The Half-Blood Princess

Chapter 15

Draco's POV

      When my eyes open I'm blinded by the ray of light coming in from the curtains. I try to regain my memory from the night before, seeing I'm still on one of the sofas in the common room.

      Suddenly, there's slight movement from below. I quickly look down and see Alexis' head resting peacefully on my chest. I move her hair behind her ear and she opens her eyes.

                 "Good morning." She says with a raspy voice.

     I look around and see that no one has come down for breakfast yet, meaning it's still early.

       Alexis sits upright on the sofa slowly. I can tell she's waiting for me to speak but I'm too lost in my head to converse.

       I'm still trying to remember everything, but we talked for hours last night. Usually I can't stand doing so, but it felt so natural.

      I told her about when I became a death eater and what The Dark Lord has asked me to do. I shouldn't just go around telling people but I wanted her to know. After all, she's the one that saved me from getting caught.

       "Alright, well I'm going to go to the hospital wing. You're welcome to join."

      I look up at Alexis who is getting ready to leave the room. Going to visit her friend doesn't sound too enjoyable but neither does sitting in here alone.

                       "Okay." I respond.

      Her eyes light up when I agree to tag along. I take her hand and we both walk out the door.

      As soon as we get to the hospital wing Lisa spots us. A smile forms on her face.

                         "Visitors!" She says happily.

     Alexis pulls the bandage from Lisa's arm and checks the wound. Subtly she sighs in relief.

                 "Are you hungry?" She asks. "We can bring you breakfast."

     Lisa thinks for a moment. "This is going to sound odd, but do you think you could bring me steak?"

     I laugh out loud. "You and your boyfriend are going to have easy dinners from now on."

               Lisa shoots Alexis a glare. "You told him?!"

            "It kind of just slipped out." Alexis giggles.

      I hear footsteps approaching and turn to see Professor Snape entering the room. Alexis didn't tell me what he said last night so I'm not sure if I should run or stay still. But he looks past the two of us and straight to Lisa.

        "The wound is healing normally." Alexis informs her dad.

       Snape nods. His eyes travel downward to my hand clasped around his daughters.

          "I want to have a word with you in the hall." He says to me.

         I roll my eyes dramatically but exit the room with him.

                    "I hope you know that I do not like this."

      My back leans against the wall and I put my hands in my pockets.

                          "I'm aware, sir." I sigh.

      He tilts his head slightly and watches Alexis through the doorway. A smile slowly forms on his face which is still new to me. Snape never smiled before his daughter got here.

        "She's going to want to help you," He says quietly. "But please, keep her as far away from the dark side as possible."

       I nod. He's just a dad doing his job and I know that. If me keeping her out of my work means I can continue to see her then I can't complain.

          Snape looks back at me for a moment, then begins walking away.

       "If I find out you are doing anything other than kissing, I will kill you."

        His threats don't scare me as much as they should. I let out a small chuckle and thankfully he doesn't hear.

Alexis' POV

        Now Monday, today before classes Amber informed us all that the twins are planning something special for Halloween this year.

       Unfortunately, Halloween is on Wednesday. I would much rather enjoy my favorite holiday on the weekend but nothing is going to stop me from having a good time.

         "I say we all dress up as our dates." Alyssa says formally.

      We all turn to each other and laugh. The idea is actually quite brilliant.

      "What are the single ladies going to do then?" Luna nods her head in the direction of Gabriella.

                   "Who says I'm still single?"

      The girls all gasp dramatically. Gabriella stays silent for a moment, debating in her head whether or not she should open up about her relationship.

             "Hermione and I have been hanging out." She says quietly.

       A lot of people at Hogwarts will judge the two of them if they go public, which is heartbreaking to me.

     Paige rests her hand on Gabriella's gently. "We will always be here, no matter what."

        We all nod in agreement. Gabriella looks away shyly, but I can tell she's relieved. Paige leans back in her chair and we continue planning Halloween.

        "George mentioned throwing a party at the astronomy tower," Amber tells us. "We can each be in charge of bringing something to make it easier."

       I raise my index finger trying to grab their attention. "Am I allowed to invite Draco? I don't want to cause any fights..."

      "I talked to Harry, he should behave himself as long as Malfoy does too." Luna responds.

        I nod and thank her. It's weird being the girl with Draco Malfoy. I'm not labeled as his girlfriend or anything, which makes it easier honestly. But the word still gets out, and people look at me like I'm Satan.

        Too bad for them, I've been looked at that way my entire life. I'm the daughter of Professor Snape, do they really think a few glares will scare me?