IMPERIO // Draco Malfoy X Reader

Chapter 19: Potions Class, Hogwarts Dungeons

You dropped your bag on the Potions table and slid into your seat, smiling at Blaise. He tiredly smiled back, resting his head in the palm of his hand.

"You look like shit." You said, taking in the bags under his eyes.

Blaise smirked. "Thank you for noticing."

"Yeah, can't say I was expecting anything less than perfect from you." You said. You glanced over to the seat next to you. "Where's Malfoy?"

Blaise shrugged. "He wasn't in the dorm when I got up so I figured he was already at breakfast."

You thought back to breakfast, trying to remember if Malfoy had been there. You'd been a little preoccupied with hoping no letters came in the mail and pouring way too much syrup on your waffles.

"I don't think he was." You said.

Blaise shrugged again. "He's probably skipping then."

You glanced over at the door. No Malfoy. You were about to turn back around when you caught Harry Potter's eye. He was looking intently at Draco's seat, and then back down to  a piece of parchment on his desk, like there was some connection between the two.

You turned back to Blaise. "Potter keeps looking at us."

"When is Potter not looking at us?" Blaise deadpanned.

You laughed lightly, a familiar anxiety settling in the pits of your stomach. Something was up.

The chimes sounded and Slughorn am led into the room, looking too cheery for the first class of the day. He surveyed the students before him, zeroing in on Malfoys empty seat.

"No Mr. Malfoy today?" He asked, glancing at you and Blaise.

You nodded, making something up on the spot. "He said he wasn't feeling very well this morning-"

The door opened and Malfoy strolled in, looking... peaky. He quickly took his seat, not looking at you or Blaise.

Oh, Mr. Malfoy." Slughorn said. "Miss L/N just told me you weren't feeling that well..."

"I think I've got it all out of my system now, Professor." Draco said.

Slughorn looked over Malfoy's face again, taking in how pale and tired he looked. "That's... good."

He moved on with the lesson, seemingly satisfied with Malfoys excuse. "Today we'll be working on a rather tricky potion..."

Blaise looked Malfoy over. "Where were you this morning?"

"Wasn't feeling good." Malfoy said.

"Please." Blaise rolled his eyes. "If you were actually sick you would have been in bed complaining like a baby."

"Yeah, well I thought I'd spare you the gritty details of me vomiting in the loo." Draco said.

Blaise wasn't buying it however. "What were you doing? Potter was looking over here-"

"It's none of your business, alright?" Draco hissed.

"...you'll have the rest of the class to get as far as you can." Slughorn finished. "Page 513 of your books, and begin!"

The class flurried into motion, flipping open their books and lighting the fires under their cauldrons. You did the same, setting everything up before going to get the ingredients and supplies you would need to begin brewing.

When you got back to the table, Draco and Blaise were arguing again.

"Just let me be." Draco said. "It's nothing that concerns you anyway-"

"This isn't about your stupid secret mission, is it?" Blaise taunted. "You can't honestly believe anyone actually believes you're-"

"Just shut up about that already." Draco said. "We get it, you all think it's some big joke-"

"Oi." You butted in, pointing at the cauldron. "One of you start chopping up those mushroom caps."

Blaise rolled his eyes, but did as you asked.

You turned back to your open textbook, reading the next line of instructions. Stir counterclockwise...

You looked back up, and Blaise and Draco were shooting each other nasty looks as Blaise chopped up the mushroom caps into fine slices.

"Cmon." You said. "It's too early for this."

"I agree, it is a bit early to be sneaking around." Blaise said.

Draco scoffed. "Well, I think it was a bit early for you to be writing in bed at two in the morning."

Blaise's eyes narrowed. "You were asleep-"

"What were you even doing?" Draco interrupted. "I know it wasn't homework-"

"None of your business, that's what." Blaise said.

"Oh, so now it's none of my business?" Draco said. "How the tables turn-"

"Alright, you've made your point." Blaise said, shoving the mushroom slices back to you.

"No, I don't think I have." Draco said. "Why not share with the table what you were up to last night? I'm sure everyone is just dying to know, what was so important that you would sacrifice your beauty sleep?"

Blaise exhaled, amused. "You think I care about how I look?"

"No, I don't." Draco said. "But I know it bothers you that that's the only thing everyone else cares about, right? That's why you like Lyre so much. I hear you guys sometimes you know." Draco smirked, his voice taking a higher pitch to imitate Lyre. "You're so smart Blaise-"

"Shove off, alright?" Blaise gritted out.

"Poetry." Draco said, turning to you. "He writes poetry when he thinks no ones looking-"

"I said shove off." Blaise gritted out again, this time a little louder.

Draco fell silent, a self satisfied grin on his face. He'd got what he wanted - Blaise had dropped the subject of where he'd been. Now he wasn't even looking at Draco, suddenly focused on the potion.

You sighed, turning back to the task at hand as well. You knew they would be back to normal by their next class.

You added the mushroom slices to the cauldron, stirring counterclockwise. "Someone crush up those spider legs." You mandated, reading ahead in the textbook.

Blaise grabbed them before Draco could, and got to work grinding them up into a fine dust.

Draco leaned back in his seat, picking at the cuticles of his nailbeds. You took him in again while he wasn't looking - he really didn't look good. He was paler than usual, and there were dark circles under his eyes, like he'd been up since the early hours of the morning, stressed.

You turned back to the bubbling cauldron in front of you, not wanting to ask about it, lest you end up like Blaise.