Amelia Merlin and the Game for Okamila

Part 92: Seriously Should've Curled Her Hair

"I think this is a shit idea." Lavender rolled her eyes. "Draco Malfoy? That's disgusting, Amelia. Tell me you're not serious."

"Alright, I'm not going to take advice from someone who calls their boyfriend Won-won." she smirked and Lavender went bright red.

"Why is he still with me?" she moaned. "I just wish the tosser would dump me already. I swear I've been the worst possible girlfriend. But some people just can't get enough of the Lav-lav."

"You're gross." Parvati snickered. "But seriously, Amelia, are you doing this?"

"What? Being nice to Draco Malfoy for a couple months so he can bring me home and I'll save not only an innocent child but my entire kingdom? Yeah, I think I will." Amelia said sarcastically.

"Right, well if you're sure!" Lavender jumped off her bed and over to her bedside table. "You're going to need to look a little better."

"What!" she frowned.

"Obviously," Lavender pulled out her makeup kit. "When Draco sees you talking to him, there has to be something different. He has to look at you and think how there's something slightly different about you, something slightly more - more wonderful. And then you'll be nice to him and it'll just confirm everything he was thinking and suddenly he sees this whole new person, a whole new Amelia. A better one who doesn't despise him, one who could actually like him. So yeah, you do need to look a little better."

"Jesus, Lav. How often do you think about this stuff?" Amelia grinned.

"I don't think you understand," she said loftily. "Getting people to find you attractive is literally an art. And I'm really fucking good at it."

"Okay fine. Put some of that stuff on my face then." she gave in and Lavender squealed in delight.

"You're gonna be so hot, Amy."

"You know I don't like it when people call me that."

"You let Oliver call you Amy."

"That's different."

.........................

The potions classroom was full of pale blue steam breathing from their cauldrons. It smelled like baking bread and was supposed to make someone a proficient chef. Amelia would look over at Draco every so often to try and see if she could make eye contact but his eyes were aggressively trained on his cauldron. Slughorn was pacing through them and pronouncing their potions either insufficient or marvelous. He was almost at Amelia's so she breathed and rolled her shoulders back. The large man wearing bright green robes beamed as he saw her.

"Miss Merlin! Always a pleasure to see what you've come up with." he chuckled.

"Thank you professor." she gave him her best smile and added, "Do you know what our next assignment will be?"

"Yes, yes but it is a surprise!"

"How exciting!" she laughed and got ready to do something she had only ever done on accident before. "I think it would be fun to do it with a partner. We've all worked so hard and it might be a nice treat."

"Well-" he looked like he was about to refuse her so Amelia put her hand on his arm and tried despairingly to force him to agree, "Well I suppose it is a nice idea." He smiled and she let out the breath she'd been holding in.

"Could you assign our partners? I'd love to work with someone I don't know very well, give us a chance to make new friends?" she smiled again and could see easily, Slughorn was putty in her hand.

"Miss Merlin," he chuckled. "I think that is a marvelous idea!" The professor strode to the front of the room and told the class of the plan for the next assignment. "And now I will assign partners!" he looked carefully around the room, pondering dramatically, "Potter and Granger, I would love to see what the two of you can come up with! How about, Blaise and Weasley. Malfoy-" Amelia stared hard at Slughorn, "and Merlin!"

She smirked to herself in pride and looked at Malfoy from across the room while Slughorn continued assigning partners. The blonde boy had his head down and was concentrated on the floor at his feet. His hands were shoved deep into the pockets of his robes and his hair looked like it hadn't been washed in days. When the class was dismissed she packed her bag and walked over to him.

"Hey." she said.

"Hey." Draco still wouldn't look at her.

"So we're going to be partners-"

"I don't give a damn if we're partners. And I don't care what you have to say about it." he mumbled while slamming his books into his bag. Amelia felt color rise to her cheeks and her palms go slightly sweaty. She wasn't used to being embarrassed and she didn't like it.

"Look," she stepped closer to him, "You don't talk to me like that." Amelia continued firmly. "Just be nice, Draco, it's not hard. I'm good at potions and you could have gotten a much worse partner. So- so quit being a prat, okay?"

He looked up at her with a blank stare. "Whatever."

Gobsmacked, she stood there and watched him walk away. His bag swung at his side but every other aspect of his pace was lethargic and stiff. She sighed heavily to herself, this was going to be harder than she thought. She walked back to her dormitory with Lavender and Parvati, the three of them had no trouble pushing through the crowds, most people just moved for them.

"And he didn't even look at me, he didn't care at all." Amelia was still slightly stunned.

"Maybe you should have curled your hair." Lavender suggested. "That could grab his attention."

"I don't think it was my looks, to be honest." she huffed. "He's just a dick."

"Draco's been looking really rough for a while now," Parvati said quietly. "It might not have anything to do with you."

"True." Lavender mused. "He used to be quite good-looking, don't you think?"

"I dunno." Amelia shrugged. "I guess so. He used to really like me, like we were friends. I don't know what happened."

"Um, I do." Parvati tried to keep from smiling.

"What?"

"You stopped talking to him? You always told him he was being an asshole-"

"He was being an asshole." Amelia cried.

"Yeah I know, I'm just saying it's understandable why he doesn't want to be best buds with you now." Parvati put her hand on Amelia's shoulder in a comforting manner.

"Right. So I'm starting from square one with this guy."

"Pretty much." Her dark haired friend nodded and Amelia sighed.

"Great. Being friends with Draco Malfoy is going to be harder than I thought."