Bloodlines || A Draco Malfoy Romance Fanfiction

Detention - 91

Aphry

Several weeks passed, and I slowly started to feel more like myself. After the night of the Yule Ball, I felt I had frozen and was slowly thawing out as time passed. I knew I might not ever feel like the person I was before that night, similar to how you can never get the creases out of a piece of paper once folded.

Poor Draco tried to help. Of course, he didn't know I regularly felt a mild tingle in my necklace if we weren't together. However, he had taken a step back from his oppressive ways, and I was able to converse with whomever I wanted freely. And when I was spending time with him he'd constantly fuss over me, with this pitiful look that was both annoying and endearing at the same time.

January had turned into February, and the snow had covered the castle grounds in a beautiful white blanket. One day, at the faintest uttering that I wished to take a walk outside during our lunch break, Draco insisted we do so. Daphne, Crabbe and Goyle accompanied us.

I listened quietly as Draco and Daphne traded clever insults like siblings. For two single children, they bickered extraordinarily well.

"You already called me a ferret three times this week, Daphne Greengrass," Draco said. "You're going to have to get some new material."

Daphne scoffed, "As long as Aphry finds it amusing, I'm not going to." She looked at me, the corner of my mouth lifted slightly and encouraging her to prod further.

"Face it, Draco," I said with a hint of a sly smile as I looked straight ahead. "At this point, you're as much a ferret as you are a Malfoy."

Draco and Daphne looked at each other shocked at first, but that quickly transitioned into wide grins. I'd been going in and out with my more introspective moods, so recently it had come as more of a surprise when I'd let out a cheeky quip.

"How much time do we have until lunch is over?" I asked. It had felt suspiciously long, but time was funny in that sometimes you think that a lot had passed when it wasn't much at all.

Draco pulled back the sleeve of his cloak to look at his watch and cursed under his breath. "We're going to be late for potions!"

At that, we all hoisted our book bags higher on our shoulders and made a mad dash. From the grounds to the entrance hall and finally slowing down to a walk once we'd entered the dungeons and the classroom door was in sight.

Taking another look at his watch, Draco let out a relieved huff. "Only a few minutes. Snape won't do anything." The professor was lenient with his Slytherin students, and he had ignored worse violations.

Opening the door to the classroom, we all walked in single file and headed to our seats.

"Detention. All five of you," Snape said dryly, not even looking around from the chalkboard he was writing on.

We froze in place, surprised by the statement, and stared at the teacher. "What?" I said without thinking.

"A week then for you, Miss Cytheria."

"What?" I reiterated with the same surprise. This was my godfather, who didn't punish Slytherins. Had the world turned upside down?

He turned around slowly, his cold black eyes delving into mine as he sneered. "Make it a month."

"Professor," Draco said, flashing his brown-nosed smile. "Forgive Aphrodite, it's my f--"

"I have no use for your excuses, Mr Malfoy. Now sit, so I can continue my lecture."

We moved again to our seats, still surprised. Several of the students, mostly Slytherins, held the same shocked look we did. Some, mainly Gryffindors, sported amused expressions. I swear Harry and Ron sniggered since Draco was one of the ones disciplined.

Hermione found it odd when I talked to her the next day. Harry and Ron pointed out that they were given less serious punishments for far worse. And Fred and George mentioned a Slytherin in their year, Miles Bletchley, was a full half hour late to their class earlier that same day without a single word from the potions master.

Either way, the punishment had been dealt, set to start one hours before dinner started that evening.

The five of us went together to his classroom, not even daring to be late this time. When we got there, Snape was waiting. "Girls to the left of the classrooms, boys to the right. Spread out. In different rows. I'll not be having you conversate the entire time."

Good god, I thought, why is he so belligerent right now?

We found seats, well distanced from each other lest we meet his ire once more. I sat in the second row, closest to him.

Snape's eyes scanned the classroom at the five of us, expectantly looking at him to find out our punishment.

Wandlessly, the stack of books sitting on his front table levitated, then zoomed toward us. "I've bookmarked a page on potions that you each need improvement on. Read it, and write a synopsis. I expect half a roll of parchment."

He sat at his desk and started grading papers. 

I grabbed the thin black ribbon that marked the spot in my room. My eyes were immediately drawn to the title of the section. 

Occlumency

Did Severus Snape give the five of us detention, just to give me a lesson on Occlumency?

I seethed quietly the entire hour as I read my passage and wrote my essay. Instead of writing "Occlumency is the skill of closing one's mind against Legilimency," I wanted to write, "If you wanted to teach me about occlumency, godfather dearest, you could have just done so instead of trapped all my friends in here for an hour. Dunderhead."

But the hour passed, and we turned in our essays.

"Miss Cytheria. Please stay so that we can arrange your remaining detentions."

I stayed in my seat, too angry to even turn and wave goodbye as the others left.

"You'll be learning the skill of occlumency with me every weeknight after dinner until you've mastered it," he said as he made his way slowly over to me.

Feeling defiant, I huffed. "I have no need to learn Occlumency."

His glare bore into me. "I can't tell which sentiment I preferred more, Aphrodite," he said with icy sarcasm. "'Godfather dearest' or 'dunderhead.'"

It was my turn to glare at him, and we stared each other down.

He broke eye contact first, levitating the books we used back to his table at the front of the class. "It doesn't matter though. I've discussed this with your father, and he agrees with me. You've already been subject to an imperius curse, which you can learn to fully resist through Occlumency. Your mind is easily penetrable, which is detrimental considering you also have plenty of aspects of your life that need to remain discreet. And it can all be revealed simply by someone prodding into your mind."

I stood, ready to go. "Well, then I guess that's settled then?" I said, my hands on my hips.

"It is," he said, as he picked up one of our essays and began reading it. "Your dismissed."

Draco

I was rather surprised when my passage to write on was not about a potion. However, as I read, I got a sickly feeling that Professor Snape was telling me something much in the way he tried to tell us Lupin was a werewolf last year.

Honestly, I had been glad Snape kept Aphry back. I needed a minute to think.

Dear god, it all made sense now. This uncontrollable need to make sure Aphry was always alright. Always safe.

The sick feeling every time that Russian prat touched her. It wasn't jealousy.

I wasn't in love with her. I was her defensor.