𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐆𝐨

𝐗𝐈𝐈𝐈

Defence Against the Dark Arts—usually my favourite class—dragged on and on.

In fact, days in general seemed to never end, not until I closed my eyes and flashes of the hours I spent dragging my feet around came did I realize that the day was over now, and in the blink of an eye I was to wake up and do it all again.

Ron and Hermione sat in either side of me, still a little sour from breakfast that morning. I know they mean well, but sometimes I would like to do things on my own without being questioned.

"Potter," the professor spoke up, I don't remember her name, I could care less about it, "No essay? On the Patrouns Charm?"

"Er– no ma'am. I forgot it."

"Hm, your friends didn't neglect their studies, why would you?"

"I didn't mean to, professor. I have a lot of homework in my other classes."

"So, you're saying that you value prancing little unicorns and pixie dust more than self defence?" She must have thought that I was still taking Care of Magical Creatures from Hagrid.

"No, I just–"

"No more excuses Potter. Detention tonight. You won't be getting any special treatment from me. Follow the lead of your friends next time, perhaps some of their mediocre productivity could rub off on you."

Merlin. I'm over the moon that Voldemort is gone, however it's times like these when I wish he had left his curse on this class behind.

Not much happened in detention, considering my past experiences. Writing lines. Classic. At least this time, they weren't permanently imbedded into my skin.

I must not tell lies.

Yeah, right.

Draco once again was found sitting on his bed once I finally arrived back to our dorm. He had some kind of book in his lap, but I couldn't see what it was behind his legs—which were bent at the knee and close to his chest.

I thought nothing would have the power to break his focus as his eyes scrambled across the page.

Yet, he looked at me, looked back down and turned the page. His quill moving swiftly around causing an annoying scratching sound, like nails on a chalkboard only less obnoxious.

I wondered what he was doing, obviously he wasn't reading. Not even someone as defiant as Draco would do such things to a perfectly good book. Though, I suppose if it was really bad, he may have wanted to rid himself of those words forever.

But this was not the case. He kept glancing up at me from time to time as I lay carelessly on my own bed finishing up my homework for Astronomy.

"What are you doing?" I asked when my curiosity got the best of me.

He didn't answer. He didn't even acknowledge that I had spoken, only kept his eyes down on the page as his quill moved with such grace, you might have mistaken him for an orchestra conductor.

I didn't ask him again, even though I really wanted to. I figured if he wanted me to know, he would tell me.

I tried again to focus on my homework. What is the exact radius of the Andromeda Galaxy? Damn. We learned this back in September. It must have been the day I had one of my nightmares—they always kept me distracted for the few days after.

"Malfoy?"

He raised his eyes, but not his head, making his eyes even more piercing than normal. It startled me. Only a little.

I cleared my throat out of apprehension, "Do you the radius of Andromeda?"

"The galaxy or my Aunt?" he said in all seriousness.