Royalty (demigods at Hogwarts)

Twisted Tree

How hard was it, really, to avoid Draco Malfoy?

Piper was about to find out. 

The boy was everywhere- except the library, for the moment, as she was seeking refuge there at the very moment. If this was the muggle world, she wouldn't have been surprised to find cheap, tacky posters with his face emblazoned on them. As it was, though, Draco didn't need it- his name had carried on the lips of every first-year, his face etched into every student's memory.

The gossip about him hadn't died down, even after a considerably long time from the start of term. It was actually nearing Halloween now, so the fact that Draco had still managed to be the talk of the Slytherin part of the school was quite impressive. 

Piper fingered the page of the library book guiltily. It was nearing Christmas, and she still hadn't made up with Hazel. If she was being honest, she hadn't really considered doing it at all. It was just a stupid friendship on a stupid train and now they were in different houses and the possibility of actually becoming good friends was slim to none. 

'Fancy seeing you here,' said a voice behind her. 'Never really pegged you for the reading type.'

A blonde-haired girl decked out in blue-and-bronze robes sidled into the seat next to Piper. Her smile was still as frosty as ice, but her voice seemed to be slightly less cutting, less reality-jarring. 

'What's that supposed to mean?' shot back Piper immediately. She didn't have the patience to put up with Annabeth's cryptic, snarky attitude at the moment. Also, she was sick of being assumed that just because she was a pretty face, she would avoid 'nerdy girl things' like reading. Annabeth was undeniably pretty, and yet no one gave her that kind of attitude. 

Well, that was probably because Annabeth usually intimidated them too much to actually get a word out in edgewise, but still. 

'Nothing,' waved off Annabeth airily. Then, she suddenly burst into fits of laughter. 'Merlin, Piper, you're so easy to tick off. The slightest comment about my observation of you and you throw a fit.'

Taken aback, Piper mentally reviewed what Annabeth had remarked about her. Taken the right way, it really wouldn't have seemed like much of an insult at all- a mere observation, just like the blonde had said. 'Sorry,' she apologised. 'I just get used to people judging me before they've even gotten to know me. I thought you were implying something else.'

Now, if only she could apologise in such a heartfelt way to Hazel. 

Annabeth's face darkened. 'Trust me, you're not the only one.' A tiny huff of frustration escaped her incredibly rose-pink lips- too pink to be true, although Piper was certain that Annabeth had never so much as touched a tube of lipstick in her life. She just didn't seem like that kind of girl. 

They sat in silence for a few moments, during which Piper only pretended to read her book- it was about dragons, but somehow the author could make even those majestic creatures seem mind-numbingly boring. Meanwhile, Annabeth was growing increasingly more agitated, flipping through pages quicker than even she could possibly read them. Her eyes settled on the page for a second before she could mutter, 'No, not this one,' and move on. When she got to the end of the book at the rate she was flipping, she sighed heavily and shook her head, saying, 'It wasn't even the right book.'

Before Piper could ask what she was looking for, someone interrupted what she had been about to say.

'Annabeth! There you are, I was looking for you!' a male voice called excitedly. 

The boy who rushed over was also shockingly blond, with electric blue eyes that Piper swore were sparking, white-hot, and the most adorable grin as he held up a book. 'Annabeth, didn't you say you were looking for this just yesterday? Well, I found it! And- oh, who's your new friend here?'