how to be a pureblood 101 // j.s.p.

"head of house"

"How are you Miss Malfoy?" Bennetts said after she sat down in his office.

"Solid 4/10." Leo replied as she was mentally begging her Tylenol to start pumping through her body faster.

"2/5 if you simplify it." Bennetts replied.

Leo laughed slightly, that's about as funny as Bennetts could get, "Just tell me my punishment, sir."

"This is it." Bennetts replied.

"What?"

"I know you students hate talking to me. So that is your punishment. Now why were you drinking?"

"Why do any teenagers get drunk?" Leo replied.

"You're going to make this difficult aren't you?"

"This is about to be a punishment for you as much as it is for me. I'm hungover, sir. And I barely have a will to live."

"Hmm. Miss Malfoy, you were never good in my class. Then you started to get better. Then after Christmas bad again. And now even worse than years prior. Explain to me these changes the best you can."

"Jesus Mr. Bennetts," Leo said tilting her head back to look at the ceiling, "... I got better because of James."

"Cheating or tutoring?"

Leo brought her head back down to look at him, "Neither really. He just takes good notes and let me use them."

"His notes helped you that much?"

"Yeah I dunno... one of my biggest problems in your class is that I get really bored. And his notes aren't just a reiteration of everything you said. He writes his own commentary, draws pictures, gives helpful hints, and it just helps me."

"But then you started getting bad again after break."

"Yeah, I mean, I was still using his notes, but I dunno... I was having trouble paying attention. I had some, uh, familial issues over break that just distracted me a bit."

"What kind of issues?"

"Things I don't want to talk about." Leo replied definitively.

"Fine. But now you're frankly absolutely terrible. I'm worried you aren't going to pass."

"James and I broke up. So I lost my notes and was also sad. Am also sad. Currently."

"You were dating Mr. Potter?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm. Didn't catch that."

"So yeah I'm just your typical teenager whose grades are slipping because of a boy and who got drunk because of a boy and wants to cry all the time because of a boy and who wants to take it all back and be with him again but she knows she can't because it'll just end the same way over and over again because I can't find a single therapist that is actually competent at their fucking job!"

"... I feel as though this is out of my wheelhouse." Bennetts said and Leo felt a little proud that she made him uncomfortable.

"Yeah... so is our conversation done here?" Leo asked hopefully.

"Not yet." Bennetts said sitting up straighter, "What you did last night was very irresponsible. I'm sure you weren't the only student drinking last night. However, wandering the halls alone while intoxicated is not safe, especially for young female students. Your punishment was not because you broken the rules, but because you put yourself in danger."

"Next time I get drunk I won't wander around then." Leo agreed.

"Ha. Ha." Bennetts said as monotoned as ever, "You are underaged, your brain is not yet developed. Drinking at your age can have side effects that last the rest of your life. Furthermore, drinking when you are upset is a great way to start an addiction."