A Magic Stronger Than Darkness ~ Book 1: Perfect Opposites

Chapter 9 ~ 20 Questions

Draco POV

Never in my life would I have imagined that Veronica Dovefeather would actually break the rules. She seemed to be just as much of a goody two shoes as her friend Granger, and being an animagus was illegal unless you were of age and registered through the Ministry. I had to admit, I was very impressed. Maybe she should have been placed in Slytherin House after all.

Though I could tell she was worried about whether I would tell someone else about my discovery, I attempted to reassure her that I had no intention of doing so because I didn't believe she had done anything wrong. She paused and I thought that this secret we now shared would be enough to convince the Gryffindor girl that she could trust me. But perhaps I got my hopes up too soon, because suddenly Veronica straightened her spine and placed her hands on her hips, narrowing her eyes at me. What did I do now? I wondered nervously.

Veronica did not hesitate or sugar coat the reason for her change of demeanor. "So Hagrid and Buckbeak did something wrong last year? If I remember right, Hagrid told you to keep back when you angered Buckbeak. But you just kept on going, insulting the hippogriff. Then because you got yourself hurt, your daddy had Hagrid fired and Buckbeak almost killed! Because of your stupid mistake, a man lost his job and a creature almost lost its life!" She scoffed, causing me to wince. "Your ideas of what is wrong and what is right seem very flawed to me..." Her words continued to sting, and I had no choice but to acknowledge the hypocrisy of my previous statements. I stayed silent, making sure she had finished speaking.

She cooled off a moment later and then looked at me apologetically. "Listen, Draco, I shouldn't have said that. I'm-" I interrupted her before she could finish what I assumed was an apology. "No, you're right. I did make a stupid mistake. I thought that I impressed everyone when in reality I was just being daft." I confessed, my shoulders slumping when I realized how much of a git everyone must have thought I was. "Please, let me try and make it up to you," I added. Veronica met my eyes wearily. "What has changed you this year? Last year you were insulting Hermione and I and the rest, and this year you want to be friends with me. I just...I don't understand..." The girl sounded perplexed. I swallowed, "Let's just say that things have happened and I'm trying to help us move on from the past." I admitted, scratching the back of my neck anxiously. I wasn't quite ready to tell the Gryffindor girl how I felt about her.

She studied my face for a moment, probably still unsure of whether she should believe me. I couldn't say I blamed her. "Okay. I think that is a good idea, Draco. I'm ready to move on as well," She told me, exposing her white teeth in a hesitant smile. "Brilliant." I replied, relieved. Step one: Complete. "So since we're out here, what do you want to do?" Veronica asked, perching herself upon the tree stump she had been sitting on earlier. I shrugged, getting situated on the ground next to her. "Maybe...we could try to get to know each other?" She suggested. "Works for me. Want to play a game of twenty questions?" I offered, stretching out on the grass and leaning back on my elbows. "Sure, you can go first if you want to," Veronica agreed. There was a mischievous sparkle in her eyes that both unnerved me and excited me.

The first question I wanted to ask immediately popped into my head. "What's the story about your special power?" I couldn't help but blurt out, looking up at her hopefully. She returned my gaze, appearing as though she had been expecting the inquiry. "Do you remember when we learned about animagus powers last year? Well, I had been feeling like something big was about to happen. Call it...intuition. To be honest, I still sense there is something coming that none of us are entirely prepared for. I figured having a power like that might come in handy sometime in the future. So, I asked Dumbledore what I should do about it. He called McGonagall into his office and they agreed that it might be good to have an animagus in the school. McGonagall taught me the basics and I've been practicing and researching ever since. Now I'm learning what I'm capable of and if my powers are ever needed, then I'd be happy to help in any way I can. But they told me to keep it secret unless absolutely necessary. I had every intention of maintaining that promise until you caught me." She explained. Although her last comment was somewhat accusatory, her tone was light-hearted and teasing, causing me to chuckle softly.