WILD FLOWERS ✿ d.malfoy

18.

"You know what this means, right?" Caelum says. Tracy shakes her head. "The Ministry is taking control over Hogwarts." We all sit in stunned silence for a moment; Carina breaks it.

"Well of course Lucius has to have a say in something like this," Carina says with revulsion. We all nod.

Carina goes on, "We've never seen eye to eye. He hates me, wants to throw me out. I hate him too but lucky for me," she sips her juices, "Narcissa loves me."

She takes a quick glance at Malfoy sitting a few seats down, pug faced – oh sorry – Pansy Parkinson, latching onto him like a parasite. I wince as his eyes meet mine and look away.

"He just looked at you," Tracy says meekly.

"Oh, not this again!" I groan. They all laugh as I shove Tracy to the side, momentarily forgetting the pink toad.

"Come on," I say picking up my bag, "if Umbridge is inspecting Binns, we better be there on time."

But she wasn't. Not in Professor Binns' class; which had passed like last Monday, nor is she in the dark and musty potions classroom when Snape hands back our moonstone essays.

I get mine with a big 'O' scrawled in the top left corner. I look over at Sabrina's to see that she got an 'E'. Her eyes are wide. Tracy had also gotten an 'E' and Caelum an 'O'. We high five but Snape shushes us. We weren't even talking.

"I have awarded you the grades you would have received if you presented this work in your O.W.L," says Snape with a smirk, as he sweeps among us, passing back our homework. "This should give you a realistic idea of what to expect in your examination.

"The general standard of this homework was abysmal. Most of you would have failed had this been your examination. I expect to see a great deal more effort for this week's essay on the various varieties of venom antidotes, or I shall have to start handing out detentions to those dunces who get D's."

He smirks as Malfoy sniggers, "Some people got D's? Ha!"

I glance sideways to get look at his essay; I caught but for a glimpse of his paper as he bagged it. It was enough, I saw an 'O' marked on the edge.

We were making a Strengthening Potion this lesson. The four of us kept a light chatter going as we did so. By the end, we were all really happy by the results we had achieved. The perfect shade of turquoise. The shade that mum loved. You would have though blue would have been her favourite, given that she spent most of her time on the vast expanse of blue. But it was the turquoise of the ocean that intrigued her. So, she became it. Versatile and calm.

I held the flask in my hand as I walked forwards, going to keep it on Snape's table. Parkinson was coming my way. [neon green rotting into brown.]

I should have known better than to keep walking forwards passing her, because now I'm on the floor and she's laughing. She had tripped me. The flask lay broken, it's shards everywhere, and one piece stuck in my check. I get up. There's dead silence except the echoes of Parkinson's and her little gangs' laughs.

I breathe in and out. In and out. I don't want to end up murdering her, so I need to keep calm. Calm, Celestia. Calm. Imagine the still waters on the ocean.

Okay good.

I fish out my wand and wave it over the mess. It disappears. I keep my wand back. I turn around. It seems like an hour passed within a matter of moments. Everyone is still in shock, some have their eyes trained upon the floor where I previously lay.

The throbbing in my cheek intensifies when I pluck the shard out from my face. Not the smartest move. I should have let it stay in there. I wouldn't lose nearly as much blood. Speaking of blood, it was dripping down my chin.