Royals (Draco Malfoy x Reader)

Chapter 60

The Quibbler

Hermione and Ron had just left mere moments ago and I continued trudging through the train, finally arriving at the Slytherin Prefects compartment, I slid the door open and there sat, Draco I turned to Draco a genuine smile appearing on my face as I sat across from him, I enjoyed his company, when he wasn't being mean that is. He leaned closer to me bending over the table his lips brushing off my ear "you smell like smoke" he whispered and I thanked him, standing quickly. "I'm just going to use the bathroom, Draco could you make sure Dorian doesn't get out?" I question and he nods quickly.

I walk towards the bathroom and push the doors open, and there stood Cho crying her eyes out, I felt terrible and moved closer. "are you okay?" I questioned placing a hand on her shoulder and she nods, "why aren't you making fun of me?" she asked quietly and I laughed lightly "that's rather prejudiced don't you think? I'm not mean" I smile lightly over at her and she watches my every move. I placed my handbag on the sink and began going through it pulling out a bottle of perfume and dousing myself in it, it was silent Cho was just watching me. "Cedric spoke very highly of you" he voice cracked, "Cedric spoke highly about everyone" I smile sadly at the thought of the boy. "I know but he considered you a great person" she comments and I move towards her grabbing my bag. "I know he did Cho" I lay my right hand on her arm and she sends me a smile. "I hope we can be good friends (Name)" she speaks as I'm about to leave the bathroom, "as do I" I wave goodbye before walking the halls some more.

"It's really, really rare, Harry!" I heard Neville exclaim and I smiled lightly popping my head into the carriage "I don't know if there's one in the greenhouse at Hogwarts, even. I can't wait to show it to Professor Sprout. My great-uncle Algie got it for me in Assyria.I'm going to see if I can breed from it." he continued a smile on his face. "Oh Hi (Name)" he says noticing me, I wave lightly looking at the plant in the boy's hands. Neville's favourite subject was Herbology, but for the life of me, I could not see what he would want with this stunted little plant. I enter the carriage sitting beside Harry whos hand shoots to mine as soon as I sit. "Does it — er — do anything?" he asked."Loads of stuff!" said Neville proudly. "It's got an amazing defensive mechanism — hold Trevor for me. . . ."He dumped the toad into Harry's lap and took a quill from his schoolbag. Luna Lovegood's popping eyes appeared over the top of her upside-down magazine again, watching what Neville was doing. Neville held the Mimbulus mimbletonia up to his eyes, his tongue between his teeth, chose his spot and gave the plant a sharp prod with the tip of his quill. Liquid squirted from every boil on the plant, thick, stinking, dark green jets of it; they hit the ceiling, the windows, and spattered LunaLovegood's magazine. Ginny, who had flung her arms up in front of her face just in time, merely looked as though she was wearing a slimy green hat, but Harry, whose hands had been busy preventing the escape of Trevor, received a face full. It smelled like rancid manure. Neville, whose face and torso was also drenched, shook his head to get the worst out of his eyes." S-sorry," he gasped. "I haven't tried that before. . . . Didn't realize it would be quite so . . . Don't worry, though, Stinksap's not poisonous," he added nervously, as Harry spat a mouthful onto the floor, he had put himself in front of me ensuring none landed one me I laughed lightly at the scene of all my friends covered in green goop. At that precise moment the door of their compartment slid open."Oh . . . hello, Harry," said a nervous voice. "Um . . . bad time?"Harry wiped the lenses of his glasses with his Trevor-free hand. "Hi Cho" he smiled back and I studied the two, "Um . . ." said Cho. "Well . . . just thought I'd say hello . . . 'bye then."She closed the door again, rather pink in the face, and departed. Harry slumped back in his seat and we all began laughing at the green goop that everyone wore. I stood quickly "I've got to go back, I left like twenty minutes ago! Oh, My Merlin! I left Dorian with Malfoy!" I ran out of the compartment and back towards my own.

***

I decided to go back an hour later with all my stuff so I could sit with Harry, Luna, Ginny and Neville. I bided the three other prefects goodbye and began walking towards their compartment running into Hermione and Ron on my way. Ginny and Neville had finished their Pumpkin Pasties and were busy swapping Chocolate Frog cards when the compartment door slid open and we walked in, accompanied by Crookshanks, Dorian and a shrilly hooting Pigwidgeon in his cage." I'm starving," said Ron, stowing Pigwidgeon next to Hedwig, grabbing a Chocolate Frog from Harry and throwing himself into the seat next to Ginny. He ripped open the wrapper, bit off the Frog's head, and leaned back with his eyes closed as though he had had a very exhausting morning. "Well it's me and Draco for Slytherin prefects" I smile sitting beside Harry, "me and Ron for Gryffindor" Hermione added, "Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott," Ron said "And Anthony Goldstein and Padma Patil for Ravenclaw," saidHermione."You went to the Yule Ball with Padma Patil," said a vague voice. Everyone turned to look at Luna Lovegood, who was gazing unblinkingly at Ron over the top of The Quibbler. He swallowed his mouthful of Frog."Yeah, I know I did," he said, looking mildly surprised."She didn't enjoy it very much," Luna informed him. "She doesn't think you treated her very well, because you wouldn't dance with her. I don't think I'd have minded," she added thoughtfully, "I don't like dancing very much."She retreated behind The Quibbler again. Ron stared at the cover with his mouth hanging open for a few seconds, then looked around at Ginny for some kind of explanation, but Ginny had stuffed her knuckles in her mouth to stop herself giggling.

 Ron shook his head, bemused, then checked his watch. "We're supposed to patrol the corridors every so often," he told Harry and Neville, "and we can give out punishments if people are misbehaving." he finished and a sly smile appeared on my face, " I can't wait to get Crabbe and Goyle for something. " I add "me too!" Ron laughs "You're not supposed to abuse your position!" said Hermione sharply."Yeah, right, because Malfoy won't abuse it at all," said Ron sarcastically and I shot him a glare."So you're going to descend to his level?"No, I'm just going to make sure I get his mates before he gets mine."For heaven's sake, Ron —"  "I'll make Goyle do lines, it'll kill him, he hates writing," I said happily. Ron lowered his voice to Goyle's low grunt and, screwing up his face in a look of pained concentration, mimed writing in midair. "I . . .must . . . not . . . look . . . like . . . a . . . baboon's . . . backside. . . ."  Everyone laughed, but nobody laughed harder than Luna Lovegood. She let out a scream of mirth that caused Hedwig to wake up and flap her wings indignantly and Crookshanks and Dorian to leap up into the luggage rack, hissing. She laughed so hard that her magazine slipped out of her grasp, slid down her legs, and onto the floor."That was funny!"Her prominent eyes swam with tears as she gasped for breath, staring at Ron.  Utterly nonplussed, he looked around at the others, who were now laughing at the expression on Ron's face and at the ludicrously prolonged laughter of Luna Lovegood, who was rocking backwards and forward, clutching her sides."Are you taking the mickey?" said Ron, frowning at her." Baboon's . . . backside!" she choked, holding her ribs.

Everyone else was watching Luna laughing, but Harry, glancing at the magazine on the floor, noticed something that made him dive for it, I looked at him confused. Upside down it had been hard to tell what the picture on the front was, but I now realized it was a fairly bad cartoon of CorneliusFudge; I only recognized him because of the lime-green bowler hat. One of Fudge's hands was clenched around a bag of gold; the other hand was throttling a goblin. The cartoon was captioned: HowFar Will Fudge Go to Gain Gringotts?  Beneath this were listed the titles of other articles inside the magazine.CORRUPTION IN THE QUIDDITCH LEAGUE: How the Tornados Are Taking ControlSECRETS OF THE ANCIENT RUNES REVEALEDSIRIUS BLACK: Villain or Victim?"Can we have a look at this?" Harry asked Luna eagerly. She nodded, still gazing at Ron, breathless with laughter. 

Harry opened the magazine and I peered over his shoulder scanning the index Harry found the page and turned excitedly to the article. This too was illustrated by a rather bad cartoon; in fact, I would not have known it was supposed to be Sirius if it hadn't been captioned. Sirius was standing on a pile of human bones with his wand out. The headline on the article read: SIRIUS - Black As He's Painted? Notorious Mass Murderer OR Innocent Singing Sensation? 'For fourteen years Sirius Black has been believed guilty of the mass murder of twelve innocent Muggles and one wizard. Black's audacious escape from Azkaban two years ago has led to the widest manhunt ever conducted by the Ministry of Magic. None of us has ever questioned that he deserves to be recaptured and handed back to the dementors. BUT DOES HE? Startling new evidence has recently come to light that Sirius Black may not have committed the crimes for which he was sent to Azkaban. In fact, says DorisPurkiss, of 18 Acanthia Way, Little Norton, Black may not even have been present at the killings."What people don't realize is that Sirius Black is a false name," says Mrs Purkiss. "The man people believe to be Sirius Black is actually Stubby Boardman, lead singer of the popular singing group The Hobgoblins, who retired from public life after being struck in the ear by a turnip at a concert in Little Norton Church Hall nearly fifteen years ago. I recognized him the moment I saw his picture in the paper. Now, Stubby couldn't possibly have committed those crimes, because on the day in question he happened to be enjoying a romantic candlelit dinner with me. I have written to the Minister of Magic and am expecting him to give Stubby, alias Sirius, a full pardon any day now' 

I read over the page in disbelief  Perhaps it was a joke, I thought, perhaps the magazine often printed spoof items. He flicked back a few pages and found the piece on Fudge, at this point I was bored reading the magazine and turned my attention to Dorian who laid on my lap.