The Songbird and The Viper

A Dull Affair

The birds outside were marveling at the world it seemed, their chatter penetrating even the thickest of stone walls of Hogwarts. The snow outside swirled against the windows as students made their way around to their final classes before their Christmas break. The sun refracted off the snow, shining brightly through the window in Johanna's room.

Draco's eyes opened slowly as he adjusted to the light. When he realized he was not in his dorm, he sat up quickly. The room was as he remembered the night before, but the fire had been smothered, only flecks of embers alight within the smoldered wood.

To the right of the fireplace, he saw Johanna asleep on the loveseat. She was curled into a ball with a single blanket, her hair in a wild mess around her head. He let out a small laugh, realizing he stole her bed when he passed out. He rubbed the back of his neck as he swung his legs over to the side of the bed.

Her room was cozy, not much for décor but it was filled with small tokens she collected while at Hogwarts. Wilted flowers hung over the fireplace, piles of books she borrowed from Hermione, assorted candies she managed to steal from Ron's packages from home, a scarf knitted from a Hufflepuff friend of hers, and small pictures in frames on a table. He pushed himself off the bed, padding as quietly as he could over to the table. His eyes scanned over the moving images of smiling faces. Most were of Johanna with other girls, hugging them close and laughing.

The farthest from them all was a group picture, he picked the frame up, squinting to find Johanna in the large group. It looked like a class photo, with the girls in front posed on their knees. Johanna was one of the girls in front, looking less gleeful than the others. When his eyes scanned over them, his stomach twisted. He recognized these girls as the ones in the studio from his nightmare. At the end of the row was the headwoman, her scowling expression permeating the picture.

That was impossible, wasn't it? He had to have been dreaming...

He quickly set it back down, startled by the sound of movement from the corner of the room. Johanna groaned, her arms extending above her head in a stretch.

"Malfoy?" Her voice was rough, her eyes struggling to open.

He turned away from the table, acting nonchalant, "I'm up."

"Oh..." She yawned, pushing herself up into a sitting position. Her eyes opened slightly, a lazy smile plastered her face, "Bed's comfy isn't it?"

He chuckled, "It really was. Slept great."

"No nightmares?"

"No nightmares," He smiled slightly.

She grinned at him, "I'm glad."

He sat down on the edge of her bed, head turning so he could see the whole room. She hummed, standing and walking over to him. She sat beside him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry I fell asleep here. I didn't mean to," He murmured.

She rolled her eyes, "Don't worry about it. I'm just glad you're safe. You really scared me last night. It must have been something awful to get you like that..."

He squeezed his eyes shut, a deep sigh expelled from within him, "I'm alright. It was just a stupid dream."

She masked her disappointment, holding back what she wanted to say to him. The entire night she barely slept, afraid of leaving him alone. When the sun began to rise, she finally let herself rest, restful in the knowledge that if he were awoken it would be in the comfort of the day. She let herself sit up, wrapping her blanket around her shoulders.

He sighed again, taking his turn resting his head on her shoulder. She pressed her cheek against the top of his head, staring off into space. He too began to get lost in his thoughts, unable to shake the image of her dancing. It was almost enough to push out the image of Voldemort. But his ears rang with his words.