𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐃𝐄𝐕𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

𝟏.𝟗 - 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐭

You sat down at the very end of the long Slytherin table. Two slices of toast, and a half-empty mug of pumpkin juice in front of you. Your arm was propped up, supporting your tired head.

Draco had slept in late so you were eating breakfast alone with Pansy. For the last fifteen minutes, you had been listening to her gossip about the Yule Ball that had been announced the day prior. You listened as intently as you could without interrupting her with yawns. It wasn't that she made for boring conversation; you were always reserved in the mornings. You had gotten used to eating with Draco who was the same way as you. Conversations never started between you and him until after your first class. Very few people understood that.

Suddenly, Pansy cleared her throat and put a hand up to shield her mouth as she whispered.

"Don't look now but Potter is giving you eyes."

Jolting out of your sleepy state, you glanced over to the Gryffindor table to see that Harry was in fact staring at you. His arm was still in a cloth sling from injuries sustained during the first task. The two cuts on his cheek were just beginning to heal over. 

You beamed, raising your hand to wave at him. He pulled the glass of water away from his mouth and attempted a smile back only to accidentally spit the drink all down the front of his wool sweater vest. Harry turned back around in his seat and Pansy snorted. You pouted and shoved her with the back of your hand.

"Oh shush," you scowled. "He's sweet. Would you like me to introduce you?"

Pansy readjusted her weight and snatched the piece of toast from your plate, waving it in the air as she spoke. "I love you, (Y/N), but no. My parents would murder me in cold blood if they saw me talking to him or anyone of his mudblood friends."

Eyes widening, you inwardly cringed at the usage of the word. Even back in the states, it was considered taboo to describe someone's blood status so openly and with such strong hateful language. Even though you were just introduced to the word, it felt wrong to even hear it being said. 

"I feel like the right word for that is muggle-born," you corrected as politely as you could. "But I digress."

Ignoring your statement, she took a bite of your toast and chewed it slowly. When she was done, she put it back on your plate and crossed her arms over the table. "I heard Draco got a letter from his mum asking him what color his date's dress is so she could get him a tie to match. Isn't that the sweetest?"

You took another sip out of your mug. "Oh yeah? Who's he going with?" 

Draco had never told you anything about a letter...or the ball for that matter. 

"That's just it! He hasn't chosen a date yet!" Pansy jumped excitedly, grabbing your arm and shaking you. "I bet it's going to be you. I've known Draco for a long time and he's never opened up to anyone before you two met." Scoffing playfully, you rolled your eyes and waved Pansy's hand away so you could continue eating. "Don't get my hopes up. I might just have to ask Neville Longbottom if no one else steps up to the plate."

She laughed at your statement and went back to her mindless gossiping. You were no longer listening, however, suddenly lost in your thoughts. The more you thought about it, the more you realized that Pansy had been right. Draco was more open with you than anyone else as far as you could tell. The possibilities made you blush and you looked down to hide your face.

He was quite handsome, you had to admit. And when he wasn't being a complete prick, he understood you on a deeper level than anyone else you knew. On several occasions you listened to him complain about his parents well into the night and he did the same for you in return. Not to mention all those times you caught him staring at you during meals and classes. Being Draco's date didn't sound like a bad idea at all. You now hoped that Pansy was right about his feelings toward you.

A loud shriek sounded from above and you watched as a parliament of owls flew down from the open window, carrying the morning's mail between their beaks and talons. You recognized your family's owl and grinned as the gorgeous black bird swooped down over your table and dropped a baby blue envelope onto your lap before flying back off.

Carefully, you ripped open the envelope and cast it aside, only interested in its contents. You unfolded the long piece of parchment and read it, your face falling as you absorbed the information being presented to you. Pansy noticed your solemn expression and waited for you to be done reading before asking you what was the matter.

"My parents are flying back to the states and won't be returning until after Christmas. I have to stay at the castle," You explained, the information sounding just as bad spoken aloud as it did on paper. 

She patted your hand and awed sympathetically. "You can always spend Christmas with my family. We'd be happy to take you in."

You shook your head. "No, that's ok. I wouldn't want to intrude. Besides, I'm more upset that I have no one to send me a dress for the ball."

Pansy's ears pricked up, happy to be back on her preferred subject. "You know, I could always convince Snape to let a few Slytherin girls take an afternoon trip into Hogsmeade. There's a dress shop there."

You hummed, mulling the idea over in your head. "That sounds perfect," You said finally. Her eyes lit up and she smiled. 

"It's settled then. I'll ask him today after Potions."

Out of nowhere, a hand appeared and a newspaper was slapped down on the table next to your plate. You jumped and looked up to see Hermione biting the inside of her cheek. Her eyes were downcast, glaring at it as if the rolled-up paper would grow legs and walk away if she looked up for just a moment. 

"Have you seen this?" She asked.

You shook your head. You didn't read the newspapers. Too much bad news and politics that you couldn't even begin to understand. Unfolding the paper, you were shocked to come face to face with a picture of you embracing Harry in the champion's tent. You began reading the article under your breath. "Ms. (Y/N) Firethorn, a new face at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, seems to have a taste for famous wizards. Ever since her family..."

Blinking twice, you flattened the paper against the table and read it again, eyes growing wide with fear. The entire article was an expose on your life before Hogwarts. In vivid detail, it described the incident that led to your transfer, even giving the full name of your muggle friend. 

"Son of a Banshee," you cussed. The article used harsh words to describe your actions, even going as far as calling you a 'hardened criminal softened by the love of one (or perhaps two) Triwizard champions, Viktor Krum and Harry Potter.'

Pansy scooted closer to you and saw the picture, her forehead creasing and a snarl making its way to her mouth. You shut the paper instantly, taking it away from her prying eyes. Standing up, you looked out over the Great Hall and saw that just about every other student was holding a copy of the Daily Prophet. Some had even begun pointing at you and whispering amongst themselves.

Hermione put a hand on your shoulder and squeezed. "I'm so sorry, (Y/N). I don't know how she found out." You sighed and ran a hand over your temple. 

"It's not your fault, 'Mione. I'll write an owl to my mother and have her speak to the head of the paper."

"I'm certain no one believes it considering the rubbish she wrote about Harry last week," Hermione added, removing her hand and gesturing for the newspaper in your hand. "Here, I'll take this and get rid of it along with any of the others I see."

You smiled gratefully as she walked away, ripping up the paper as she went. The clocktower chimed and bodies everywhere began rising from their tables. You took one last swig of pumpkin juice and swung your bag over your shoulder, feeling more awake than you had moments before.

 "C'mon," you nudged Pansy with your leg and did your best to ignore her bewildered expression. "We don't want to be late."

 (A/N: I kinda love this chapter. It's simple but it helps the story so much. I'm glad I managed to make the reader friends with both Hermione and Pansy with very little conflict in that area. Also! I made an Amino account and I'm all over the HP forums there. It's actually really interesting. I don't know how it works yet but if anyone wants to find me on there, lemme know. Have a good day!)