The rest of the story

Chapter Seven

"Okay, what about this one?" Pansy whispers, nudging me as she gestures to her most recent drawing. It's of Hermoine with hair made out of snakes and glowing red crazy eyes.

"Oh my God, Pansy!" I stare at her in mock horror before a sly smile flickers across my lips. Where'd you get that picture of her?"

"Found it in the low budget picture album her muggle mummy bought for her."

"It's oddly flattering."

"I know, right? She should use it for her student id photo."

"Hey Draco, hey Pansy." Goyle glances at us with a shy looking expression as he and Crabbe slide into the seats opposite us.

"Hey, Goyle." Pansy smiles at him briefly before turning back to her sketchbook. Snape strolls into the classroom looking chipper as ever. He glares when he sees me before turning to address the class.

"Today's lesson will be rather... self guided," he drawls, looking slowly around the room.

"I wonder if it takes him five years to order a cup of coffee," Pansy whispers sneakily. I have to look at Snape's grim expression to stop myself from smiling.

"Turn to page 257 in your textbook and study everything from there until page 325. I don't want to hear any discussion." Snape immediately strolls boredly to the edge of the room and begins inspecting a strange looking vial. I wonder if he hates this class as much as I do.

"Is he seriously refusing to teach this class right now?" Pansy whispers, rolling her eyes.

"I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner," Goyle whispers back, smirking. "He spends every bloody day looking like he'd rather burn down the place than see any of us again."

I open the book to page 257 before signing. I already studied all of this. I seriously picked the worst day to read ahead. My eyes flick instinctively over to Hermoine. She yawns boredly before flicking open the book and quickly writing notes. Suspiciously quickly writing notes. I bet this is her third go through. She only writes that fast when she already knows all of the information but it is obsessively going through again just in case or to try to impress the professor. Snape glares out from the corner or strolls along throughout the room, occasionally stopping to shush particularly loud whispers. I've made it through 20 pages when my attention drags involuntarily over to the ever annoying voice of Ron Weasley.

"This is mad. At this rate we'll be the only ones in our year without dates." A sly smile flickers across my lips. Snape walks past, smacking Weasley's head on the way by. Unsurprisingly, the stupid bastard actually keeps talking.

"Well, us and Neville!" Harry whispers something in response, a mischievous smirk playing across his lips, but I can't hear him. He's a lot better at being subtle than Weasley is. Hermoine's shrill voice chimes in.

"It might interest you to know that Neville's already got someone."

"Now I'm really depressed." Weasley stares dejectedly back down at his textbook. Thank goodness. Maybe he'll finally stop talking for a goddamn minute. I turn back to my book and start reading. I get less than a minute of piece before Weasley's stupid voice drawls on again.

"Well Hermione, you're a girl." Oh God.

"Oh well spotted." Snape smacks them both over the head this time.

"Come on. It's one thing for a bloke to show up alone. For a girl it's just sad." Pansy widens her eyes at me in an oh my God do you hear this right now expression and for once I think there might actually be someone in the world more daft than Crabbe.

"I won't be going alone because believe it or not someone's asked me. And I said yes." Hermoine storms angrily from the room. Pansy widens her eyes while circling her index finger around her temple.