Purple Hair Ties ♔ Draco Malfoy ♔

| twenty five |

" not friends, not enemies, just strangers with some memories "

The attacks seemed to stop after Christmas. People seemed to think the Heir of Slytherin had lost their nerve. They thought that because everyone was on high alert for another attack, the Heir had realized it was too risky to continue their attacks and stopped. Romy wasn't convinced. She thought that the Heir was just biding their time, waiting until everyone let their guards down. That's when they'd strike, and everyone would know that Hogwarts truly wasn't safe anymore. Unfortunately, there was nothing that could be done except wait for another attack to happen. But, just because the Heir wasn't going to attack anytime soon, it doesn't mean that something equally terrible wasn't brewing in the castle. Valentine's Day was approaching and it seemed like Lockhart had made it his personal mission to make her hate the dreaded holiday even more than she already did.

On the morning of February fourteenth, Romy entered the Great Hall and stopped dead in her tracks. The walls were covered in large pink flowers. Heart-shaped pink and red confetti was falling from the ceiling, making a mess everywhere. Tentatively, Romy approached the Slytherin table, sitting next to Millicent and Blaise. Not even trying to hide her disgust, she declared, "It looks like Venus and Cupid vomited everywhere."

Millicent furrowed her eyebrows. "Cupid? You mean the little baby with wings and love arrows?"

"No, the god of desire, affection and erotic love Cupid," Romy replied. "And he doesn't look like a cherub. He's actually really attractive. 'Course, I'm sure he could look like a cherub if he wanted to..."

Blaise interrupted their conversation, telling them to look at the teachers' table. What Romy saw was enough to make her vomit. Lockhart, wearing vivid pink robes to match the horrid decorations, was waving for silence. The teachers on either side of him were ashen-faced. From where Romy sat, she could see a prominent vein pulsating in McGonagall's forehead. Snape looked like he would rather drink the Draught of Living Death than be there, which wasn't exactly new, but the look was more intense than usual.

"Happy Valentine's Day!" Lockhart shouted. "And may I thank the forty-six people who have so far sent me cards!" The pink tint on Millicent's face as he said this told Romy that she was one of the forty-six, and she never felt more disappointed in her life. "Yes, I have taken the liberty of arranging this little surprise for you all—and it doesn't end here!"

He clapped his hands together and the doors to the entrance hall swung open. About a dozen surly-looking dwarfs marched inside. But they weren't just any dwarfs. Lockhart had them all wearing golden wings and carrying harps. "My friendly, card-carrying cupids!" Lockhart beamed. "They will be roving around the school today delivering your valentines! And the fun doesn't stop here! I'm sure my colleagues will want to enter into the spirit of the occasion! Why not ask Professor Snape to show you how to whip up a Love Potion! And while you're at it, Professor Flitwick knows more about Entrancing Enchantments than any wizard I've ever met, the sly old dog!" Professor Flitwick hid his face with his hands. Snape looked like he would poison anyone who dared ask him about Love Potions.

As Lockhart continued going on about the joys of Valentine's Day, Romy muttered, "If one of you could go ahead and start digging my own grave, that'd be great."

And, just as she suspected, the day went horribly. The dwarfs kept interrupting classes, handing out cards, giving musical Valentine's. She was sure that if one more person interrupted Snape's or McGonagall's class, their heads would literally explode. Romy had to keep dodging the fake cupids, too. Unfortunately, they kept finding her and the cheesy poems just kept piling up. On the bright side, she had received enough chocolate to last a month.

Currently, she was in the library, working on a Charms essay. Coiled up on the table was the snake that nearly attacked Justin in the Dueling Club. She decided to keep the snake, affectionately naming it Thaddeus, and often used it during Parseltongue lessons. Thaddeus normally stayed in her dorm, sleeping on her bed, but whenever Romy wanted people to leave her be, she'd bring the snake wherever she went. However, this didn't deter everyone. Draco Malfoy waltz up to her table, sitting across from her, only glancing at the snake once. The two of them hadn't spoken much since Christmas, Draco giving her space he thought she needed. And she appreciated it. Really, she did, but she also missed him. Not having someone to pester all the time got boring after a while.

"Hey," he said softly to her.

"Hey," she repeated, looking up from her homework.

"I can't believe you kept that," he said, eyeing the snake. Thaddeus began to slither towards the platinum blonde, who tried to casually lean away. Romy knew otherwise; she could see the fear in his eyes and she relished in it.

"Why? Thaddeus is just a lil baby!"

Draco cringed. "A lil baby that can kill."

"People could say the same about you or me."

"But it's not like either of us have killed!"

Romy stayed silent. He didn't know what she had to do at Camp Jupiter. He didn't know the horrors of being a demigod, constantly having to look over your shoulder, never knowing if you're actually safe or not. He didn't know what it was like to live by the mantra "kill or be killed". He grow up in a safe, stable home. He didn't have to face the decision of joining the ranks or mope around New Rome, falling victim to a shitty routine. He didn't understand what she went through to be promoted from probatio. Quietly, she murmured, "Yeah...never killed before."

A silence passed over them. Then, Draco asked, "Romy, are we still friends?"

Looking into his grey eyes, she found herself replying, "Of course we are."