𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐁𝐎𝐑𝐍 | Draco Malfoy

8: Friends

Chapter 8: Friends

Grey eyes.

That's the first thing she saw. Deep, light grey eyes staring at her with the curiosity of a small child. In fact, it was a small child. A tiny baby, no more than a year old, coddled up in it's fancy wooden cot. Plush green and blue blankets surrounded the child, who looked up at her with a sweet smile. The sweetest smile she had ever seen. The baby made grabbing hands at the girl above her, but Madeline made no move to pick the baby up.

It was as if her body wasn't her own. She felt every movement she made, but she had no control over it. Suddenly, it was as if the room had grown dark, the smile wiped off the baby's face. It felt like there was a fog growing around her, suffocating her.

The last thing she saw was a flash of green reflecting from the baby's eyes, followed by a scream.

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Madeline woke up with a strangled gasp, sitting up straight in her bed. Sweat dripped from her forehead, her chest heaving. The rest of the girls in her dorm were still asleep, and rightly so. Through the thick submerged window in their dorm, Madeline could tell the sun had yet to rise; the water of the lake retaining its dark muddy colour.

A nightmare, she realised bitterly.

Knowing she wasn't about to fall back to sleep, Madeline began getting ready for the day as quietly as possible. She pulled on a green sweater and black straight-legged trousers, combing her hair with a charm as she brushed her teeth with no haste. She knew it was a Sunday, the first task looming ahead with only days to spare, leaving every student in Hogwarts tense with anticipation.

She'd been in Hogwarts for over a month now, the last week or so filled by her attempting to catch up with Herbology. Professor Sprout insisted that she was behind with her classes due to her homeschooling, and had set her up with a multitude of different homework tasks and make-up essays. The majority of her time had been dedicated to catching up, proving she was as bright a witch as any.

Not to mention, Harry would have been completely alone in his preparation for the oncoming tournament had it not been for Madeline's presence. She kept him on track with his own homework, which was a skill Hermione had yet to master herself, and made sure no one bothered him when she was around. Sure, she got plenty of comments from Pansy and her friends, but it seemed that after Malfoy got transformed into a ferret, no one from Slytherin was going to give Harry too much grief.

The 'Potter Stinks!' badges were still in circulation, which Madeline happily charmed to show a cartoon white ferret instead, wearing a Slytherin Quidditch jumper and hopping around the badge. She'd even spoken to Cedric to try and get his friends to stop wearing them, which Cedric promised he'd try (and fail) to do.

Madeline walked through the Slytherin common room tiredly, her feet still in cosy green slippers and socks. She yawned as she sunk into the plush leather couch in front of the fireplace, which sprouted flames as soon as she'd sat down. Merlin, she loved magic.

There were very few paintings hung in the Slytherin dungeon. Some were moving, just waking up at the sound of the fire lighting. Others were simple photographs of the old students that had lived in the same commons. Her and Theo had tried (and failed) to find a photograph of Snape just a few nights prior, each holding a candle up to each painting to see through the darkness better. Apparently, he hadn't been great enough to be commemorated in the common room.

Her friendships so far in Hogwarts were... Varied, she'd say. She'd written to her mother about it all a few days before.

Theo and Daphne were easily some of the closest friends she'd ever had. Sure, she didn't exactly reveal much (or anything) about her life in France and her reason for her transfer, but the trio just... Worked. Theo was serious and studious, while Daphne was dramatic and loud. Madeline was just Madeline, with a sharp tongue and social skills that could only be born from years of attending social events. She knew she wasn't meant to create such strong attachments, but she would've been miserable and lonely had she not allowed herself to experience a normal, happy teenage life.