When Fire Meets Gasoline | Wizarding World

chapter fifteen | putting on an act

The next few weeks went by fast and before Mary knew it, she was getting ready for Slughorn's dinner party. She felt more nervous than excited, knowing the impression she had to make on Slughorn. Mary wrote a letter to her parents and her brother about it, which her mom and dad were pleased to hear about her invitation. Tobias, on the other hand, never responded, which Mary wasn't surprised about.

As for her and Draco, their friendship got stronger, with both of them getting a better understanding of each other the night they recieved their letters from their families.

"So what was Ilvermorny like?" Draco asked, leaning back on a big tree, crossing his arms and legs.

"What do you mean?" she inquired.

"Well, how would you describe it?"

Mary couldn't help but laugh a little. "I guess it's like the American version of Hogwarts." That was really the best way to describe her old school.

"Do you miss it there?" he questioned, sounding really curious now.

She shrugged her shoulders, pulling at the grass beneath her. "I mean, yes and no. I do miss being back in Massachusetts, but some of the students and teachers there were people I didn't particularly care for."

"That's probably why you don't have many friends," he teased.

Mary grinned, shoving him playfully. "Shut up."

"I could tell when I first met you that you didn't have many friends," he admitted.

She sighed and looked down at the ground. "Sometimes, it's better if you're alone."

Draco nodded his head. "Yeah, I thought so, too. But now, I think we need each other more than ever."

She raised her head and raised her eyebrows at him. "I thought we weren't going to talk about it."

"I was just making a point," he protested.

"Well, while you're right, let's change the subject," she suggested. "Tell me, why does everyone seem to know who Draco Malfoy is?"

Draco smirked. "What can I say? I'm very well-known at Hogwarts."

"I'm very interested to hear all about it."

"Are you sure? It's a long story."

She smiled his way. "We've got plenty of time."

Mary enjoyed that night, where Draco started at the beginning with his life story. He began with his childhood, leading into his early years in school (mostly his feuds with Harry Potter), then finally ending with last year, where things began to drastically change for him and his family.

She sure knew that feeling.

With one last look in the mirror, Mary headed out of her room. Her outfit consisted of a white, short-sleeved blouse with a green blazer (to show her Slytherin pride), a pair of tight jeans, and black flats.

She sighed, tightening her high ponytail as she descended the stairs, with Blaise and the Carrow twins, Flora and Hestia (Mary only knew that much from Draco), standing around in the common room.

"About time you showed up," he joked, smirking at her. "You look nice."

"Thank you," she replied. "You look pretty good, too." She stared at his black dress shirt and pants, then observed his ring, seeing the detail engraved on the silver.

"I always try to look my best," he said, straightening himself. "We should head down so we're not late."

So Mary and Blaise, followed by the Carrow twins, left the common room and walked down to Slughorn's office. It was quiet amongst the four, which Mary was fine with, wanting to get all of the nerves out for this dinner party. She looked over at Blaise, who held so much confidence and pride in himself. She wanted to know how he did it.