Thicker Than Water {a Draco Malfoy story}

four.

- O L I V I A -

The next weeks passed in a bit of a fog. I went to my classes, did my homework, and studied for my O.W.L.s, all while trying to ignore the eyes that were always watching me. To make matters worse, I was positive that Draco was avoiding me. When I called after him in the corridors, he seemed to walk faster, and when I met his eyes in the Great Hall, he would immediately look away. But perhaps I was paranoid.

For the first time in my five years at Hogwarts, I was called into Professor McGonagall's office. During breakfast one morning, an owl swooped in front of me and dropped a small envelope into my lap. It was sealed with the Hogwarts crest, which caused my heart to jump. When I pealed it open and unfolded the note inside, I recognized the professor's sharp script from the blackboard in class.

Olivia,

Please stop by my office this afternoon.

Professor McGonagall

The briefness of the request made me even more anxious. Had I done something wrong? Was I in trouble? Infinite possibilities raced through my mind. Maybe she had found out about the time that I had helped Fred and George pull a prank on Angelina Johnson in my second year. Or someone had told her about the self-correcting ink that I had accidentally used on a DADA essay as a first year. Yeah, that had to be it. Immediately I started to formulate excuses and explanations.

A hand came in front of me and swiped the letter away. "What's this?" Fred asked. He read the note. "Ominous," he sighed.

"I've never been in trouble before," I said anxiously.

He rolled his eyes, "It's probably nothing. She wouldn't do anything to you anyway."

I nodded, hoping that he was right. But for the rest of the day, I was unable to focus on any of my lessons, paranoid of the meeting. The hours crawled by and as it grew nearer, I grew tenser.

Finally, my day of classes was over and I made my way to the first floor corridor where her office was located.

The door was slightly ajar. I raised my hand to knock but a voice emitted from inside before I could. "Come in," Professor McGonagall said.

I pushed the door back and stepped inside, closing it behind me. The professor was sat behind her large desk, which had a pair of teacups and a plate of biscuits in the middle. "Take a seat, have a biscuit," she ordered. I obliged, though I didn't reach for a treat. I was too nervous to eat. "So, Ms. Vance," I took a deep breath, preparing for her questions, "how are your classes going?"

"They're... good," I said stiffly, confused. Certainly she didn't summon me to discuss my classes.

She nodded and reached for a cup of tea. "Do you feel well prepared for you O.W.L.s?"

"Well enough," I sighed, relaxing a little thinking that if she had something serious to talk about, she would have said so by now. I grabbed my tea and took a sip.

"Professor Snape has said that you are doing very well in potions," she noted. I nodded. Potions was the one class that I felt confident about. "I have heard the whispers about you around the school, I sure hope the attention is not distracting you from your studies."

I tensed up again, not wanting to talk about my parents. She had always known, but I'd rather not be questioned further. "No, I've grown used to it," was all that I said.

She pursed her lips, clearly hoping for something more. "You have done an excellent just so far and we expect great things from you. I just wanted to check and see that you are doing alright," she pressed.