Draco led me from the Great Hall by the hand. Pansy Parkinson pointedly shoved past me in the crowd of Slytherins filing toward the dungeon.
"Hawthorne, my office, now." Snape hissed from behind me. I sighed exaggeratedly and slumped forward.
"Already? Ugh!" I whined pointedly. Draco kissed my hand and headed for the common room. I followed behind the billowing cloak of my Head of House, dragging my boots across the floor.
Snape closed the door behind us and motioned for me to take a seat. I slumped into the chair in front of his desk and blew my hair out of my face as I threw my boots onto his desk. He took a seat and immediately pushed my legs to the floor.
"As pleased as I am to see you are falling back into your old self easily, we need to stay focused. Has Malfoy told you what the Dark Lord has asked him to do?" Snape questioned, getting straight to the point. His face looked thin and paler than usual, his eyes drooping.
"Not yet. He was going to tell me tonight, I assume. We're meeting up later." I barked shortly. I really didn't want to be here. I wanted to be in my bed. In my dorm room with Pug Face Parkinson and her mannish cronie. I wanted her to tease me and try to pick a fight because I "stole" Draco from here. I just wanted to be who I was last year. A normal teenage girl, with normal teenage girl problems.
We both know you've never been normal, Jezzy. The voice in my head spoke up again. I sighed.
"You must help him as much as you can. We both will have to. As I have said from the beginning, appearance is everything. But we will not let the Dark Lord win. You know that, right?" Snape looked concerned. This new side of him was starting to freak me out. Since Sirius...left...it was like he felt it was his job to fill the slot he left open. It made me cringe.
"I'm fine, Severus. I understand. Keep on pretending. Easy enough. I've been doing it for years." I grinned at him and jumped from my chair, knocking it back onto the floor. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some first years to initiate into Slytherin." I shifted my hair to a long, curly green with silver highlights. "School spirit, yeah!" I shouted with a fist pump before bounding into the Slytherin common room.
I threw the door open, letting it slam against the wall behind it.
"I...have arrived!" I shouted, throwing my hands above my head. A few of the students that new me laughed. The first years, who were all huddled in a little ball in the corner, jumped at the noise. I grinned and skipped over to them.
"Well, hello tiny new people." I said, bending down to eye level with a small, raven haired girl who seemed the most terrified. She swallowed noticeably and inched backwards. I put my hand on her shoulder and pulled her to my side, walking to join Draco on the couch by the fire.
"What is your name, small person?" I asked, pulling her down to sit next to me.
"S-Shiloh." The girl stuttered out, her hands clasped together on her lap. She sat rigidly straight, like posture was the only thing that was going to save her life from the loud, green haired woman.
"I like you, Shiloh. You have the best posture I have ever seen, ever. How do you do that?" I straightened my back and crossed my hands on my knees. She seemed like she couldn't decide between smiling and running. I patted her knee gently.
"Th-thank you, mum." she all but whispered, her back still rigid.
"My name is Jez. It is very nice to meet you, Shiloh. Where are you from, Shiloh?" I sat on the floor at her feet, looking up at her like she was the most interesting thing I had ever seen. Almost all eyes were on me, interrogating this little preteen.
"C-Cardiff, mum." she whimpered. Her demeanor was starting to shake. Her stone stiff posture was starting to fall apart.
"Cardiff, well isn't that interesting. Shiloh, how would you like to be my new friend? My protege, so to speak. I, Jezabel Hawthorne, will take you under my wing and teach you about the school, all the cool little things you need to know. Is that something you would be interested in?" Draco was staring at me, like he was trying to figure out my end-game.
"Um...uh, I guess that wouldn't be so bad...." Shiloh seemed to relax when she realized I wasn't going to cook her in the fireplace and feed her to Crabbe and Goyle.
"Splendid!" I exclaimed, causing Shiloh to jump once again. "First lesson, Shiloh, learn to expect random, loud outbursts at all time. At. All. Times." I pointed a finger at her nose, almost brushing it with my finger tips. I poked her nose once before walking toward the stairs to the girl's dorms. "Bedtime now, Shiloh. Big day tomorrow." I pointed up the stairs, and Shiloh scurried from her seat on the couch, almost tripping up the staircase. "That goes for all of you. Time for bed. Lessons in the morning, and all that." The crowd of first years seemed to jump as a unit. "Scoot!" I said, causing them to scuttle like a group of lost hermit crabs toward the stairs. Many of the older students chuckled at the first years filed up the stairs. I chuckled and bowed slightly at the few students clapping before I dropped next to Draco on the couch.
"Wanna tell me what all that was about?" Draco chuckled, putting an arm around my waist.
"I dunno. I really always wanted a pet when I was in school. Seemed a good a time as any. The rest of it was just to see if they'd really listen." Draco chuckled lightly and sighed.
"You really can't ever turn it off, can you?" he asked with a small smile. I shook my head roughly and shrugged.
"Why should I? I have an image to mantain, don't I? I am going to head up to my room, get settled." I kissed his cheek and stood.
"I'll see you later." he said, but I could tell it was more of a question. I nodded and bounded toward the stairs.
"Good night, my dear Slytherins! I will count the seconds until I see you again!" I waved like a princess in a parade before climbing the stairs two at a time up to my room.
Pansy Parkinson was sitting on her bed, speaking in hushed whispers with Milicent Bulstrode when I entered. She clamped her mouth shut and smirked when I entered, like she was talking about something she didn't want me to hear.
At this point, love, I think the whispers of a school girl are the least of your worries. The voice in my head spoke up again. I dropped onto my bed with a sigh and pulled my boots off.
"Well, looks like the freak is back." Pansy said in a loud voice. "Good thing I got vaccinated over the summer." Millicent laughed in her low, manly voice.
"Good, but your owners really should put the tag on your collar so everyone knows. I am certain the vet you got your shots at would have provided one?" I tilted my head in feigned confusion. Pansy growled, her face turning slightly red. Denae, the fourth roommate I had last year, walked in and chuckled.
"Great to see everyone is getting along as well as always!" She said with a smirk. I walked over and gave her a hug, happy to see a familiar face that didn't want to murder and/or eat me. "How was your summer, Jezabel?"
"Pretty boring. Just hung out in my bedroom, mostly." I replied, which wasn't a lie.
"Happy to be back?" she asked in an offhanded tone as she started putting her things away.
"You have no idea."
Hello, all! I know, it has been AGES since I updated, and I hope to change that. I have missed writing this story, and really want to get it going. HBP was one of my faves, because it really opened Draco up as a character, and gave you an idea of what made him who he is, and is actually the book that made me love Draco so much.
I hope you forgive me for being gone so long, and please vote and comment! I love reading all your comments, it makes me happy!
Love you loads!
<3 D <3
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Two Sides of the Same Coin (Sequel to HCILY) Slow Updates
FanficJezabel has done the unthinkable. After watching her only family murdered by one of Voldemort's Death Eaters, she leaves Harry behind to follow in her parents' footsteps. As well as Draco's? Things are moving, but updates are slow due to poor health.
