Please Be There If I Remember

Chapter Forty-Five: Studying

Draco felt like his head was about to explode.

His brain just wouldn't shut up, and thoughts crowded and fought for their turn in his mind. He couldn't help his thoughts from jumping from this to that, to Umbridge, to Harry, to the fact that he won the quidditch game for the Slytherin team, back to Umbridge, and then on top of all of that, OWLs were coming up, and he spent most nights studying and doing homework.

He hadn't met with Harry in their classroom for a while, not since they had sat side by side in those horrid chairs and Draco had laid his head on Harry's lap and asked if this meant if they were together now, and Harry had said yes as if it wasn't obvious already. Draco had smiled, his heart fluttering dangerously in his chest like a hummingbird, and that was the end of that.

Now, it had been a week since that day, and the quidditch season was coming to an end already—Gryffindor and Hufflepuff had their last game next Saturday—and exams had snuck up behind Draco and pounced on him until it felt like he was drowning.

He hadn't lied to Umbridge when he said Ancient Runes was his most difficult subject, and Draco had talked to Haisley again for the first time in a while to ask for her help—no matter how embarrassing it had been.

The girl had smiled, and Draco couldn't forget how strong of a friendship the two had had over the Christmas break all those months ago. They hadn't properly connected again, except for the time when she had sat at the Slytherin table when the students were actively revolting against Umbridge, and even then it had been subdued because they were at the Slytherin table. Draco realised that he had started to miss the fiery Hufflepuff.

Sighing, he reread over the thing he was studying, for his thoughts had managed to drift awry again as he had zoned out while reading.

The library was turning orange and yellow, casting a hazy glow over his table. There was a girl in Gryffindor robes with orange hair to match the colour of the sunset flitting through the library windows. She was leaning over a piece of parchment and had half-heartedly glowered at Draco when she sat down on the farthest side of the table since every other spot was already filled to the brim with studying students.

Draco hadn't paid her much mind since he was used to people constantly glaring at him—although it had, surprisingly, lessened over time once he stopped being...Malfoy-ish.

Merlin, Draco. Focus, he berated himself as he once more read over the same line. Draco fought the urge to groan and smash his head into the table.

"Um, excuse me?" He asked tentatively to the girl on the far side of the table. When she looked up, eyebrows drawn in on themselves, he noticed that she looked very similar to Ron. He guessed she was in fourth year because she appeared old enough, but he had never seen her in any of his classes. "Do you know where I can find any books on Herbology and plant uses?"

He hadn't had much chance to scour and learn everything about the library with everything that had been going on, and he wasn't about to go ask Madam Pince to avoid her sure rejection in answering him. Even when he was in the library with Luna, they had been moving too fast past the books for Draco to really get a good feel of where everything was and how the library was set up. He wondered if there were even labels in this thing.

The girl stared at him.

Blinked. Once, twice.

Draco was starting to get used to this confounded reaction at this point to get much amusement out of it, but it still made him laugh a little bit on the inside at the girl's wide eyes.

"Did the Draco Malfoy just ask me nicely where he could find books about Herbology?"

Draco nodded, amused. "Yes, the Draco Malfoy did. Can you help?"