Catch a Falling Star

I slammed my hands hard down on the wooden desk, causing my notes to scatter in all directions. It was three A.M. THREE BLOODY A.M.! I had been at this potion for six hours now and still couldn’t get the damn thing to work.

My frustration level had maxed out. What was he going to do to me anyway? It’s been six hours, I had made up for skipping work last night. He wouldn’t know, right? How could he?

I should my head, as if trying to cause the questions to fall out of my head. I was tired, I needed sleep. Worrying about that should be the last thing on my mind. I muttered a quick spell, cleaning up the mess I had made – no wand involved. Rubbing my eyes I picked up the black leather messenger bag laying on the ground to my right, stood, and shoved my chair into the desk.

With a heavy sigh, I shoved open the oak door that lead out into the highway and slipped through a small crack.

The moonlight fell brightly across the stone hallway in square sections, where it had slipped through the windows. I walked on the outside, within the dark shadows, just in case that there was a prefect on patrol, or the Heads. A yawn slipped out, forcing my eyes shut, and causing me to run into something. I fell back, landing on my ass, and swore as quietly as I could under my breath.

“Britt? What are you doing out so late?” said an extremely tired British accent.

I opened my eyes to find myself face to face with ice blue eyes. There were dark shadows under those gorgeous eyes, standing out sharply against his pale complexion. Did that really go through my head? Merlin, I need to be much better at controlling my own thoughts. I must have stared too long because Malfoy squatted down so his eyes are even with mine.

“Are you okay?”

“Fine,” I finally mumbled, pushing myself back up off the ground. He offered his hand to me, but I ignored it. “What are you doing out?”

“Prefect,” he replied with a smirk. “These are the hours they gave me. And you, my dear, are out past curfew.” He towered over me by almost a full foot.

“Look, I’m sorry I – I just fell asleep somewhere studying.” I said trying to think up a lie, but failing.

“Fell asleep somewhere?”

“Yeah,”

“Look, I hate to do this, but I will have to give you detention –“

“Malfoy, please don’t. It’s been a long night and I really can’t have that on my record,”

“Well, I don’t know what I can really do…” he said, the smirk becoming a slight frown. The wheels in his head were turning, and I mentally kicking myself about the next thing that came out of my mouth.

“What will it take?” I said, frowning and rearranging the strap of my bag on my shoulder.
He looked thoughtful for a moment, gazing into my eyes with those beautiful blue marbles – MERLIN! I tore my eyes away and stared slightly passed his head. I heard him chuckle slightly under his breath, like he knew.

“Dinner, by the oak outside, tonight. You don’t show up, detention.”

I sighed, thankful it wasn’t anything worse. “I’ll be there,” I mumbled, shoving by him and continuing down to the Slytherin entrance. When I finally made it to my dorm, I didn’t even bother changing. I just laid down and fell asleep, my head filled with way too many thoughts.

He turned slightly, watching Brittana walk down the hallway to the Slytherin dorms. What on earth was she doing out so late? He rubbed his own eyes, thankful that he could use the Prefect excuse. Truth be told he had already done rounds much earlier, but he had to get more done on his project. That and he was a much better liar than Brittana. Hell, he even got a date out of it.

The hallway in front of him was silent. Screw reporting tonight. This was his project, not Snape’s. With a quick turn on his heels, he walked back to the common room. However, he didn’t get any farther than the couch before he fell asleep.