IMPERIO // Draco Malfoy X Reader

Chapter 8: Defense Against The Dark Arts Class

You gazed out the window between the gap in Snape's curtains. You could just see the tips of the trees in the Forbidden Forest from here, and your eyes drifted between the different shades of orange and yellow. Autumn had truly taken a hold on Hogwarts, and the fatigue of the school year was truly starting to set in.

"...which would be used to primarily distract and incapacitate the threat." Snape drawled. "The jinx requires a certain level of concentration..."

You slipped out of the lesson again, now turning to your notes in front of you. You'd doodled a Snitch on the top of the parchment that was rather good, and you traced your finger over the drawing, thinking about the Quidditch match this weekend. Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw, so anyone could win... it was a shame Slytherin wasn't playing. You would have liked to see Draco's wind tousled hair again. Maybe you should start going to his practices...

You stopped that train of thought before it could get too far. You needed to stop.

Ever since that match against Hufflepuff, you couldn't stop seeing Draco in a different light. It was the little things that caught your attention, like how he would smirk when Blaise would make a joke, or how he would just casually drape himself across the nearest of his friends laps and expect them to pet his hair, like a spoiled prince. Or maybe it was the way he carried himself, head held high, as if daring anyone to even think they were better than him...

You stopped yourself again. You needed to get this under control, and quickly. You could already imagine the teasing you'd get from your friends - hell, you'd already seen it, when it had slipped out that Pansy had fancied Draco.

It had been incessant.

Every time she would so much have looked at Draco, Blaise or Lyre or Theo would smirk and say something under their breath, just loud enough for her to hear it. Pansy had gone bright red at every remark, hiding behind her bangs.

Granted, you had also been in fourteen at the time.

If anything, the teasing had only gotten more accurate with time.

"...most effective in a situation that doesn't depend entirely on your magical abilities." Snape continued on. "Not that any of you would be able to hold your own without your wands..."

You supposed you should be taking notes.

Paper rustled next to you, and you glanced over to see Lyre passing a little folded slip to her brother. Leo read the note discreetly, wrote something down and handed it back.

You caught Lyre's eye and raised an eyebrow in question.

Lyre ripped another strip off the bottom of her notes, quickly jotting something else down and handing it to you. You unfolded the paper, reading Lyre's thin handwriting.

letter from mum and dad

You looked over sympathetically. Lyre pressed her lips into a thin smile.

You knew how letters could be.

They were never outrightly angry, but reading between the lines... maybe disappointed was a better word. Your grades could always be better, and you could always be studying more, and why had you gotten detention last week? Were you not taking your schooling seriously? You had the family name to carry on after all, you'd best take this seriously.

You sighed to yourself.

Third year had been the worst for letters. It was the first year you had been able to go to Hogsmeade, and take an elective class. It seemed like everything had picked up all at once, and you'd gotten caught up in the excitement... but your grades had suffered for it. Those letters had been the worst.

Needless to say, you'd never let it happen again. Not that your parents had noticed. Or were appreciative.

It was better that way though. No news was good news, because good news was nonexistent.

You caught a familiar lump of anxiety settling in your stomach just thinking about getting a letter from home.

Maybe you should go back to daydreaming about Draco's hair instead...

"...preformed easily enough, if you were paying attention to the lesson." Snape said, a coldness settling on his face. "Which..."

He stalked forward, heading towards your row. The anxiety in your gut bloomed. He had seen you daydreaming. He had seen you passing notes to Lyre. He was going to give you a detention, and then you were going to get a letter from your parents-

"Mr. Nott!" Snape barked, stopping in front of Theo's seat.

Theo jerked out of his sleep, blearily looking up at his teacher.

"And just why..." Snape asked. "Do you think my class is a suitable place to nap?"

Theo at least had the sense to look regretful as he spoke. "Sorry sir... just dozed off."

Snape looked down the end of his nose, calculating. "Then you won't mind making it up with me in my office during detention."

Theo frowned. "Yes, sir."

Snape nodded curtly and headed back up to the front of the room, picking up the lesson where he'd left off.

The panic in your gut dissipated a little, and you leaned forward to look at Theo.

He was angrily staring out the window, arms crossed on his desk. Which was confusing... as Theo wore his detentions like battle scars normally.

You glanced at Leo.

"Quidditch practice." He mouthed.

Well that made more sense. Theo hated missing practice.

You turned back to your books in front of you, looking at the note you had taken. The page was covered more in doodles than in actual writing.

You glanced up at the board in the front of the room. Snape's loopy handwriting had detailed a layout of everything he had covered, and was still writing more as he spoke.

You looked back down at your paper.

You had a lot of catching up to do.