The Taming of The Viper

Chapter 3: Study Date

After Potions, Amicia attended Charms, which was a simple lesson on Colloportus, the locking charm that should've been easy to master, but Neville had melted the lock off of the door and Professor Flitwick spent the remainder of their time trying to undo his mess. Shortly after, Amicia was reunited with her friends in History of Magic, where Harry and Ron sulked the entire period, still miserable after being humiliated by Malfoy in potions. To be fair, they didn't look much different than how they usually looked in this class. Even Amicia wanted to sulk once Professor Binns began another lecture on the Goblin Rebellions of the eighteenth century. She already knew full well that her and Hermione were going to get stuck helping the boys pass this class. Once they were dismissed, the four walked to lunch together, stretching their limbs after nearly falling asleep to Binns' monotone voice.

"If his head gets any bigger, we can use it as a Quaffle," Ron angrily declared through a mouthful of food. They sat at the Gryffindor dining table, Amicia and Hermione comparing notes while Ron and Harry were glaring daggers across the hall at the Slytherin table.

"Damn you," Amicia cursed lightheartedly as she skimmed Hermione's notes, "Your penmanship is much neater than mine."

"At least your notes are concise," Hermione was in turn paging through Amicia's tattered papers, "Half the things I write down turn out to be nothing of great importance, waste of parchment, ink, and time."

Harry huffed for the dozenth time, running a hand through his already messy hair, "Snape didn't take any house points away for Malfoy's uniform. You know, just last week my shirt was untucked and he took ten points from Gryffindor. Ten points. I don't think that's even in the rulebook."

Amicia chuckled, spearing a roasted potato with her fork, "To be fair, Harry, that's not saying much. When it comes to you, Snape would take off points if you breathed too loud-,"

"Hold on-" Hermione interrupted them so suddenly that they all went still, giving her all of their attention. They recognized that frenzied look she had, the same one she gets when solving an equation in Arithmancy. She grabbed Amicia's tie and flipped it over "-Look. It's no wonder Malfoy didn't have his tie."

Amicia looked down past her nose. Right by Hermione's thumb, stitched into a cloth label with emerald green thread, were the initials D.L.M.

"What is it?" Harry squinted and Ron leaned across the table.

"Draco-" Hermione started.

Amicia swallowed nervously, "Does he even have a middle name? It could be anyone-"

"-Lucius Malfoy!"

Harry and Ron exchanged quick looks of amusement before their cheeks puffed up with restrained laughter, holding it back until they couldn't any longer and it burst out of them. Amicia hastily tucked her, now technically Malfoy's, tie under her shirt. She cautiously peered over her shoulder to where Draco was sitting at the Slytherin table. Pansy had her head on his shoulder as she prodded at a plate of food, while Draco was laughing, likely at his own joke, retelling the events of yesterday's match for everyone to hear. Crabbe and Goyle oohed and awed precisely in unison as if they'd rehearsed.

Amicia's hand was still on her chest, pressing the tie down over her quick beating heart, half-expecting it to be ripped off of her neck with a flick of Malfoy's wand. She must've stared a second too long because now her eyes were locked with his. For a fraction of a moment his laughing face faltered. Worried that he had pieced together what Hermione just made obvious to them, Amicia whipped back around, lowering her head to her plate. I'm dead.

Harry wiped down his glasses on his sleeve, face red from laughter, while Ron was still shaking with mirth.

"This just isn't your day, is it?" Ron quipped.