In Between The Lines

Chapter 8

Draco's POV:

Though the first week at Hogwarts was not as eventful as I had hoped, with few classes with Hermione and lot of homework due, the next week made it all better when a notice was put up in the Slytherin Common Room that flying lessons would be Thursday, and even better the lesson was with Gryffindors. Gryffindor and Hufflepuff were always the two houses with a surplus of muggle-borns and half-bloods, which meant less experienced flyers in Gryffindor and more people to show off to. Mother had taught me how to fly when I turned eight, she was a chaser on the Slytherin team when she attended Hogwarts, Father was a beater but Mother had more time on her hands as her only occupation was a House Wife.

I tried to talk to Hermione about the upcoming lessons, but she never wanted to talk about the flying aspect of it all, only facts about history, as per usual. The few times I managed to see her before Thursday, we were in the Library and the conversation consisted of my own stories of flying around the Manor and venturing past the wards into Muggle territory to see how they lived, and Hermione throwing in a random fact when she saw appropriate. She did listen keenly when I told her stories about flying away from a muggle group of kids that tried to chase me, laughing and admonishing me at the same time.

Finally the Thursday came and Slytherin and Gryffindor First years were sitting in the Great Hall across from each other, waiting not so patiently for the mail to arrive so we could get classes over with and head out to the Quidditch Pitch. When it finally did arrive, I made sure more than just Crabbe and Goyle took notice to the considerable size package Mother had sent me; Purebloods of a lower standing than Malfoys like to claim we reached our place in the hierarchy from cruelty, but my Mother was above such things and I didn't want anyone to think otherwise. After ensuring Pansy Parkinson had seen my mail, I discreetly handed the box filled with sweets to Goyle for him and Crabbe to eat later.

We walked around the Slytherin table and down the middle of the hall towards the doors, right past the Gryffindor table where Hermione was sitting with the first year boys in Gryffindor. Instead of looking up to wave, she was looking intently at Longbottom, and after a quick once over I saw that most students sitting at the part of the Gryffindor table was looking at Neville too. A barn owl, one of the cheaper pets, had landed in front of Neville with a small package from Mrs. Longbottom, Neville's Grandmother. Longbottom had already opened the package and was showing the table a glass ball the size of a large marble, filled with white smoke. It looked too expensive for a Longbottom to own.

"It's a Remembrall!" Longbottom explained to the table, gesturing wildly at the glass ball being smashed in his oversized hands. "Gran knows I forget things - this tells you if there's something you've forgotten to do. Look, you hold it tight like this and if it turns red - oh..." As Longbottom was trying to show off his present, the ball began to change into a scarlet color. "you've forgotten something..." Stuttering to a stop, Longbottom began to brainstorm what he could have forgotten in time to give me an opportunity to get a closer look at the expensive looking ball in order to see if Father owned anything like it, or if it was worth asking for one myself, a better one of course, maybe bigger.

I snatched the ball from Longbottom's sweaty hands and held it up to look at, Potter and Weasley shooting up on the opposite side of the table to begin what could have been a fun bicker, but at the wrong moment, Professor McGonagall arrived out of thin air.

"What's going on?"

"Malfoy's got my Remembrall, Professor," Longbottom snitched, Potter and Weasley wearing matching smirks.

I scowled at the both of them and dropped the Remembrall back on the table, "Just looking." turning my back on the group of scowling Gryffindors and a frowning Hermione.