Cold

“So why did you move here from France?” Pansy inquired as she led me down a flight of stairs. She’d told me that prefects were supposed to take first years to their dorms, and because she had done it last year, it was now Draco’s turn. She insisted I had no reason to have to walk with eleven year olds any more than I had to, so we’d left a few minutes early from the feast to avoid the crowd.

“It’s embarrassing,” I muttered, looking at my feet.

“More embarrassing than Draco turning into a ferret?”

“What?” I nearly choked on my own saliva. A ferret?

She smirked, “You heard me loud and clear. It was in our fourth year…by a teacher.”

I laughed, the picture in my head. “That’s harsh.”

“So, give it then. Why’d you transfer to Hogwarts?”

A sigh escaped my lips before I responded. “I can’t dance.”

“That’s hardly a reason to move,” she scoffed. “What’s it really?”

“That’s just it, though” I looked to her. “Dance is very integral to Beauxbatons and I’m horrid at it.”

“You can’t nearly be so bad that you’d be kicked out.”

“No, but I’m pretty bad. Most Beauxbatons girls are thin and ideal for ballet, but I’m pudgy and even when I hit the right motions, I stuck out amongst the other girls just because of my size,” I could tell she was opening her mouth to insist otherwise, so I clarified further, “I’m in no way obese, as the dancing did keep me healthy, I’m just not fit like the rest. Besides, one of my biggest issues was actually my lack of flexibility. No matter how much I stretched and practiced, I still looked like a complete seal.

“Last year, we had a school wide recital series where each student performed a piece. I was so afraid to show mine because I knew they’d laugh. I went to the library to find some kind of herb or spell that could help me out, even though it was entirely forbidden to do so. I discovered an herb called—”

“Fleurpieds,” she finished. “I had to do just the same before the Yule Ball during the Triwizard Tournament. I went with Draco, who is a terrific dancer, and I didn’t want to embarrass him with my terrible footwork.” I noticed how her usual harsh exterior dulled in the slightest when she mentioned disgracing Draco’s image, yet I left this observation unsaid. “So they found out you used the herb and you got in trouble for that, right? Is that why you moved?”

“I got expelled, yes.”

“That seems too extreme,” she mused. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited you’re here, but it just seems like a good scolding and detention or something would’ve sufficed.”

“Even so, I’d have probably left anyhow. The whole school found out and I would’ve been so alienated if I stayed. No one likes a cheater.”

“Well, you won’t be alienated here. I’ll be sure of it,” Pansy said genuinely, to my surprise. She bumped into me playfully just as we reached a stone door. To enter, we had to say a password. She informed that it changed every fortnight and it was currently “serpens”, the Latin word for snake.

When we entered the room, I was immediately struck by my surroundings. The space was very dark, with a large fireplace adjacent to the entrance. The stone walls crawled high to a cathedral ceiling, green orb lights hanging down around one large cast iron chandelier. Leather couches and chairs were smartly placed around the room to maximize space in order to also fit study desks and tables. As Pansy showed me to the door leading to the women’s quarters, I studied the four, tall gothic windows by the fireplace. It appeared to be stained green glass until I saw a small fish swim by, revealing it to be the bluish-green tint of water. The dungeons were completely submerged under the lake. Pansy noticed my smile. “Terrific, isn’t it? You’ll find that the waves will lull you right to sleep.” We traveled down a hall to the bedrooms, which she explained to be separated by years. “Actually, which year are you? I realized I never asked.”

“It’s not very clear, as I’m technically in my sixth year, yet Beauxbatons has a different curriculum and I have a few fifth year courses to take still. Though, my understanding is that I have more sixth year courses and am named a sixth year. It’s all a weird transition.”

“That’s perfect! The others will be just delighted to hear you’re with us!” At this, she opened the door to our respective room and claimed the far bed by the window. “Take the next one over,” she commanded, but not in a rude way. I did so, tossing my luggage, which had been pre-placed in our rooms, onto the bed beside hers. I used a spell to move my things into the drawers provided before ungracefully plopping myself down on the mattress. After she had done the same with her clothes, Pansy made herself comfortable next to me, “So I’m pretty sure the boys are in love with you.”

I snorted. “That’s absurd.”

“It’s not at all! They were eyeballing you the second you walked into the Hall this evening. And when Draco came he practically fucked you raw with his eyes,” I was caught off guard by her harsh wording, but it didn’t stop the butterflies from flitting about my stomach. “All I have to say about that is that you ought to be careful this year. If you get yourself involved with anyone in Slytherin, which is really the only acceptable option besides Ravenclaw, you shouldn’t expect a steady relationship. Especially with Draco. No matter how many girls want him because of his money and power, he doesn’t ever seem to care much. In fact, it’d be surprising if he goes anywhere past eye-fucking.”

“You’re kidding. He seems like the kind of guy who’d be drowning in women.”

“I’m not, though. He gets so obsessive over his own little agendas that everything else must be trivial to him. I don’t think he’s even really been with a girl besides me.”

“You?” I questioned further, undeniably a tad jealous that she’d been with him at all.

“Yeah, regrettably. It was after the Yule Ball I told you about. We had gone together because it was kind of expected of us and that night we decided to be experimental, if you know what I mean. It was lame and awkward.”

“You’re very open about things, aren’t you?” I said with a smile.

“I mean it is a bit cool to be able to say I took a Malfoy’s virginity,” she said with a posh accent.

We laughed followed by content silence. Suddenly I asked, “He’s not happy, is he?”

She turned her body directly toward me, speaking quietly, “I don’t know how he could be.”

“Why?”

“All I can say is I’m proud of him. He’s much stronger than anyone else I know.” I opened my mouth to say more, but she got to her feet and stated that she could hear others coming down the hall and that we should get changed to go sit in the commons with the rest of the group. Pansy was an open person, but clearly she felt she might say too much.