Double Dare

We continued lessons as normal; the next Potions lesson was much easier and less tense. We were finally making Amortentia. Draco had copied down all the corrections in my book, so now we were both the only two in the class who got things right.

“Everyone stop! You’ve had ample time to make your potions. Bring a sample up to me and I’ll assess you accordingly”

We all collected a sample of our potions and queued up at Snapes desk. He smirked at Draco and I.

“You two wait, I want to save the best for last”

Draco elbowed me, smirking. I laughed.

“Watch it Blondie, you’ll spill the potion”

“Whatever”

After testing everyone’s potions, he didn’t dismiss anyone; he made us all gather round the desk.

“Finally, Miss Page...”

He took my potion and tested it. He smirked.

“Perfect. Again. Why is it, only one student can recreate any potion I ask for? Are the rest of you incompetent?...” Draco raised his hand; “put your hand down Malfoy, I know you wouldn’t be able to make a potion unless you weren’t sat next to her. If the rest of you are unable to make one Potion correctly when asked, I’m going to cut you all from this class! I’m sick of wasting my time with all you idiots when you’re clearly incapable! Now...Amortentia...” he lifted up my sample; “as I’ve said before, is the most, powerful, love potion, in the world...Just, one drop, will make the taker fall head over heels, in love, with whomever supplied the Potion. Incapable all of rational thought, all he wants is to be with the one he loves...”

All the way through his dialogue he was staring at me. He continued his speech about being in love. Everyone else was stood bored, ignoring him. I however, was hanging onto every over-accentuated word that came from his mouth. He knew I was the only one listening, and looking, so he felt confident enough to stare at me as blatantly as he was. Finally the lesson ended. Snape and I smirked at each other until I left the room. Draco grabbed my arm and dragged me up to the courtyard.

“What happened to laying low?”

I shrugged; “I don’t see why I should. Surely you saw the way Snape was looking at m whilst describing that Potion”

“Yeah! He looked like he was high on Happy Potion! Or Lust Potion, he looked like he wanted to dive on you and rip your clothes off!”

I shrugged; “whatever Malfoy...I know what he thinks of me”

“Oh really? Do you now! And how do you know that?”

“...He told me”

I began walking down to the Black Lake. Draco ran after me.

“Whoa what? He just straight out told you?”

“Well...Not in that way...We’ve been writing to each other”

“...Huh?!”

“Right...Take a quill...And a piece of parchment-“

“-Yes I know how letters work! I’m just confused as to, since when did you and Snape become pen pals?!”

I laughed; “since...That day I agreed to leave him alone for a while...He wrote me a letter telling me what was going on and stuff...And since then we’ve just been writing each other letters...”

“...Okay then...So...Is he in love with you or what?”

I shrugged; “I can’t say...He’s never actually confessed his love for me, he’s just said he has very strong feelings for me”

“So...Why aren’t you dating?”

“He’s waiting for the right moment...That’s all he’s said...He’s really secretive about that...I can tell he has something big up his sleeves”

Draco nodded, slightly impressed.

“Well, that’s great...But-“

“-But?”

“But...When were you planning on telling me huh? Your best friend! I’m hurt Lenore! Real hurt! You’ve cut me deep with this one!”

I laughed and flung my arms round him.

“I’m sorry baby! I promise to never keep you in the dark about anything ever again!”

“...Did you just call me baby?”

“...No?”

He laughed.

“Y’know...I love it when you’re happy like this. It makes boredom a whole lot more fun”

I smirked; “I always make things fun”

“Whatever”

“I do! For example...What do you say to my plan of this weekend...”

“Your plan being...?”

“Me, you, maybe Celeste, the twins, whoever...Go to Hogsmeade”

“Woo, sounds fun”

“Don’t be sarcastic! I haven’t finished yet! I’m just, building the tension! ...We go to Hogsmeade...Dressed up!”

He laughed; “dressed up as what?”

I shrugged; “whatever you want! Cowboy, gangster, prostitute”

“...You worry me sometimes”

“C’mon! It’ll be fun!”

“Right? And what will you be going as?”

“Pirate wench! But, I’ll be wearing more this time, it’s a bit too chilly for next to nothing”

He laughed; “I may go as a pirate too”

“...We should all go as pirates! And Tempest can be our little mermaid mascot”

Draco groaned; “must we invite her?”

“Yes! You still have a chance until Snape admits he loves me”

He sighed; “fine!”

“So you’ll do it?”

He shrugged; “sure. But if your friends come, they can’t invite the Gryffindor!”

“Uh...I’ll see what I can do...But, it’ll be crap if it’s just three of us going! We’ll look like freaks! If there’s a large group, it’s funnier”

He laughed; “if they insist on Longbottom and whatever coming, we’ll just get some of the Slytherins to come”

“Urgh, I’m not having Crabbe and Goyle chasing after me all day”

“Why? Just because they fancy you!”

“It’s fucking gross! Their faces resemble scrambled eggs! After they’ve been thrown at a wall and been stepped on by London’s commuters!”

He burst out laughing; “nice description...But, pirates are ugly”

“Are not! Pirates are sexy!”

“Since when? They’re all old and have beards!”

“The young ones are sexy”

“There’s also ugly ones!”

I sighed; “fine! You’re damn bodyguards can come!”

“Great!”

“Anyway...Let’s go run the idea past Celeste and the twins”

“By the way...The twins scare me”

I laughed; “what?”

“They’re just...Weird, and in unison!”

I laughed even more; “you’re fucking weird Draco!”

He shrugged; “compared to them, I’m the model of perfect mental health!”

I looked at him sceptically; “whatever Malfoy...You have less brain cells than them both combined!”

“Well that’s nice of you!”

“I’m lovely, you know that!”

He rolled his eyes. I grinned and hugged him tightly.

“Anyway! We need to go find my girls!”

“You, need help!”

I laughed and grabbed his hand before running to the Hall to find them. Celeste was sat at the Gryffindor table with Neville, Dean, Seamus and Ron. Draco groaned.

“You wait here then you girl” I said before going over to them. They all greeted me happily except Ron.

“Celeste! I’ve come to proposition you”

She looked sceptical; “with what?”

“Fancy going to Hogsmeade in fancy dress this Saturday?”

“Fancy dress? What?”

“Draco and I are really bored and fancy doing something really random out of the blue! So, we’re dressing as pirates and going off to Hogsmeade!”

She shrugged; “sure! But...Neville won’t be able to come will he?”

“Uhm-no...”

She looked t Neville.

“...Okay, I’m sure I can drag myself away from him for a day”

I grinned; “awesome! We need the twins too!”

“Yeah, I’ll speak to them...Anyway, you’d better get back to the grump before he explodes”

I looked back over at Draco, he had a bigger scowl on his face than Snape used to have. I laughed and nodded.

“See you at dinner”

“Bye!”

I ran back over to Draco and dragged him out of the Hall.

“So...Where to now?” I asked. He shrugged.

“Whatever ...I’m not bothered...”

“Helpful...”

He shrugged; “...Can you show me the letters you’ve been getting from Snape?”

“Uh...Sure!”

We went to the Ravenclass common room. He waited outside whilst I ran in and got the huge pile of letters. We went down to a random unused corridor and sat under a light. I sat reminiscing about how giddy I was when I first read the letters, whilst Draco read them, gagging every time Snape had written something sweet.

“Oh my God this is so disgusting! Snape doesn’t have feelings!”

I rolled my eyes; “I think you’ll find he does!”

“And they’re all directed towards you! Yuck!”

I laughed and began reading over another letter. I couldn’t stop myself grinning as I read it. I looked up and noticed Draco was looking at me oddly.

“Oh dear, you, have got it bad!”

I shrugged; “so what”

He laughed; “it’s cute...My little baby sister is all grown up and falling in love...With a gross old man!”

“For the last time he’s not a gross old man!”

He laughed more; “I’m sorry...But really. It’s Snape!”

“Really?! Wow! However did you guess that?”

“...The fact he’s signed every one of these letters”

I laughed; “yeah...That’s a dead giveaway”

“Yeah it is a bit...Oh well...”

“Anyway...”

We went back to reading the letters. Draco stopped and looked at me. I looked back.

“Yes?”

“You know before when Snape was giving his, fucking monologue on love potions...How high were you getting?”

I laughed; “what?”

“I could tell you were pretty much getting off on it”

“I was not! Sure it was...stimulating; in a NON sexual way may I add...But, like I said, it wasn’t sexual”

“Oh yeah...Sure...Sure”

I sighed and glared at him.

“...I hate you sometimes”

“Liar! You love me at all times”

I laughed; “Sure...Sure”

He glared at me; “tell me you love me!”

I laughed harder; “I love you so much Draco Malfoy!”

“That’s better!”

We laughed and swapped some letters to read.