Even Royalty Falters || Draco Malfoy

Chapter 5 - Halloween

It was another day of charms class and we were learning how to levitate items, starting with a light feather. I had been paired up with Lavender Brown and I couldn't tell if she was distracting herself by watching me attempt the charm or if she was just really bad at doing it. I thought it was pretty clear by now who I had established as my close friends but Lavender was always way too keen to do anything with me, still.

After practicing swish and flick a couple times, Professor Flitwick allowed us to try and levitate our feather. Easy, I thought, picking up my wand. "Wingardium Leviosa!" Slowly, but surely my feather started floating in the air.

"Oh my! You're so great at everything!" Lavender exclaimed. 

I nodded a small thanks to her as everyone in class turned to stare at me. Professor Flitwick quickly ushered everyone back to work on their own feather and complimented me for my good job. "Well done, Ms. Whitewing! Amberly was one of the first students of her class to ace this charm too!" 

Oh, must every professor mention my parents? I thought. I turned to watch Ron and Hermione try the charm.

"Stop, stop, stop. You're going to take someone's eye out. Besides you're saying it wrong. It's LeviOsa, not LeviosAr," Hermione criticized Ron, rolling her eyes. 

"You do it then, if you're so clever. Go on, go on!" Ron rebuked.

"Wingardium Leviosa," And just like my feather had, Hermione's feather lightly rose into the air too.

Ron glanced at me with a look that cried help! And my eyes told him that if I could, I'd gladly switch with him. 

Ron, Harry and I left class first as Professor Flitwick held Hermione back for a few seconds.

"She's such a nightmare, honestly Cress! No wonder she hasn't got any friends," Ron threw his hands up in frustration, but stumbled a bit as someone shouldered him from behind.

I widened my eyes at Ron as we all realized who it was. I swear I could hear Hermione sniffling as she hurried past us.

"I think she heard you," Harry gave Ron a grim look.

"Ron! That was so mean, she was genuinely try to correct and help you," I scolded, rushing after her. "Wait, Hermione! I'm your friend!" But I don't think she heard me.

When I rounded the corner, I couldn't find her anywhere and instead I came face to face with Draco. Backed by his friends, he took a couple steps towards me. "Where's Potter and Weasley? Did you scare them off like you scared the other one?" He taunted.

The other one? So Hermione did run down this way! "No and at least I don't need a whole lot of sidekicks to face a Slytherin. Although, you must be proving that I'm much stronger than you since you obviously aren't confident in beating me yourself," I crossed my arms across my chest, staring him dead in the eye.

"Words don't mean anything until you do them," he gritted his teeth and I saw him grip his wand in his other hand.

"They don't call me the Gryffindor Princess for nothing," I countered, whipping out my own wand.

"Stupefy!" Draco abruptly shouted, pointing his wand at me.

I instinctively threw my hands up to block the spell but it never hit me.

"Protego!" a voice bellowed from the other end of the corridor. His looming figure swiftly approached us, his face still betraying no emotion. "There is to be no magic dueling in the halls of this school. Had it actually happened, both of you would've been expelled," Snape scolded sternly. "Mr. Malfoy, I'm disappointed in you, please do not let me catch you doing something like this again," and then he turned to look at me.