✓ | RECKLESS AND BRAVE | Draco Malfoy

55 | CHEILOPROCLITIC

CHEILOPROCLITIC
(adj.) being attracted to a person's lips or mouth

TESSA WAS A LITTLE DISAPPOINTED TO BE BACK IN SCHOOL NOW THAT THE HOLIDAYS WERE OVER. The remaining days of Christmas break weren't all too eventful — especially when Sirius had turned gloomy again, and only brightened whenever her mother would make a stupid joke.

     She did, however, roared out laughing a few days after she'd sneaked into the Malfoy manor. Apollo had sent her a letter from Draco, saying how he couldn't face his parents without wearing a turtleneck to cover all the hickeys she'd left him.

     It was a rather tense day back to school, especially when Tessa was worried on Harry taking Occlumency classes from Snape. She made a mental note to ask Draco about it later that night when Harry would be in Snape's classroom.

     "I'll let you know when the next one is," Harry said as he and Tessa we're constantly badgered by the D.A. members asking for their next lesson date, "but I can't do it tonight, I've got to go to — er — Remedial Potions . . ."

     "You take Remedial Potions?" Zacharias asked with a bark of laughter. "Good Lord, you must be terrible, Snape doesn't usually give extra lessons, does he?" He flickered his gaze to Tessa. "Why can't you teach us alone?"

     "Because Harry and I are a team," Tessa snarled. "You either get both of us or none."

     Zacharias was still laughing about Harry's excuse when he left them. Ron glared after him. "Shall I jinx him? I can still get him from here."

     "Forget it," Harry muttered. "It's what everyone's going to think, isn't it? That I'm really stup —"

     "Hi, Harry," a voice said behind them, and the four turned to see Cho with flushed cheeks.

     "Oh," Harry murmured uncomfortably. "Hi."

     "We'll be in the library, Harry," Tessa said as Hermione yanked Ron away by the elbow.

     "What d'you reckon they're talking about?" Ron asked the two nosily.

     "The Hogsmeade trip for sure," Tessa said at once. "I saw it on my way out of the common room this morning. There's going to be one next month on Valentine's Day."

     "Are you going with Malfoy?" Hermione asked.

     Tessa's cheeks burned as she fought a grin from her face. "Yes — he asked me if I wanted to go with him."

     "And what did you say?" Ron asked as they entered the library.

     Hermione rolled her eyes exasperatedly, taking a seat as they waited for Harry. "Obviously she said yes to her boyfriend!"

     Ron glared at her, looking slightly affronted. "Well then — why'd he have to ask if that's the case?"

     "Because it's common courtesy, Ronald," Hermione said with a deep sigh.

     Before Tessa could say anything else, Harry finally arrived to meet up with them again and make their way to class.

Later that night, she met up with Draco in their closet, seeing as how it was too cold for them to be lazing around in the Astronomy Tower. "I have a question," she said in the middle of the card game they were both playing.

"What's up?" he hummed back, briefly glancing up to meet her eyes.

"Can you tell me what you know about Occlumency?"