Royals (Draco Malfoy x Reader)

Chapter 64

They then spent more than an hour reviewing Summoning Charms, which according to Professor Flitwick were bound to come up in their O.W.L., and he rounded off the lesson by setting them their largest amount of Charms homework ever. 

It was the same, if not worse, in Transfiguration."You cannot pass an O.W.L.," said Professor McGonagall grimly," without serious application, practice, and study. I see no reason why everybody in this class should not achieve an O.W.L. in Transfigurationas long as they put in the work." Neville made a sad little disbelieving noise. "Yes, you too, Longbottom," said Professor McGonagall."There's nothing wrong with your work except lack of confidence. So. . . today we are starting Vanishing Spells. These are easier than Conjuring Spells, which you would not usually attempt until N.E.W.T.level, but they are still among the most difficult magic you will be tested on in your O.W.L."She was quite right;  almost everyone found the Vanishing Spells horribly difficult. By the end of a double period, neither Harry nor Ron had managed to vanish the snails on which they were practising, though Ron said hopefully that he thought his looked a bit paler. 

Hermione and I, on the other hand, successfully vanished her snail on the third attempt and me on my first, earning her a ten-point bonus for Gryffindor and fifteen for Slytherin from Professor McGonagall. We were the only person not given homework; everybody else was told to practice the spell overnight, ready for a fresh attempt on their snails the following afternoon. 

***

The day had become cool and breezy, and, as they walked down the sloping lawn toward Hagrid's cabin on the edge of the forbidden forest, they felt the occasional drop of rain on their faces. Professor Grubbly-Plank stood waiting for the class some ten yards from Hagrid's front door, a long trestle table in front of her laden with many twigs. As Harry Ron and I reached her, a loud shout of laughter sounded behind us; turning, there walked Draco striding toward them, surrounded by his usual gang of Slytherin cronies. He had clearly just said something highly amusing, because Crabbe, Goyle, Pansy Parkinson and the rest continued to snigger heartily as they gathered around the trestle table. Judging by the fact that all of them kept looking over at Harry, I was able to guess the subject of the joke without too much difficulty. I grabbed his hand and squeezed it lightly in reassurance.  

"Everyone here?" barked Professor Grubbly-Plank, once all the Slytherins and Gryffindors had arrived. "Let's crack on then — who can tell me what these things are called?"She indicated the heap of twigs in front of her. Hermione's hand shot into the air. Behind her back, Malfoy did a buck-toothed imitation of her jumping up and down in eagerness to answer a question. Pansy Parkinson gave a shriek of laughter that turned almost at once into a scream, as the twigs on the table leapt into the air and revealed themselves to be what looked like tiny pixieish creatures made of wood, each with knobbly brown arms and legs, two twiglike fingers at the end of each hand, and a funny, flat, barklike face in which a pair of beetle-brown eyes glittered. "Oooooh!" said Parvati and Lavender, thoroughly irritating me: Anyone would have thought that Hagrid never showed them impressive creatures; admittedly the flobberworms had been a bit dull, but the salamanders and hippogriffs had been interesting enough, and the Blast-Ended Skrewts perhaps too much so." Kindly keep your voices down, girls!" said Professor GrubblyPlank sharply, scattering a handful of what looked like brown rice. the stick-creatures, who immediately fell upon the food."So — anyone knows the names of these creatures? Miss Granger?" Bowtruckles," said Hermione. "They're tree-guardians, usually live in wand-trees."Five points for Gryffindor," said Professor Grubbly-Plank. "Yes, these are bowtruckles and, as Miss Granger rightly says, they generally live in trees whose wood is of wand quality. Anybody know what they eat?"Woodlice," I said quickly promptly,  "But fairy eggs if they can get them." I finished and the professor smiled "yes well done! 10 points to Slytherin!" 

***

The day had flown by rather quickly and Hermione had convinced me to tell harry about my new 'death eater' role after his detention.  I waited down the hall from where Harry was doing his detention whispering about what I had to say to him. I heard Umbridge's door slam shut and I tried to pluck up enough courage to spit out the rehearsed lines. He stormed angrily down the hall towards me "Harry!" I called out and he spun around angrily his gaze softening when he saw me. I reached for his hand and he recoiled in pain "what happened Harry?" I asked and he shook his head "nothing" I grabbed his wrist and forced his arm into y eye view, it was rather disgusting, Umbridge had made Harry carve out into his arm 'I must not tell lies' I gasped and pulled him closer hugging him. Maybe tonight wasn't the night to tell him.