Bloodlines || A Draco Malfoy Romance Fanfiction

Constant Vigilance - 70

Aphry

A few weeks passed, and we settled into a routine. Homework, however, was brutal. The professors were already trying to prepare us for O.W.L.s even though they weren't until the end of the next year.

When we got to Defense Against the Dark Arts one gloomy afternoon in late October, Professor Moody announced that we would practice resisting the Imperius curse. I was not pleased but did not argue. Hermione attempted to protest, but Moody only told her that if she didn't like it, she could leave.

One by one, the curse was placed on each of us. Crabbe was forced to act like a gorilla, beating his chest wildly. Pansy sang a Soprano solo from an opera she'd never heard. Neville, poor thing, did several somersaults around the room.

"Malfoy," Moody said, calling him up. My necklace immediately tingled. 

I looked at Draco as he sauntered up to professor moody, taking a deep breath to suppress my nerves.

Moody looked especially menacing as he pointed his wand at Draco. "Imperio." My necklace tingled more as the curse hit Draco.

Draco bent his arms and pulled his elbow back. He then bobbed his head back and forth and clucked like a chicken. A few students laughed, but I couldn't manage to, seeing as my necklace still tingled.

The curse was lifted soon enough, though Draco was not able to resist it. My necklace stopped tingling, and he walked over to me fine but a tad embarrassed.

"Cytheria," my name was called by the professor.

Taking a deep breath, I walked to the middle of the classroom, where the other students had stood before me. And looked at Professor Moody as he pointed his wand at me.

"Imperio."

At first, I felt okay. I felt this sense of relaxation, as if I was floating, which was more comforting than anything.

Go feed the spider. I heard Professor Moody's voice in my brain.

I walked over to his collection of bugs, but as I did that, I felt something shift in my mind. The floaty feeling left me, and I was cognizant of everything I was doing against my will. Horrified, I grabbed a pair of mealworms, unable to stop my actions, and opened the container holding the spider.

The fear in me did not even register on my face as I looked the spider in its eyes. I calmly put the worms in the spider enclosure, closed back the lid, then return to the spot I started at with a soft smile.

I felt the curse lift off of me and worked to compose myself, not sure what had happened. All I knew was that I never wanted to experience that again.

"Such an odd feeling," Daphne said, speaking of being under the curse at dinner time, earning a chorus of agreements. "The floating feeling? The odd, relaxing happiness..."

"Right?" I said. "Then you realize what's happening to you, but you can't control your body?"

The Slytherins participating in the conversation silenced, staring at me.

I looked around at them. A bit awkwardly, I finished chewing my food and swallowed. "What?"

"I didn't experience that," Daphne said with an eyebrow raised.

"Neither did I, "Pansy added.

I looked bewildered, staring at my plate. "Then... what happened to me?"

Daphne leaned over, smiling wildly. "Maybe you were resisting the curse!"

Shaking my head, I quickly denied it. "No, there has to be another explanation."

"Sounds like you were, Aphry," Draco said with a small smile between his bites of dinner.

"You should tell Professor Moody," Daphny insisted. "Learn to resist it completely."

I huffed. "No. Did you see what he did to Harry? I am not going to subject myself to that curse ever again if I can handle it."

"What about 'constant vigilance'?" Draco teased, quoting the professor.

"To hell with constant vigilance!" I said. "I am not doing it!"