when a fire starts to burn | draco malfoy

CHAPTER 11

Over the course of the next few days, I attempt to figure out why Pansy has broken into Snape's office. I hadn't told any of my friends what I had seen, thinking it was best to keep it a secret. I wanted to figure out what Pansy had been doing in his office before I told anyone else.

Whenever I'm in a class we share, I make sure to pay extra close attention to whatever conversations she has with her Slytherin friends. It seemed she was doing her best to pretend as if nothing had happened. She continued to shoot me her usual dirty looks but the cruel comments she usually couldn't wait to make had ceased. I couldn't help but wonder if it were because she was afraid I would tell someone about what I had seen. It briefly crossed my mind to bring up my suspicions to McGonagall, but I had quickly dismissed the idea. Something tells me that turning her in would only make things worse between the Slytherins and I. Perhaps if I knew what she planned on doing with the ingredients she had taken, I would consider telling. But I had no idea what she was doing with them. Pansy could simply be attempting to brew a Calming Draught, and that was hardly worth getting labeled as a snitch over.

So I kept my head down and my ears on. It was clear that Pansy had no intention of ever telling me what she had been doing that night, so I just hoped I would happen to overhear something.

Unfortunately, I had heard nothing so far.
However, as my relationship with Pansy became more complicated, I found mine with Draco had ever so slightly improved. Ever since we worked together in the library, he had been a bit more cordial than before. He still had no problem making insulting comments at me, but they weren't nearly as nasty as before, which I considered to be a huge improvement. Perhaps there was still hope for the boy.

Another thing that had been on my mind was the upcoming Yule Ball. It was all that students seemed to be talking about - who had asked them, what they were wearing, who they wanted to ask them. I knew the chances of someone asking me were slim but much as I tried not to think about that, I couldn't help it. Not only did I keep my head down most of the time, but no one was exactly eager to ask the only living relative of the darkest wizard the world had ever known. However, I had mentioned the event to Evangeline in my last letter and she was extremely excited for me. She even insisted on sending me a new dress for it, which I was eagerly awaiting.

I thought about going with Harry or Ron, but I knew Harry had his eye on the pretty Ravenclaw girl, who I had learned was named Cho Chang. Ron hadn't mentioned the Yule Ball much, but I figured if he hadn't asked anyone by the time the ball came around, I would mention the idea. I had no problem going alone, but something told me I would be quite lonely amongst all the other couples.

During one of my study sessions with Cedric a few days later, I found myself distracted by the unopened letter I had from Evangeline. It had been delivered to me right before I met with him but I figured I could wait until after to read it. But I knew inside the letter contained a picture of the dress Evangeline had picked out for me for the Yule Ball. The promised photo had finally arrived and I had been looking forward to putting together my outfit. She also mentioned I could use it to plan with my date - which I didn't have the heart to tell her I didn't have yet.

"Olive, are you going to stare at that letter all day or are you going to record the ingredients in a Wit-Sharpening Potion?"

Cedric snaps me out of my daze and I quickly try to think back to my most recent lecture with Snape.

"Um, ground scarab beetles, cut ginger roots, armadillo bile and...newt spleens?" I answer.

"Correct," Cedric says before picking up the letter from Evangeline. "Why don't you just open this now?"

"Because once I read it I'm going to be distracted."
"You already are distracted."

I sigh. "Inside this envelope holds top secret information that will require all of my attention."