THE FOLLOWING WEEK, Elara was late to class.
It wasn't like she'd overslept. In fact, she'd barely been able to get any sleep the whole week and had ended up dragging herself out of bed at four in the morning out of pure frustration today.
"Where were you? You weren't in bed when we got up," hissed Indigo as Elara slipped into the seat next to her, ducking her head to avoid being seen by Professor Flitwick.
"I couldn't sleep," Elara mumbled, opening up her book. "I went to watch the sunrise."
"Home sick?" Indigo asked, softly, jotting down something Professor Flitwick had just said.
"I guess." Elara forced herself to tune out the thoughts that had been plaguing her since her conversation with Professor Snape yesterday evening. She had to focus on her classes. She'd deal with Malfoy later.
"Right! Now that we know the basics, let's start working on the Aqua Eructo charm!"
Just as the words left Professor Flitwick's lips, a sudden jet of water came blasting out of a nearby Gryffindor's wand, dousing the tiny professor from head to toe.
"Professor! I'm so - I didn't mean to - It just happened -" stuttered the alarmed Gryffindor, turning tomato red as the class burst into laughter.
Even Elara couldn't help the smile on her face as she watched the Charms professor blink twice in surprise before casting a drying charm on himself. "Right - well- let's try to avoid such mishaps -"
As if on cue, another burst of water flew across the room and hit him square in the chest. The class erupted once more as Josie Hill scurried over to the professor, close to tears. "I'm so sorry, Professor! I didn't mean to! I just said 'Aqua Eruc-"
"Don't!" yelled Professor Flitwick and Josie's lips clamped shut as the class giggled behind her.
"I don't want to be too presumptuous," drawled Stuart from the desk behind Elara and Indigo. "But I feel like we might get wet."
The next class was Defence Against the Dark Arts and Elara could feel the dread twist in her stomach as she and her friends trekked to the dungeon classroom. Not only was Snape the Professor this year but they also shared this class with Slytherin.
Snape and Malfoy. Just her luck.
"I'm not sure I cast the proper drying charm," Tracy said, wringing out her still damp hair. "My clothes are dry but my hair is still dripping."
"It's probably incomplete," Elara replied, "Stuart gave you a start while you were doing it, didn't he?" With a quick twirl of her wand, she dried Tracy's hair. "There."
"Thanks, El," her best friend replied, cheerfully, linking one arm through Elara's and the other through Indigo's. "Did you see Olivia this morning? I think Troy broke up with her."
"No way," gaped Stuart from beside Elara, "They'd been together for years."
"Since second year, wasn't it?" Elara asked. "What a waste. Imagine spending four years with someone just for them to dump you."
"That's not very romantic," Indigo piped up, her silky dark hair catching the dim light in the hallway. "I'm sure they made the best of the time they had."
Elara shook her head. "It just seems so pointless -"
"Oh, hush, Elara, you've dated some questionable creatures," chided Stuart, digging his elbow into her ribs. She whacked his arm away.
"Creatures? Plural? I've only ever had one boyfriend," she responded, indignantly.
Tracy clicked her tongue. "Now, now, don't you remember Andrew in first year?"
Elara groaned as her friends burst into laughter. "Please don't bring that up. I'm still mortified."
They passed into Snape's classroom and immediately quietened down. It was so cold and gloomy Elara shivered.
She took her seat next to Stuart and let the DADA book thud against the desk, displacing a layer of dust.
"Blimey," coughed Stuart, "doesn't Snape clean his classroom?"
"Is that you talking shit about the Head of our house, Banks?"
Both Elara and Stuart looked up to meet Blaise Zabini's dark eyes. He stood by their desk, a look of utter disdain plastered across his face as he looked them both up and down.
Elara raised a dark eyebrow. "Come now, Zabini. It should be obvious to even your lacking mind that this classroom is absolutely filthy."
Stuart's shoulders shook with silent laughter as Blaise's mouth turned down, his gaze turning dark. "The only filthy thing I see here is you, Jacobs." His lip curled. "But that should be expected, seeing as you spread your legs for anyone who even looks your way - "
Elara's blood curdled and she made to move before Draco's sharp voice cut in. "Blaise."
He was seated at the table at the back of the classroom, in the row next to Elara's desk. She hadn't noticed him when she'd walked in.
He was leaned back in his chair, one arm draped over the back of it, the other's elbow resting on the armrest. A perfect picture of nonchalance.
Not for the first time, Elara was struck by how beautiful he was with his silver eyes, straight nose and chiseled jaw. He radiated pureblood energy - he knew he was powerful and he reveled in it.
And yet, he'd chosen her to spend his time with for a year. Granted, they didn't talk much and they could only stand each other long enough for them both to climax - but it'd still been her, out of everyone.
But that was over now, Elara reminded herself, as Draco jerked his head to the side, telling Blaise to come.
Blaise looked like he wanted to say more but he could only give her another disgusted look before moving to sit next to Draco.
"Insufferable," muttered Stuart under his breath and Elara couldn't help but agree.
To her relief, Snape didn't so much as look at her as he explained how they'd be learning how to cast non-verbal spell today. She didn't think she'd be able to stop her face from reddening at the thought of Snape knowing about her and Draco.
"Each of you has to duel with every other student in the classroom before this class is over," Snape said, monotonously. "That way, you'll learn how to respond to people with different manners of casting spells. Please strain your miniscule brains and try to remember what I explained last lesson."
He cast a look over at Draco. "And no dark magic, please. I don't particularly want to clean blood off the floor again."
Elara and Indigo shared a look as Snape made them line up along the walls on opposite sides of the classroom, levitating all the furniture into the corner of the large room to make space.
"Quick, non-verbal spells. No Dark Magic. Go."
Elara tried to follow the instructions Snape had given for casting non-verbal spells. It required pure concentration and discipline was what he had said but nobody could seem to make anything more substantial than a wisp emit from the tips of their wands. Even the easiest spells wouldn't work.
After about five minutes of silence, Elara heard Draco sneer from the opposite side of the room. "I don't see how I'm supposed to learn anything when no one else seems to be able to cast a simple spell."
She glanced over at him; he was facing a fellow Slytherin who had his wand pointed at him. She recognised him as their Keeper in Quidditch, Kyle.
"No one else has got it either, Draco," grumbled his opponent, his eyebrows furrowing as he tried to concentrate.
Draco scoffed and flicked his wrist, his wand a blur. Kyle's wand went flying out of his hand and skittered across the floor.
The class gaped at him in awe.
"That was Expelliarmus," Draco snarled at Kyle. "It disarms your opponent. Or do I have to teach you that too?" His icy eyes glinted in the light.
"How did he do that?" Tracy whispered from next to Elara. "Even Hermione can't cast non verbal spells yet."
"Draco," Elara mused, watching as he twirled his wand in his slender fingers, still staring Kyle down, "is much more dangerous than Hermione."
She looked up and caught Professor Snape's eye from where he was standing by the door, hands clasped behind his back, surveying her with hawk eyes. She ducked her head.
"Change of plans," Snape drawled, striding into the middle of the room. "We will form pairs. You lot obviously aren't talented enough to cast a simple non-verbal spell."
Indigo rolled her eyes and muttered, "Maybe it's because you're not talented enough to teach -"
Stuart bumped his shoulder against hers to shut her up as Snape turned to face them. "Miss White, you can pair up with Miss Chang. Banks, you're with Zabini."
Stuart groaned under his breath but Snape silenced him with a sharp look. "Jacobs, you're with Malfoy."
Elara's heart seemed to thud to a stop as she stared at Snape who had the closest thing to a smirk on his face that she'd ever seen.
He moved down the line, pairing up people randomly.
"My condolences," Stuart grinned at Elara who shook her head.
"I feel like I should be giving you mine," she retorted, cheekily, glancing over at Blaise who seemed as annoyed to be paired up with Stuart.
Stuart shut his eyes, inhaling deeply. "Let's hope I can manage enough restraint not to tear him apart."
The knot of dread in Elara's stomach only tightened as her friends dispersed to find their partners. She couldn't bring herself to look at Draco but she could sense him move closer.
Her senses had gotten so finely attuned to him over the past year; she felt her heartbeat quicken with expectation just by feeling him near.
She tried to explain to her body that she wouldn't be having sex with him anytime soon - or ever again.
"Don't look so terrified, Jacobs. I'll make sure you don't bleed too much."
The cockiness in his voice made Elara's temper flare up.
"I can't make the same promise, Malfoy," she replied, coolly, meeting his eyes. It jolted something within her - they resembled a wolf hunting his prey.
"Get in position," Draco ordered, twirling his wand around the back of his hand and back into his palm.
"Which one?" The words slipped past her lips before she could register it, her tone cheeky. She hid the surprise on her own face and instead, smiled, slowly.
Draco's eyes darkened and he glanced around, quickly, making sure no one had heard. Luckily, the other students had managed to start casting spells with Snape's help and were all absorbed in their dueling.
"It was a joke, Malfoy." Elara pushed away strands of her dark hair that fell into her face. "What? You've never heard one before?"
"I don't see how it was a joke if it didn't make me laugh," he answered, dryly.
"You'll find you're excessively repugnant to be around, let alone make laugh," Elara scoffed, finally getting into dueling position.
Draco's mouth turned up in a smirk. "Touché, Jacobs."
She could feel Snape's eyes on them, burning into her skin and she inhaled, deeply, pointing her wand at Draco.
Expelliarmus.
She frowned in concentration, fixing her eyes on her wand in an attempt to get it to do something - anything. Now that she knew Draco was skilled in casting non-verbal spells, it put even more pressure on her to perform. She wasn't going to let him be better than her at anything.
"Come on, Jacobs." Draco was prepared to deflect any spell that came his way.
It flattered her to know he thought she'd be able to succeed - especially after seeing him so smug and nonchalant with Kyle a few moments earlier.
She tried to channel all her energy down her wrist and into her wand but nothing would produce the familiar tingle in her fingers that came alongside casting a spell.
"And here I was thinking that you'd actually be able to do it," Draco chuckled as her shoulders sagged and she dropped her hand. "You really are inept at everything, aren't you, Jacobs? Most people have a talent but you can't seem to do anything but..."
He didn't finish the sentence but she knew what he was implying and she felt the blood rush to her head. She was so sick of everyone implying she was a whore just because she'd had her fair share of guys - no more than what the other girls had had too. Why was everyone picking on her?
"Maybe you should drop out of Hogwarts," Draco went on, that smug smile on his face. "I'm sure you can get a job somewhere anyway. I know you can be very...persuasive."
Elara felt her nerve endings sizzle and it was just too much. After being practically jilted by him last week and Blaise's comment at the beginning of class, her temper had already been simmering beneath the surface - but now, with Draco's sarcastic jabs, it expanded and overflowed. Her wand hand jerked up and Expelliarmus!
The smirk slipped off Draco's face as his wand went flying out of his hand, tumbling to the floor and skittering a few metres away.
ELara refrained from jumping with joy and instead, twirled her wand just like Malfoy had done when he'd cast the very same spell on Kyle.
"It takes two to tango, Malfoy."