Delirium

Chapter 47 - Bargaining

~ part II of Double Update ~

On Saturday evening, a short while before dinner, Jolie sat in her dorm surrounded by her friends. With her back against her headboard, knees pulled up before her to make room, she listened intently to her friends chattering on.

The dorm was far too crowded, but Jolie didn't mind one bit. 

She was just happy to have all of her friends in one place. Or most of them, at least.

The only one of them missing was Theo. He was currently in a weekend detention with Professor Sprout—despite not even having Herbology as a lesson this year.

Apparently, the professor had caught him in the midst of some 'nefarious act' in Greenhouse Six. Though, what said act was, Theo had not divulged.

Pansy sat at the end of Jolie's four poster, leaning against the wall. Draco had his head in his girlfriend's lap, laying on his back with his long legs dangling off the side of the bed. To his and Pansy's left, Blaise laid across the bed.

His hands were supporting his head in leisure, propped up on one of Jolie's throw pillows as his long legs crossed over Draco's. The firm throw pillow beneath his neck was sitting atop Jolie's socked feet, so she was careful not to move too much so as to not disturb Blaise. She might've thought he'd even fallen asleep if it weren't for his occasional grin whenever someone cracked a joke.

Across the way, Madeline's position mirrored Jolie's, sitting with her back against her own headboard. Daphne sat in the middle of Madi's bed, petting Tea Kettle reverently.

In fact, Daphne had the cat in such a trance that Kettle was stretched out, lying flat on her back, her little legs reaching, her fluffy tummy exposed as she slept belly up. Jolie could hear her familiar's purring from where she sat as Daphne stroked over the kitten-soft tufts of black and white fur.

Madeline watched in wonder as Tea Kettle lay at Daphne's mercy. Honestly, Jolie didn't blame her.

If either she or Madeline ever tried to do that, after about five seconds, her cat would most definitely curl up and nip at their hands. And five seconds was probably generous.

But Daphne was Daphne. Everyone, both human and animal, trusted the witch with everything in their being. Tea Kettle seemed to agree with this all too well.

Earlier, Pansy had been detailing she and Narcissa Malfoy's planned shopping trip to Wizarding Paris following Christmas to find Pansy a dress for the Yule Ball. Daphne had whinged about wanting to join them, but Pansy insisted that it was her and Mrs Malfoy's 'bonding time'—which Draco had astutely vouched for.

This, of course, led them onto the topic of the Yule Ball, itself.

Who was attending with who, specifically.

Obviously, Draco and Pansy would be going together.

Daphne already had a few suitors lined up. She'd been asked several times in the last month or so—one of the wizards that had asked her to include Eric Murley, Jolie's prefect partner. Daphne had turned him down, though.

Unfortunately, Jolie had been the one to tell Murley that Daphne would probably say yes. Suffice to say, Eric hadn't really spoken to her during their rounds ever since.

Madeline tried to claim that she'd been asked by 'a few wizards...' but Jolie and Daphne had laughed, easily refuting the claim. In truth, Madeline had been asked by a few handfuls of wizards in the last week alone. Yet, she hadn't given any of them an answer thus far.