Common Ground ⌁ Draco Malfoy [2/4] ✔

6

It had been difficult for Emma to step foot into the girl's dormitory that evening. It was even more difficult glancing over at the empty bed across from her own, where Sabrina should have been laying, reading a novel to prove that she was pissed at someone. But the area was darkened and it remained empty.

She got up the next morning early, Daphne was already awake, pressed against her pillows while sipping a cup of what smelt like tea. Emma narrowed her eyes while Daphne drank away innocently.

"Where did you get that?"

"Er..." Daphne scoffed the entire drink, wiped her mouth and then put the empty tea cup on the little table next to her bed. "The kitchens, of course."

Daphne awkwardly offered Emma a soft smile before throwing the blankets off herself and grabbing her wand to comb through her hair. Emma furiously rubbed her eyes and sighed, sitting up but falling face first onto the end of her bed with a loud groan.

"I'll never get used to it," she moaned into her blanket, referring to the mornings where she'd have no choice but to wake up early.

"You and me both," said Daphne, and Emma could hear the flapping of her robes.

"And me," added another voice. Millicent.

"Morning, Millicent," Emma yawned, earning a brief nod from Millicent. That was as much as a greeting she was going to get out of Millicent.

"Hurry up and get dressed," Daphne said miserably. "We're going up to the Great Hall together. All of us."

"Wait," said Emma, shifting more in her bed. Her eyes naturally narrowed at the sight before her. "Where's Pansy?"

"She slept on the sofa," said Daphne. "You don't really think she'd come up here so soon?"

"She had no trouble last year," mumbled Emma, and the trio set off out of the common room, and into the droopy dungeons. 

This was already a terrible start to the school year for Emma. Her parents were no longer normal around her anymore, she was missing the company of her deceased friend, Harry was pissed at her, she was pissed at Draco...what more could go wrong? The trio walked into the Great Hall, where muffins, croissants, toast, eggs, bacon, cereal, tea, coffee and pumpkin juice, all fresh and cooked up, awaited them. Emma's stomach started to rumble uncontrollably at the delicious smell. 

Daphne took a deep breath in and exhaled dreamily. "Hogwarts has it's bad days...and then it has it's perks."

"If you're talking about the food, I totally agree," Emma nodded, tucking herself in beside Daphne. Millicent sat across from Daphne but didn't say a word. 

"So," said Daphne. "What subjects are you taking? Any extra ones to take up our free periods?"

Frowning, Emma tried to think back to the end of her fifth-year where she'd had to pick her subjects for her sixth-, but her brain felt fried and her mind was blank. She shrugged. "I don't remember."

"I'm doing the same as last year," said Daphne. "No advanced classes for me. Regular classes are difficult enough, plus I don't really care much for them. I am taking Ancient Runes, though. What about you, Millicent?"

Millicent shrugged without looking up from pouring milk into her cereal. "I really don't care, either."

Daphne grinned at Emma's frown. She wished some of her friends were looking forward to passing their subjects; it was always Sabrina's enthusiasm in passing classes that drove her to worry about failing. But now that she was gone and Daphne, Millicent and plenty of the others didn't care about passing or failing, it was all up to Emma to motivate herself. 

"Draco's coming in with Blaise...and they've just walked past us, how rude," Daphne added loudly, Draco looked over his shoulder and smirked while Blaise didn't appear to care very much. Daphne's younger sister Astoria came rushing into the hall after them, tucking herself in next to Draco and talking excitedly in his ear. Daphne frowned. "I really wish she'd just give up already. Why do I have to be related to someone so stupid? Draco's obviously all into you and stuff and he always brushes her off - it's rude of him, I know - and I don't blame you at all, but maybe if she gets it through her thick skull that he doesn't even like her as an acquaintance..." 

Daphne huffed very loudly while Emma raised an eyebrow at her. "You done?"

"Yes," said Daphne, calmly. She flexed out her fingers and breathed slowly. "She can just be really thick sometimes."

"Well someone ought to tell her that Baranov and Malfoy are dating, then," Millicent finally popped in, no emotion in her tone as per usual. Daphne choked on her spoon. "Maybe then it'll finally sink into that big head of hers."

Daphne suddenly scowled. "Only I can insult my sister, Bulstrode. And, besides, why am I only being informed of this now? Why haven't I been given any letters about this? Why would you just give up like that, Emma?!"

"I didn't give up, it was my decision," Emma scowled back, sitting straighter to appear more confident in hopes that Daphne would just stop assuming and back off. "I chose to."

"But, why?" Daphne demanded. "He probably doesn't even know how to treat a girl right! I know he means well and all, and we're kind of friends, but still! He doesn't know the first thing when it comes to having a girlfriend. Maybe you should just go back to being friends, Emma, before it gets too serious and you can't back out. If you back out now, it won't hurt his feelings as much and it won't be too weird when it comes to breaking up."

"Or I could just make decisions myself," Emma said crossly. "Look, this is my choice," she said calmly - she did not want anything else to ruin the school year, let alone the first day. "But Millicent is right; maybe if you tell your sister that he's taken, she'll find someone more...suitable."

Daphne's angry look disappeared and she sighed. "All right, fine. Here comes Snapey-booboo with the timetables."

Emma choked. "Snapey-booboo? That's pathetic!"

"It's funny!" Daphne crossed her arms. "Well, to me it is."

At least, now, Emma was aware of how much Daphne disapproved of her relationship with Draco.