Even at Our Worst

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January 17th, 1997

"Astoria, listen to me, it's propaganda nonsense," Daphne groans at her younger sister, who has begun insisting that the new Muggle Studies curriculum has been 'truly enlightening'. They've been at this for hours, Daphne bemoaning every point Astoria attempts to make about Hogwarts' new regime.

"Let's just agree to disagree," Theo tries from the couch behind me, always the peacekeeper. Of course, this only fuels Daphne's fire.

She glares down at him with a huff, then storms after Astoria as she skips happily up to her dormitory, seeming to decide she's done with the argument.

Theo shrugs and shouts after them, "Just trying to help!" Earning a slap on the knee from me and a chuckle from Blaise. I hear Pansy mutter her disapproval to herself while she works across from me on the coffee table, starting on our lines for Dark Arts due tomorrow (the importance of 'want' behind the Cruciatus Curse, which I'm refusing to write).

I lean back against Draco's legs, resting my head back on his knee to stare up at him. "We ought to start rounds soon. Check the prefect's schedule, et cetera."

I try not to shiver as his hand combs through my hair absently, eyes narrowed towards the back corner of the room (where I imagine some first years are doing something decidedly stupid, as I can hear a fair smiling of giggling emanating from that direction).

Draco hums in acknowledgment and I continue, "The Carrows want a report by midnight."

He relents, bouncing his knee lightly to get me to sit up. I lock eyes with Pansy and she smirks while Draco hooks his forearms under my shoulders and lifts me to stand. As I bounce up on the balls of my feet, I spin to him quickly and plant a soft kiss on his cheek.

Blaise groans, "Won't you two stop being all— coupley."

"Please, they're not half as bad as Parkinson and Vaisey," Theo chimes in, flipping through an old Quidditch mag with his legs slung over the arm of the couch.

"Watch it," Pansy growls. "You two would understand if only you were betrothed—" She cuts herself short, Theo's 'serious' gaze turned upon her sharply. "Sorry, I'd forgotten," she says softly, biting her lip. "I'm sure you and Trace will get your chance! Once we're done with all of this—"

"War business?" The boys all offer in tandem, making Pansy flush furiously and shoot a slew of hexes in all three of their directions. Draco throws up a shield in the blink of an eye, Blaise artfully dodges it (Chaser's reflexes), and Theo is knocked off the couch, reappearing over the back with horrid boils blossoming across his skin.

"Parkinson—"

Pansy giggles into her hand as I make my way over to Theo, waving my wand over his face and assessing the damage as Blaise pleads with me not to fix it.

"You know, I should take house points away from you for that stunt," Draco says, frowning down at Pansy.

"Oh, sod off, Head Boy." Pansy snaps her books shut and stands, leaving us all laughing in her wake.

Once I've cleaned Theo up and received rounds of disapproval from Blaise, Draco and I finally extricate ourselves into the corridor, pinning our badges to our robes and regarding each other with relief.

"Owlery and work our way down?" Draco suggests with an easy shrug.

I sigh, "Only if you promise we can stop in the kitchen at the end."

"Fair play." He smirks. "Let's get on with it, then."

The walk up to the owlery is slow yet refreshingly peaceful. Two first-year Hufflepuffs had just narrowly missed curfew, rushing anxiously toward their common room. Draco takes away five house points each and then casts Notice-me-not charms over them both, warning them to hurry along before the effects wear off. Both children stare wide-eyed at his arm, where his Mark remains on full display.