All the lies // D.M.

11 - Presentation day

Cathleen Avery

It was presentation day in DADA today and the task itself was straightforward: we had to choose between an object or a spell — maybe even invent one. But inventing spells is notoriously difficult, and only a handful of people can manage it. I wasn't one of them, so, I had to get creative yet creativity wasn't my strong suit. Cunning, on the other hand? That, I could do.

I spent hours in the library, combing through dusty old books in the restricted section, hoping to stumble across some forgotten spell I could present but nothing felt right, and using one of the dark detectors seemed too obvious, too easy. I needed something different, something that would make me stand out and not just something that everyone would use.

My eyes kept drifting to the Ravenclaws during study sessions, hoping their out-of-the-box thinking might spark an idea. They usually had the most unconventional approaches to things but I couldn't risk copying one of their newly invented spells, especially without knowing how this would all play out in the end. One winner per house meant they weren't my direct competition, but still, I didn't want to take any chances and copy them.

Then, during one of my many sleepless nights, the idea finally came to me.

Lupin made sure no one could copy each other by having us come in separately for the task and he did it alphabetically – predictable, but it worked in my favour, being an Avery meant I'd be done quickly, which suited me just fine.

I decided to present a disillusionment charm, not just for hiding, but for listening to conversations undetected. It was simple, practical, and a little unconventional and he seemed to appreciate the twist.

"Maybe you got sorted into the wrong house," he said with a small smile before sending me out the door.

I won this round, and the grin on my face didn't fade until I drifted off to sleep that night. And I knew this time I would fall asleep to sweet dreams of Draco Malfoy who almost exploded because he was second — again. There's no better feeling in the world than winning, especially if winning meant beating Malfoy at something, nothing else even came close to that.

My smile stayed as Friday rolled around because it meant potions, and potions meant two hours with my nemesis, Draco Malfoy, who, for exactly those two hours, would be nice to me. It had become a strange routine, one I'd never admit to looking forward to, but I did because for those fleeting moments, it felt like living in a different universe—one where everything was good, where Malfoy wasn't my tormentor but someone who made me feel... something else entirely.

Today, though, he barely spoke to me and so we worked in silence until Blaise leaned over right before the bell rang.

"Ravenclaw is throwing a party tonight," he whispered.

"Invites only," Lavender added, her voice dripping with gossip.

"And you're invited?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at Blaise.

"Of course I am," he smirked, full of confidence. "I'm popular. The real question is, why aren't you invited?"

"Who says I'm not?" I shot back, refusing to let them see my irritation.

"Natalie," Draco chimed in, casually. Oh, of course now he is talking again.

"Are you always talking about me with your hook-up of the week?" I asked him, raising a brow but before he could respond, Blaise jumped in.

"You should come," he said, his tone teasing but a bit too sincere for my comfort.

"Invites only," Lavender repeated, as if I didn't hear her the first time.