PRECEDENT : Draco Malfoy II

15

It might be ridiculous of me, but I start to forget about the things that I'm upset about. Holding a grudge is no easier than holding your arm above your head. A simple task at first, sure, but you get to be twenty minutes into the endeavour and your arm is throbbing. I know. My brothers played a mean joke on me when I was eight, and my Gran made me hold my hand above my head so long as I was mad. My arm ached. My magic was so powerful that I was lifted out of my car seat as my hand levitated my whole body.

The magic ruined her point. Now though, her point is evident. I can only go so long with sulking. After a week, I agree to meet Terry. I don't ask him to apologize, don't even expect it, and he doesn't deliver. We snog in our regular spot as if things are fine and normal. Obviously, they aren't quite proper.

Mandy and Anthony spend time together. For what it's worth, I do think that she seems interested in Anthony. At the very least, she is good at pretending to be interested. Terry's eyes don't wander over to her, and I have to listen to her complain about it on the way to different classes.

I'm growing frustrated with the Sagum. Unlike the time mechanism of the omnioculars, the Sagum doesn't seem to backfire so much. At least with the omnioculars, I could tell the mistakes in my efforts. There was something to correct. When the runes I put on the Sagum are off, or the spell isn't calibrated quite properly, it doesn't do anything except stop working altogether. I might have a better idea if the Sagum started spinning wildly, or pointing at me exclusively.

No one seems to know what I'm working on. At least, Terry doesn't know what it is, and he does so much reading. I cannot hold a grudge against the Sagum any more than I can hold a grudge against him. Even Mandy has managed to work her way out of my anger for the moment. She doesn't know what the Sagum is when I tinker on it in our dorm, or when she catches me outside with it. Now that the end of June is approaching, the grudges are mostly gone.

The only one I manage to hold onto is my grudge against Malfoy.

Terry asks me to meet him after Divination. I agree. Divination crosses over just enough with Arithmancy that I favoured Arithmancy in my schedule. Theoretically, I could make it. After last year, they have tried to extend class hours so that there wouldn't be as much cross-over in the timetable. If every staircase cooperated, you could make it from Arithmancy to Divination only ten minutes late. The stairs don't cooperate, so I set out to get to the room with ten minutes extra.

I make it after mostly everyone has filed out of the room. Mandy is chatting with Terry and Michael in the corner. Anthony is in Arithmancy with me, so I'm not surprised he's not with Terry and Michael. Parvati and Lavendar are still here, chatting to Professor Trelawney.

Michael sees me first. He offers a small smile, waving me into the room.

Terry peers at me too, "hey."

Mandy is the last to turn, "hey? What are you doing here?"

"I wanted my palms read," I joke.

She laughs. Mandy grabs me and drags me over to the group, pretending to read my palm all the way over, "you've got fire hands, you know. Long palm, but stubby little fingers."

I recoil from her. Michael looks at me, nodding his hand slightly, "she's joking."

"It's quite funny," I agree.

"Let me," he offers his hand out. I swallow, sticking my hand forward. He rubs my hand between his fingers. His skin is soft, though the tips of his fingers are rough, callused. I wonder if he plays the muggle guitar. "You have piano hands, actually. Not as long as mine though. I'd say you have air hands."

"Intellectually curious," Terry clarifies, "prone to anxiety when you aren't challenged enough."

Michael begins to press down into my palm, squeezing firmly, "your Mount of Mercury is overdeveloped. Smart and resourceful, more talk than acting."