Just, Average

Recap: Recap: Rowyn wonders what Pansy has in store for Draco, Harry taught her the basics of flying a broom, and now something has happened to Draco.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And so it continues…

I wake around the normal time in the morning and take a deep breath. “I swear if Pansy hurts him Pandora I don’t know what I’ll do.” I slip out of bed and get dressed for classes then head to the bathroom, do my business, slap on some make up then head back to my room to snatch up my bag. I pat Pandora’s little head and walk out the door. Descending the stairs, I spot some students in the common room but not Draco.

Hmm. Oh well he’s probably at breakfast. I wonder if he’d want to fly together sometime. Will we ever be able to interact with one another without having to worry about other people? I enter the Great Hall, sit down at my usual spot, and begin to eat. I turn my head to look down the other side of the table and spot the familiar blonde. A lump forms in my throat as I see him, more lovey with Pansy than he ever has been before. What?

Did his father tell him he had to do that, are they freaking betrothed or some crap? I take a drink of my orange juice, gather my things, and head to class early. Perhaps he’s just perfected his acting skills. I sit at my desk and write down my concerns in my spiral. As I finish up I can hear other students entering the room and taking their seats. My heart pounds within my chest as I anticipate Draco’s arrival. I smell his cologne as he walks past me and directly to his assigned seat, not a word to me, not a glance, nothing. Pansy comes walking in behind him with her nose in the air like a self-absorbed hag.

She sits next to him and strokes his cheek but awkwardly. My God she can’t even do the simplest of romantic actions correctly. What got me flustered, however; was the fact that Draco leaned into her touch, leaned into it as if he were actually enjoying it. I grit my teeth, he could have told me he’d rather be her lap dog. I clenched one of my fists and held onto my pencil tightly with the other. The anger raged within me, I was pulled out of my cloud full of fury by Professor Snape storming into the room as per usual.

He grumbled something about us learning a disarming charm so we needed to pair up, he put much emphasis on the “disarm” part. Harry and I decided to partner up and I nervously got into position while Prof. Snape continued to speak. Occasionally I glance over at Draco, he’s poised and ready to disarm his beloved, albeit reluctantly. I look back at Harry just in time for my wand to shoot out of my hand. I jerk my hand and my heart starts to race. Dammit, I wasn’t paying attention. “Rowyn, pay attention!” Snape shouted at me.

“Yes sir,” I growled. I found my wand and walked back over to Harry, I then proceeded to disarm him and so it went back and forth for around ten minutes. Prof. Snape ordered us back to our seats and had us open our books to study disarming; he then proceeded to write down our homework assignment on the chalkboard. Great, another essay. The last one I wrote I got an E, I’m starting to feel like Hermione. I’ve learned that she always wants terrific grades i.e. outstanding in everything. (If you don’t know the grading scale of Hogwarts it’s on the harry potter Wiki ). I quickly get started, though; occasionally I peer over the student in front of me to see Draco. He seems normal, aside from his disgusting new infatuation with Pansy. It just doesn’t make sense. Concentrate Rowyn, concentrate. I write furiously for the last few minutes of class.

Prof. Snape stands at the head of the room, watching everyone like a predator ready to pounce on the first one out of line. I gather my things while studying him. I wonder what must have happened to him to make him so cold; surely he wasn’t born that way. I sling my bag over my shoulder and accidentally bump into Draco, and Pansy who was not paying attention keeps walking. “Oh, s-sorry.” He flashes me a sneer but it quickly turns into a small smile. I touch his arm lightly, “Draco, what’s going on with you?” I ask quietly.

“Nothing, oh you mean with Pansy and me?” He pauses, “I’m not sure but it’s the best relationship… well the only relationship I’ve had.”

“But how can that be? You hated her a few days ago.”

“I’ve never hated her! Look, Rowyn I really liked you but my heart went in a different direction, you just have to deal with that.” We part ways and I’m left standing in the middle of the room dumbfounded. What the Hell is going on? I turn to Prof. Snape, who has sat down at his desk and started going over lesson plans or something, and wait for him to look up.

“What do you need Domire?” He asks while still reading.

“Sir, how can one tell if someone is being influenced by a love potion?”

He puts down his pen and glances up at me quizzically. “Love potion?” I nod and he continues, “It causes a powerful infatuation or obsession from the drinker.”

“So a person “afflicted” will undoubtedly show signs of obsessing over another person, clearly not being themselves, not able to do day to day activities and such?”

“Yes, that covers it.” He glares at me with suspicion. “Do wish to share something with me, Rowyn?”

I shake my head, “No sir, just curious. One can never learn too much!... Well I suppose you can in certain instances, but, never mind. Thanks.” I spin on my heel, walk out of the room, and head to the library. I find Hermione there and step up beside her. “I have a problem.” I say and plop into a seat across from her.

“What do you mean?”

“Is there a way to make a love potion, but have the effects be minimal? For instance, a person could go through day to day tasks and seem normal apart from liking a specific person?”

She ponders this for a moment before speaking, “No I’ve never heard of anything like that, any love potion is going to be quite noticeable to people who actually know the person that took the potion. Obvious signs of infatuation and non-ability to do day-to-day activities without the person who’s giving them the potion.”

“So he must be in love with her.” My heart sinks and I feel disgusted. I put my head in my hands and rest my elbows on the table.

“Who?”

“Draco.”

“Oh, Rowyn, you knew what kind of boy he was. I’m sorry this has happened but it’s probably for the best.”

“You know Hermione, that’s more than likely plausible but I don’t want to hear it. I’ll see you at lunch.” I begrudgingly stand and walk out of the library to head to the courtyard. I sit down at one of the stone benches and take out my Ipod to listen to some classical music, you know, the hauntingly beautiful kind. I close my eyes and slowly bob my head to the music, as I do so a lone tear escapes one of my eyes but I quickly wipe it away. My eyes flutter open and I take out my spiral to write Fred a letter, poor man I’ve neglected him! I write at least two paragraphs before someone sits down next to me. Closing my spiral and shoving it and my pencil into my bag I finally turn to the person. “What do you want? I don’t like you, in fact I loathe you.”

“Aww, you’re just upset because Draco is getting closer to Pansy and you’re not at his side like you wish to be.” Terrance’s words dripped with disdain and cut me.

“That’s not exactly a secret so… Did you come over here just to try and hurt me?”

“Partially, I wanted to see if you liked my chocolates.”

“Oh, I’m sorry; I threw them in the trash.” I smile, stand, and walk toward my next class, Muggle Studies. Class went by surprisingly quickly due to the fact that our teacher gets so excited about muggles. Hilarious. As I’m making my way to the Great Hall for lunch I spot Draco by himself by the bathrooms. I rapidly walk over, grab his arm, and lead him around the corner to a quiet empty hall.

“Rowyn what-”

“I just had to see you is all, away from her. Draco you can’t possibly be falling for her, you just can’t.”

“Rowyn you have to come to terms with this, it’s the way it is. I have to go now.” He walks away from me and all I can do is swallow the lump forming in my throat. Something just isn't right.