200 Points - A Draco Malfoy Story

Chapter 2

After supper, Luna and I walk arm in arm up to the entrance to the Ravenclaw common room. I'm so tired that I barely listen to the riddle provided, but Luna answers "the third one!" in her singsong voice, and the door to the tower swings open.

I breathe a sigh of contentment as I look around my favourite room in all of Hogwarts. I may be biased, but I truly believe that Ravenclaws have the best common room. Completely circular, with wide, arching windows, the tower overlooks the mountains and grounds below, for what seems like miles. It's the perfect place to curl up with a good book and escape the world for a little while.

Luna and I climb upstairs to our dormitory, which this year we share with Padma Patil and Mandy Brocklehurst. I bid them hello, but quickly change into my pyjamas and draw the curtains of my bed. I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.

*****

I awake to a feeling of someone watching me.

I open my eyes, and sure enough, my curtains are drawn back and Luna is staring at me.

"Luna! Just what do you think you're doing?" I exclaim, sitting up immediately. She tilts her head and looks at me with great interest.

"I had a dream about you last night, Marianna. It was most interesting," she replies, her tone simultaneously expressing concern and sobriety.

I feel a laugh bubbling in the back of my throat at the absurdness of a dream leading her to watch me sleep, but I pull myself together. I'm used to hearing about her cryptic dreams, but they're rarely about me.

"What was it, Luna?"

"Well, I was walking the grounds of Hogwarts, and something drew me to the woods. As I walked through, I began to hear the strangest language. It was whispering, of sorts, but urgent at the same time. I followed the noise as it got louder, and I realised it was Parseltongue, the language of the serpents. As I wandered deep in the woods, I came across a stream. I sat beside it, but as I was watching it, it began to turn red, like blood!"

I'm fully sitting upright in bed now, genuinely interested in how this dream would relate to me.

"Well," Luna continues, her eyes almost glassy in reflection, "I look up into a tree next to the river, and there sat a raven. Somehow, I knew the raven must be you. I called out to you, but you turned away, and suddenly I noticed that slithering up the tree was a massive snake. And you were the one speaking Parseltongue, to the snake! I tried to yell at you, to warn you to fly away, but you didn't listen! And the snake wrapped around you, and you did nothing to stop it!"

Luna paused, and I raised my eyebrows.

"So did the raven - did I die?" I ask.

Luna shook her head. "I couldn't see! Everything went black. I don't think that part of the story has been decided yet."

Her bright blue eyes pierced into mine.

"I think something big is going to happen to you this year, Marianna. Something that will change everything."

I feel a shiver down my spine. Why did this make me feel uneasy? I was used to Luna's vague predictions and revelations, but for some reason, this one stuck. Could her dream really mean something?

*****

I continue to ponder this as I get dressed, and on my way to class. My first class of the day is Divination.

I walk in, and grin as I notice Ron is in my class. I quickly sit down next to him and Seamus Finnigan. The actual class was extremely boring, but at least it takes my mind off of the dream.

The bell rings, and I gather up my things quickly. My next class was Herbology, which was all the way across the castle.

"Hey, Bane, I'll walk you to your next class," Ron exclaims, almost clumsily rising as I do.

"Oh Ron, you don't have to do that!" I protest, but deep down I feel little butterflies forming in my stomach. He wants to walk me to class?

Calm down Marianna, I think to myself. We're friends, remember?

"It's no trouble, really. It's on my way," he replies, and we head out the door.

"So, Bane, trying out for Quidditch this year?" Ron asks me, chuckling as we walk down the busy corridor.

"Ha, ha, very funny Weasley," I retort, rolling my eyes. It's an on going joke between us that I should join Quidditch, because of my inherent clumsiness and lack of understanding of all things regarding the complicated sport.

"Well," Ron adds, as we round a bend, "If you're not doing anything this Friday, you should come down and watch our game against Slytherin. We've got a great line up this year, it's bound to be a wild one."

He asks this in his usual, easygoing Ron way, but I sense a hint of something new in his voice. Could it be nerves? I quickly shake that thought away - I've known Ron for 6 years, and he's always been confident, sometimes overly so.

My cheeks flush slightly red.

"Sure, if I haven't got too much homework piled up, I'll definitely show up," I respond, a bit nervously.

Ron grins.

"Brilliant. See you then, Bane," he gives a little wave, and continues down the hall. I realise I'm at the door to my next class, so I wave back and duck into the greenhouse.

Surprisingly, I'm early. As I sit down at an empty seat and regather myself, a dart of movement draws my eyes back to the open door. My heart skips when I realise it's Ron again, turning back and quickly heading in the direction from which we'd just come from.

So this hadn't been on his way after all, I think to myself, dumbfounded.

This was beginning to seem like a little more than just a friendly gesture.

*****

Class is amazing. I've always loved Herbology, and Neville is in my class this year so it's nice to work with someone who shares my interests. We finish our replanting task with ease, far before anyone else is done.

"Oh god Neville, we really are house traitors, we should've been placed in Hufflepuff," I joke, feigning distress, and he lets out a quiet chuckle.

I smile to myself. Neville's always been quite shy and reserved, but that's why we get along so well.

Professor Sprout wanders over and peers at our freshly planted wolfsbane.

"Oh well done, very well done indeed," she remarks, and I beam with pride.

"Miss Bane, may I have a word at my desk please?" she motions for me to follow her, and I do so quizzically. She sits down, and I do the same.

"Now, as you and I both know, you are very gifted at Herbology. So is Longbottom. However, Longbottom is already studying under me part time, and truthfully has little time to spare. So I ask you, would you be willing to take some time over the next several weeks, or however long it takes, to tutor one of my students from another class?"

I think about it. I've never attempted to tutor another student, but how hard could it be? I could certainly spare the time to go over what I know with someone younger.

"Yes, I'd love to," I reply, "Is it a first year?"

Sprout shakes her head.

"It's actually a student in your year. He's failed Herbology twice now, and he needs the credit to graduate. Professor Snape asked me specifically to find a student to help. You may know him, Draco Malfoy?"