Dani Willows is a proud Ravenclaw and praises herself for her wit and eagerness to learn. So much so, that she can't stand when people know something that she doesn't. So far, she has always been one of the top students of Hogwarts, but that positio...
Helping Draco with schoolwork actually became a regular thing, even after Christmas break. I had expected him to throw me out of the Slytherin common room the minute our final study session had ended but there he was, not even a full day after classes had started again, waiting for me outside of the D.A.D.A. classroom. Without even thinking about it, I followed him into the dungeons. We both just ignored that our little deal of me helping him out had technically ended. Just like before, Draco would sneak me into his common room while everyone else was at dinner and we would try to finish our homework together. He would even help me from time to time. He made sure to sneak some dessert from lunch into the pockets of his robes so we wouldn't completely starve without eating. One time, we were sitting too close to the fire and his pockets had melted shut from all the chocolate! The house-elves working at the laundry weren't particularly happy about that little accident.
On this specific day, we had finished early, and everyone would still be at dinner for quite some time. We both knew I could just leave. After all, we were done with our homework, but Draco didn't say anything. He just pulled out a packet of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans and sat around the fire, gesturing for me to join him.
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"Ew! I got earthworm!" Draco spat into the bin, which was now filled with other grossly flavoured beans, like rotten egg, booger, and soap.
"What does that even taste like?" I asked, genuinely wondering how he could recognise the flavour so quickly.
"Like earth. And worms." He laughed, showing a smile I had come to know quite well now. "Come on, you take one."
I put the candy into my mouth but was struggling to place whatever I was tasting. It definitely wasn't a good flavour, but it tasted somewhat all right. I detected some notes of tomatoes and...were those meatballs? "I think I got spaghetti?!" I chortled.
"Is that even a good or bad flavour?" Draco asked. Our laughter was now echoing throughout the room, bouncing from wall to wall.
"Honestly, the best bad flavour I could have picked."
"Lucky you."
The laughter the common room had been filled with slowly started to fade out as we stared into the fire, a remnant of our fun time still detectable on both of our faces in the shape of a smile. The flames were reflecting onto Draco's platinum hair, which gave it a sort of ginger tone. He almost looked like a Weasley. I didn't dare mention that to him though or he would kick me out of the common room without a second thought. And to be quite honest, I wanted to stay here for a bit longer. I had grown somewhat attached to the place, considering it as my escape. In here, all I had to think about was schoolwork and, well, Draco. Even though he was still an obnoxious jerk from time to time, he had become this safe person in my mind, one that could get me out of this seemingly never-ending cycle of nightmares. Perhaps ignoring my problems wasn't the best strategy to deal with them, but it was a nice temporary fix. This room just felt so homely, which was a feeling I hadn't felt in a while, or rather, ever. I couldn't get it from my brother, or the foster family I was placed in during Summer holidays. And although I didn't expect for my sense of home to include dungeons, skulls, and giant squids swimming past the windows, I liked it here.
