Distance // Draco Malfoy

Chapter 4

'What time is the post supposed to get here?' I ask Harry impatiently. He checks his watch. 'Should be here in less than five.' At this I groan loudly. 'You expecting something?'
'My mum and dad said they would send me a load of GCSE books, they still want me "educated in muggle subjects" as they put it. Dad is sending me the core stuff and mum the extra subjects.'
'What's GCSE?' Ron asks.
'OWLs for muggles.' I explain. When the post owls suddenly burst into the Great Hall, two owls carrying large packages fly toward me. They land by my cereal and drop off both parcels. I pay each one a knut and they leave. I hurriedly unwrap the books and smile happily as I flick through the glossy pages. 'Right, I'm going straight to the library.'
'Because there's nothing better to do on a weekend.' Ron says glumly.

'What've you got, Lyssa?' I hear Draco shout behind me. I grin and slow down to meet his pace. 'Parents sent me some books, I'm going to the library now.' Draco takes one book from the top of the pile and scans the contents. 'Algebra? Never heard of that type of magic.' I raise my eyebrows. 'Oh.' He's still adjusting to the whole muggle thing. 'Why did you call me Lyssa?'
'Just thought you are special enough to have a nickname.' Draco shrugs as we begin to climb the stairs. 'Aren't I?' I roll my eyes but grin nevertheless as we enter the library.

I settle myself down and Draco sits next to me as I put the books down on the table. Draco picks up a biology one and scans the contents, flicking through it. 'How can you find this interesting?' He asks.
'Who said I did? They just want me educated.'
'Evolution?' Draco frowns, scanning a page of the book. I know he's finding adjusting to the fact I'm muggle-born a bit difficult. 'Let's just say it's not as good as magic.' I wink.
'Too right.' He rolls his eyes as I open my physics book.
'Pansy is looking at you again.' I sing, and Draco huffs slightly.
'Whatever.'

Just as I begin to copy a formula for speed onto a piece of parchment, I hear panting and rushing feet. 'Alyssia!' Someone hisses, grabbing me from behind, making me start. 'C'mon!'
'What the -?'
'This is important.' Harry and Ron gather my books as Hermione pulls me up. I notice Harry, Ron and Hermione glaring at Draco, who glares back. 'I'll see you later, Draco.'
'Bye, Lyssa.' The four of us begin to run in the direction of the common room.
'Lyssa?!' Ron sounds disgusted.
'Shut up.' I snap.

When we arrive, we're panting and out of breath. 'What is it?' I ask.
'Third floor corridor . . . giant three-headed dog? Yeah, Hagrid told us what it's guarding. Sort of.'
'Beg your pardon?'
'We can't go back now, we just left. He let it slip, won't repeat it, probably. But you have to believe us!' Harry then explains the whole story.
'What were you doing on the third floor anyhow? I thought this was a good month ago.'
'Bloody moving staircases.' Ron folds his arms. 'Sometimes I wish they'd just stay still.' Hermione shakes her head, and the both of us stand.
'Where're you going?' Ron asks as me and Hermione go to exit the common room. 'The library.' We chorus. The two boys look at each other before rolling their eyes. 'Don't you want to find out how Nicholas Flamel is linked to Fluffy?' Hermione says sternly as Ron looks down and picks up one of my books.

About a month ago, Hermione came back into the dormitories looking flustered. She had explained to me that she and the boys had winded up on the third floor corridor, and that there was a giant three-headed dog standing on a trapdoor. I had chosen not to believe her at the time, but now that even Hagrid seems to have some idea of this creature, I find myself doubting less. Hermione and I run along to the library and quickly begin browsing shelves of books.

-*-

'Any luck?'
'No.' Me and Hermione huff, sitting down on one of the sofas.
'Besides, we need to pack. Remember that me and Alyssia are going home for Christmas.'
'Oh yeah, right.' Ron shrugs. 'That's not for a few days, though.'
'Organisation is key. Tomorrow, we'll check the library again.'
'Lay off it!' Ron groans, and Harry nods his head in strong agreement.
'Stop being lazy.' Hermione snaps at him. I frown at the pair of them.

Me and Hermione stay up a while talking through which sections we should look in. When we do go to sleep, it's about one in the morning. Once awake, we hurry into the boys' dormitories and have to practically pull Ron and Harry out of bed and drag them to the library. It takes forever to scour the countless books, and I can see the boys getting more frustrated with us by the second. We must look for hours, and the boys become ridiculously twisty in that space of time.

'Hermione, I have a potions essay to finish!' Ron wines. Hermione glares at him.
'Which you could have done yesterday.' She retaliates.
'C'mon Hermione, just enjoy the weekend.' Harry reasons. She rolls her eyes.
'Fine. But you two have to promise to look here every day, check at least ten different books before you leave.'
'Promise.' Hermione gives them both a long stare before she gets up and we follow her back to the common room, where Ron and Harry start the essay me and Hermione finished on the day we were assigned it. 'Hermione? Alyssia? What did you put here?' Ron frowns, and Harry looks up eagerly, clearly just as stuck.
'We're not going to do your work for you, sillies.' I shrug, turning a page of Standard Book of Spells and practicing a movement with my wand. Ron sighs. 'We're doomed.'
'That's what you get when you don't do your homework!' Hermione sings.
'Merry Christmas to you, too.' Harry replies sarcastically.