Interstellar || Draco Malfoy

9 || Premonitions and Dramatics

The start of my third year was filled with excitement and two new professors. Dumbledore had introduced Professor Lupin as the new Defense teacher, and Hagrid as the new Care of Magical Creatures professor. This change in staff earned a snide remark from Draco about "letting anyone teach these days," and I rolled my eyes at him.

Before the feast was over, Professor Snape approached me with the offer of extra lessons. This time, extra lessons would be taken up with Professor McGonagall, as I'd excelled in the subject she taught and requested harder transfigurations to try. I agreed to the extra classes, offering both professors a smile before heading down to the Slytherin common room.

During Divination, a subject I truly enjoyed, Professor Trelawney read the tea leaves of the one and only Harry Potter. His leaves foretold a dark fortune, portraying a grim- which signified death. Of course, in true Trelawney fashion, our divination professor was over the top about reading the loose tea leaves.

Meanwhile, I was forced to read Draco's leaves. His leaves portrayed a cross, signifying that Draco would be going through trials and suffering. He scoffed at my reading, and scoffed even more incredulously when Trelawney asked him to read my leaves.

Trelawney shook her head at Draco and scooped up my cup, frowning as she read the leaves. "Oh, you sweet child."

"What is it, professor?" I asked, leaning forward to catch a glimpse at my leaves. Instead of showing me what she'd seen, she shook the tea leaves and placed my cup back in front of me.

"Just..." She sighed, looking at me with wide eyes. "Be on the lookout for an unlikely obstacle, as it will lead to all the answers you hadn't known you wanted answered."

"Obstacle? What did you see, Malfoy?" I questioned the blonde boy across from me, desperate to understand.

"I just saw a clump of leaves." Draco shrugged, failing to mask the slight confusion on his face.

"Draco, please be serious." I pleaded.

"I saw a dog." Draco caved, his shoulders sagging.

"A dog?" I asked, ending up with more questions than answers.

"Yes, Littlesea." Draco confirmed, forcing an annoyed tone. "A dog."

The rest of class was spent in silence, as I racked my brain for a reason that an unlikely obstacle would be in my way.

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Opening up my Care of Magical Creatures textbook with ease, I stepped to the front of the group of children gathering around Hagrid. I was rereading the chapter on Unicorns, my favorite portion of the book, when Draco tapped my shoulder. I glanced over at him and then looked up at Hagrid, who was looking at me with an expectant glint in his eyes.

"Harry's just gotten back with the hippogriff." Draco told me, closing my textbook and taking it from my hands. "It's your turn."

"My turn, professor?" I asked, looking up at the half-giant.

"Meet Buckbeak!" Hagrid grinned, presenting the hippogriff to me. "All you nee-"

"I know what to do, professor." I hummed, approaching the hippogriff slowly. The majestic creature tilted his head at me, his beady eyes staring me down. I took a bow, lowering my body to the ground as my gaze flitted away from the hippogriff's calculating eyes. I heard heavy-set footfalls approach me, and then the beak of Buckbeak was below my eyeline.

I stood up slowly, approaching the now welcoming hippogriff. I gently ran my fingers through his feathers, smiling softly at Buckbeak.

"Well, you're just the sweetest, aren't you?" I cooed, mesmerised by the hippogriff.

"Buckbeak doesn't take to very many people, Miss Littlesea." Hagrid beamed. "However, he seems to have taken a liking to you."

"You're not very scary at all, are you?" Draco sneered, stomping over toward Buckbeak. I shook my head at him, gently stepping to the side as Buckbeak nudged me away from Draco. I sighed as Draco confidently stood before the hippogriff chest puffed out, eager to prove he was better than Harry.

As Buckbeak reared up on his back legs, I bit back a laugh. Buckbeak scratched at Draco, something meant to be a warning, but seemed detrimental to Draco. He fell onto his back, scrambling away from Buckbeak, crying about how the hippogriff had killed him. I gently coaxed Buckbeak away from Draco as Hagrid scooped the dramatic boy into his arms.

As Hagrid dismissed the class, I grabbed my things, along with Draco's, and followed the half-giant to the hospital wing.

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"Does it hurt terribly, Draco?" Pansy asked, fussing over Draco worse than Mrs. Weasley fussed over Ron. Draco sat at the Slytherin table in the Great Hall, surrounded by his minions and many of the girls from our house. Unfortunately, I was sat beside him- sandwiched between the overdramatic blond and Goyle- struggling to read a book over all the lovesick sighs. Even worse, I was receiving glares and slight shoves from the girls surrounding him. Little did they all know that I was already sat here before he, Crabbe, and Goyle cornered me.

"It comes and it goes." Draco replied, basking in the attention he was receiving. "Still, I consider myself lucky. According to Madam Pomfrey, another minute or two, and I could've lost my arm."

"That's not at all what she said." I scoffed, closing the book I had been struggling to read in annoyance.

"How would you know?" Pansy glared.

"I went with Hagrid to the hospital wing, not that it's any of your business. She said you would be fine in a day or two." I snapped, turning my glare to Draco.

"Nonetheless, my father has already filed a complaint against that oaf. He shouldn't even be allowed to teach." Draco huffed, earning more lovesick sighs from the girls surrounding him. I stood up from the bench shoving three girls from my path.

"Where are you going?" Goyle asked.

"You can't leave me here." Draco said lowly.

"I have extra lessons with Professor McGonagall, and then I'm headed to the library to finish my assigned readings for the year." I answered Goyle's question, turning away from the table.

"More lessons?" Draco questioned behind my back.

"She does need the extra help, what with her status and such." Pansy sneered, making me turn around.

"Actually, I'm studying next year's course work with Professor McGonagall, as I've already completed the next two years of potions with Professor Snape." I corrected the spiteful girl, turning back toward the door to the Great Hall. "Not that it matters to you."