Your Love Is Mine For The Taking

Chapter 8

The four had finished their breakfast quickly, making it over to the North Tower, climbing the ladder to the divination classroom. The familiar pungent smell of perfume stung Vanessa's sensitive nostrils, her eyes watering as she took her place on a large purple pouf closest to the small window. Professor Trelawney's classroom was always stifling and she would rarely open the window so much as a fraction.
Vanessa often found herself sweating a small bit before class was over, that was the only downfall to Divination. Not the subject itself. The subject was rather amusing for her, it gave her several opportunities to exercise her improvisation skills. But Vanessa wasn't exactly in the mood to read any tea leaves or evaluate any dreams, her tired eyes were aching for at least twenty minutes of rest and the harsh perfume stinging her eyes wasn't making it any easier to keep them open. Just before she fully shut her eyes, she caught sight of Trelawney entering the classroom. Her many dangling necklaces and bangles clanging as she walked, her large bug eyes examining the class excitedly.

"I'm very much looking forward to the holidays. I forgot how hot her classroom can get." said Astoria as she popped the front of her shirt back and forth, giving her neck a little air. Outside it was not anymore forgiving, the beaming orb radiated its soft kisses of sunlight down on them and there wasn't a trace of a cloud or breeze for miles. Naturally, the four were happily treading down to the always cold Potions classroom. The thought of sitting in Snape's classroom for double potions didn't sound so bad after Divination.
Both Vanessa and Daphne rested their heads against the cool, stone walls of the dungeons, the flush dying away from their faces. The three ushered quickly inside, Vanessa took her seat next to Astoria and straight across from Hermione. Vanessa quietly thanked God that she was no where near Neville, last year a potion of his was so toxic and acidic that it burned a whole through Vanessa's cauldron. She quickly pulled out her copy of Advanced Potion Makings: Year Five, taking out her quill and ink as well. Just as she did this she felt the swift swish of a billowing cloak pass her and she knew she did so just in time.
Professor Snape stood before the class, his overly large black cloak giving him the appearance of an oversized bat. He looked highly annoyed to be there teaching. "In preparation for your Ordinary Wizarding Level: A Peace Draught, a potion to calm anxiety and lift agitation, will come about. Be warned: If you are too heavy-handed with the ingredients you will put the drinker into a heavy and sometimes irreversible sleep." he drawled lazily, Hermione was sitting stiff straight with the utmost attentiveness. "Also we will have someone from the Ministry watching over your potion making, Mr. Malfoy," Several people, including Vanessa turned to face the large door behind the rows of desks. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of him. Lucius Malfoy, his nose in the air, his blonde hair falling over his shoulders, stood in the doorway. His cold gray eyes swept over each occupant of each desk, they momentarily stopped to stare at Vanessa.
Lucius glanced back up at Snape, his pale brows raised in interest and amusement, the way his lips curled made Vanessa's cheeks flush. "I do hope all of you have studied your potions well enough, don't want you to not pass your O.W.L.'s do we?" asked Lucius in an overly condescending tone laced with sarcasm..
Lucius strided in smooth motions up next to Professor Snape who looked quite unimpressed with Lucius' entrance. Snape quickly wrote down the ingredients and the exact way to stir the potion, Vanessa hurriedly trotted to the cabinet filled with the different ingredients and carefully brought the handfuls back to her desk. Luckily, over the summer, Ethan had been gracious enough to help Vanessa with her potion making. With her new found talent for potion making she began ferociously, and confidently, mixing the ingredients together.
Several minutes before class was over, Vanessa's cauldron was shimmering with a silver vapor, which it was supposed to be doing. Vanessa grinned to herself at the sight, making a mental note to thank Ethan later. She slumped back down in her seat and smiled as she saw Professor Snape and Lucius approaching her and Astoria's desk. Of course Astoria was not far behind in having her potion done, Astoria was always excellent at potion making. Vanessa saw both Snape and Lucius glance down into Astoria's potion, nodding slightly at the sight. The pair crossed over to Vanessa's cauldron, the silver mist clouding the top of the cauldron, Lucius delicately raised his brows at her, an impressed smirk crossing his lips.
“Impressive, Ms. Cunningham. I'm pleased to see you've finally picked up some of your brothers talent.” drawled Snape as he glanced down his crooked nose at her completed potion. As Lucius past Vanessa, she felt his hand run across her lower back, she squealed quietly in surprise. Astoria gave her a quizzical look, her head cocked to the side and her brows creased.
“Nothing, just a, oh forget it.” said Vanessa hastily stacking her books in her bag and filling a small vile with her newly completed potion. She ignored the look of suppressed laughter on Astoria's face and the throaty chuckling of Lucius.
“What he do, Nessa? Give you a quick spank?” asked Astoria, laughing behind her clenched teeth, her eyes watering from suppressing her laughter. Both Vanessa and Daphne threw her looks that only made it harder for Astoria to not laugh.
“What? What did I do?” laughed Astoria, giving them both the same slightly confused look.
“Did you have to say it so loud, Astoria?” Vanessa whispered angrily through gritted teeth. She took the vile filled with her potion and set it on Snape's desk, giving the other potions a once over, she bite down painfully on her lip as she looked at one particularly horribly made potion. The contents stood out amongst the rest, while the others had at least the same type of color and consistency, pale or silverish, but this vile held a navy blue potion that seemed to be moving and inching up the sides. She didn't need to see the name on it to know that it was Neville Longbottoms, she actually felt quite sorry for him, especially when Snape would pick at him like would in class.

After the class was over, Vanessa threw her bag over her shoulder, giving Neville a small reassuring smile as Snape strided away from where Neville was standing, he of course had humiliated Neville once again. Vanessa followed behind Daphne, who was talking about something quite energetically with Astoria and didn't notice when Vanessa stopped behind them in the doorway. A hand had wrapped gently around Vanessa's upper arm.
“I must tell you, Vanessa, I was quite impressed today. You didn't strike me as the type of girl who would be so gifted at potion making, I was happily surprised to see you were.” he practically purred into her ear, lighting the skin beneath it on fire.
Vanessa felt her cheeks flood with warmth and her skin burn with sensitivity. “I'm full of surprises, Mr. Malfoy.” she replied playfully, her shy smile causing him to lick his lips.
“Hmm, I can see that, my pet.” cooed Lucius, his hand leaving her arm to tuck a strand of stray hair behind her ear. She felt her stomach do a small flip at his small, kind gesture.

'Maybe Draco isn't a lying little bastard.'

Before Vanessa let Lucius open his mouth to speak she slipped past him, giving him an over the shoulder grin before dashing up the steps to meet her friends.
"Ooh my dear, you haven't the slightest clue about the fire you just fueled."