Sunshine

Chapter VIII-Full Moon

Dawn finished her eyeliner and turned on her bed to put her heels on. Her dress was a short and frilly baby blue dress, a white apron, black heels, and blue and white striped stockings. She left her long curly hair down, but tied a black bow on the top of her head. Taking one last look in the mirror Dawn looked herself over and was happy with her costume.
"And what are you supposed to be?" Pansy snickered with Millicent and Astoria.
"Something above your reading comprehension." Dawn snapped back before leaving the dorm. She began to make her way down the stairs, careful not to trip over her new high heels. She heard the noice of the already partying Slytherin students. It was only a third years and up party and Dawn was hoping somebody had brought some fire whisky.
When she got to the bottom of the stairs she found Malfoy, dressed in a suit. "Who are you suppose to be?" Dawn asked looking him over. He was dressed in a nice tux with a black robe to match.
"I'm a vampire." He said smiling to show off his fangs. Dawn couldn't help but to admit to herself that he did look quite dashing.
"Let me do something to help." She smiled and gestured for Malfoy to look down at her. Dawn took her wand and with a quiet whisper Malfoy's once stunningly silver eyes had morphed into the color red. Malfoy looked at the girl puzzled at what she had just done, "Go look in the mirror." She said giggling.
Malfoy turned around and quickly finding the common room's mirror he gasped as he realized what she'd done. "You'll be able to fix this latter right?" Malfoy asked, voice cracking.
"Don't piss me off and you've got yourself a deal." Dawn laughed.
"Care for a drink?" Malfoy asked regaining his composure and resuming his elegance.
"I've been dying for one all day." Dawn said with a charming smile.
Malfoy extended his bent elbow and she took it without hesitation. She began to realize people were starting to stare. She caught a glimpse of a pissed off Pansy and quickly looked away. "Here you are, a fire whisky on the rocks." Malfoy handed her a glass and took one for himself. They clinked their glasses together before downing their drinks. Or more like Malfoy took a sip and Dawn chugged hers.
"Sorry, just nervous." She shrugged.
"What are you supposed to be?" Malfoy asked trying to relive the tension between them.
"Alice from Alice in Wonderland. It was my favorite story book as a kid." She sheepishly said.
"I've never heard of it. I'll have to read it sometime." He said with a genuine smile. This moment just felt so wrong to Dawn. Here she was making friends with her brother's bully. Feeling flustered even. His now crimson eyes stared at her hungry and his lips held the ghost of a smile. "Are you alright? You've gone pale." Malfoy asked concerned.
"I just feel guilty..." Dawn trailed off poring herself another drink and downing it just as quickly as the first.
"Why would you feel guilty?" Malfoy asked confused.'
"The relationship you have with my brothers and sister and their friends isn't great. Your relationship with people in Hogwarts isn't particularly great either. Yet, here we are chatting like it's the most normal thing in world." She finished almost breathless.
Malfoy downed the rest of his drink before pouring g another and doing the same once more, "I see..." He started, "I suppose it was silly to believe we could he friends. We are from two separate worlds after all." He sighed before setting his glass on the table to poor another drink.
"I'm sorry Malfoy, I'd need to see change in you before I can let myself be associated with you."
"Really?" He asked sharply, "Just forget it Aurora! You're a disgusting blood traitor anyway!" He snarled before storming off.
Dawn didn't know what to do with herself. She felt like she couldn't even breathe and a lump formed in her throat, unable to be forced down by the pit of guilt that had formed in her stomach and killed her butterflies.
Suddenly Professor Snape entered the common room and began to yell.

☀️

    Slytherin, who all looked extremely confused, were ushered into the Great Hall, "The teachers and I need to conduct a thorough search of the castle," Professor Dumbledore told them as Professors McGonagall and Flitwick closed all doors into the hall. "I'm afraid that, for your own safety,
you will have to spend the night here. I want the prefects to stand
guard over the entrances to the hall and I am leaving the Head Boy and
Girl in charge. Any disturbance should be reported to me immediately," he added to Percy, who was looking immensely proud and important. "Send word with one of the ghosts."
    Professor Dumbledore paused, about to leave the hall, and said, "Oh, yes, you'll be needing..."One casual wave of his wand and the long tables flew to the edges of the hall and stood themselves against the walls; another wave, and the floor was covered with hundreds of squashy purple sleeping bags. "Sleep well," said Professor Dumbledore, closing the door behind him.
    The hall immediately began to buzz excitedly; the Gryffindors were telling the rest of the school what had just happened.
"Everyone into their sleeping bags!" shouted Percy. "Come on, now, no more talking! Lights out in ten minutes!"
    Dawn grabbed a sleeping bag and dragged it into a corner and laid down. Her mind was still racing with all of the events of the night, but before she could wrap her mind around any of it the lights went out and she was looking at the night sky. The stars twinkled and could floated overhead.

☀️

    The next day Dawn was twirling her quill in Defense Against the Dark Arts as she waited for the lesson to begin, "Sorry I'm late, Professor Lupin. I --" But it wasn't Professor Lupin who looked up at him from the teacher's desk; it was Snape.
"This lesson began ten minutes ago, Potter, so I think we'll make it ten points from Gryffindor. Sit down."But Harry didn't move.
"Where's Professor Lupin?" he said.
"He says he is feeling too ill to teach today," said Snape with a twisted smile. "I believe I told you to sit down?" But Harry stayed where he was.
"What's wrong with him?" Snape's black eyes glittered.
"Nothing life-threatening," he said, looking as though he wished it were. "Five more points from Gryffindor, and if I have to ask you to sit down again, it will be fifty." Harry walked slowly to his seat and sat down. Snape looked around at the class.
"As I was saying before Potter interrupted, Professor Lupin has not left any record of the topics you have covered so far --"
"Please, sir, we've done boggarts, Red Caps, kappas, and grindylows," said Hermione quickly, "and we're just about to start --"
"Be quiet," said Snape coldly. "I did not ask for information. I was merely commenting on Professor Lupin's lack of organization."
"He's the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever had," said Dean Thomas boldly, and there was a murmur of agreement from the rest of the class. Snape looked more menacing than ever.
"You are easily satisfied. Lupin is hardly overtaxing you -- I ,Would expect first years to be able to deal with Red Caps and grindylows. Today we shall discuss --" Harry watched him flick through the textbook, to the very back chapter, which he must know they hadn't covered.
"Werewolves," said Snape.
"But, sir," said Hermione, seemingly unable to restrain herself, "we're not supposed to do werewolves yet, we're due to start hinkypunks --"
"Miss Granger," said Snape in a voice of deadly calm, "I was under the impression that I am teaching this lesson, not you. And I am telling you all to turn to page 394." He glanced around again. 'All of you! Now!"
With many bitter sidelong looks and some sullen muttering, the class opened their books. "Which of you can tell me how we distinguish between the werewolf and the true wolf?" said Snape.
Everyone sat in motionless silence; everyone except Hermione, whose hand, as it so often did, had shot straight into the air. "Anyone?" Snape said, ignoring Hermione. His twisted smile was back. "Are you telling me that Professor Lupin hasn't even taught you the basic distinction between --"
"We told you," said Parvati suddenly, "we haven't got as far as werewolves yet, we're still on --"
"Silence!" snarled Snape. "Well, well, well, I never thought I'd meet a third-year class who wouldn't even recognize a werewolf when they saw one. I shall make a point of informing Professor Dumbledore how very behind you all are...."
"Please, sir," said Hermione, whose hand was still in the air, "the werewolf differs from the true wolf in several small ways. The snout of the werewolf --"
"That is the second time you have spoken out of turn, Miss Granger," said Snape coolly. "Five more points from Gryffindor for being an insufferable know-it-all."
Hermione went very red, put down her hand, and stared at the floor with her eyes full of tears. It was a mark of how much the class loathed
Snape that they were all glaring at him, because every one of them had called Hermione a know-it-all at least once, and Ron, who told Hermione she was a know-it-all at least twice a week, said loudly, "You asked us
a question and she knows the answer! Why ask if you don't want to be told?"
The class knew instantly he'd gone too far. Snape advanced on Ron slowly, and the room held its breath.
"Detention, Weasley," Snape said silkily, his face very close to Ron's. "And if I ever hear you criticize the way I teach a class again, you will be very sorry indeed."
No one made a sound throughout the rest of the lesson. They sat and made notes on werewolves from the textbook, while Snape prowled up and down the rows of desks, examining the work they had been doing with Professor Lupin.
"Very poorly explained... That is incorrect, the kappa is more commonly found in Mongolia.... Professor Lupin gave this eight out of ten? I wouldn't have given it three...."
When the bell rang at last, Snape held them back.
"You will each write an essay, to be handed in to me, on the ways you recognize and kill werewolves. I want two rolls of parchment on, the subject, and I want them by Monday morning. It is time somebody took this class in hand. Weasley, stay behind, we need to arrange your detention."
Dawn left the room with the rest of the class, who waited until they were well out of earshot, then burst into a furious tirade about Snape.