✓ | RECKLESS AND BRAVE | Draco Malfoy

7 | GAUCHE

GAUCHE
(adj.) unsophisticated and socially awkward

TESSA WAS FREEZING. She was shivering endlessly as November rolled in. She had been in her room, savoring the last few bits of the sweets Philip got for her from Durmstrang when she was told to meet up with Hermione, Harry, and Ron in the courtyard. She was in two jumpers and in a pair of boots as she left the Common Room, walking through corridors with her hands dug deep in her pockets when she smacked against someone.

     She staggered slightly to her feet, shooting a glare at the person who stood before her. "Valentine," Malfoy sneered at her, bundled up in jackets and his Slytherin scarf wrapped around his neck.

     "Malfoy," she spat right back at him, walking passed him when something hit her at the back of her head. "Ow," Tessa hissed and spun around to see that Malfoy had crumpled his scarf into a ball and threw it at her. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

     Malfoy scowled at her, glaring intensely as he crossed his arms and said, "I can hear your teeth chattering all the way from here. Use it, you sound annoying."

     Tessa had the most bewildered and confused look on her face ever. She snatched the scarf and threw it right back at him. "Then I'll go away! Don't give me your scarf, I don't want to use it." Without another word, she spun around and jogged down the corridor to enter the courtyard when she came across the Weasley twins.

     "Hey, Tessa!" George greeted her brightly, reaching over to ruffle her hair as she playfully slapped his arm away and tugged his winter beanie over his eyes.

     "Tess, you're freezing," Fred mumbled, brushing his fingers against her neck as she squirmed away, feeling ticklish as a blush creeped up her cheeks. "Here, take this." He unraveled his scarf and wrapped it around her bare neck. "Where's your scarf?"

     Tessa replied with a quick thanks before shrugging. "Don't know. I think Lavender or Rhea or Parvati has it. I'm not sure, I tend to lose my scarves a lot."

     The twins chuckled before waving her goodbye, saying that Lee Jordan was waiting for them. Tessa spotted her three friends in the courtyard with their backs pressed against a jam jar of blue fire, and she quickly crossed the yard to them.

     "I'm here," she said cheekily. "Your lives just got better."

     Ron rolled his eyes, about to retort at that when Tessa's eyes caught Snape limping over to them. She had an odd presumption about his limp, but stayed quiet as Snape reached them.

     "What's that you've got there, Potter?" Snape snapped as Harry showed him the book he was holding which was Quidditch Through the Ages. "Library books are not to be taken outside the school," said Snape. "Give it to me. Five points from Gryffindor."

"You made that up!" Tessa called out to Snape's limping figure, but he simply ignored her as usual. She turned back to the group and repeated, "He just made that up."

No one paid her attention as usual as Harry murmured, "Wonder what's wrong with his leg?"

"Dunno, but I hope it's really hurting him," Ron said as Tessa snorted in agreement.

That night, the Gryffindor Common Room was packed with students chattering loudly. Tessa was huddled next to a window along with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. The bushy haired girl was checking the boys' Charms homework as Tessa tried to learn how to juggle to get her mind off the game tomorrow.

"Tessa, have you done yours already?" Hermione asked, though she already knew the answer.

"Nope," Tessa hummed. She could be given hundreds of years to do her homework, and she'd still do it either on the night before the due date or on the due date. And this was one of those 'on the due date' moments.