✓ | RECKLESS AND BRAVE | Draco Malfoy

24 | XERIC

XERIC
(adj.) containing little moisture; very dry

TESSA WASN'T EXPECTING TO SEE THEM HERE SO EARLY IN THE MORNING. Having woken up at the crack of dawn, Tessa found it strange that she couldn't go back to sleep. She'd already finished The Picture of Dorian Gray, so she picked up The Scarlet Letter and tucked it in her arm. Shrugging on a soft, white sweater, she silently slipped out of her dorm room and opened a door that led directly out of Professor Sprout's greenhouse.

     "Not bad," she told herself, proud for actually having a little bit of control over the power. She went down the trail, making her way to the Black Lake. She would be passing school grounds, which didn't require Dementors to be hovering over there.

     Arriving near the lake, Tessa sat on the grass of the small clearing. She let out a yawn, rubbing sleep from her eyes as she watched the lazy hues of pink and orange paint the horizon and kiss the night away.

     "Let's get reading," she mumbled, flipping open her book as light began to stream through the trees and illuminate the area she sat.

     Perhaps it had been twenty minutes of reading, when Tessa heard laughter and chatter. Surprised, she whipped around to see a group of Slytherins enter the view. They were mostly clad in swimming attire, about to take a dip in the lake.

     "What is she doing in here?" came a familiar nasally voice as the group stopped short at the sight of Tessa.

     Tessa glared at the girl and said, "I should be asking you that, Pugface."

     Pansy sneered at her in response before rolling her eyes. "Whatever." Without another word, she walked passed Tessa and jumped in the lake, followed by Blaise Zabini, Astoria and Daphne Greengrass, Adrian Pucey, Millicent Bulstrode, Crabbe, and Goyle. Tessa scanned the crowd, thankful that Malfoy was nowhere to be seen.

     "Hey, Tessa," came a friendly voice and she looked to see Theodore Nott smiling down at her.

     She beamed up at him. "Hey! I haven't seen you in a long time. How was your summer?"

     "Good," he replied. "And yours?"

     Tessa nodded. "It was really good, too."

     Theo grinned. He opened his mouth to say something, but his eyes slid over to something behind her and he waved. "Hey, looks like you finally got out of bed. Crabbe thought you wouldn't wake up."

     Tessa froze for a second before looking behind her shoulder to see Draco Malfoy approach Theo. His hair was rumpled as though he'd just woken up, a large, dark green sweater practically swallowing him whole as he tiredly walked to them. He grumbled something incoherent under his breath, yawning widely before his eyes caught sight of Tessa and he coughed in surprise.

     "Valentine!" He blinked, suddenly wide awake. "What — what are you doing here?"

     Tessa scrunched her nose up at him. "Trust me, I really should be the one asking you lot that question."

     Without another word, Tessa turned back to her book and immersed herself in it once more. Theo went over to the lake, jumping in to join his other friends. She felt someone sit on the grass a couple of feet away from her, and she glanced to see Malfoy drawing his legs up to his chest as he rested his chin on his knees.

     "Aren't you going to swim?"

     He turned to her, a smirk curling his lips upward. "Why, Valentine? Eager to see something to your interest?"