Peppermint; Draco Malfoy [2]

TWENTY-THREE

ALEXIS' P.O.V.

Another ring. Real silver, with three topaz in the centre. Definitely worth a pretty penny. Theo gave it to me late last night, after we'd spent all afternoon studying for our finals.

He took me to where we had our first kiss and presented me with the red velvet box. It resembled the gift Draco got me for Christmas last year, my favourite blue-feathered quill.

Theo said it was a gift for my growing collection of jewellery. He's smooth, but I'm smoother. It's a gift to reassure me – well, him – that he's my boyfriend and we're together. Theodore Nott and Alexis Hendrix. Just us two.

It's gorgeous, yet I feel like it's a bribe. I'm not saying I don't want it, because I do. I mean, it looks damn good on me. But still... it's unnecessary. It has no real value to it.

Things are okay with him again, but I feel there's been a shift in our relationship. The only thing is, I don't know how this has changed us, or even if it's something major. When he smiles at me, there's something in his eyes that transmits uncertainty, maybe distrust. Trewalney's prediction has got to him.

Now, it's Saturday morning. The Great Hall is quiet, with most of the students marking their territory in the library or study hall for the day. The Ravenclaw table is practically empty. I stare at the two overly-jammed crumpets on my plate. I take a feeble bite. Ugh. It tastes like sadness and despair.

Thea nudges my elbow. "Why aren't you eating?"

I scrunch my nose. "Dunno... not hungry."

She slides her plate of stacked chocolate chip pancakes over. "Trade?"

She always knows how to make me smile. We swap plates and I dig in, feeling a little better. The stress of final exams has been getting to me. My mum has been sending letter after letter reminding me to study and do well on the tests. She's even started to annoy Tawny, who's getting sick and tired of flying so much.

As I cut into my second pancake, the owls fly in with the daily mail. Packages and letters are dropped onto the tables, some landing in the food, others landing on people's heads.

Two letters are dropped simultaneously at our end of the table, both landing in the now-empty toast holder.

Theo is the first to see it. "Wait, that's a Howler innit?"

My face falls. One of the letters is bright red. I pick it up with trembling fingers and hand it to Thea. "You better open it."

She gives me a hostile glare. "Me? Why is it mine?!"

"Because my mum doesn't even know how to send howlers!" Tawny clips my hand as I try to shove the letter at Thea.

"See, your own bird says it's yours!" she retaliates, shoving it back.

The group is looking at us with bated breath. "One of you has to open it," says Quinton, sipping his juice as he gives us the you-know-I'm-right look.

Draco smirks. "I can't wait to hear this."

I fight with Thea, pushing the letter back into her chest as smoke starts to billow out of the top of the red envelope. We pass it back and forth like a hot potato.

"It's yours!"I shout.
"No it's not!" she grumbles, crumpling the letter into my chest.
"Take it!"
"No, you take it!"

"ALEXIS ROSE HENDRIX!"

Crap.

The red letter explodes with a bang, my mum's voice blaring out like a boombox. "YOU ARE IN SOOO MUCH BLOODY TROUBLE!"