Because I Love You (D.M)

Chapter 8: Study Session #1

"You're supposed crush it, can't you read, Nine?" Malfoy asked.

I re-read the instructions and grimaced at my mistake.

"I'm going to go with no," I said blushing and squishing it harder than necessary.

He just exhaled, clearly annoyed.

In the end, the potion came together perfectly. Somehow, Harry Potter managed to amaze Slughorn with his potion for what seemed the billionth time. We cleaned up just in time to be dismissed to Charms.

During Charms, Professor Flitwick had us working from the textbook and I observed him brushing over Malfoy like he didn't exist. Like he was fading into nothing.

"Davis, what did you get for questions one through thirty?" Zach asked pulling me back to reality.

"What? That's the entire assignment!" I hissed back.

"I know, so what did you get?"

"No."

"Please, Davis?" He asked trying to get a look at my parchment.

"You have a brain, why don't you use it," I suggested as I covered my own with my arms.

"It doesn't function well. I need assistance," he said poking me with the quill.

"You could always raise your hand and ask Flitwick," I suggested sarcastically.

"He's busy and you're right next to me, please?" Zach persisted.

"Wait for him to get un-busy then," I said blocking his view of what I was writing with the textbook.

"Un-busy isn't a word," he said through a chuckle.

"Here's a hint: read the question and answer it," I said gesturing toward the page.

"You're never going to be able to teach---" he started.

"Shush, he might hear you!" I whispered.

"Are you embarrassed? I can still put a stop to it, you know," he said clenching his hands into fists.

"There will be no death involved with this, got that?" I asked him pointedly.

"That's what you think," he said quietly.

"Hannah said the same thing. I'm not going to die," I said.

"I didn't mean you'd die, someone else might unexpectedly go missing or something," he said raising his hands in mock surrender.

"That's a start, what am I saying? No death, all right?"

"I can't promise that," Zach said as Professor Flitwick told us to pack up and head to our third period class which was Astronomy.

The remainder of the day dragged on and on for what seemed like ever. Though all four us ended up at dinner discussing the homework load and swapping the occasional bad pun.

That night in the Common Room, Zach and Hannah tried relentlessly to convince me to not go to the library tonight to help Malfoy.

"You couldn't even help me today during Charms, how are you supposed to help him?" Zach asked with raised eyebrows.

"I don't think Malfoy will be constantly poking me and begging shamelessly for the answers for a start," I said. "Plus you're just annoying."

"That's my job," he said winking.

"Really, don't go tonight!" Hannah interjected.

"Did any of you three see him today? The guy looked like he was about to drop dead from exhaustion. I doubt he'd have the strength to produce a curse or jinx," I said.