Peppermint; Draco Malfoy [2]

TWENTY-FOUR

ALEXIS' P.O.V.

I hate studying. It sucks. I have done nothing all weekend. Nothing but study. All weekend. And what have I learnt? Nothing. All weekend.

Not. A. Thing.

I feel like my brain can't cram any more information or it might explode. Everything that enters leaves in a matter of seconds.

I've been sitting on the sofa in the common room with the group, stuck on the same book page for 10 minutes because every time I get to the end, I forget what was at the beginning and it doesn't make sense so I have to go back to understand. It's a vicious cycle. And it must end now.

I slam my book shut and drop it noisily on the glass coffee table in front of me. I hug my knees to my chest and rub my eyes, tired.

"I can't do this anymore," I whine. "I give up."

Thea, who is sat on a double armchair with Quinton to my right, puts her book down and sighs. "Finals are tomorrow. We only have hours left to make up for the lost time."

"We?" I ask, lifting my head. "I hope you're speaking french because who is we?"

"Moi et toi," she says sarcastically.

"Yeah, no. There's no we. Not this time. You spent most of our classes messing around with Quinton, and that's not my problem."

"We were not messing around! We were just having fun, living it up a little," he protests.

"By giving Longbottom random objects and telling him that they're his and he forgot it somewhere in the castle?" says Pansy, rolling her eyes at their stupidity.

"I like it when his rememberall goes red, he gets all hot and bothered. It's funny," says Thea.

"You guys are pathetic," mumbles Draco, his head in another book. I think this one is different to the one he had yesterday.

"Look who's talking," quips Thea.

"Your best friends mother told you off in a Howler in front of half the school... pathetic," he sighs.

I immediately turn away. I hate it when people fight. Looking around the room for a distraction, I suddenly realise Theo is not here. He hasn't been for a while. I've been so stressed I hadn't even noticed I haven't seen him almost all day.

"Uhm, where's Theo?" I ask, turning around to see if he's behind me.

"You've lost your own boyfriend?" asks Draco. I don't need to see him to know he's smirking.

"I haven't lost him. I don't keep tabs on his whereabouts all day."

"You've lost him," he concludes.

I turn and glare. "I have not lost –"

"What have you lost? Hair tie again? I've got one." Theo's voice pipes up from behind me. He dangles a black stretchy hair tie in front of me as he stands behind the sofa.

"Oh no, it's okay." I shake my head. "So... where have you been?"

Theo puts his hand in his pocket and retrieves a small glass bottle. A magenta liquid glitters inside and a tiny cork stopper tops it.

With one hand, he effortlessly jumps over the green leather back of the sofa and lands beside me. He uncorks the bottle and it comes off with a pop. I lean closer to take a better look but before I can see what's in it, Theo snatches it away from me and hands it to Quinton.

"Smell it and tell me what you think," he says.

Quinton's brow furrows and he immediately extends the bottle to arm's length. "What the hell is this?"