𝙏𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙖 𝙈𝙖𝙡𝙛𝙤𝙮 ~ 𝕒 ℍ𝕒𝕣𝕣𝕪 ℙ𝕠𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕗𝕒𝕟𝕗𝕚𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟

{𝟒}

The next few weeks went by without any drama. The next thing Tristana knew, it was the middle of October.

Though Tristana was now more focused on her harder, O.W.L work than investigating her brother, her mind was still telling her to look closer at Draco's activities. The day of when the Malfoy's visited Lucius in Askaban was ringing in her mind. What had Bellatrix and Narcissa talked to Draco about? Why couldn't Tristana be included as well? 

It was no doubt something to do with the Dark Lord. Tristana's mother would have included her in anything else. But Narcissa knew about Tristana's weariness of the Dark Arts. She didn't want to push her own daughter into something that she was uncomfortable with- though Narcissa wasn't all that comfortable with it either. But Narcissa knew that if she didn't show herself trying to make an effort on her daughter, Bellatrix or surely Lucius would do it themselves. And Narcissa didn't want them educating Tristana, as they would teach her the worst of the worst. Her mind wasn't destroyed yet. 

Not that Tristana knew any of this except for the part about her mother and aunt talking to Draco about the Dark Lord. Tristana wished she didn't have to call him 'The Dark Lord', but in the Malfoy household, you couldn't call him 'Lord Voldemort' or even 'You-Know-Who'. Apparently it was disrespectful to the crabby old Lord. 

Tristana's curiosity got the best of her one day, when she finally decided to tag him.

Tristana hadn't been doing anything; well, except for a bit of homework. But Tristana always thought that adventure came before homework. Really, anything fun came before homework. 

She was sitting in the Hufflepuff common room, an open Charms book on the table in front of her, a quill sitting in an ink pot a few inches away. Her hand hovered over the quill before she sighed. 

"This is hopeless." She mumbled to herself. The common room was so loud and busy that Tristana could barely hear herself think, so it was even harder to complete work. Lucia, who was lounging on an armchair a few feet away, having already completed all her homework, was humming a tune to herself. 

Nora was in the same boat as Tristana, but she was sitting on the floor, staring at her book like the answers would come if she stared long enough. 

"Ergh!" Nora exclaimed after a few more seconds of staring. "I hate this! I'm done for tonight!" 

But to Tristana, who could barely hear anything, it sounded like, "I ate is! One night!" 

"What?!" Tristana yelled. "What did you say?" 

"I said, I hate this! I'm done for tonight!" Nora replied, her voice equally loud. Nora slammed her book shut, then closed her eyes. She got up, and took an armchair across from Lucia. 

Tristana closed her book too; no point in trying to get homework done if both her friends were relaxing. 

She screwed the cap back on her ink pot, and took the quill out. She grabbed her things and held them to her chest. 

"Tristi, are you seriously doing a Nora? What about your grades?" Lucia asked, seeing Tristana pack away her supplies. 

"I have two days to complete this charms stuff," Tristana said. "I'll be fine." She leaned back to rest against her chair. 

"I see." Lucia said, narrowing her eyes. "You're procrastinating." 

"Mhm." Tristana merely replied. "I am." 

"You're such a nerd sometimes, Lucia." Nora teased. 

"Of course I am!" Lucia said proudly. "If you're a nerd, that just means your too cool to be labeled as smart."