The Songbird and The Viper

The Academy

The autumn air was succumbing to the cold breath of winter, the trees shedding their leaves and blankets of snow cascading over the grounds. Draco trudged back to his room after suffering through a walk from the greenhouse with Pansy yapping on about nonsense and Zabini sulking. Goyle was all over Johanna, asking her about her newfound interest in Quidditch. Draco rolled his eyes when he heard her laugh at his joke.

Though the castle was decorated for the holidays, Draco felt nothing but cold as he stressed over his next few months at school. Not even Johanna had noticed his sudden shift after Katie Bell was cursed. Word spread like wildfire around the campus and he did his best to keep his head down, despite Harry constantly sticking his nose where it didn't belong.

And of course, Draco hadn't recovered from the first day of her training him. Everything she said, everything he felt, lingered in a tight ball in his chest. No matter how much he tried to brush it off and carry on as he had before, it lingered within him. He never discussed it with Johanna, fearing he might breakdown in front of her again. He shouldn't have done it in the first place, and he felt embarrassment choke him every time he even let the thought cross his mind.

He cursed under his breath as they continued on. He didn't have the energy to deal with them, not even the annoying thought in the back of his mind shouting at him to be closer to Johanna. Now was not the time to get tangled up in his feelings. He desperately tried to push them back, locking them in a cavern in his chest. He appreciated the emptiness.

When they approached the castle, he felt a warmth beside him. Johanna had caught up, taking advantage of Pansy's argument with Zabini. Johanna bumped his arm, faking a cough as she did.

"What?" He snapped.

"And I thought it was cold outside. Turns out it's just you," She grumbled, shoving her gloved fingers into the pockets of her robes.

"I'm not in the mood," He hissed, scratching at his forearm.

"I'm sorry. I just figured you might want to talk to someone about it. There's no need to be like that..." She frowned.

He sighed, trying not to give in to the overwhelming feeling of guilt that washed over him. He couldn't help but care for her. She was the only one who even bothered when he got like this. All these months they'd been together, and she was still willing to give him a chance. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from responding. She looked down at the snow as they walked, fiddling with something in her pocket.

"You're probably going to think this is stupid," She shook her head, trying a laugh, "Actually I know you'll think this is stupid but I think you need this more than I do..."

He let his head turn slightly, peeking at her from the corner of his eyes. She carefully pulled something from her pocket and closed her fist around it quickly.

"Hand please!" She chimed.

"Seriously?" He groaned.

She gave him a wide-eyed look, causing him to sigh and hold out a hand. She smiled, pressing something hard and cold into his palm. He raised an eyebrow at her, "What is it?"

"Open your hand, dummy."

When his fingers revealed it, he couldn't help but scoff. It was a rock, brightly colored ombres of pink and blue colliding within its translucent innards. She cocked her head to the side to see his reaction.

"I... Uh... I've had this for a while. I used it when I first got to my school. Had a particularly bad few weeks at the academy. It helps me when I'm having rough days. All you have to do is rub it and it's almost like magic!" She wiggled her fingers at him with a laugh.