The Girl In The Chamber // Draco Malfoy

Chapter 16 - Trying To Catch Smoke

With Draco no longer making a fuss about his injury in front of Serpensi she considered him back to normal. Pansy had given up on trying to get his sympathy as he had been paying her less attention lately. This was something  Serpensi wanted  to keep as the norm from now on.

It was a few days removed from the incident with Buckbeak, but this had not slowed the flow of girls both older and younger then Draco coming up to him at breakfast, lunch and dinner. They would always spurt rubbish like "Does it hurt terribly Draco?" and "When I heard you had been hurt my heart stopped for a minute. I am so glad you have told you father about that terrible beast." Serpensi got most  annoyed by two Gryffindor twins who it seemed made an effort to always walk past Draco together and say "Hi Draco" in perfect unison every time.

As they were making there way into the Great Hall for lunch, they passed a group of Gryffindor girls, Serpensi sighed as she heard one more time "Hi Draco" not being able to look at them anymore, she turned around to walk away and spotted Hermione Granger at the same time she spotted Serpensi. Hermione quickly but nervously went up to Serpensi and very politely said "I was really impressed by your 'Accio' charm. I thought it was really brave what you did." Draco drags her behind him in a protective manner "How dare you talk to her. You filthy little Mudblood." Serpensi shakes Draco off of her as she's had enough of his arrogance, looking confused she questions Draco "What did you just say?" "You heard me. She's a Mudblood." Looking stunned and conflicted, Serpensi is dragged away into the Great Hall for lunch. 

Serpensi sat there trying to gather her thoughts on Hermione Granger, she liked her but she knew she wasn't supposed too. Her thoughts where interrupted when the Greengrass sisters sat down on each side of her "You alright?" questioned the younger twin, Astoria "Yeh, just dosed off." A couple minutes into their quiet lunch, the whole of the Great Hall turned their heads in unison as they heard "He's been sighted! He's been sighted!" Their quiet lunch was ruined. Seeing the Gryffindors crowd round a newspaper Serpensi Accio'd one into her own hand for the Slytherins to read. "Duff Town?" said Daphne "That's not far from here." Finished off Astoria. "You don't think he'll come to Hogwarts, do you? With Dementors at every entrance." Says the insolent Pansy. Serpensi rolls her eyes at this as she mocks her "Really, hadn't noticed." Then proceeds to ignore her. "He's already slipped past them once. Who's too say he won't do it again." Said by the teasing voice of Draco Malfoy with the hand gestures he was doing earlier by the paddock. Serpensi nudged him in the ribs "Shut up." with a small smile on her face. Blaise decided to pipe up "Black could be anywhere." Looking round suspiciously, squinting and making eye contact with everyone. "It's like trying to catch smoke. It's like trying to catch smoke with your bare hands."

After lunch Serpensi pulled the Greengrass sister's aside to a corner in the Entrance Hall. "I just wanted to pull you guys aside and ask you something." The two sisters looked at each other and back at Serpensi, they both nodded their head and said "Yeh, sure. You know you can ask us anything." "Nothing's bothering you, is it?" asks the older Greengrass twin, sympathetically. "Not bothering me. Just wanted to ask you guys something." replied Serpensi cautiously. "Just had a question about m-muggleborns here at Hogwarts." "What about them?" questioned Daphne. "Just wanted to know what you think of them - do you like any of them?" They both looked at each other and blushed. "Well, there is one boy in the year above, Ravenclaw. I think it's Boot" "Not like that I mean." Serpensi cut them off before they started on a tangent. "I mean as people or friends." Again the two sisters looked at each other and said very warmly "Honestly with most of them you can't tell, unless they tell you."

Not completely lying, but not fully telling the truth Serpensi said "Yeh, I know what you mean. I've noticed it with that Granger girl." The twins both smiled as they said "Oh yeah. She's really nice and smart. But we don't like to mention in front of the boys and Pansy because they get a bit touchy with the subject, although Blaise is fine with it. Usually us three talk about it all the time." Serpensi let go of a breath she didn't know she was holding in. "I'm glad you guys feel the same." Serpensi couldn't fight back the smile she had on her face, she could tell that the twins could see how relived she was. They all started laughing hysterically.

After they wiped the tears from their eyes, someone pulled out their timetable. One of the Greengrass sisters said "Oh look. Professor Lupin today." the other sister continued "Oh, I do like him." "He's quite handsome, you know?" "Oh yeah, terribly." Those two seemed to forget Serpensi was there as they were wrapped up in their own little world, until she piped up. "No. No. Definitely not. I think he looks pathetic and too scruffy." They both looked at like she was stark staring bonkers "But thats the best bit." They both explained "It looks like he has a bit of animal in him." They continued. "Just stop. Before I throw up lunch." They all start laughing again "Let's make our way there." urged Serpensi "And see this 'animal'" she joked.