin to understand the boy that sat next to me.

“There’s more to you than meets the eye,” I finally said quietly, more to myself than to Malfoy.

While his body language and expression stayed the same, something behind his eyes shifted.

I allowed myself to smile softly at him.

His gaze finally pulled from my eyes to glance at my smile.  His eyebrows furrowed in bewilderment before turning away and gesturing at the cauldron.  “This is probably done cooling.”

I chuckled, pushing myself to my feet.  “I’ll grab a strainer.”  Hurrying back, I held the strainer over a funnel into a vile as Malfoy poured the mixture from the cauldron into it.  “Alright, the recipe says to ‘leave bottle in a dark, cool, undisturbed location for the duration of the cycle’,” I read, closing the top of the vial.

“We could leave it down here,” Malfoy suggested.  He looked around the classroom.  “It’s got the right qualities.”

I nodded.  “Good idea.”  Glancing at him from the corner of my eye, I saw the tiniest hint of a smile form at the edge of his lips before he quickly wiped it away.

Malfoy extended his hand out.  “I could put it by my desk.  I sit by the wall, so it’s less likely to be disturbed.”

I looked up at him.  The idea of leaving my assignment in Malfoy’s hands- out of my own- didn’t sit well with me, especially knowing about the kinds of trouble Malfoy could get into.  But- I reasoned- this was a group assignment and he was clearly a capable potion maker.  I also, for some reason, wanted him to feel that I trusted him…even if it was under a little internal debate.  Nodding, I set the vial in his pale hand.  “Thanks.”

Malfoy walked away from me, returning to his desk to put the maturing potion somewhere.

I took a deep breath in an attempt to soothe my unease, and instead turned my attention to my book, which I closed and put away.

Snape, upon seeing that everyone was finished, at least for the time being, dismissed the class, reminding us to check up on our potions regularly.

Everyone flooded out of the dungeon, the Slytherins going one way, the members of my own house going the other.

I headed out, looking around for Ivy and Drew.  Finally spotting them, I began to make my way over.

“Clarke.”

I stopped, turning around and watching in surprise as Malfoy walked over to me.

Once in front of me, he paused.

I held back a chuckle, guessing that he probably hadn’t thought this far ahead.

How very Gryffindor of him.

Within a few beats he spoke.  “How often do you think we should check our potion?”

I blinked in surprise at him.  “Well, the book doesn’t give a recommendation.  We could probably check it a couple times a week and be in good shape,” I said, shrugging one shoulder.

He nodded, looking at the side wall.  “Alright.”  He let his gaze fall to me again.  “See you later, Clarke.”  With that, he marched away.

I stared at his retreating form, more than a little taken aback.

“What was that about?”  Ivy questioned as she approached me, Drew on her tail.

“Your guess is as good as mine.”

~~~~~~~~~

“What potions did you guys get?”

“I got a memory potion,” Ivy informed, leaning back on one of the couches in the common room.

“Mine’s a replenishing potion,” Drew said.

“What about you,” Ivy questioned.

“Veritaserum,” I replied.

Their eyes widened.

“That’s a hard potion,” Ivy remarked.

“It wasn’t too bad,” I admitted.  “Malfoy’s a capable potion maker, so-”

“Oh, yeah, I saw he was your partner,” Drew commented, frowning slightly.  “How’s that been?”

I shrugged.  “Uhh.”  My nose scrunched slightly as I thought.  “It’s awkward, but he hasn’t been mean or anything.”

“Wow.”  Ivy stared over at me.  “That’s unexpected.”

“Well, he did approach her, so…” Drew reminded.  He grinned over at me.  “Maybe he’s got a crush on you.”

Ivy laughed.

“I doubt it,” I responded.  “The impression I got was that Snape recommended he team with me.”  I couldn’t help the smirk that formed on my face.  “He’s probably upset that the top in his class isn’t a Slytherin.”

“That makes sense.”

Drew pointed a finger at me.  “He approached you after class got out, too.”

“He was asking about the potion,” I defended.

Drew scoffed.  “Yeah, as if he couldn’t look it up, himself.”

~~~~~~~~~

Malfoy and I had come to the decision that only one of us needed to check on the potion at a time, and would only get the other if something went wrong.  That way we weren’t wasting time.

I had started checking on the potion during my free period, since Snape’s lessons were running longer as the school year went on, giving me less time to get to my following class, and- therefore- not enough time to check the mixture.

Thankfully my free period happened to be Snape’s free period, as well.

Walking into the empty classroom, I followed the familiar path to Malfoy’s desk and- by extension- my assignment.

I crouched down, eyes fixed on the potion.

The swirling of the liquid was the same as it had been the first two weeks- eleven days, technically- but I still wrote it down on my notepad.

It was always good to be careful.

“Clarke?  What are you doing here?”

I turned around at the sound of the voice, looking over to Malfoy as he approached me.  “Checking on the potion.  It’s my turn.”

“You must be losing your memory, Clarke.  You checked on the potion last time.”

I shook my head.  “No.  Not unless you skipped your turn.”  I raised an eyebrow at him.  “I check Fridays, you check Tuesdays.”  I turned back to the mixture before looking back at the boy.  “Did you forget?”

Malfoy didn’t say anything.

I stared up at him, awaiting his response.

“This is your free period, isn’t it, Clarke?”

I had not been expecting that.

“Yes.”  I eyed him suspiciously.  “But I know it’s not yours.  That’s why we set our schedule up this way.”

Malfoy stared down at me, as if trying to figure out what to say next.  “I already told Professor Flitwick I wasn’t feeling well.”

After a few beats of silence I pressed him for answers.  “And?”

“And what?”

“Are you sick?”  I quickly scanned his form.  “You don’t look sick.”

He reluctantly shook his head.

“So you lied to my head of house,” I accused, crossing my arms.

“I would’ve rather lied to Professor Sprout, but I don’t have her until later.”

“Were you just trying to get out of classes?”

His eyes fell to mine, having previously been locked onto the wall behind my head.  “Not exactly.”

I stared up at him, trying to figure out what on earth his deal was.  I was certain he could see the gears turning.

Malfoy cleared his throat.  “Since I can’t go back to Charms, would you like to do something?”

Before I could understand the full weight of what Malfoy said, I blurted out “I would like to take some points away from you for lying to a Professor just to get out of class.”

Malfoy eyed me warily.

 I sighed.  “But since I’m not a prefect, I can’t do that.”  Shaking my head incredulously, I raised an eyebrow.  “What did you have in mind?”

~~~~~~~~

After the day Malfoy had skipped class to just talk in Snape’s classroom, he had taken to visiting me every free period of mine, if only for a few minutes because I told him if he missed Professor Flitwick’s classes repeatedly, I was going to hex him.

I was certain only Merlin knew why Malfoy was so desperate to see me, no matter how nonchalant he acted.

My friends on the other hand were convinced they knew why.

I didn’t believe them.

I sat in Snape’s classroom, looking over the potion, writing down the lack of change in its color or behavior.  I chewed on the inside of my cheek as I wrote ‘day 25/28’ on the top of the parchment.  I didn’t even look up when I heard the door open, instead offering a “hey, Malfoy.”

“No change, I expect,” he replied, walking over to the mixture and crouching down beside me.

I shook my head, looking over at him.  “I’m pretty sure that’s normal, though.  If I remember correctly, the book said it’ll only change when we put it in the moonlight on our last day,” I said, reaching in my bag for my book.

“Don’t bother,” Malfoy said, looking over at me.  “I trust you.”

I stared at him in disbelief before clearing my throat and standing.  “Thank you.”

Malfoy stood as well, nearly half a head taller than me.  “You did memorize the whole book, didn’t you, Clarke?”

I shrugged one shoulder, fighting off a proud grin.  “Pretty much.”

Malfoy smiled down at me and it took all of my self-control to not shuffle under it.  He had become more relaxed around me, but it was still an odd sight.  “Then there’s nothing to worry about.”

My face flushed slightly at the praise and my gaze dropped to my shoes before I whipped my head back up to look him in the eyes.  I cleared my throat.  “Don’t you have class, Draco?”

He cocked an eyebrow, an amused smirk pulling at his lips before he looked back to the door.  “I do.  I’ll see you in class on Monday, alright?”

I nodded before shrugging one shoulder.  “I mean, you’ll probably see me before that, but…”

He looked at me for a moment before he nodded, turning and exiting the classroom.

I stared at his back until he was out of sight.

Rowena, what was happening to me?

~~~~~~~~~~

Heading into the Great Hall the next day, I greeted my friends with a wave and large smile.

“What’s got you so happy,” Ivy questioned as I sat down at the table.

“One: it’s the weekend,” I started, pouring some cereal into a bowl, “two: I’m excited to finish my potion on Monday.”

“I’m torn on if I want you to do well or not,” Drew admitted, frowning.  “If you do well, that means Malfoy will do well, too.”

“Draco’s not that bad,” I admitted, looking over at the Slytherin table.

The blond was smiling at something someone said, head turned to the side to look at them.  His gaze flickered to me then, his smile growing slightly.

I offered a grin in return before turning back to my friends.

They were both staring at me incredulously.

My eyes widened and my smile fell.  “What?”

“What in Merlin’s name was that about,” Ivy hissed, leaning across the table towards me.

“What was what?”  I asked, leaning back and suddenly feeling very uncomfortable.

“Are you pals with Malfoy, now?”  Drew questioned.

I glanced back at the Slytherin table very briefly.  “I guess?”

Their mouths dropped open.

“You can’t be serious.”

I shrugged.  “He’s a nice guy.  No Prince Charming, of course, but-”

“Prince Privileged is more like it,” Drew said, crossing his arms and leaning back as far as he could without going over the bench backwards.

“I know he’s had a fancy upbringing and has been a bit of a bully, but he’s not like that-”

Ivy leaned forward.  “Are you hearing yourself?”

“When was the last time you saw him bully a student,” I pressed, raising an eyebrow.

“He bullied Potter and Professor Moody turned him into a weasel.”

“How long ago was that?”

“I don’t know.”  She shrugged.  “A month or two?”

“So.”  I leaned back in my seat.  “He stopped.”

Drew let out a humorless chuckle.  “Professor Moody probably scared him into being nicer.”

I sighed.  “Whatever.”  Standing, I made my way out of the Great Hall, heading towards my common room.  If they weren’t going to listen, I wasn’t going to bother.

“Clarke!”

I closed my eyes, slowing my steps before turning around to face the voice.  “Hey, Draco.”

He slowed his jog and stopped in front of me, his eyebrows furrowed.  “Is something wrong?”

I pursed my lips, looking away from him.  “I just had an argument with my friends, that’s all.”

“About what?”

I looked up into Draco’s eyes, surprised to see concern in them.  I opened my mouth, pausing.  I let out a huff and lowered my head, looking at my shoes.  “You.”

A few beats of silence passed.

“What did you say,” Draco asked, so quietly I barely heard it.

I looked back up at him.

He looked mostly impassive, but I could see the worry behind it.

“You’re not that bad,” I answered honestly.  “They just don’t see it.”

Draco looked to the side, nodding.

I could see that the tension had left his form.

Draco looked back to me.  “Join me for a walk.”

I nodded almost instantly, walking alongside him as he moved towards the same direction I was previously heading.

We walked in comfortable silence for a few moments before he broke it.

“Thank you.”

I looked over at him.  “For what?”

Draco didn’t look at me.  “For trusting me.  For defending me.  For spending time with me.”

I smiled.  “I enjoy it.”

His head turned towards me, surprise coloring his features.

“Besides…” I went on, grinning mischievously up at him, “it’s nice to find some intelligence and good conversation in the students here.”

~~~~~~~~

Draco and I rushed towards the dungeon, entering the empty classroom.  Grabbing the vial, we sped-walked back upstairs, being careful to not jostle our potion.  We walked towards a window, the bright moonlight shining through.

I looked up at the full moon, smiling nervously as I turned to Draco.  “Here it goes.”  I placed the vial in the moon’s rays, watching.

For several moments, nothing happened.

I knew it would take some time for the mixture to absorb the light, but I was starting to get slightly concerned.

The potion began to shift colors, becoming clear.  When it was done, I stepped towards it, opening the lid and smelling it.

There was no smell.

Giving the potion one final lookover I turned to Draco, grinning brightly at him as I put the lid back on.  “We did it!”  I pulled him into a hug, wrapping my arms around his neck.

Draco let out a small huff at my sudden weight against his chest before wrapping his arms around me.  “It still has to be graded,” he reminded.

I pulled away, looking down at the mixture before lifting my gaze to Draco.  “I’m confident.”

“Then let’s go turn it in, then.”

Draco and I made our way back into the dungeon, entering Snape’s classroom.

He was sitting at his desk, grading some of the other students’ potions.

Draco and I stood at the front silently for a few moments.

“Professor,” Draco finally called out.

Snape lifted his head.

I held out the vial.  “We just finished our assignment, Professor.”

Snape looked at the potion before accepting it.  He lowered his focus back down at the paper he was writing on.  “It will be graded by tomorrow’s class.”

~~~~~~~~~

“Everyone get together with their teams so that I may pass out your results,” Snape droned.

Ivy stepped away from me, quietly wishing me “good luck”.

“You, too,” I whispered back as Draco slid into Ivy’s seat.  I turned to greet him with a smile, which he returned.

As Snape walked through the classroom, handing out grades, I pulled at my robes.

Rowena, this was so stressful.

Draco eyed me with a smirk.  “You’re going to tear it,” he whispered.

“Sorry,” I muttered, relaxing my hold.

He chuckled just as Snape approached my desk.

I accepted the folded parchment and Snape moved on.  Staring down at the empty side, Draco leaned over to whisper once again.

“Are you going to open it or not?”

“I can’t do it.”  I shoved it into his hands.  “You look.”

Draco accepted the paper, smirking over at me as he began to open it.  “I thought you were confident?”

I deadpanned at him.  “A moment of weakness.”  I nodded at the paper.  “Now hurry up.”

He opened the page and looked down at it before looking back at me.  “I told you we didn’t need to worry,” he said, sliding the parchment towards me.

I looked down at the paper, a grin growing on my face.  “Full marks!”

Snape cleared his throat and I slapped my hand over my mouth, eyes wide.  He raised an eyebrow at me before continuing to pass out grades.

I turned back to the blond beside me, who was giving me a smug smirk.

“Now that you all have your results…” Snape began, returning to the front of the classroom.

I looked back to the Professor, unable to smother my smile.

“...are free to go.  I will see you all in class tomorrow,” Snape dismissed.

Everyone shot up, collecting their things.

I shoved my books into my bag.  “I can’t believe it!”  I looked up at Draco.  “It feels like a huge weight has been lifted from my chest.”

“I’m not surprised,” he said as we moved towards the door.

I looked back at the doorway as I maneuvered through people, seeing a few Slytherins and members of my own house conversing.

“As much as I hate to admit it, you are a bright witch.”

I looked up at Draco.  “Thank you.  You’re pretty bright, yourself.”

Draco smiled.  “That’s why we make such a good team.”

I nodded, continuing to walk down the hallway towards the stairs.  “We are, aren’t we?”

There were a few beats of silence before Draco spoke up again.

“Care to make it official?”

I stopped, forcing him to stop as well.  Turning to him, I furrowed my eyebrows.  “What?”

Draco chuckled.  “And here I was saying that you were bright.  Maybe it would be best if I showed you.”

I cocked an eyebrow.

He leaned down slowly and my heart began to race.  His lips pressed to mine and my eyes closed without me telling them to.  Draco pulled away after a few moments, smirking down at me.  “Does that clear it up?”

I nodded, feeling the burning in my cheeks.

“Is that a ‘yes’, then?”

I nodded again, still too flustered to say anything.

He grinned, beginning to walk again, me wordlessly in tow.  “I’m glad Professor Snape told me to pair with you for our assignment.  Your competitive streak was the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~