[HIATUS] olympus has fallen ↬ draco malfoy

chapter 8

The week before Christmas break was always the most stressful: I had both of my Midterms on Thursday, a Shrinking Solution to brew for Potions, and three Arithmancy worksheets to complete. I doubted that I would live long enough to see the end of the week.

However, despite the imminent threat of my Midterms, I was determined to make the last few days last. Draco seemed to forget all about our spat over Harper and was unusually happy when I told him that we wouldn't be going out again. I didn't question it - for now, I would let him think that Harper and I simply had a terrible date (not far from the truth). We fell back into the familiar routine of our friendship, bickering back and forth. Hours were spent in the dungeons as we brewed our respective potions together. He was surprisingly good at the subject; I'd assumed that he had ass-kissed his way up to the top of the class.

I managed to tie up my loose ends, as well. On Wednesday morning, Tracey and I climbed out of bed and marched down to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. The sky was a pale, lifeless grey and the cold December air sent shivers down my spine. Tracey ungraciously dumped the sweater and skirt onto the frosted grass. "Incendio," I whispered, and let the last remnants of that night be swept away by the wind.

Davies and Harper did not escape without a few scratches, either. With a well-placed hex I learned from Snape's book, Davies was immediately sent to St. Mungo's. Sanguiso, a variation of the blood malediction curse, rapidly deteriorates white blood cells for around a week or so. It's nothing that Healers couldn't fix, but dangerous, nonetheless. He would be exposed to Muggle illnesses and spend the better half of his Christmas break strapped to a hospital bed - an image that brought me a considerable amount of joy.

Harper would face a slightly less life-threatening demise. On Christmas morning, he would open a letter signed by Beatrice Haywood, his actual girlfriend. The letter contains a packaged Stupefy that would hopefully hit him in the face when he opened it. Unfortunately, I wouldn't be able to see him in person. The thought of it will have to do.

Through sheer luck, I managed to pass my Transfiguration Midterm with Exceeds Expectations and Charms Midterm with an Outstanding. My Shrinking Solution was given an Acceptable (points were docked for a "strange smell") and my Arithmancy worksheets made sense once I actually looked at the material. Daphne did not fare as well and received two Poors on her Midterms. Pansy got a Troll on her Herbology final for neglecting her Valerian plant for nearly three months and forgetting to bring it to her exam. As always, Tracey didn't share her grades, and we didn't ask.

Daphne and I sat with Draco, Blaise, and Pansy on the way back to London. It was almost a mirror image of our ride in September: Blaise sat next to the window, a lofty look on his face; Pansy was cuddled up to Draco, though the latter frowned in annoyance; and Daphne and I sat on the opposite side. The train ride, like the last one, was spent playing Exploding Snap and gorging on snacks from the Trolley witch's cart. We even managed to convince Blaise to try a cauldron cake. He chewed once, then twice, then promptly spat it out, sputtering about "his delicate palate".

~~

"How is school, Calypso?" Father asked, dabbing at his face with a napkin.

"It's good," I said, stuffing my mouth with bread so I wouldn't have to answer more questions. Mother shot me a reproachful look, but my mind was reeling. Father never even asked about my day; he hated small talk. Was something wrong? Did he find out about Davies?

"How have you been doing in Charms?" he gave me a pointed look. Oh, this is what it's about.

"I'm doing well," I said, relieved, "I'd been meaning to ask you about that opportunity you mentioned, does it have to do with - "