After a long night of tossing and turning, I woke up feeling like everything was a little too bright and too loud. I covered my face with my pillow and groaned.
"Get out of bed, Maeve!" Daphne called in a sing-songy voice.
"Ugh. I want to keep sleeping," I moaned in my thick pillow. She hurled another pillow at my head. "Daph!"
When I got out of the dorms with Daphne, I almost didn't notice that someone was waiting for me, just in front of our door. He looked very pleased to see me and extended his arm out for me to take.
"Good morning," James said.
Daphne just stared at us wide-eyed and baffled as I grabbed James' arm.
"I'll talk to you, later," I told her as I departed with him.
We arrived at breakfast, still arm in arm, only letting go when we'd been seated. Our friends were already there, and when they saw us arrive, they "oooooh"ed loudly enough for everyone in the Great Hall to hear.
My face flushed as many people's eyes were on me and James. Thankfully, there wasn't much whispering because no one really cared.
Malfoy couldn't keep his eyes off of us, however, and I felt my throat tighten just imagining what he was going to say to me once we were in class and away from James. I sort of wanted to skip class, now, just to avoid having to speak to him, but I knew it was a bad idea academically-wise and detention-wise.
"So, what's this?" Wyatt said, motioning at James and I.
"What? Are you talking about my girlfriend or me?" James asked casually. I tried to stop my eyes from bulging out of their sockets at the mention of the word girlfriend.
"Girlfriend?" Wyatt repeated in ecstatic shock. "I knew it! I bloody knew it! It finally happened! Love is real!"
Isaiah tried to calm Wyatt down because he was drawing a lot of attention. I couldn't help but laugh, and James just smirked, looking pleased.
"When did that happen?" Elijah asked, his lips twitching a little. Maybe I was imagining things, but I thought I saw him trying to push down a smile.
"Yesterday," James told them.
"Yesterday? When? In the train?" Isaiah chimed in with his own set of questions.
"As a matter of fact, yes, in the train," James said.
"Why didn't you say anything at the feast, then? And when we went to bed?" Isaiah queried.
"Well, if you had used your eyes, you would have noticed," James replied with a shrug. He ate some toast and gave me a warm smile with his eyes.
I found it hard to eat breakfast because of how nervous I was.
When it was time to get to class, James walked me all the way to Charms class, and he waited until Professor Flickwick arrived before saying his goodbyes.
"Good morning, Mr. Lancaster," Flickwick said as he unlocked the classroom door with his wand. "I take it you're not taking fourth-year charms class, again?"
"No, professor," James said with an amused smile. He turned to me and said, "I'll see you later, Maeve."
When he left, I felt like I was glued in place as I couldn't help but watch him walk away down the corridor, his hair bouncing ever so slightly with every step he took.
"Ah. Young love," Flickwick muttered to himself as everyone trailed inside the classroom.
"Maeve!" Daphne ran up to me and pulled me into a seat with Tracey near the wall. "Are you and James...?"
"Yes," I said, finding it difficult not to feel sheepish about it.
"Oh, wow... That means... I may have a shot with Elijah. Do you think he knows I exist?" Daphne questioned semi-urgently.
"I — I don't know," I said truthfully.
"How did it happen?" Tracey asked, referring back to me and James getting together.
"Well... we sort of talked about our feelings in the train and, erm... agreed to... date," I told them. My cheeks were burning red. I sort of felt too embarrassed to talk about it in great detail.
"So, it's true?" a voice drawled behind me. I turned my head to find Malfoy, looking particularly vicious. "You and that Lancaster boy are... a thing?"
"Mm-hmm," I hummed positively, not really wanting to talk about this with him. I knew he didn't really like Lancaster. Just now, his facial expression was that of someone who had eaten a lemon.
He had a mocking and scornful look on his face as he said, "Truly pathetic. You know you're wasting your time with him, right? His father would never accept you."
"Mind your own business, Malfoy, would you?" I snapped.
Thankfully, I didn't hear what he wanted to say because class was starting, and Flickwick required our utmost attention. He grumbled something to Crabbe and Goyle behind me, but I ignored everything and focused on Flickwick.
"He's just jealous," Daphne leaned into me and whispered.
"Of who? Me? Didn't realize Malfoy secretly fancied James," I hissed back at her. She giggled in her hand.
Our next class was Care of Magical Creatures with the Gryffindors, just like last year. In a twisted way, I was glad we had this class because I thought it would take Malfoy's attention off of me. And it did.
He was too busy criticizing Hagrid's teaching and taunting the Gryffindors to give me any kind of attention. I was quite grateful for that, in a messed up way.
For this class, we had to feed some weird-looking, rotten-fish-smelling, fire-blasting creatures. Apparently they were called Blast-Ended Skrewts, and everyone seemed to think they were useless.
"Well, I can certainly see why we're trying to keep them alive," Malfoy said sarcastically. "Who wouldn't want pets that can burn, sting, and bite all at once?"
"Just because they're not very pretty, it doesn't mean they're not useful," Hermione snapped. "Dragon blood's amazingly magical, but you wouldn't want a dragon for a pet, would you?"
Well, she did have a point. Maybe there was a way I could use those little ugly things for potion-making.
At lunchtime, just as planned, I met James in the Great Hall, and we ate together. Daphne and Tracey sat next to me because we arrived together, but they didn't join in on the conversation we were having with the others.
Daphne did often glance over at Elijah every few minutes. And I was pretty sure he noticed too because he seemed to be repressing a smirk at the prospect of being ogled at.
Before we knew it, we were on our way to Arithmancy, where I knew I would find Hermione. I had been meaning to speak with her all day, but I just couldn't seem to find the right time. And now, as I entered Arithmancy class, I noticed that she was seated by herself at the front, so I slipped into the seat next to her and said, "Hi."
"Oh, hello, Maeve," she said uncertainly.
"I know, you must really hate me right now because you saw me at the Quidditch World Cup with the Malfoys, and I just want you to understand that no one in their right mind would turn down Quidditch World Cup tickets in the Top Box where the Minister for Magic is and where you've got the best view — Yes, even if the Malfoys are involved because you know what? I don't have the energy to always hate Malfoy, and I kind of just realized that when I maintain a civilized relationship with him, things just work out better for me — Do you understand what I am saying?"
Hermioned giggled in her hand and shook her head in disbelief at me. "Maeve. It's okay. I understand. You don't have to lose your mind over-explaining it. Although, I won't lie, it did come as a shock to us when we saw you."
"Okay, good... I mean, not the part where you were shocked to see me, but the part where you—"
"Oh, don't sit there Blackwood. There's a mudblood," Malfoy jeered behind me. Even though I'd just told Hermione that maintaining a civilized relationship with Malfoy was more beneficial for me, I found him to be particularly irritating today, and I couldn't help myself.
"Professor Vector," I said immediately. She was rummaging through some papers on her desk until I called out her name. "Malfoy just called Hermione a... erm... well, I don't want to repeat it, but it's a particularly foul word used to insult muggleborns."
It was like the summer break had Malfoy forget that Professor Vector did not accept vile and prejudiced language in her classroom. I just had to remind him where he was.
Professor Vector did not look pleased at all, but she also did not look surprised.
"Mr. Malfoy, I do not believe that you wish for me to cut out your tongue," our professor said with a tired sigh. Malfoy's face paled, and he shut his mouth very quickly. "Now, welcome back, everyone, to your second year of Arithmancy with me. You all know me, I am Professor Vector..."
I had a particularly enjoyable Arithmancy class. Malfoy was reminded not to speak ill of Hermione in Professor Vector's presence, and when class was over, Professor Vector announced that we did not have homework for today. That was quite refreshing, really, since last year, it seemed all we ever did was Arithmancy homework.
Now that class was over, I trekked back to the Great Hall with Hermione. On our way down the crowded staircases that led to the entrance hall, we bumped in Ron and Harry.
"Lots of homework?" Hermione asked brightly. "Professor Vector did not give us any at all!"
"Well, bully for Professor Vector," Ron said moodily. Then, his eyes landed on me. "Hey, what's she doing here?"
"On my way to eat dinner like the rest of you is what," I said as if it were obvious, which it kind of was.
"No, I mean — we saw you with Malfoy at the World Cup—"
"I'll have you know, Ron," Hermione interjected, "that Maeve got free tickets in the Top Box. Even you wouldn't turn it down, even if it meant being around Malfoy."
"Well, she could have at least said something to Malfoy's father when he was having a go at my dad—"
"Yeah, good idea. Let me just insult Lucius Malfoy and have him take back the ticket he gave me," I retorted. Ron scrunched his nose, but didn't say anything else.
"Well, good to know you weren't there for the wrong reasons," Harry said with an indifferent shrug. See, that was what I liked about Potter: he was quite reasonable when it came down to it. Weasley, on the other hand... it was a little hard to convince him to see reason, at times.
We reached the entrance hall, which was packed with students queuing up for dinner. We had just joined the end of the line when a loud voice rang behind us.
"Weasley! Hey, Weasley!"
We all turned. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were standing there, each looking thoroughly pleased about something.
"What?" Ron said shortly. He looked like he was already having a bad day, and Malfoy popping up when he just wanted to go for dinner just made it worse.
"Your dad's in the paper, Weasley!" Malfoy said, showing off a copy of the Daily Prophet and speaking so loudly that everyone could hear. "Listen to this!"
He read out the start of a column written by Rita Skeeter, which got Ron's father's name wrong and spoke about the poor crowd control that happened at the Quidditch World Cup.
"Imagine them not even getting his name right, Weasley. It's almost as though he's a complete nonentity, isn't it?" he crowed, looking up from the paper just to say that.
Everyone in the entrance hall was listening now. Malfoy straightened the paper with flair and read on pompously.
Apparently Arthur (Rita called him Arnold, but I knew better) Weasley was caught in some complications with the muggle police yesterday morning as he was helping Mad-Eye Moody with another one of his paranoid delusions about an intruder in his home. The situation got so bad that he had to obliviate the memories of many muggles.
"And there's a picture, Weasley!" Malfoy said, flipping over the paper to display the photograph. "A picture of your parents outside their house — if you can call it a house! Your mother could do with losing a bit of weight, couldn't she?"
Ron was shaking with fury, and I didn't blame him. Everyone was staring at him expectantly as if he were a bomb about to set off.
"Get stuffed, Malfoy," Harry said. "C'mon, Ron..."
"Oh, yeah, you were staying with them this summer, weren't you, Potter?" Malfoy sneered. "So, tell me, is his mother really that porky, or is it just the picture?"
Harry, Hermione and I grabbed Ron robes to stop him from launching himself at Malfoy.
"You know your mother, Malfoy?" Harry said before I could intervene myself. "That expression she's got, like she's got dung under her nose? Has she always looked like that, or was it just because you were with her?"
Malfoy's face went pale and slightly pink.
"Don't you dare insult my mother, Potter."
"Keep your fat mouth shut, then," Harry said, turning away.
BANG!
Several people screamed. Something had grazed the side of Harry's face, barely missing him. I reached Malfoy to stop him from casting another spell, but something got to him first. There was another bang and Malfoy shrunk and shrunk at such rapid speed, I almost didn't notice that he had turned into a... ferret. A pure white ferret that matched his original hair.
"OH NO YOU DON'T, LADDIE!" roared a voice so powerful that it echoed throughout the entrance hall. Professor Moody was limping down the marble staircase, his wand pointed at the shivering ferret on the stone-lagged floor.
There was a terrified silence in the entrance hall as everyone realized what had just happened. Professor Moody had just turned Draco Malfoy into a ferret. Nobody moved a muscle, as if afraid they would be next.
"Did he get you?" Moody said to Harry in his low and gravelly voice.
"No," said Harry, "missed."
I reached for Malfoy (in his ferret form), about to pick him up.
"LEAVE IT!" Moody shouted.
I froze.
"Leave — what?" Harry said, bewildered.
"Not you — her!" Moody growled, jerking his thumb over his shoulder at me. Apparently, Moody's magical eye could see in the back of his head.
Moody swung his body around and limped towards me. I was just standing above Malfoy with Crabbe and Goyle nearby. Malfoy gave a terrified squeak and took off, streaking toward the dungeons.
"I don't think so!" Moody roared and pointed his wand at the squeaking ferret — Ferret Malfoy flew ten feet into the air, fell with a smack on the floor, and then bounced upward once more.
I slapped my hand to my mouth in shock and surprise. I wasn't sure if I was allowed to laugh, or if I was supposed to be outraged. I mean, it was Malfoy, but then again, I felt a little bad.
"I don't like people who attack when their opponent's back's turned," Moody growled as the ferret bounced higher and higher, squealing in pain. "Skinking, cowardly, scummy thing to do..."
Malfoy (in ferret form) flew through the air, his legs and tail flailing helplessly.
Oh, no, this wasn't right —
"Never — do — that — again —" Moody said each word as the ferret his the stone floor and bounced upwards again.
I felt like I was going to be sick. Knowing that the ferret being submitted to such torture was Malfoy didn't change anything. This form of punishment was wrong.
"Professor Moody!" said a shocked voice. Professor McGonagall was coming down the marble staircase with her arms full of books. Students moved aside to let her through.
"Hello, Professor McGonagall," Moody said calmly, still bouncing Ferret Malfoy around.
"What — What are you doing?" she asked, her eyes following the bouncing ferret's progress through the air.
"Teaching," Moody said.
"Teach — Moody, is that a student?" Professor McGonagall shrieked, the books spilling out of her arms.
"Yep," Moody said shamelessly.
"No!" Professor McGonagall cried, running down the last set of stairs and pulling out her wand. There was a loud snap, and Draco Malfoy had reappeared, his blonde hair disheveled, his face pink, and looking distraught and disoriented. He got to his feet, wincing.
As Professor McGonagall scolded Moody, I found James in the crowd. He had just appeared, apparently having missed everything. When he noticed me, he ambled over to my side.
"What just happened?" he asked, looking dumbfounded. His dark eyes scanned the scene inquisitively.
"Moody just turned Malfoy into a ferret as a punishment," I said disapprovingly.
"Are you kidding? That's hilarious," James said brightly, seemingly holding back his laughter.
"No, James, Moody was physically harming him, levitating him up and down and hitting him against the floor," I said. The scene kept replaying in my head, and I couldn't help but feel terrible for finding it amusing in the beginning.
"He looks okay, now, though, doesn't he?" James said, motioning at a very agitated-looking Malfoy who was muttering something about his father.
"Well, I suppose he is..." There were no visible bruises or blood, or any injuries that stood out on Malfoy. But still... Moody could have just given Malfoy detention instead, made him scrub the bathrooms or something.
Moody said something about keeping a close eye on Malfoy. Then, he seized his upper arm and dragged him down toward the dungeons to see Snape.
"Well, I'm starving. Let's eat," James said, unbothered by it all. He casually reached for my hand and held it. "Maeve?"
"Sorry. I'm just a little unsettled about this..." I said, still staring at where Malfoy was just a few seconds ago. "He could have seriously been injured."
"I'm surprised you care at all. I thought you hated Malfoy," James said in light surprise.
"Well, of course, I dislike the prick, but I'm not heartless, you know."
James shrugged and just guided me into the Great Hall so that we could eat supper.
At the Slytherin table, all anyone could talk about was Malfoy getting turned into a ferret. Although the brat had a mostly positive reputation in Slytherin house, most students thought the whole incident was incredibly hilarious and worth mentioning in history books. Malfoy's croons, along with Pansy, were among the only ones who really seemed to have something against that form of punishment. Alright, maybe me too, but I decided not to be too vocal about it because I didn't want people to get the wrong idea about my relationship with him.
"You know, we just had Professor Moody for DADA, this afternoon," James said to me when we were in the midst of eating. The others were having their own conversation.
"And did he turn anyone into a ferret?" I asked, half-joking.
"No, but I have to say, he is quite intense in his teaching methods," James said. He took a spoonful of soup before continuing (because I looked at him curiously), "Well, let's just say that he has quite a practical approach to teaching."
"So... he performs dark magic on students?" I queried, not entirely sure I was following.
"Not on students, no," he said after swallowing some more soup. "The Gryffindors seemed to like him a lot, I noticed."
"You also have DADA with the Gryffindors?" I asked. James nodded and hummed positively. "I have Professor Moody on Thursday. I wonder how it's going to go..."
"I think you might like him if you give him a chance," James said optimistically. I wasn't so sure.
"I miss Lupin," I said. "You know, I could skip class and lie about the reason why, and he'd just believe me. Kind of hard to get a cool teacher like that."
James just laughed. The corners of his dark eyes wrinkled.
"Lupin was a werewolf, though, wasn't he?" James pointed out. I had almost forgotten about that. Last June, the rumours about our professor being a werewolf spread so very quickly. He quit before he could get fired, which sort of solidified the rumours into facts. I wondered if Dumbledore knew and was just pretending not to because Hogwarts needed a DADA professor.
"He was such a good professor, though," I mused. "Sorry, I just don't see how Moody can beat Lupin."
"Well, he beats Lockhart and Quirrel, that's for sure," James noted.
"Anyone beats a professor with Voldemort at the back of his head," I said. James chuckled at that.
After dinner, I was just about ready to get started on my Felix Felicis potion since it would take six months to brew. James asked me why I was going to bed so early, and I tried to tell him it was because I was tired, but he didn't believe me. So, ultimately, I ended up telling him the truth.
And now, he was laying on my bed with Penny while I was brewing the first few ingredients for my Felix Felicis potion. With the leftover money that I had gotten from James last year, I managed to get all the missing ingredients for the potion. But that meant I practically had no money left because it was so damned expensive.
"There, all good for now... I just have to make sure to mix it counter-clockwise every night for twenty days."
I wiped the sweat off my brow and levitated my cauldron into the washroom so that no one could walk in our dorm and find it so easily.
"Your dormmates are really okay with this?" James asked, his tone laced with uncertainty.
"Yeah. As long as it's not in the way. So, I just stow it under the sink," I said indifferently.
"Don't fancy using the girls' washroom anymore?"
"Too troublesome having to sneak out every night," I admitted. "Although, there's no more curfew for Slytherin, this year."
"Yeah, just give it a month. It'll be back."
I laughed at that remark and sat next to James on my bed. He was still laying down, petting Penny who was still curled up on his chest.
"Come lay down next to me," he said, patting the pillow beside him with the back of his hand. I acquiesed, feeling jittery as I lay on my back next to him.
We both looked up at the four-poster tapestry. It was deep green and embroidered with shapes of snakes and whatnot. There really wasn't much to look at, so I turned to my side, leaning on my elbow and joined James in petting Penny.
She was purring very loudly, twitching and moving in our hands. Then, she lay on her back, her long fluffy tail falling on one side of James' chest while her head fell on the other side, next to me.
James laughed softly.
I met his deep dark eyes. His hair was touching his eyebrows, not hiding his pink scar on his eyelid anymore. Instinctively, I reached over to touch it.
James just gazed at me as I touched it. I pushed his hair up to his forehead to get a better look at it. My heart pounded all the way to my fingertips, and I feared that he could feel it beat on his skin with my every touch.
"Kiss me," he said quietly.
My cheeks burned, and it felt like butterflies whizzed around in my stomach. James wanted me to kiss him. And I wanted to kiss him too.
But I didn't know how.
Ignoring Penny who slid off his chest, James got onto his elbow. Eyes still locked on mine, he grazed my cheek with his fingers until they trailed all the way down to my lips.
His thumb gently pulled back my bottom lip and then rested right under it before he leaned in closer to me.
I closed my eyes as he kissed me for the first time.
Everything burned. My heart, my stomach, my throat... the skin on my cheek where he was holding me gently with his fingers, and my lips where his lips were resting.
It only lasted a few seconds. And when he pulled away, for the first time, I could see that James was blushing. He had kissed me and was blushing about it.
I mean, I was too, but I blushed really easily anyway. This was James Lancaster. It was rare to catch him looking flustered about anything.
He smiled gently, and his eyes danced at my lips for a second before leaning in to kiss me again.
My second kiss with James was just as pleasant as the first. It wasn't a deep kiss or a passionate kiss or anything of that sort, but it was soft and sweet, and it had me holding my breath.
If I had been standing, my knees would have been weak. So, good thing I was laying down on my elbow.
James' eyes flickered away from mine, and he cleared his throat.
"Well, it's time for bed, now," he said softly. I nodded mutely, eyes glued to him as he started to get up.
I realized that Penny was between us the whole time, but it didn't matter because she was passed out the entire time anyway.
"Good night," he said when he stood up.
"Good night, James," I replied.
When he left, I felt paralyzed to my bed. I couldn't believe what had just happened.
I mean, I should have expected it because that was just the sort of thing boyfriends and girlfriends did, but still, it had caught me by surprise.