Little Bird

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Eve

            It was strange sleeping completely alone with Draco more than just a hallway away from me. I didn't sleep well, that was for sure; I couldn't seem to get comfortable on the dormitory bed, and it felt like I was waking up every ten minutes to Millicent's snoring. When the sun finally rose and it was acceptable to get out of bed, I was actually a bit relieved.

            I dressed as quietly as I could under the light of the rising sun, stepping carefully past Pansy's sleeping form to get to my trunk. I packed my school bag sleepily, trying not to knock anything over—because I knew it wasn't a good idea to wake Millicent before she was ready. After shoving on my sneakers and pulling my hair back, I cautiously headed downstairs to the common room.

            It was completely empty, but I should have been expecting that. Classes didn't start for another two hours. I left through the portrait hole and started upstairs, having nowhere else to go besides the Great Hall.

            There were a few students in the dining hall when I entered through the grand double doors, but I breathed a quiet sigh of relief when I saw that Ginny was not among them. I was already praying that I wouldn't have any classes with her this year. I sat on the end of the mostly empty Slytherin table and reached for some toast and butter, knowing I had to at least eat something before classes started.

            Draco walked into the Great Hall not long after me, rubbing his face tiredly and coming over to sit next to me. "Morning," he said quietly as he slid onto the bench, kissing my cheek. I noticed he didn't automatically reach for any food, and I eyed him carefully. His voice sounded scratchy from exhaustion as he asked me, "Did you sleep okay?"

            "Probably better than you did, it looks like," I said, taking in the sight of his dark circles and puffy eyelids. "Did you sleep at all last night?"

            "A bit," Draco said, giving a small grin at the look I gave him. "What? Goyle snores."

            "So does Millicent." This made Draco laugh out loud, and he leaned his elbows against the edge of the table and turned his head to look at me through tired eyes. He didn't say anything right away, so I raised an eyebrow and asked, "What?"

            "Nothing," he said quickly, trying to hide his grin. He reached for the pumpkin juice as he admitted, "It was weird not sleeping next to you."

            "I know," I said as more people began to enter the Great Hall. "Too bad we can't have our own room, right?"

            It had been a joke, but Draco grinned and said, "Well, that couch in the common room looks pretty comfortable. We'd have enough room."

            He had such a cheeky expression that I knew exactly what he was thinking. I shoved his shoulder and tried to hide my pink cheeks, saying, "You're so gross. Eat your toast."

            "I'm not hungry," Draco complained, but I'd already put it onto his plate. He pushed it around with his fork and grumbled something that I didn't catch, and I was opening my mouth to tell him that he needed to eat something when McGonagall appeared before us with the class schedules.

            "Good morning," she smiled to us, handing Draco his schedule before turning to me. "Nice to see you, Evelyn."

            "You too," I replied awkwardly, accepting the piece of parchment from her.

            McGonagall was just starting to turn away when she suddenly seemed to remember something, turning back to me and asking, "How is your aunt doing, by the way? I meant to ask you before you left for the summer."