The Malfoy Girl

Spells in the Study

Although Priscilla wasn't an avid reader, she always appreciated the library's quiet and serene setting.

Whenever she was feeling lost or her head felt too crowded, she always headed to the library.

So there she was, Hydrangea seated next to her, as they studied for their upcoming potions exam.

A quiet sigh broke the silence next to Priscilla. She turned to her friend, who cradled her head in her hands. "I'm so failing this exam, my mum's gonna have a fit." She whined, throwing her head back.

"Pish posh," Priscilla hushed, "you always say that and you always pass." Starting to tune out her friend's complaining as she went on another rant about her Head of House, she brought a finger to her tongue before flipping the page of her book.

"It's like he wants everyone who's not Slytherin to be miserable!" She wailed, getting hushed by the person next to her. Then she looked at Priscilla and winced, "No offense."

The girl simply threw a dismissive wave of her hand in her direction. "No, you're right. I can't really complain though, he usually lets me off of the hook of detention."

Hydrangea rolled her eyes, "Yeah, remember when you helped Fred and George pull off that one prank? With the puking pastilles?" She giggled, covering her mouth.

Priscilla couldn't help the small smile that tugged at the corners off her lips as she recalled the adventure.

Her friend kept laughing, "He made them scrub cauldrons for a week, but he didn't give you anything." Priscilla observed the dimples that sat in her dark skin as her laugh dropped to a small chuckle. Then she turned to Priscilla, "But you still went, didn't you? I feel like I remember walking in on you three scrubbing cauldrons together."

Blinking, the smile on Priscilla's face dropped. She licked her lips, staring down at the oak desk in front of her. "Yeah. I never let them do detention alone." She whispered.

As a moment of silence passed over them, Hydrangea searched her friend's face for a sign of the emotion she was feeling. She opened her mouth, trying to think of the right thing to say in the moment.

Just then, Priscilla happened to glance up, through a a slot in the bookcase and across the library. The dead giveaway of bright orange hair glowed across the room. As he turned around, Priscilla recognized the figure as George but felt no more at ease. Fred likely told his twin about their encounter, and now George was likely to disdain her.

But before either could act, a voice interrupted Priscilla's thoughts.

"Excuse me, Priscilla?"

She glanced up to see a head of shaggy brown hair and bright eyes behind round specs looking at her.

At she recognized the boy, she stood to meet him in the shallow passageway. "Harry. It's good to see you, how are you doing in your classes?" She asked politely.

"Actually," he raised a hand to push his glasses back up his nose, "That's what I wanted to ask you about. Fred says you're really talented at transfiguration."

At this, Priscilla jolted a bit. She was shocked that Fred would recommend her, to the most famous boy at her school of all people, for help with a class. "Oh, yeah, sure. Fred said that?" She blurted, barely even realizing it until it came out of her mouth.

"Oh sure," Harry replied, "He wouldn't stop talking about you. Said you were a natural, that you ought to be an auror." He told her with a kind smile.

The girl felt a light blush dust across her face, and she couldn't contain her small smile. "Well, that's...kind." Her face falling a bit, Priscilla wondered again why he was speaking so highly of her after the snapped at him so angrily.