The Grey-eyed Serpent

Chapter 8: The duel

Alix found a lot of passageways throughout the school. A secret door-more like a cement wall- that can only be opened by pressing a certain brick located on a hallway that no one really uses leads to the 4 houses' common rooms. It was a good thing that no one really noticed a painting suddenly being pushed open in the four common rooms when she peeked to see where the passageway led her. Alix concluded that the passage was for emergency purposes. Next, she found another passage that led her to the storage room of the three broomsticks which she thinks would be useful for future escapades. Alix found another one when she went to the dungeons, a path underground that led to the forbidden forest which she thinks would be useful for when she needed to explore the forest which wasn't too far in the future as Alix was looking forward to seeing what kind of creatures live in the woods behind Hogwarts. Alix applauded whoever made the secret paths, if Mina didn't have a strong sense of smell, she would have surely missed all of them.

The last one that Alix found really intrigued her, it was a vanishing room and she happened to see it by chance, well, she happened to make it appear by chance. Alix was randomly pacing in front of a wall, and by the 3rd time she passed by, a huge door appeared. Alix and Mina looked at each other with wide eyes before she slowly opened the door, peeking inside when she saw an empty room, with nothing at all. What was the room for? And how and why did it suddenly appear? The young girl reminded herself to ask her parents about it the next time she sends a letter.

One afternoon, Alix was at the library, reading the book about Hogwarts that she had borrowed. She already finished all of her assignments so Alix took the free time she has to read the book she borrowed days ago. An hour into the book, Alix was interrupted by loud footsteps that stopped in front of her, she turned her head upwards and saw Draco, along with Blaise and Theo-who she had gotten along with for the past few days- standing at the other end of the table. Alix first noticed the aggravated look on Draco's face as well as the nervous expression of Theo and the small lift on Blaise's lips.

Alix cocked an eyebrow. "What's wrong?" she asked, placing a bookmark on the page she stopped at before closing it, knowing they were about to have a long conversation.

The 3 boys sat down. Draco sighed loudly before Blaise outed him. "Draco challenged Harry Potter to a duel tonight," he said, his voice filled with mirth.

Alix went silent for a second before she made a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "My, what happened?" she asked, her tone light but the coldness in her eyes betrayed her façade.

Draco swallowed. He was always unnerved by how cold Alix's eyes seem whenever she gets angry at him. Although she was smiling, Draco knew very well that she's angry. "W-Well..." Draco doesn't even know how to explain what had happened. How was he to say that it was his fault, to begin with? That he stole Longbottom's remembrall and made Potter fetch it. Draco knew full well Alix hates it when he acts like such a git.

Theo glanced at his friend who was unable to say anything, and honestly, he wouldn't blame him. The young Ravenclaw in front of them was eyeing the blonde with such coldness in her pale eyes contrary to the soft smile on her lips and to add to that, a huge beast stood behind her, a Zouwu much larger than him who was eyeing them disapprovingly that even Theo was scared himself. "You see, Longbottom-" Alix cuts off the honey-eyed boy.

"Draco will tell me himself, isn't that right?" Alix spoke, the lightness in her tone unfaltering as she emphasized the Malfoy heir's name.

Draco took a deep breath, calming his quickening pulse, he knew there was no way out of this. "We had our first flying lesson today. Longbottom lost control of his broomstick and fell. Madam Hooch took him to the infirmary. I saw his remembrall on the ground, a-and I-I was planning on h-hiding it when Potter told me to give it back, of course, I didn't, not like I would ever listen to him anyway. I made him fetch the ball and then he caught it in a way that even I have to admit was pretty impressive" Draco inhaled a sharp breath before continuing, trying hard not to glance at his cousin.