Malfoy

Tea Leaves

When we entered the Great Hall for breakfast the next day, we saw my brother, who seemed to be using a funny story to entertain a large group of Slytherins.

As we passed the group Draco did an over-exaggerated display of swooning and fainting, causing the Slytherins to laugh loudly.

"Ignore him," Hermione told Harry. "Just ignore him, it's not worth it..."

"Hey, Potter!" Pansy Parkinson shrieked, watching us pass. I glared at her. "Potter! The dementors are coming, Potter! Wooooo!"

"That is a terrible impression of the dementors, they're nothing like that," I rolled my eyes.

We sat down at Gryffindor's table, beside us were the twins.

"New third-year course schedules," George said passing them over to us. "What's up with you Harry?"

"Draco," Ron answered as he sat down, glaring at the Slytherin table.

George looked up just in time to see Draco pretend to faint again.

"That little git," he shook his head. "He wasn't so cocky last night when the dementors were down at our end of the train. Came running into our compartment, didn't he Fred?"

"Nearly wet himself," Fred answered looking up.

"I wasn't too happy myself," George added. "They're horrible things those dementors..."

"Sort of freezes your insides, don't they?" Fred nodded.

"You didn't pass out, though, did you?" Harry muttered in a low voice.

I looked up from my toast, Harry was shooting a dark glare at his own breakfast.

"Forget it, Harry," George told him. "Dad had to go out to Azkaban one time, remember, Fred? And he said it was the worst place he'd ever been, he came back all weak and shaking...They suck the happiness out of a place, dementors. Most prisoners go mad in there."

I looked over at Ravenclaw's table, I could see Luna's platinum blonde hair shining under the lights.

"Anyway, we'll see how happy Malfoy looks after our first Quidditch match," Fred smiled. "Gryffindor versus Slytherin, first game of the season, remember?"

"Speaking of the train ride here," Ron looked up from his food for a minute. "Evelyn, who did you say you'd been sitting with again?"

I froze as the group's attention turned to me, tearing my gaze away from Luna.

"Oh, um just a friend," I looked down at my food, not wanting my eyes to give me away.

"Which friend?" Hermione asked.

"Doesn't matter," I answered quickly, "How is your new schedule looking, Hermione?"

I noticed a few of them raising an eyebrow at my sudden change in topic, but nobody said anything.

"Good, we're starting some new subjects today," Hermione answered happily.

"Hermione," Ron frowned as he looked at her schedule, "they've messed up your schedule. Look-they've got you down for about ten subjects a day. There isn't enough time."

"I'll manage. I've fixed it all with Professor McGonagall."

"But look," Ron pointed, "see this morning? Nine o'clock, Divination. And underneath, nine o'clock, Muggle Studies. And look underneath that, Arithmancy, nine o'clock. I mean, I know you're good, Hermione, but no one's that good. How're you supposed to be in three classes at once?"