Inferno | Draco Malfoy

081 | Admirers & Affection

For me, February serves as a quintessential example of the contrasting characteristics that define a good and bad month, for its holidays and customs have both loveliness and complications.

A week has passed since the celebration of the Lunar New Year. During this time, I was pleasantly surprised to receive fast-mail letters and monetary gifts from my grandparents and relatives, which was very sweet. Among these gifts, my cousin Selene sent me an ox stuffed animal dressed in the traditional colour of red, in honour of the Year of the Ox, 1997. This gesture was particularly unexpected when throughout the past year Selene had kept telling me she was going to try and find the most hideous and botched stuffed ox known to man, only to present me with the most cutest one.

Now, that is what makes February a good month. But in the same month of February, there is also the one holiday I can not stand, and in general, find unnecessary and insufferable.

People will always say that this holiday is dedicated to celebrating love and affection in all forms, to show appreciation towards one's loved ones. What they say is complete, utter rubbish. It is just a holiday to excuse the lack of decorum among teenagers, as they snog left right and centre, everywhere and anywhere. It also excuses the exchanging of the cringiest and most cliché expressions and gifts. Not to mention, it is the holiday when prohibited love potions and charms are misused to a significant extent, or in other words, abused. And when I say abused, I mean it.

What holiday am I talking about? Valentine's Day of course!

Listen, I don't hate the holiday. The holiday hates me. Ever since I stepped foot into boarding school, the holiday has been my enemy, making every effort to guarantee that I will be in misery. I am by no means trying to boast as, truthfully, it is not an accomplishment, but on this one day, I find myself loaded, inundated and bombarded with gifts. I am chased everywhere I go, pursued by hasty students, leaving me with not a single moment to relax and enjoy the company of my friends, let alone have a moment of peace to myself.

It is a busy day; I dread the inevitable onslaught of attention and affection that comes with it, for I must always mentally prepare myself to remain ladylike and refrain from fly kicking any overly persistent students to the moon. Seriously, some of them seem oblivious to my discomfort, and just can't get the hint.

Surprisingly, the sole individuals in my dormitory who are genuinely looking forward to today are the two girls who are in relationships, as they will have the opportunity to enjoy the evening with their lovers in secluded spots. Tracey doesn't care about the holiday, but that does not make her indifferent as she's excited about the mysterious Ravenclaw she will be meeting later this evening. Pansy, on the other hand, is the most unbothered, as she simply views today as an ordinary day, albeit with some additional pink and red decorations.

Currently, I find myself in solitude within the dormitory as Daphne left extra early to see her boyfriend, and besides, I suggested that the girls proceed without me to prevent any further commotion. Yet, I am not completely alone, as Margarine grooms himself on top of Milly's bed, wearing his knitted jumper from Goyle.

I adjust my over-the-knee socks, feeling a tinge of disappointment that I can't wear my pink socks with red hearts around school, as I smile at the cat. "How do I look, Margarine?"

Margarine purrs, expressing his compliments, and I thank him as I spritz some perfume on, before finally slipping on my shoes to leave, feeling a sense of encouragement, as Margarine has given me the immense strength to face the day with his compliment.

Thank goodness I advised the girls to depart without me. It was a hassle to navigate through the common room, and the fact that students were scattered everywhere, swallowing each other's faces did not help my cause either, but I still successfully managed to reach the door and exit the dungeons. The real challenge follows when I step into the entrance hall, where students, whom I cannot seem to distinguish from birds, come flocking towards me.