As always, the first week of Hogwarts was interesting.
First, Professor Snape had gotten the role of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Many students had decided not to continue with Potions just to get away from the man, so it was evident that no one was happy about the change.
Professor Slughorn was the new Potions professor, and he was already making new changes. He accepted more levels of students in his advanced classes, and he created what he called the 'Slug Club'. His first meeting on the train had left Harry wanting nothing to do with the man. As he complained to Claire, Slughorn cared more about who could get him fifteen minutes of fame than about being a professor. Blaise was the only of the quartet who had been invited, which made Theo and Draco upset. Claire had to hear them whine for days until Blaise told them that he didn't care for the man and didn't plan on going to any more meetings.
"Blaise, I'm being completely serious. Kill me now."
"Theo, I cannot express how much I wish I could do that, but Claire would get mad and put me in detention."
Theo looked at Claire, who nodded solemnly. Theo let out a wail and then put his head on Blaise's shoulder, who pushed him off. Theo bumped into Draco, who shoved him right back. Theo wailed once more as he fell onto the ground.
"I'm going to put all of you in detention!" Claire threatened. Blaise and Theo jokingly begged to be spared while Draco just winked at her. The girl rolled her eyes and entered the Potions room, sitting next to Hermione in the basically empty first row. The three boys sat behind them, immediately starting to joke around and make bets about the new professor.
"She should be here," Hermione whispered. Claire frowned and nodded, lightly squeezing the girl's hand. Draco leaned forward and put a Hershey's bar on the desk. Claire furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and turned to see him wink at her. Hermione muttered a thank you and the frown that had plagued her turned into a smile for just a moment.
Professor Slughorn came into the room not long after, carrying three different cauldrons with him. Claire scrunched up her nose at the first one, while the second one made her smile. When she got a whiff of the third one, time seemed to freeze. She couldn't hear Slughorn as he talked and she barely noticed Harry and Ron coming into the room. All she could pay attention to was the smell of Draco's cologne, leather jackets, fresh parchment, broom cleaner, and a cologne that she had forced herself to stop liking months ago.
She was only brought back to reality when a sudden pain went through her head. She grasped at Hermione's hand and then looked to see Ron and Harry fighting over a book. Hermione leaned over a little.
"Don't let Harry use that book," Claire hissed. Hermione furrowed her eyebrows but nodded. The girl tried to grab the book but Slughorn started opening the cauldrons. Claire started gagging when he opened the first one and the aroma reached her.
"Ah, Miss. Lupin. I see you did inherit some werewolf traits," Professor Slughorn announced when he noticed her discomfort. "You have a keen sense of smell. That revolt you feel is from the silver in this potion, the Draught of Living Death. The muggles believe that silver is the only thing that can kill a werewolf, which is false. However, it can make werewolves quite sick and the smell is said to be almost painful. Your mother almost passed out when I showed her this potion."
"Why don't you close the lid, professor?" Draco spoke up. Slughorn seemed to pay attention and saw that Claire was about to pass out herself. She felt lightheaded and sweaty, and her vision was swimming. The smell was so horrid that she had hid her nose in her elbow, which helped when she kept coughing at the stench.
"Oh, yes, yes," Slughorn said, hurrying to close the cauldron. "This one is quite dangerous as well. One drop and any student would be put into a deep sleep that can only be reversed by the counterserum. For Miss. Lupin, it might just kill her."
Claire let Hermione rub her back as she coughed some more, trying to get the horrible smell out of her nose. Luckily for her, Slughorn opened the last cauldron and the comforting scent washed over her. She felt like she was right at home, sitting on the floor and cleaning her broom with Harry while Sirius helped Remus write his novel that he started over the summer.
"Amortentia," Slughorn explained. He closed the lid with a loud clang, making the students frown. Claire fought to not turn around and look at Draco.
"Love potion," Hermione said softly, her eyes glossy. Slughorn nodded and started explaining the last potion, but Claire tuned him out and tried to get Hermione to think of something other than Daphne.
"Don't you want to win the Felix Felicis?" Claire asked once the class had all started to work. Hermione sniffled and nodded before jumping right into the potion. As they all learned rather quickly, making Felix Felicis wasn't as easy as taking the luck potion. Harry was the only one not struggling, which made Claire frown. She had a bad feeling anytime she looked at the book. Hermione also looked upset that Harry was doing better than her, making the girl groan and complain that he was cheating.
"It's the Half-Blood Prince, not me!" Harry explained, showing the two girls and Ron the name in the front of the book.
"Please, don't use this book," Claire begged.
"I'll be fine," Harry assured her, going back to his potion. Claire sighed and basically gave up on her potion, letting it sit in the cauldron. It was black instead of clear, and it smelled like mustard. Slughorn gave her a disappointed look when he passed, but Harry was the star pupil. He won a vial of luck potion in the end, looking quite proud of himself.
But Claire knew that there was nothing lucky about that book.
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Regulus was too smart for his age.
He had been right about grief. Somedays the grief was so bad that Claire could barely get out of bed. Others she barely thought about Daphne. She missed her friend everyday, but the stabbing pain had gone to a dull throb.
The older Slytherins all knew what had happened, and the younger ones had an idea. The common room was full of whispers about Voldemort and Daphne, and people were starting to seriously pick sides. Most Slytherins constantly wore long sleeves, but Claire could see the ends of tattoos marking them the enemy. Blaise and Theo were still clean, but the many letters they got seemed to indicate that it was only a matter of time before they were forced to fight.
"I'm going on patrol early," Claire sighed, slamming her book shut and rubbing her eyes. The Slytherins all continued to watch her as they had been doing since she first got onto the train. It was a constant surveillance, even when she was asleep. Millicent had accidentally fallen asleep in her chair, staring right at Claire with her wand held tight. Claire didn't know if she was being protected or being held prisoner, but she turned towards the latter.
"I'll go with you," Draco said. The students behind him were talking about how much their arm itched now, and they were all tired of hearing about it. Blaise and Theo barely waved goodbye, their eyes trained on the letters from their parents.
Draco and Claire were mostly silent as they walked the halls. Dinner passed but they didn't go to the Great Hall.
"Do you want some apple?" Draco asked suddenly. Claire grinned at him and then let out a chuckle. Draco frowned and looked confused. "What? I like apples. That's not a crime."
"Sometimes I think you like apples more than me," Claire teased. Draco rolled his eyes and pulled a green apple out of his pocket, breaking it in half with his hands. He handed the girl her half and then used a Slytherin green handkerchief to wipe away the juice. Claire watched his hands and then blushed. They walked in silence, trying not to pay attention to the portraits who followed them as they walked.
"What's your middle name?" Draco questioned
"Claire Alina Nova Lupin."
"Alina. I like it," Draco nodded. Claire smiled and then cleared her throat.
"Thanks for earlier. With Slughorn and the potion."
"What was I supposed to do? Let you suffer? You're my g...my best friend."
Claire noticed that Draco tensed up a little at what he said and shoved his hands in his pockets. Claire blushed and then hesitantly started walking closer so their shoulders were brushing. Draco noticed and let his hand fall out of his pocket, their pinkies interlocking. Claire thought her heart was going to explode or she was going to puke when he fully interlocked their hands, the two of them enjoying the new feeling until voices interrupted them.
"Oh...we're going to get caught."
"Only if you keep being so loud."
The two prefects grimaced and shared a disgusted look before walking down the hallway. The sound of their footsteps made the other teens go silent other than heavy pants and shuffling. The prefects walked down to the end of the hallway to see two fourth years in a corner together, both of them pulling on their shirts. Claire looked anywhere but at the two, who were rushing out excuses.
"Detention tomorrow. Go straight to your common room or it'll be detention for a whole month," Draco threatened. The Hufflepuffs nodded and ran, the boy looking extra uncomfortable.
"That was interesting," Claire noted when the two teens had ran off. Draco scoffed and nodded and kept walking. They reached an open-air hallway that let a light breeze rush over them, the moonlight highlighting their features. Claire felt the butterflies in her stomach go crazy when she looked at Draco's lips and how pink they looked in the moonlight.
"I just don't understand," Draco admitted. "They're fourth years. I'm a sixth year and would never even think of doing that."
"You mean that you and Pansy never did that in a hallway?" Claire teased, stopping in the middle of the hallway to smile at him.
"I never wanted to be with Pansy. I never even kissed her," Draco said sheepishly. "But what about you and Leo? He was all over you."
"He tried, but I never let him. I guess I knew he wasn't right for me."
Draco shocked her by pulling her into his chest, one of his arms wrapping around her waist while the other brushed a piece of hair away from her face before cupping her jaw. Claire's breath got caught in her throat and she grasped the front of his shirt to steady herself before leaving her hands on his chest. She could feel that his heart was beating just as fast as hers.
"How will you know?"
Their noses brushed and Claire felt like she could pass out.
"I guess you just do," Claire whispered, pulling his face towards hers. They looked at each other, knowing that they were about to cross a line that they had wanted to for so long, but had both been too scared. They were closer than ever and all they needed was a push.
"My peace, my light, my love."
It felt sinful.
It was sinful.
Years of longing turned something soft and innocent into something much more in no time. Their inexperience didn't matter because it was like they had been made for each other, their bodies and lips moving together. Claire felt like she was no longer different from everyone.
Draco grabbed the back of her head and pulled her closer, and she reciprocated by grabbing the ends of his hair while her other grasped at his shirt, wrinkling the expensive material. She gasped as his lips went down her throat, marking her as his own. She cupped his jaw and pulled his lips back onto hers, enjoying the way his hands grabbed her waist. She felt like she could collapse, so she didn't argue when his arms went lower, tapping her thighs. She jumped up and wrapped her legs around his waist, gasping when her back hit the wall.
Draco smiled at her and she gently grabbed his face, pulling him into a gentle kiss. One arm was supporting her while the other held her face. Claire clung to his shirt and the back of his neck, wanting him as close as possible.
"We're going to get caught," Claire gasped when Draco released her lips to kiss down her neck again.
"Good," Draco growled, somehow pulling her even closer.
"Draco," Claire breathed when he found a spot on her neck that made her whole body shudder. She grinned when he shuddered, connecting their lips. It felt like oxygen, and she didn't know how she had lived for so long without this feeling.
"My love," Draco gasped when Claire started trailing kisses down his throat, leaving her own mark.
Claire grinned and pulled his face to hers, finding her oxygen once more.