Antithesis

Chapter 31: Frozen

The Dementors were swirling, conspiring in thick shrouded masses outside the windows.

Adrian could see them dance in his peripheral vision, startling students who sat nearest the windows with sudden bouts of frost and dread. An impressive fire had been charmed to blaze cheerily in all classrooms, dancing the shapes of phoenixes and unicorns running in and out of the smoke.

Aurors were more present, less to protect the populace and more to figure out why the Dementors had suddenly congregated at the school instead of the borders along the property. They still worked at Azkaban, at least a portion did, securing the prisoners and feeding on their faint tastes of hope and longing.

Perhaps that was why they were near Hogwarts, just beyond the wards of the castle. The hopes and aspirations of children would be as delightful as a suckling pig to a butcher.

"They're creepy," Draco muttered under his breath, sitting next to Adrian in Potions although not actually sharing his cauldron. Instead Adrian worked with Goyle, trying to save the potion as much as possible.

"I think they're beautiful," Adrian countered, slapping away Goyle's grubby fingers who were reaching for beetle eyes at the wrong time.

"Yeah but that's you," Draco argued, deftly slicing poppy roots while instructing Crabbe how to stir the concoction, "I wouldn't be surprised if you had a taxidermy pixie collection at your home."

Adrian shot him a wounded look, "A pixie collection? If you're asking about my dragon claw collection-"

"What, no skulls?" Draco drawled, "Missing the pickled two headed baby squid in a jar?"

Adrian chuckled under his breath, shaking his head in amusement as he added in the beetle eyes Goyle had been pawing at the proper time.

"I wouldn't object to a dragon skull," Adrian mused, "Especially if it had been in battle."

"You mean with scales?" Draco asked with one eyebrow raised, "An Opaleye would be interesting."

Adrian hummed, pointing out how to stir the cauldron to Goyle as he started peeling hopping seed pods, "A live dragon would be even better."

"If they weren't illegal." Draco added with a frown, "I have a feeling you wouldn't follow the law anyways."

"What, me?" Adrian gaped in mock surprise, "Never."

They continued chatting, Draco offering animals that gradually grew more and more ridiculous. Adrian then named the proper living conditions or how he would contain it, or mount it on his wall. Potions class was let out, thankfully with no unfortunate accidents from Longbottom or Potter (Who managed to lose forty house points). They rose from the steps, heading out across the covered bridge towards Hagrid's hut where Care for Magical Creatures took place.

Dementors swooped in the air around them, kept out by a near invisible shimmering sheen like glossy fish scales.

Draco shivered, "I don't see how you find such monsters, beautiful."

Adrian frowned, "Look at them. They look so effortless, so powerful in the air." Adrian explained, eyes glazing as they danced in the air swooping down and up again, "They look like wind itself."