~The Slytherin Princess~ Draco Malfoy

T H I R T Y F O U R

Ever since the Weasley twins had left, things had gone to shit, and that was putting it lightly. In all honestly, Adeline was sick of it. The teen was truly fed up of the dung bombs and stink pellets being set off between lessons. She, for once, just wanted to learn.

Adeline Charm thought she'd never utter these words, but she was sick of hexing annoying students who got in the way of her studies, the teen was sitting her O.W.L.s for crying out loud! Couldn't any of them show a little respect while she was trying to study?!

Unfortunately, all this bad behaviour meant the Inquisitorial Squad were being pushed to their limits, punishing misbehaving students and receiving their wrath as they got out of detention. Poor Pansy and Daphne had been sent to the hospital wing after female Weasley hexed them so hard they passed out.

The Gryffindor VS Ravenclaw match still went ahead without the Weasley twins and Potter playing. Needless to say, the Slytherins still blasted their new favourite tune for Ronald Weasley. Gryffindor lost that match and Slytherin well and truly won the quidditch cup.

"I don't know how much more of this I can take." Theo groaned as he slammed his head into his book.

"Theo mate, I don't quite think that's how your meant to revise." Blaise squinted his eyes at the boy, making Adeline erupt with laughter, the entire group shortly following.

"No, but seriously who's invention was O.W.L.s?" Theo groaned, not lifting his head from his transfiguration book, "they should have been locked up in Azkaban and the key thrown away."

"Maybe, Theo," Adeline told him sassily, "if you stop being such a drama queen you'll realise all our exams so far have been quite easy."

"Shut up Adeline." Blaise scoffed, "we can't all be blessed with a good brain you know."

""Besides," Draco told the group, "it's not about what you know, it's about who you know," he boasted, "my father is very friendly with the head of the Wizarding Examinations Authority for years, she's called Griselda Marchbanks. She's been round for dinner and everything, right Adeline love?"

"Shut up Draco." Daphne snapped, "your boasting isn't helping with anything."

"I still can't believe there's anti-cheating spells on literally everything." Pansy complained, sighing as she hadn't even bothered to open her transfiguration book, "even my desk is charmed, it's ridiculous."

"At least you have a chance at passing." Crabbe grumbled, Adeline didn't know if he even owned the text books, "me and Goyle don't have a chance."

"Your father's are rich though." Blaise shrugged his shoulders, "you'll be fine."

"I dread to think what Snape's going to be having us doing for the practical part of the exam." Draco rolled his eyes, "he's always full of surprises that man."

"I heard last year, they needed to create a potion which used rat dung." Daphne gagged, "I think I'd rather fail."

"Come on," Adeline scoffed, "We're Slytherins. Snape wouldn't fail us even if we set the school on fire." Again the group laughed, all concept of studying going out of the window.

""How do you think your charms went the other day Addie? You've been awfully quiet about it." Daphne suddenly questioned, causing Adeline to gulp and sigh.

"I don't know." She confessed, shocking the group, "I hope it went well. I don't like to get my hopes up in case I let myself down."

"Your joking aren't you?" Pansy asked in shock, "I went in for my practical exam after you and the examiner had the biggest smile on his face ever, kept mumbling about how you were the brightest witch he'd ever met!"

"Blimey Addie." Blaise gasped as his eyes widened, "I know you were good, but I didn't know you were that good."

"I'm not really that good, I-"

"Stop being so modest love," Draco nudged his girlfriend in the ribs, "she's brilliant really, she just won't admit it."

"Shut up." Adeline blushed, turning to her transfiguration book.

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"Who would have guessed a switching spell would have been on the exam?" Draco rambled as the group sat in the library again the next day, "a bloody switching spell! No one cares about a switching spell!"

"Draco," Adeline called his name hesitantly, ,"Maybe you should calm down?"

"And the vanishing charm?!" Draco ignored Adeline, instead carrying on making the brunette roll her blue eyes, "I wish I could bloody well use it on McGonagall for putting it in the exam!"

Adeline decided to just stay quiet.

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Exam after exam passed, each day becoming more and more mentally draining on the fifteen to sixteen year old fifth years. However, with each passing exam, Adeline became more and more relaxed, feeling a weight lifted off her shoulder after every completed essay and practical.

Adeline felt she did especially well in Defence Against the Dark Arts, showing off her extensive knowledge in her theory and stunning the examiner with her jinxes and counter curses.

"Miss Charm?" The examiner queried her one last time, "I've heard rumours floating around you can cast a fully fledged patronus?" Adeline smirked, this was the moment she had been waiting for.

"Yes, sir." She nodded back politely, hiding her internal desire to please.

"Could you demonstrate it for me?" The man pondered, "For extra credit? Of course you don't need it, you're one of the brightest witches I've come across."

"Ok." Adeline responded cooly, closing her eyes and thinking of her happiest memory.

"Expecto Patronum." Adeline sniffled as flashback played in her head, the soft summers wind blowing the grass as her family sat in a meadow, on a picnic blanket, eating a lunch the house elves had prepared for them.

The teen could hear the faint laughter of both her parents as her father lifted her up and spun her around on his shoulders. Now, it was a foreign sound. Adeline hadn't seen her parents fully smile in years never mind laugh.

It wasn't a special memory, nothing crazy happened, but on that day, little eight year old Adeline felt true love for her parents. Even if her mother was sour and cruel at times she loved them and that memory made her realise it.

As expected, the dragon slowly glided out of her wand and the examiner let out a cry of delight, praising her greatly.

Adeline knew she did well on that exam.

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"Polyjuice potion?!" Adeline was slowly becoming more used to Draco's ranting now, so she just laughed softly, "since when have we been taught that?"

"Probably when you weren't listening babe," Adeline responded back in boredom, "although that's all the time so we could have learnt it last week for all you would have known."

"You're not funny Adeline." Draco told her blandly, running a hand through his already untamed blonde locks, "I need to do well or father will literally murder me."

"I don't think Lucius will literally-"

"It was a figure of speech!"

Adeline didn't bother to question him.