Double Trouble || Draco Malfoy x Reader

a not-so-well draco || chapter fifty-seven

The day started off cool and breezy. There was a light thrum of rain as I walked down the sloping lawn towards Hagrid's cabin, Draco's hand in mine.

Professor Grubbly-Plank stood ten yards from Hagrid's front door, waiting for the class to arrive. There was a long trestle table in front of her, laden with many twigs. Pansy looked up from her spot and jabbed Blaise in the side.

"Ouch, woman! What was that for?"

"Loving the souvenir, Draco." Pansy said, glancing at the purple-hue on the side of his neck. "Did Y/N give you that?"

Draco narrowed his eyes.

I ran a gentle finger along his shoulder and grinned. "Don't tease him, Pans. It'll hurt his ego."

"I hate you both." Draco grumbled.

"I love you too," I flung a teasing arm around his shoulder and pulled him flush into my side. Draco's porcelain cheeks went red.

"Everyone here?' barked Professor Grubbly-Plank, what made us both jump. "Let's crack on then— who can tell me what these things are called?" She indicated to the heap of twigs in front of her.

Hermione's hand shot into the air. Half of the class rolled their eyes and groaned.

Blaise whispered something to Pansy, causing her to snicker. However, her snickers almost turned into a scream the second the twigs on the table leapt into the air and revealed themselves to be what looked like tiny pixieish creatures made of wood, each with knobbly brown arms, two-twig like fingers, a funny flat face and glittering beetle-brown eyes.

"Oooooh!" Parvati and Lavender cooed.

"Kindly keep your voices down, girls!" Professor Grubbly-Plank scolded. She scattered a handful of what looked like brown rice among the stick-creatures, who immediately fell upon the food. "So— does anyone know the names of these creatures? Miss Granger?"

"Bowtruckles," Hermione answered, completely self-assured. "They're tree-guardians, usually live in wand-trees."

"Five points for Gryffindor." Professor Grubbly-Plank awarded. All of the Slytherins rolled their eyes amongst one another. "Yes, these are bowtruckles and as Miss Granger rightly says, they generally live in trees whose wood is of wand quality. Anybody know what they eat?"

"Wood lice." Hermione answered promptly. "But fairy eggs if they can get them."

"Good girl, take another five points." Professor Grubbly-Plank awarded once more. I glanced down the trestle table, watching as the group of captive bowtruckles scrabbled around for wood lice like living twigs.

"Wait... they're kinda cute." I whispered, admiring them with doe-eyes.

"Seriously?" Draco looked over at me with knitted brows. "They look like twigs, Y/N."

"So?" I crossed my arms around my chest. "They're cute twigs."

"So, you're telling me, if I wrap up a stick and give it to you for Christmas, you'd gratefully accept it because it's adorable?" Draco lifted a brow. "What next, you gonna name it?"

"Yes." I said without hesitation.

"So, whenever you need leaves or wood from a tree in which a bowtruckle lodges, it is wise to have a gift of wood lice ready to distract or placate it. They may not look dangerous, but if angered they will gouge out human eyes with their fingers which as you can see are very sharp and not at all desirable near the eyeballs."