Before the Dawn | George Weasley

10

I left the hospital wing two days later with my teeth regrown and the ability to open both eyes. A deep bruise remained around the eye that had previously been swollen shut, but I didn't mind, as I was itching to return to normality.

I left also with a rather extensive collection of sweets—Graham and Miles had taken it upon themselves to bring me various candies every time they visited, which was every chance they got, and I hadn't had the heart to tell them that I couldn't eat any solid food until my teeth had grown back. So now I had every sweet you could imagine, more than I could ever eat on my own, and my roommates were only too happy to take them off my hands.

My roommates were relieved to see my return, and not just because I came bearing sweets. Jamie had been in charge of collecting my school work from missed classes, and she had it stacked neatly on my bed when I arrived.

"There's so much to do!" she complained as I rifled through the papers.

I came across a paper with handwriting that didn't look like mine, and I frowned, only to realise that it was the History of Magic homework that George had promised to do. I'd gotten a perfect score.

"How was Defence Against the Dark Arts?" I asked Jamie absentmindedly as I scanned through the assignment he'd written for me. It was well-written, well-organised, based strongly in the text, and needless to say I was impressed.

"I can't decide if I like this new professor or not." Jamie didn't sound impressed.

"Anything in particular wrong with him?" I looked over at her. "I think I quite like him."

"No, I suppose not. I guess I just don't know what a good Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher would even be like at this point."

"That's fair," I laughed, a dull pang of pain in my jaw. I rubbed it ruefully.

We looked up as Pansy entered, looking upset.

"What's wrong, love?" Jamie frowned.

"Have either of you seen Draco? I think he's avoiding me." She sat heavily on her bed, her lower lip jutting out.

I glanced over at her, feeling a pang of sympathy at the distraught expression on her pinched little face. "Why would he be avoiding you?"

"I don't know! But I haven't seen him at all."

"Maybe he's just busy," Jamie mused, shooting a look at me that pleaded for back-up.

"Yeah, Marcus has been making us practise nonstop lately. He's probably on the Quidditch pitch whenever he's not in class." I glanced at Jamie, who nodded in approval at my lie.

Jamie smoothed a soft hand over Pansy's hair. "Don't fret about it. He's just a boy, after all."

Pansy's brow furrowed.  Before she could turn on me and demand that I talk to my teammate on her behalf—as she had done multiple times in the past—I pulled out my Defence Against the Dark Arts textbook and tucked it under my arm.  

I met Jamie's eyes on my way out the door, noting her palpable irritation. 

Don't leave me with this, her eyes begged.  

I smiled and walked out.

The Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom was rather large, marble pillars running along the walls to meet in an arch in the ceiling.

I arrived just as a class was letting out, a stream of second-years pouring out through the doors and threatening to knock me over as I waded through them.

Professor Lupin looked up as I entered, his face tired but his expression friendly.

"What can I do for you, Miss Doyle?" he asked as I approached.