I thought having Snape as our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher would truly awful. But, to my surprise, it wasn't that bad. At least we weren't stuck copying down pages of textbooks. Still, I was relieved when he finally dismissed us.
"Miss Austing, you are not to leave this classroom!" The greasy-haired man called to me just as I headed toward the door.
"Want us to wait?" Hermione asked me.
"You guys go on, I'll catch up," I answered, giving she and the boys a small smile. Once they were gone, I approached Snape's desk, and raised an eyebrow at him. "Yes?"
"Do you have any idea how much danger you've put yourself in?" He hissed, slamming his hand down on the desk.
"I don't follow..."
"The Dark Lord is getting suspicious now that all the giants are gone!"
I grinned. "So the giants got away then? Great! That's kinda what I was after."
"As soon as he finds out what you've done, he'll kill you!"
"Professor, over the years, I've become a wonderful liar. It's all part of being a Slytherin. Let him have his fit. Besides, he won't kill me anyway. He wants me on his side," I assured him.
"You ignorant girl!" The teacher snapped. "He knows exactly how your mind works. He knows how you think! You're making it harder and harder for me to protect you!"
"I don't need you to protect me, Professor," I said firmly. "I can handle myself."
"Let me make this clear to you; this is not a game! Your life is on the line right now, and all you're doing is instigating things and making them worse! I want you to lay low from now on. Get out of my classroom."
I decided to argue no further. Instead, I turned on my heel, and marched out the door. Of course, Harry was standing against the wall, waiting for me.
"I told you to go ahead," I stated as we headed down the corridor together.
"What did he have to say?" The green-eyed boy asked, ignoring my previous statement.
"I'll tell you later."
"No, tell me now!"
"And have someone hear me and go telling everyone? No thank you. I said later, so later it will be."
"Alright, fine. Meet me in the Astronomy Tower after dinner. We'll talk then."
"Don't be late, Potter."
With that, the two of us went our separate ways.
>>>
As planned, I headed to the Astronomy Tower after dinner. I felt slightly nauseous after eating as much as I did, but it was definitely worth it. As I rounded a corner, I spotted Malfoy walking in my direction, his eyes flickering this way and that. He was nervous, which could only mean one thing: he was up to something.
"Malfoy," I said, causing him to stop. "Where are you off to at such a late hour?"
"Mind your own business, will you? I-I'm...busy," He answered timidly.
"Busy, huh? Doing what?"
The blonde boy tried walking around me, but I grabbed the front of his robes, pushing him against the wall. "Get off of me!" He snarked, struggling against me.
"We aren't finished here. Where are you going?" I inquired, raising my eyebrows.
"I'd be careful if I were you, Austing. I'll tell the Dark Lord what you did!"
I smirked at him. "Oh really? So you talk to him often, do you?"
"It was an empty threat!" He covered, finally pushing me off of him.
"I'm not an idiot, Malfoy, I know what you are. One question, though. How do you know about what I did?" I asked.
"I heard Snape talking about it."
"Snape must know about you, doesn't he? Why hasn't he done anything?"
"He thinks he can protect me," The Slytherin boy scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest.
"From what? The Death Eaters? But you--"
"Yeah, I know that!" He cut me off. "None of this is your business, so why don't you go snog Goyle or something?"
I snorted, rolling my eyes at him. "I'll get right on that. First, let's make a pact."
"You think I'm stupid enough to make a pact with you?"
"Well, I'm hoping you're not stupid enough to not make one with me. After all, without this pact, I'll have you in Azkaban," I said, shrugging.
He huffed, and rolled his eyes. "What is it then?"
"If you keep your mouth shut about me, I'll keep mine shut about you," I offered. "Think about it, it'll save both of us. It's a win-win situation here. You can't pass it up."
"Y-You promise you won't tell on me?" He questioned.
"Cross my heart and hope to die. We gotta deal?" I stuck out my hand, which he timidly shook.
"Yeah, it's a deal," I grinned, and turned to walk away, but he grabbed my hand, causing me to stop. "Thank you, Violet. Really."
"Thank you for not telling on me. Maybe sometime you can tell me where you're off to," I hinted.
"Actually, I was going to talk to Snape."
"About..."
"Don't push your luck, Austing!"
I put my hands up in surrender. "Don't get your boxers in a knot now."
The blonde ferret let out one last huff before storming off, leaving me on my way to the Astronomy Tower, feeling more triumphant than ever.
