the nice malfoy; c. diggory [DISCONTINUED]

•|| Chapter 6 ||•

The next morning, Aline woke up at her normal time, AKA 5:00 am. Her dorm-mates; April, Hermione (the bushy-haired girl from yesterday,) a girl named Parvati, and another girl named Lavender.

They were all asleep, and Aline resolved to not wake them. Most people didn't appreciate being waken up during the early hours of morning that Aline frequented.

Carefully, as to not disturb her dorm mates, she crept down to the Gryffindor common room with a book in hand, wearing a oversized shirt and some pajama shorts, and was pleasantly surprised to see no one else there.

Breakfast was at 7:00, so she had two hours to herself. She perched herself on the couch and started reading her book, a novel called Pride and Prejudice that April had lent her.

She lost track of time, barely noticing the other Gryffindors streaming in from their respective dorms.

Eventually, Aline put the book away and went upstairs to her dorm to change.

Halfway up the stairs to their dorm, she collided with a bleary-eyed April. Her hair hung in flame-colored waves around her face and she had major dark circles.

When Aline got upstairs, she saw similar faces stumbling out of the beds in her dorm

She threw on her clothes and waited for April to get ready for breakfast and the first day of classes.

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The week passed quickly.

Aline had been getting closer with a certain April Rose Campbell. They shared a dorm and shared books.

Aline had learned that April and her brother Callum were half-bloods. Their parents, a witch and a muggle, were a bit older. They lived in a flat in London together.

From the stories Aline had heard, Callum was...interesting, to say the least.

The Campbell siblings had a fairly tense relationship—in other words, it was just as strained as a taut wire about to snap.

As Aline attended her various classes, she quickly noticed a pattern in the way her teachers treated her.

First came surprise. That was what Aline saw every time she walked in to a classroom in her Gryffindor robe and with her Gryffindor friend.

Then, there was a sort of wariness around her, like she'd report them to her father if they said anything to her.

The only teacher who hadn't had a reaction like that was Severus Snape. He'd pretended not to see Aline originally, but every time she brewed an excellent potion, she'd see his face.

His lip would curl in distaste, his eyes peering at her expectantly. Like he was waiting for her to do something that she didn't know how to do. Just waiting for her to mess up.

She wasn't even close to his least favorite, though. That honor would reside with Harry Potter, who Snape had expressed an obvious hatred of since the first day.

In close second was a boy named Neville, a sweet, nervous boy. Aline had no idea what Neville had done to deserve Snape's hatred.

For some reason, the greasy-haired professor also harbored a great dislike for April. His expression would twist into something unreadable whenever he looked at her.

Snape had observed the red-head and blonde's friendship carefully. Aline knew it would be reported to her father, but she couldn't find herself caring.

Speaking of Lucius, he hadn't sent a letter or anything else expressing his disappointment about her placement in Gryffindor house, so Aline assumed either Draco hadn't told him, or it was incoming.

Her birthday was rapidly approaching. In the most likely scenario, a letter would arrive in place of her birthday presents from her parents.

As the day she was brought into this world neared, Aline thought about Blaise. They hadn't spoken since she was sorted, the latter a Slytherin, as expected, and the former a disappointment to her family and a Gryffindor.

He'd smiled at her during their shared lessons, but his smile was a little strained.

She really hoped that her placement in Gryffindor wouldn't ruin their friendship, but things weren't looking that good.

The day before the Malfoy twins were born, Aline ran into him in one of the many corridors.

It was a Thursday, and she was heading back to her dorm after Astronomy, a class she had no patience for, was cancelled.

She'd spent the afternoon with April and Hermione, having a lovely picnic by the lake.

They'd braided each other's hair and talked for hours, playing Truth or Dare and a muggle game Hermione and April told her was called 'Never Have I Ever'.

When Aline saw Blaise in the corridor, she yelled out his name. The corridor was relatively empty, a few ghosts drifting in and out. Aline saw one of them squeal when it saw her and Blaise.

Ghosts at Hogwarts were weird.

Blaise whipped around, his features softening into a pained smile when he saw her. "Aline..."

She took his arm, placing her hand on it in a move that would appear old-fashioned to anyone but the ghosts around them. "So, you know how my birthday's tomorrow?" She said.

He smiled a genuine smile. "How could I forget? You keep pestering me about it..."

She laughed and continued, leading him through the hallways of Hogwarts as they spoke. "Well, April's throwing a little party, and even though she won't tell me about it, I was wondering if you wanted to come," Aline said.

The Slytherin looked away. "Blaise, why aren't you talking to me?" She asked.

He shrugged, looking back at her.

She halted their journey, digging her heels into the muddy grass of the courtyard, where they'd ended up.

"Blaise..." she said, looking up at him with a frown.

He sighed. "It's just weird."

Aline blinked. "What do you mean?" She said.

"Well, you and Draco aren't getting along, cuz of... you know, and I feel like I have to pick sides, and me and him aren't really mates but he'd be furious... and you- you're a Gryffindor! That's as good as being a blood traitor. And you're pretty close to being that too, what with hanging out with mudbloods and" he said all in a rush.

She put her hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged it off. "Blaise, you don't have to do what Draco thinks is right. And, they aren't mudbloods. They are my friends."

"Blaise, just try. Come to my birthday tomorrow, and be nice. You don't have to like it, but I want you to be there."

He offered an arm and a small smile. "Fine."

She grinned and took it, and they walked back to their separate dorms together, her hand in the crook of his elbow.

New goal! Every chapter should be 1k or longer. Also, I'm working on some stuff outside of this story, like oneshots about other characters (ships that I'll never tell you guys about *evil author laugh*) that I'll release after... a while??? But don't worry, it won't halt production of new chapters that much. And thoughts on the cast page and new cover, anyone?