Ties that Bind

i

Abbigale manages to sleep peacefully, her brain totally silent, blocking any dreams trying to force their way through. A loud bang wakes the girls with a start, causing Abbigale to roll off of her bed, eyes pulsing red with alarm.

"Merlin," she curses under her breath, rising and throwing on her uniform sleepily, pulling on, first, her translucent black tights, her pleated skirt over it, a collared dress shirt, from which she hangs her tie, and the robe, who's hem just brushes the ground. "I'm so short," she sighs, spinning, barefoot, before grabbing her bag, her shoes, and scurrying down the stairs and into the common room, where she plops on a plush armchair to slip on her black flats. From there, she pulls out her schedule and hurries into the hallway, getting a head start on finding her classes. First, she needs to find Potions, but the staircases seem to be never ending. She stops to speak with a painting of a young woman reading in an oak tree. "Excuse me," she peers into the frame, trying to get her attention. When the woman comes closer, speaking, Abbigale realizes that she speaks French, rather than English. It's times like this when she's grateful to have been sent to a French school, especially with all women. "Excusez-moi, madame, mais j'essaie de trouver la salle de classe potions. C'est mon premier jour ici, et j'ai terriblement peur d'être en retard, surtout à ma première classe,"

"Tournez autour du coin, tournez à gauche deux fois, à droite une fois, puis à gauche à nouveau. Allez tout droit dans le couloir. Potions est la 4ème salle de classe à gauche," is her response, before she resumes her book.

Abbigale walks quickly and quietly to her potions class, entering the room to see Professor Snape organizing ingredients. "Hello, sir," she says softly, startling him.

"Yes. Hello," he looks her up and down, "Who are you?"

"My name is Abbigale Abbott. I'm new here, so I was wondering if you'd consider pairing me up with a partner, so I could catch up on previous lessons,"

"Well," Snape sighs, turning his back to her once more, "The next person to walk in will be your... partner,"

Smiling, she skips to a table in the back of the classroom, organizing her books and waiting patiently. Taking her gaze away from the door to flip through her textbook, she hears, "I will need you to work with the new witch in the back, and catch her up on past potions," She snaps her head up, the smile fading from her face when she sees Draco walking towards her.

"Hey," he mumbles, taking a seat on the stool next to her.

"H-Hi," she stammers, her eyes filling with tears.

"No, no, no," he groans, taking her hand under the table, "Please, please don't cry," He surprises her by lacing his fingers through hers. Professor Snape walks over to them, and Draco drops her hand immediately, reaching into his bag.

"I will silence our class from you, and you will silence yourselves from us so that no one is distracted," With a flick of their wands, Draco and Snape mutter, "Muffliato,"

As Snape walks away, Abbigale turns to him, confused. "I- I thought-"

"I know what you thought and I'm sorry," he winces at the look of pain so clearly written on her face, "I had to make my house think I despise you to keep their respect. Slytherins and Gryffindors have hated each other since... well, always. They wouldn't understand..."

"Oh, no, please. We musn't ruin your reputation by letting you be seen with me," she says sarcastically, mumbling, "Ass,"

"How can I make it up to you?" He is relieved to see her eyes have turned a pale pink again, rather than the purple they had been previously.

"Don't bother, Draco. I forgave you already. I hate staying mad at people. I like you too much to hold a grudge,"

"Oh, thank god," he breathes, setting his palm on her knee, smiling at her bashfulness. "What's wrong? Are you still nervous around me?" he teases, standing to get the ingredients for the healing potion they are supposed to be making. She watches him, a warm feeling settling in her stomach, knowing that she didn't really lose him. When he gets back, he's smirking, a mischievous look in his eyes.

"What?" she giggles, grabbing the ginger root from his hand and the knife from the middle of the table, beginning to cut small strips. The blade slips when his hand lands heavily on her thigh, his thumb rubbing circles onto the thin black tights. "Shit," she curses when her wrists begin to shake from the excitement. "Stop," she grins, shaking him off.

"You don't really want that, do you?" he takes the knife from her hand and sets it down, pulling her stool closer to his and sliding his hands back up her thighs, this time slipping under the hem of her skirt, and eyebrow raised cockily. Breathing heavily, she picks up the knife and brings it sharply against her palm, gasping at the pain.

She quickly runs to the front of the room, holding out her bleeding hand.

"Damn it, Abbott. Malfoy, take her to the infirmary. Leave your things and just go before she bleeds everywhere else," Snape groans, pointing at the door.

Abbigale hurries out, followed by a speechless Draco. When the door shut, he snaps, "Why the fuck did you-"

"Sh," she presses her lips to his, "I got us out of class,"

"You- Out of..." he shakes his head, laughing, and conjures a bandage for her hand. "Fucking genius," he mutters, his hands on her waist, kissing the top of her head.

Laughing, hand in hand, they run through the halls, until they-literally- bump into Professor Lupin. "Hello, students," he smiles pleasantly.

"Sir," Abbigale breathes, widening her eyes, putting on an innocent front, "Is it alright if we use your office as a place to study? It's not easy for us to study in public, as I'm Gryffindor and he is a Slytherin,"

"Oh, of course. Of course, children. It's so nice to see people of different houses getting along," he eyes their clasped hands, "And along so well," He leads them to his office where he lets them in, wishes them luck, and leaves.

"You are fucking amazing," he breathes. 

"I know," she giggles, spinning around goofily.

Growling playfully.