"Who's homework is that?"

Rita sat down beside me on the green velvet couches in the Slytherin common rooms. "Professor Snape's," I replied with a soft sigh. I rubbed my temples and sat down the parchment in my hand. "It's excessive. Ten pages due by next class?" I shook my head and crossed my arms. I sunk into the back of the couch and looked at all of the pages sprawled around me. This image felt familiar; I couldn't help but think about seeing Draco the other night just like this. I wonder what he was working on?

"Why did he assign all of this?" She asked, rummaging through the various textbooks.

I explained today's class and how the only person exempt from the homework was Draco because he brewed all the potions right. "I mean how was I supposed to know to crush the roots??" I pulled out my textbook and pointed right where it said 'grind'. "I feel like this is an issue on Hogwarts." I wasn't used to getting things wrong in class, never mind getting humiliated on top of it.

Rita giggled softly and snuggled up into the couch. "Snape plays into favoritism but to be fair, there are multiple ways to brew potions. People update potions all the time." I sighed and closed my eyes.

"I just wish my first day of classes wasn't so... so.... bad."

"Who's first day was bad?" Blaise's voice filled my ears and I quickly turned my head in his direction. He was walking up with Crabbe and Goyle. Funny, where's their ring leader?

My tired eyes fell closed again and I rose my hand. "Mine, unfortunately." I gestured to the copious amount of papers and homework in front of me and smiled nimbly at them. "Any of you have homework too and want to join?" I asked.

Crabbe and Goyle scoffed and I took that as they simply either don't do their homework or they wait until the last minute. I looked to Rita and Blaise and Blaise rubbed the back of his neck. "I wasn't planning on tackling potions tonight but..." I glanced at Rita for a second too long before turning away. "I suppose I could hang around for a little bit." He smiled and sat down in the lounge chair next to the sofa Rita and I were on. "How much have you got done so far?"

I looked amongst my piles and pointed to two bound together. "So far I've covered the first and fourth potions on the list, I was working on the second but I can't figure out where to find to crush the roots instead grind."

Blaise picked up my textbook and flipped through the pages. "When was this published? It's ancient."

I glanced at the tattered book and shrugged softly. "It was the last one on the shelf, I'm not sure when it was published. Do you have a different textbook?" Blaise nodded and performed the Accio spell to summon his textbook. He handed it to me and I was in awe of how nice it was.

"Hogwarts gave you these?" I asked bewildered.

Rita laughed and shook her head. "As if, the Malfoy's provided Draco and his friends copies of the modern methods of potion brewing. Per request of Draco." I glanced at her with my eyebrows raised, prompting her to continue. She flushed softly and shrugged. "I saw Pansy's copy a few weeks back and use it when she's not looking."

Blaise held back a laugh and Rita quickly shook her head. "Please don't tell her that! The last time she saw me rummaging through her things she hit me with the jelly-leg jinx and at the time I didn't know the reversal incantation so I was stuck like that for hours." Her face paled and she curled up more into herself. His laugh had quickly gone away and there was a blanket of awkwardness the covered us in this moment.

"I uh, I didn't know that." He said sheepishly. "I'm sorry she jinxed you."

Rita smiled and shook her head. "It's okay, that was like two years ago anyways. I've gotten a lot better at snooping since then."

It was a little unnerving to know that Rita had a hobby of snooping through people's things. She seemed harmless, but I made a mental note to keep my things locked up if there was ever something I didn't want her to find. I'm not typically someone with secrets or things to hide, but now that I have to keep my parents death a secret, the last thing I wanted was for it to get out at Hogwarts. I already get teased and taunted by Draco and Pansy, the last thing I'd want is for them to have more dirt on my back.

"Are you sitting with us tomorrow for breakfast?" Blaise asked this question towards Rita. She glanced between me and Blaise before shaking her head.

"I don't think so," She said. "Is there even enough space?"

"Are you kidding? There's always enough space. We need new seats anyways now that Adeline is here." He smiled towards me and my heart fluttered for a moment. "Another person is fine."

It was now Rita's turn to blush and she looked at me. I wasn't sure what her history was like with Draco and Pansy but I tried to offer her some reassurance as best as I could. "It would be nice to have someone else new there," I said. "Besides, if you don't like it it's not permanent. What's the worse that could happen?"

She seemed to deliberate what I said before giving us another small smile. "Sure, yeah, I'll sit with you guys tomorrow."

We decided we would have lunch together. Blaise, Draco, and I were the only ones that woke up early enough to grab breakfast together, but thankfully we all had the same lunch. I reached over and gave her hand a squeeze as a silent "thank you." She glanced at Blaise and bit her lip softly before standing.

"I think I should go to bed."

Blaise glanced at Crabbe and Goyle who had been uncomfortably silent throughout the duration of the conversation. He stood soon after Rita and nodded his head. "Yeah I think I'll head up too, sorry we distracted you from your homework, Adeline." I glanced at the untouched papers and shrugged.

"I'll get it done," I said. Did Blaise and Rita have a history? If not, it was so obvious that they had feelings for each other, even if it was just surface level attraction. Soon everyone left and I was left by myself with stacks of papers and textbooks. It was going to be a long night.

. . .

Minutes turned to hours, hours dragged on until the fire was almost out. I checked the grand clock on the wall and rubbed my eyes. "2am," I whispered to myself. I looked at the work in front of me and smiled as I began to collect them all into a pile. I had made myself a cup of tea to keep me awake and moved from the couch and table to the floor hours ago. The papers were done and perfect. Double sided, neat penmanship, the textbook sourced when appropriate, just perfect. Before I could finish collecting the papers, the portrait swung open and a figure quickly entered the common room. They were shivering violently and I noted some snow getting trailed in after them.

"Are you okay?" I called out. I stood and approached them with a blanket. "Why are you all cold? Curfew was ages ago." The tall man finally looked at me and my heart sunk. "Draco." I said, as if it wasn't obvious.

"What do you want?" He spat in between shivers. "I told you to get out of my way, DuPont." He pushed past me and headed straight to the fire. He pulled out his wand and whispered a small encantation to make the fire glow hotter and brighter. He crouched down and warmed his hands in front of the warm flames.

"I was just offering a blanket." I said. I walked back over to the papers and began collecting them again. Draco peeked at me in the corner of his eyes and grabbed a nice stack from the floor. "Don't you dare touch those Malfoy," I said, lunging at him.

His eyes flickered to me quickly after hearing 'Malfoy' escape my lips. I don't understand Hogwarts obsession with last names, but in this moment calling him Draco felt too personal, intimate even. He held the papers high above me and as I stood to grab them, his hand quickly moved and hovered the papers above the fire.

"You wouldn't," I said lowly, watching him with careful eyes.

"Why wouldn't I?" He asked, leaning closer to me as he waved the papers dangerously close to the high flame. "I don't like you, DuPont. That alone is obvious enough. But the thought of seeing you sit and redo these after you were so close to winning..." he lowered the papers and the edges began to burn slightly.

"Please-"

"Ah, ah, ah," he shook his finger at me and my face heated up in embarrassment. Who did he think he was to belittle me like this? He paused and his eyes flickered across my face. His features were hard in a look of disgust and yet he voluntarily stood close to me. "I quite enjoy seeing you squirm." He said in a low voice. Within seconds he let go of the papers and they were engulfed in the flames. The ash danced in the air and tears welled in my eyes from frustration. Hours of work gone in seconds. I pursed my lips and glared at him.

"You're cruel." I whispered. Thankfully no tears were shed but they were dangerously close to it. Why wouldn't he just get out of my face?

He looked at me for a second more before standing up and straightening his clothes. He looked between me and the fire before waving his wand and casting an unspoken spell. The fire went out seconds after the wave of his wand and we were left in the cold dark dungeon. At least he couldn't see me anymore, and I couldn't see him.

He turned to leave but as he approached the stairs he paused and glanced over his shoulder. "Oh, and DuPont?" he said. "Tell anyone about this and you're dead."

. . .

I watched my reflection in the goblet of orange juice. My eyes were puffy from crying so hard last night and even my makeup couldn't hide it all. I got to breakfast early partially due to not being able to sleep but mostly so I could avoid Pansy and her friends. Unfortunately for me, Blaise was not the first to show up at breakfast.

Draco walked up and I sighed, closing my eyes for a moment to compose myself.

Be strong, he doesn't deserve to see you cry.

"Good morning." I said, looking at him with a soft, small smile.

He gave me a pointed look and sat down across from me. What was he thinking? It's been too long of a pause now and he still hasn't said anything to me. So I take advantage to look at him. His eyes weren't much different from mine but where mine were puffy from crying, his looked tired and irritated. His knuckles were red and his skin was even paler than I first remember seeing him. His robes were at least straight, as were mine, so that was something decent about him this morning.

"Why do you insist on staring?" He spat. "Have a crush, DuPont?"

I was slightly taken aback. "Excuse me?" I said. Anger began bubbling up inside of me. "Why on Earth would I have a crush on you, Malfoy? After the stunt you pulled last night?" I shook my head and my grip tightened on my goblet. "I have to spend another sleepless night now working on those papers because you were so-"

"Oh please," He scoffed.

"-so arrogant, and you still are." I finished.

His eyes were locked on mine and for a moment I thought I'd be hit with the jelly-leg jinx just as Rita once was. Instead he pursed his lips and stared at me intensely.

"At least I'm honest." He said simply. I was taken aback and he continued piling food on his plate as if we weren't just in the middle of a conversation. "There's something with you DuPont, I don't know what it is, but trust me, secrets don't last at Hogwarts."

A sinking feeling grew in the pit of my stomach and I grew quiet. It had only been a few days, barely a week, and Draco already knew something was up. How was I supposed to keep the truth about why I was here hidden for an entire school year? At the rate Malfoy was harassing me it felt like my secret would only be kept for a few weeks more, if that. I quickly lost my appetite but at least we were able to sit in silence today. He ate and I continued to stare down at my reflection in the orange juice. How funny life can change in a matter of weeks.