"Alastor Moody." Defense Against the Dark Arts professor introduced himself, the same man who Blaise called alcoholic. He always used to drink from his flask, and always acted strange, "Ex Auror, unhappy about Ministry, and I'm here because Dumbledore asked me, end of the story." He said rapidly.
"He has the gift of synthesis." Josephine whispered to Pansy, seated next to her.
"Can any of you tell me about the Unforgavable Curses?" The professor asked.
"They're three, Sir." Hermione answered, promptly, "And they are called that because they are unforgavable. Casting of one of them-"
"Provides you a one-way ticket to Azkaban." The man sharply interrupted her, "The Ministry thinks you're too young for this, I don't agree. You need to be prepared for what you'll face." He was writing so quickly on the board that his words were incomprehensible, "Weasley!"
"Yes?" Ron's frightened eyes lifted up on the professor.
"What's the first curse?"
"Erm...my father told me about the Imperius Curse." He shyly stammered.
Professor Moody listened to his answer as he opened a glass jar and gently picked up the spider within it. He casted a spell in order to make the spider bigger, "Imperius." He uttered the curse and the spider started floating, following the directions that his wand commanded.
After playing a little, he put the spider on his palm, "Longbottom, right?" The professor said to Neville, seated in the first line, "Stand up." The boy obeyed, "Professor Sprout has told me you're good at Erbology."
"Yes," Neville stammered, "There's also the Cruciatus Curse."
"What did he say?" Josephine whispered, frowned.
"I didn't get it." Pansy shook her head.
Draco, seated next to Goyle in the line behind the two girls, noticed how Josephine's voice had turned weaker. What was wrong with her?
"Yes, yes! Come!" Moody said as he invited Neville to approach to his desk, and let the spider rest on a book, "Crucio!" He hissed, pointing his wand against the insect, which started twisting and letting out painful whimpers.
"Oh God-" Josephine mumbled, the right moment she heard the unbearable sounds caused by the spider's sorrow, and she started quivering and crying.
"What's going on with you, Jo?" Pansy gently placed a hand on her shoulder as she staring at her indecipherable look. She had never seen her like this before.
"Blake?" Draco whispered, leaning out over his desk to peer and see what was happening.
"Oh no-" Theodore's voice was heard behind them, "Shit-" He muttered as he abruptly snapped on feet before rushing to Josephine. He fell on his knees next to her, "Honey," His hand kindly stroke her hair. As soon as Josephine felt her best friend's warm hands, turned around to look at him. Her body trembled violently, her eyes full of tears.
"It's alright, I'm here. Breath with me." His hands held hers as he inhaled and exhaled to help her. Draco witnessed this scene with utter confusion. They had told him Josephine was sensitive, but he didn't think she was so much.
"Breathe, Jo." Theodore said, looking right into her eyes.
"I can't-" Josephine sobbed out, her heavy breaths.
"Yes, you can, just breathe with me." Theodore forced a kind smile as he slowly nodded.
"Stop it! Can't you see it's bothering them? Stop it!" Hermione yelled to the professor, at the end of her rope, as she saw Josephine and Neville's reactions.
"Love, please, breathe with me." Theodore begged. Josephine followed his breath little by little, and started soothing. The professor listened to Hermione and ceased the curse, making Neville relax, too.
"Are you okay, Jo?" Pansy whispered.
She nodded as the back of her hand wiped her wet cheecks, "Thank you, Teddy." Her arms wrapped his neck.
"You want to get some fresh air?" He asked, pushing his lips on her forehead.
"No, now I'm fine." She reassured him, his thumb stroke her skin. Theodore nodded and walked back to his desk.
That very afternoon, Draco did nothing but think of the panick attack which happened to Josephine. He never saw her again after that lesson. When he noticed she didn't even have lunch, he thought it was because she had most likely gone to her bedroom to rest or to paint.
He asked Theodore where she was, and he simply said that in moments like this she preferred staying alone. Despite Draco listened to him, he wanted to know where she was.
He had felt a strange feeling in his stomach as he watched her crying and trembling. He had never seen someone having a panick attack, and never expected her to suffer it.
Malfoy had always thought Josephine to be tough, strong and self-confident. Only in this way he realized that she had weaknesses, that she was sensitive. Even though they weren't close friends, he had felt his chest tightening as he saw her in that condition.
But why did he feel like this if they weren't even friends...or maybe they were?
Draco realized that Josephine and him never clarified it, they never discussed about it. Theorically, their relationship was based on a quite life, still he felt bad for her.
What was he thinking? His hand rushed through his blonde hair as he strolled towards the Black Lake, and once he got there, Draco spotted from afar the girl he was thinking of. She was seated on the stone next to his.
The corner of his lip slightly arched as he noticed her head low, but no notebook to draw and no canvas to paint were around, "You have recovered?" Draco asked, blocking his steps in front of her.
Josephine looked up, and when she saw it was Draco, her eyes rolled back before she focused back on her doings, "I resurrected thanks to your prayers, Don Freezer."
Draco fought to keep his lips still, to not let out the little chuckle he felt about to fleed. He slipped next to her, sitting on his rock, "No prayers for you." He answered coldly, "What's that?" His head nodded towards the book resting on her knees.
"Another thing you don't know about me, Malfoy." Josephine stopped writing to close her diary with the pen between the pages, "Not only I paint, but I write as well." She turned to face him.
"And what are you writing?" Draco raised an eyebrow.
"Thoughts, worries...it's very heplful, you should do the same." Her thoughtful eyes moved on the clear lake before them.
"So you still write the secret diary?" He mocked her a little, smirking sneeringly.
"It's not a secret diary, it's just a diary." She shrugged, "I've been using the same diary since..." She interrupted her words as her body stiffened.
"Since...?" Draco said, encouraging her to go ahead. His calm voice to not put her under pression.
"Since they gave it to me."
Draco understood that she wished him to not ask more, to not go further. He merely nodded, "Okay." He muttered. Josephine appreciated the fact he didn't ask more questions, she wasn't ready yet. Her gaze turned back on the lake, and after moments of silence Draco did the same.
"What are we, Blake?" He suddenly spatted.
Josephine's eyes slightly swinged open at his question, but didn't look away from the fluid and sooth water, "What do you mean?"
"I mean..." His tongue nervously licked his lips, "We wanted a truce and..." He paused briefly, "I was wondering-"
"I don't know." She cut him off.
Draco's head snapped to look at her, "You don't know what?"
"If we're friends or not." She read his mind, "But who cares if we don't know it?" Her shoulders shrugged as she noticed Draco's confused features, "I mean, let's let things develop without pression and labels. Let's just go on like this, then what will happen, will happen."
"You don't trust me yet, don't you?" He questioned, the pure seriousness in his voice and a pinch of sorrow in his eyes.
"In your opinion...should I?" Josephine smartly turned his question, putting his back against the wall.
Draco puffed out as he looked at her deeply, "I wish to know more about you." He confessed, his gentle tone, almost tender, as if his words could fly away with the wind.
Josephine stood shaken and didn't say a word, as she waited for him to go on.
"I don't want to ask you what happened this morning, but I hope you will talk to me about it soon or later." He said patiently before his palms pushed him off the rock to stand up, and then walked away, under her glad eyes.
"Malfoy-"
Draco's body froze and he smiled with satisfaction at her sweet voice. Then, he turned around to face the girl who had called him. Josephine showed a shining smile, a real smile, "Thank you." She muttered, so lowly that her voice could barely be heard, as if she was embarassed.
Draco happily yelled within him as he stared at her beautiful smile. He had been waiting for it for so long.
She caught him by surprise, he didn't expect it. In Josephine's eyes, what Draco had done meant so much to her, but he didn't grasp what was so special in his doings to deserve her bright smile, which made her eyes sparkle.
So, he merely nodded and smiled back at her, "Thanks to you, Blake." And went away.
__
"Jo-" Harry recalled the attention of the girl who was waiting for him.
"Hey, how are you?" She asked, utter concern in her voice.
"It could be better." He scoffed, "I'll compete unwillingly in a tournament where I might die, and Ron hates me." He said, scratching the back of his head.
"Why he hates you?" Josephine muttered, frowning.
"He thinks I lied, since my name has come out of the goblet." His eyes rolled, "He's my best friend and he expected me to tell him, but how can I talk to him about something I hadn't done?" Harry spoke quickly, lost in his nervousness.
"Didn't you explain that-"
Harry's wide open eyes flickered on hers with surprise, "Do you believe it wasn't me putting my name in the goblet?" He looked at her bewilderingly.
"Of course I do." She said firmly.
"At least you..." Harry sighed a relief breath and threw his arms around her, "It seems only you and Hermione believe me."
Josephine hugged him back to sooth him, and they both stayed in that position for a while untill they heard an applause coming from their back, "Congratulations, Blake." The hoarse voice caused Josephine to break their embrace as she turned around to face the blonde boy behind her.
"Malfoy." She sternly looked at him, her arms folded over her chest.
"I didn't expect this behaviour from you." Draco dangerously walked towards her, "I'd like to remind you that he is the one who took the piss out of us all."
"I see that your intellect hasn't developed so much." Harry snarled.
"At least I don't always look for an opportunity to be constantly in the spotlight, scarhead." Draco taunted him as he peered at him from head to toe, pure disdain on his face.
"Malfoy, let's go." Josephine ordered strictly, "See you, Harry." She politely said before walking away.
Draco's body didn't move in order to stare at the boy, "Things will turn funny." He chuckled sneeringly as his hands slipped into the pockets of his pants.
"Malfoy." The girl repetaed his name more harshly, waiting for him.
"I'm already laughing." Draco went on sneering as he backed up before spinning around and walking away with Josephine, "Garden?" He coldly asked. He couldn't bare the fact of her being Potter's friend.
"Black Lake." She stated, angrily, as her steps hastened.
"Do you need to write? I see you nervous."
"Exactly."
__
"I still wonder how you can be his friend." Draco shook his head unconsciously as he looked at the girl writing.
"What the hell you want?" Josephine snapped, abruptly, "You wanted to be his friend, too."
"Don't remind me." He looked away, disgusted by that memory.
"What happened, then? Refresh my memory." She teased him, grinning up his sleeve.
"Such a bitch..." Draco mumbled, more amused than annoyed, as she kept chuckling.
"Anyway, we have things in common and he also says that I'm funny." Josephine answered to his previous question.
"You?" His head snapped towards her, "You, funny?" He frowned, mocking her.
"Look, look..." The brunet raised an eyebrow against him, "You're the first laughing when I speak."
"I'm good at pretending." Draco shrugged. Josephine rolled her eyes and looked away from his as she closed her diary, "What are these things in common?"
"Oh...things." She muttered vaguely.
"State secrets?" He scoffed, finding the fact that she didn't even want to tell him their things in common - absurd. As if everything about her was impossible to be told.
"No, but I don't want to talk about it." She answered rapidly, making clear that she wasn't going to accept other questions.
Draco nodded slowly, "Is that because you don't trust me yet?"
Josephine's bitter eyes landed on his curious, and a little smile grew on her lips, "Enable me to tell you more about me."
"Oh I will, don't worry." He nodded again, quickly and confidently this time.
"Then, If I must wait for you, I'll tell you when you'll celebrate my funeral, Don."
Draco grunted, laughing. He couldn't hold it back, "No, a few months earlier." He followed her game, causing her to chuckle.
"I'd like to tell you a lot of things." Josephine sighed heavily, immediately catching Draco's attention, "But, still, I-"
"You need more time to open up." He finished her sentence, "I feel like that, too." He confessed, sadly.
Josephine nodded and smiled. Her reaction caused a slight smile to arch on Draco's lips, too. They looked at each other a few seconds, untill she snapped her fingers, and a canvas unexpectedly appeared in front of her, with colors and painbrushes.
Draco flinched because of the sudden appearance of her tools, "What's happening?" He observed her as she grabbed dark purple, indigo, green and grey.
"It's clear that we are going to wait before opening up utterly, and this means being patient, so this is the time for Passionflower." She explained, exctidely.
"Passionflower?" Draco frowned, confused, "What does it mean? Patience?"
"Exactly." She nodded as she combined the colors to find the right shades.
"Can I know how you know the meanings of flowers, of which I ignor their existence, or this is included in Passionflower package?"
"Aunt Maryam owns a fiorist, and she's passionate about flowers. She knows any specie of plants, any kind of flowers and their meanings. Shortly, a flowers scientist." Josephine chuckled, thinking of her aunt, "I learnt everything thanks to a book she gave to me when I was a child. The majority of flowers' meanings are written there. I learnt a lot of them by heart, not all of them, but..."
"So you are a gardener on a theoretical level." Draco summerized her speech, causing her a lively chuckle.
"Sort of." Josephine nodded as she smiled at him, and started painting under his interested and focused eyes.