Lauren Evergreen was considered pureblood royalty. The Evergreen's boasted a fortune and everyone thought they knew them.
They were considered one of the most powerful wizarding families in all of Great Britain.
Her parents, Prudence and Gerald Ev...
The next passed by uneventfully, Draco was still shaken up and both he and Lauren were sporting white bandages.
It was time for Defence Against the Dark Arts - neither of the pair were looking forward to it. Even the usual chatty Daphne was quiet.
They filed into the large classroom, Lauren opting to sit between Daphne and Draco; the trio were quickly becoming very close. Paige sat on Daphne's other side, after waving fondly to Lauren.
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Very shortly after, Moody stormed in. Everyone was already waiting with their textbook - and he scoffed at the sight. "No textbooks this year. It's all about experience."
It took a few seconds for everyone to put their book away - no teacher had ever done so and Lauren hadn't heard of it. Moody checked off the list for attendance, his blue eye keeping watch over the classroom as he did so.
"Right," he said putting the parchment down, "Lupin advised that you had learnt a lot about tackling dark creatures. Boggarts, Red Caps, Grindylows and so forth."
His eyes scanned the room between sentences. "You're far too behind in curses. By far the scariest thing you'll ever face, is another wizard with a knowledge of dark curses. Usually you don't learn the illegal dark curses until sixth year. According to the ministry, you're too young - but Dumbledore and I believe otherwise."
He rapped on the desk in front of a zoned out, lazy Imogen Sanders - who now looked terrified out of her mind. He continued.
"You'll need to know what you're up against. How could you ever defend yourselves against something you've never seen? You'll learn these curses, see their effects and practise constant vigilance. Does anyone know which curses are forbidden by law?"
Lauren's hand shot up. "The Cruciatus Curse is one of them."
Mad Eye looked at her approvingly. "Correct, Ms Evergreen." He walked over to his bag and took out a jar with a large tarantula inside of it and placed it down. Unscrewing the lid, the spider tentatively walks out.
"This needs to bigger so you can see the effect better. Engorgio." He waved his wand, and the spider grew around the size of a beach ball. The entire class shuffled back and Lauren felt as if she'd be sick.
"Crucio!" He yelled.
The spiders legs began to roll inside of its body as it twitched awfully. Rocking from side to side, twitching violently. Spiders couldn't scream but it looked in immense pain. Draco looked away, it was all too much.
Nobody dared to yell stop after what had happened to Draco the other day. They watched on in emotional pain.
Mad Eye grimaced. "You're all too comfortable." He snarled and aimed the spider into the crowd. People began panicking and shrieking. The spider made a beeline towards Lauren's area and she instinctively reached for her wand. Before any harm could be done, Moody murmured reducio and swiftly collected the spider.
Pansy raised her hand. "Isn't one of them the Imperius Curse?"
Moody nodded and pointed his wand at the spider. "Imperio!"
The spider jumped upright. Waving his wand, Moody made him do a backflip and twirl on his desk. Once the spider began doing cartwheels, a few students laughed.
Made Eye glared. "You wouldn't be laughing if I made the spider crawl down your throat and eat your stomach." He snarled, effectively shutting everyone up.
Lauren noticed Draco becoming more and more pale and reached out for his hand. These curses were truly painful to watch.
"The Imperius Curse can be counteracted with constant vigilance. You'll need a clear mind and determination - be warned, lots of adults cannot counteract this curse. So I wouldn't rely on it. Anyone else know the third? You." He jabbed a finger towards Draco.
His voice was shaky as he answered. "Avada Kedavra."
Moody nodded. "Yes, the Killing Curse. There's no way to counteract it, the only survivor was Harry Potter." Moody trapped the spider back in the jar again.
He raised his wand and made sure all eyes were watching before murmuring the incantation, and watching the spider die. He scooped up the body and dumped it out the window.
"The Killing Curse takes a great deal of character to execute it. I doubt any of you can and you won't get the chance in this class. You just need to know about it. Constant vigilance is key. If anyone uses these curses, it's a life sentence in Azkaban. I have to teach you so you know what you're up against. Take out your books and copy this down..."
His voice trailed off as everyone hurriedly jotted down notes.
As the bell rang, they packed their belongings and quickly walked out. Daphne shuddered. "That was by far the most uncomfortable lesson. I mean the man is nuts he just showed zero emotion!"
Lauren failed to notice she was still holding Draco's hand. She let go, reddening slightly as she apologised. He shook his head and nudged her, letting her know it's okay.
"What lunatic goes, 'oh yeah let's show these fourteen year olds the Killing Curse'? Absolutely bonkers." Paige complained. Draco agreed wholeheartedly.
They had Divination next, Lauren was not keen on it at all. She didn't believe in the Sight. Nor did she think she'd have it.
Draco led the way, pushing past slow walkers to make it to the attic; where the class was located. The fact it's in the attic was bad enough.
They'd finally made it all the way up the stairs, and just about blinded by the heavy perfume of the Divination classroom. The multiple fireplaces made the room sickeningly warm. Draco chose a nice rounded table with leather lounge seating and the group sat down.
Professor Trelawney looked like a hippie that would sell drugs. Her long curly hair was all over the place, eyes hidden behind thick rim glasses and the fashion sense of a 90 year old blind person.
They pulled out their copies of Unfogging the Future.
Daphne smiled and whispered to Lauren. "Handy hint, she laps up the sad stuff so just make your dreams and predictions sad and she'll believe it no matter what."
Lauren smiled gratefully as there was no way she'd take this class seriously. Draco flipped through the pages in boredom.
"Now children, remember to look to the stars. They hold our destiny dwindling idly in their brightness. Look to the planets for guidance and the moon for reassurance." Trelawney drawled.
Lauren and Daphne snickered, concealing it as a cough when they received a pointed look from the Professor.
"You'll need to continue with your dream journal and horoscope analysis. I expect big things from you lot."
Lauren yawned and leaned her head on Draco's shoulder. It was impossible to pay attention with the fire going, and the lack of emotion in Trelawney's voice was better than any lullaby.
They broke off into group work and Draco smiled as Lauren had fallen asleep. Daphne laughed quietly. "You fancy her, don't you. "
Draco's eyes widened. "What? Course not-"
"Don't even try to deny it. It's so obvious you may as well wear a sign. You look at her as if she's given you the stars, and not once did you correct any of our girlfriend jokes," she said. "I won't tell her, that's not my place. But I do ship it." She smiled.
Draco smiled and agreed. He couldn't believe Daphne of all people was the first one he'd told about his feelings.
They spent the remainder of the lesson winging their predictions and covering for Lauren, who slept soundly on Draco's shoulder the entire time.
