✓ | RECKLESS AND BRAVE | Draco Malfoy

21 | UPPITY

UPPITY
(n.) self-important; arrogant

SUMMER WAS FAST APPROACHING, AND TESSA WAS SPENDING HER DAYS EITHER WITH HERMIONE OR AT THE LIBRARY. At first, she would borrow a book and spend the time reading next to Hermione's petrified body, but then visitors eventually became barred from the hospital wing. So Tessa would borrow a book in the day then read at night in her dorm.

     She was a lone ranger now, working as swift as she possibly can without bringing trouble to Ron and Harry. She felt slightly guilty for isolating herself from everyone else, but she found it to be effective and made her work better. She'd stopped procrastinating, doing all her school work on the spot as soon as it was assigned so that she could spend the rest of her time scavenging for books that would help her figure things out.

     There was one person, however, that never failed to get on Tessa's nerves. Draco Malfoy, the ferret devil, was strutting around and everywhere in the school. He looked absolutely pleased with himself and how things have turned out, smirking and all. Every time he'd try to say something to her, she'd turn and run off. She didn't have time to deal with him, she was too busy taking care of more important things. 

But despite it all, Tessa didn't know why she still defended him from being accused as the Heir of Slytherin who opened the Chamber of Secrets. It happened during Herbology class with Hufflepuff. She and Harry had gone to tip an armful of withered stalks into the compost heap, when Ernie Macmillan came up to them.

     "I just want to say, Harry, that I'm sorry I ever suspected you. I know you'd never attack Hermione Granger, and I apologize for all the stuff I said. We're all in the same boat now, and, well —"

     Ernie held a hand out for Harry to shake as his friend Hannah Abbott came over as well. Tessa shared a look with Ron before all five of them went to work.

     "That Draco Malfoy character," Ernie said, making Tessa freeze, "he seems very pleased about all this, doesn't he? D'you know, I think he might be Slytherin's heir."

     "That's clever of you," Ron said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

     "Do you think it's Malfoy, Harry?" Ernie asked.

     "No, he's not the heir," it was Tessa who answered, her voice so firm that the two Hufflepuffs coughed awkwardly.

     Just then, Harry elbowed both Ron and Tessa, pointing at the ground where several large spiders were scrambling to move in a straight line.

     "Oh, yeah," Ron mumbled, looking displeased at the spiders. "But we can't follow them now —"

     "Looks like they're heading for the Forbidden Forest . . . " Harry told them, his eyes still trained on the spiders skittering away.

     They had Defense Against the Dark Arts next, and the three of them lagged at the back of the students to devise their plan.

     "We'll have to use the Invisibility Cloak again," Harry told them.

     Tessa nodded in agreement as she added, "We can take Fang with us. He's used to going into the forest with Hagrid, he might be some help."

     "Right," Ron said nervously. "Er — aren't there — aren't there supposed to be werewolves in the forest?"

     "We'll be okay," Tessa said absentmindedly as they went over to sit in their usual desks in Lockhart's room.

     Harry agreed, trying to appease Ron as he said, "There are good things in there, too. The centaurs are all right, and the unicorns . . ."