Behind Enemy Lines (D.M.)

Chapter 7: Shadows

"Oh, I'm aware," Draco's smirk deepened.

"Godrick, you're so bloody annoying." I had it with his childish game. Screw his personal space. As I walked up to step over his leg, he stuck an arm out to block me. I scoffed and looked up at him. He was intently looking down at me and for a moment I thought back to the train. The only time Draco had ever shown an ounce of compassion. Draco reached his hand out to me and it took everything in me not to flinch. I had to be a stone wall around him.

Draco gingerly touched a strand of my hair, his soft pink lips parting slightly as he looked intently at my hair. A small little butterfly flew in my stomach when I realized how close we were. Did Pansy feel this way? It was hard to focus as my eyes zoomed in on his lips. I hated how jittery my own hormones were- I literally just went from wanting to knock his lights out to having to control my breathing just because he was near. "Did you dye your hair over holiday?" I felt my eyebrows shoot up. What? As I pulled away, I saw out of the corner of my eye a strand of dark brown hair against the fake blonde of the polyjuice. Oh no.

I pulled my hair away and stepped back. I ignored the drop in my body temperature.

"Trying a new edgy look?"

"Piss off Draco." I turned on my heel- ignoring the fight to get to my room- and tried to contain the sheer panic I felt on the inside. I was freaking out. The polyjuice was supposed to last all year. I made a bee-line for Snape's office. Without hesitation, I barged in without knocking. He looked up slowly with a frown on his face. I closed the door quickly behind me and let out a deep breath.

"Potter..." His deep, droning voice drawled out slowly. Severus Snape's puzzled eyebrows and suspicious eyes made me just as uncomfortable. I didn't want to be here either, buddy. I quickly grabbed the lock that Draco had just been touching. "Yes?"

"It's brown." I pointed with my other hand. "It's not supposed to be brown." I felt my voice rise and I had to quickly swallow. Calm down, Lily. Snape slowly rose from his chair.

"And you took the correct measurements?"

"I took everything you gave me. It's never done this."

"Interesting," he stood before me, perplexed at this situation. He tried to hide it but it was clear he was just as surprised. I had been around Snape long enough to know his minor expressions. "Follow me." His long robes twirled as he went to his supply closet. "We'll have to brew more... It won't be sustainable but..." He started to hand me a dark purple vial but brought it back to his chest. "Who saw it?"

"What?" I kept my eyes on the vial.

"Did you notice it or did someone else?"

I slowly looked up at him and that was enough for him to know. He pressed his lips in a firm line. "Who?"

"Draco Malfoy."

Snape nodded slowly and turned back to his supplies, picking a purple vial up. "And what did you say?"

"I didn't say anything. I ignored him." I could have sworn I saw his lips lift into a small smile but he pursed them, nodding thoughtfully.

"We'll just have to go with the story of how you got bored on holiday and experimented. It would be a better story than Longbottom's spouting that you were in the wrong common room." How did he know?! He just raised an eyebrow at me, I glanced away with flushed cheeks.

"Yessir."

"I will start the next batch just in case but you have to be diligent. You don't want to... slip up on certain secrets." I nodded at the ongoing lecture. I was already scooting to the door. "You are to find me if you have any other changes. It is imperative."