Кассандра Клэр - Draco Veritas

"I just forgot."

"I was worried about you."

Now she did look up. "Worried? What did you think had happened to me?"

Her eyes were very dark and curious. She had her hair pulled back into a messy bun stuck through with a quill that held it in place. He hesitated for a moment, unsure how to explain that what had struck him was a vague and terrible sense of apprehension, sourceless and inexplicable. She seemed to see the hesitation in his eyes, or maybe she saw something else there, because when she spoke, it was rapidly and with some nervousness.

"Why were you looking for me?"

"Because you speak Latin," said Draco.

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "So do all the professors."

"I know." Draco leaned back and put his feet up on the table. He could tell that Hermione was struggling to restrain herself from telling him not to do that, although he couldn't see the problem himself — his shoes were lovely, dark brown leather boots in suede so soft you could have taken a nap on it. Hermione just did not appreciate the finer things in life.

"Hermione, what would you say if I said 'Venio' to you?"

"I'd ask if you wanted me to make up the spare bedroom."

"What?"

Hermione smiled. "It means 'I come,' or 'I am coming' with the implication being that whoever it is, is going to arrive soon."

Oh." Draco studied the tips of his boots. "That's all it means?"

"Yes."

"How ostentatious."

Hermione blinked at him. "What are you going on about?"

Draco waved a dismissive hand. "Nothing."

"Come on, tell me."

"Not until you tell me why you skived off the meeting."

Hermione looked guilty. "Was Ron very angry?"

"Angry? Not so much, really. More…annoyed and distracted." Draco shrugged. "Weasley's been acting odd lately, if you ask me."

Hermione set her book down on the table. "Yeah. I know what you mean.

Sometimes I wonder if…"

"If what?"

"If he's seeing a girl."

"Only if he closes his eyes and concentrates, I'd imagine," said Draco.

Hermione looked at him irritably. "I know you think that, but Ron is really…"

A voice spoke from behind them. "Ron is really what?"

Draco looked up, knowing already who it was; if he'd not been paying so much attention to Hermione, he would have heard Harry come into the room. He was looking down at Hermione, and there was that oddness between them that had become so pronounced of late. Draco knew now what was making Harry withdraw from Hermione, and suspected he could imagine that she would withdraw herself in response. But it was a difficult thing to watch happen without being able to do anything about it.

Hermione dropped her eyes. "Really busy," she said. "Ron is really busy."

"Oh." Harry sat down next to Hermione, so that he was facing Draco across the table. "Well, he is Head Boy."

"I know." Hermione looked at Harry more closely. "You look better. Did you go to the infirmary?"

Harry nodded but was prevented from saying anything by Lupin walking in, followed by Padma and Eloise. A moment later Terry and Neville had joined them and the class was complete.

Lupin sat down. "The time has come for us to talk about your end-of-year projects," he said, shuffling quickly through his books and selecting a stack of parchments. A soft little groan ran around the table, and Lupin looked up with a smile in his dark gray eyes. "It won't be that bad. First off, I'll be dividing you up into teams." He consulted a parchment, his eyes flicking quickly down the list. "Neville and Terry, Padma and Eloise.

Harry and Draco. Hermione, you're on your own."

Hermione nodded and Draco wondered if she had worked this out with Lupin ahead of time. He was mildly surprised that he had been put with Harry but suspected that this was because Lupin knew that he was unlikely to get along with anyone else.

"Each team will have the rest of the year to work on their projects," Lupin continued. "Now, I've tried to make these projects flexible to allow you to use your own inventiveness — a great part of being a successful Auror requires quick and adaptable thinking. It also requires creativity-"

"I plan to make a diorama," said Draco solemnly.

"No," said Lupin patiently, "not that kind of creativity."

"But it'll be an evil diorama. And then Harry can destroy it."

Lupin's voice held a warning tone. "Draco."

Draco subsided, although next to him, Harry's shoulders were shaking with silent laughter. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"The tasks," Lupin went on, "are divided into three categories: pure research, curse-breaking, and Dark creatures." He began handing out parchments, which the students passed along the table. Draco took his and glanced at it quickly. Describe a method you might use for breaking the Medusa curse. Successfully train yourself to resist the Imperius Curse.

(Not you, Harry.) Research the history of Azkaban. Describe how you might elude a Tracking Curse. Write a history of the Founders of Hogwarts; please include the Ten Years' War and the founding of the Auror's Guild. The next one made Draco smile. Conceive a plan by which a Manticore might be defeated. (Not you, Harry, or Draco either!)

"There are thirty in total," Lupin added. "Each set of two students please select three projects to do, one from each category — Hermione, since you're alone, you need do only two. On the first of May, we'll start presentations of final projects, on which your final marks will depend.

Any questions?"

Neville raised his hand slowly. "What if we want to research a curse that isn't on this list?"

Lupin's eyes darkened. "Then talk to me after class."

"Will we be able to get books out of the Restricted Section?" asked Padma.

Lupin nodded. "Just give me a list of what you need and I'll sign it out for you."

Draco only half-heard this, his attention had begun to wander. He looked out from under the fringe of his lowered lashes, first at Harry, who had regained his seriousness and was busy studying the project list. He looked severe, and not a little tired. Which was probably good, Draco thought, since that afternoon he would be flying against Harry, they might as well both be exhausted or it would be an uneven match. Harry exhausted was still a just-about-unbeatable Seeker. Nothing broke his concentration: not pain, not fear, not anger, not tiredness. Not anything.

Draco moved his gaze to Hermione. She was taking notes. Typical. She had her lower lip caught between her teeth as she often did when she was thinking. He looked away. His glance slid over Padma (pretty enough but not his type) to Neville (looking very tense) to Terry (utterly boring; Draco had never spoken to him) to Eloise (she had briefly dated Crabbe in fifth year, and by all accounts even kissed him, which had always struck Draco as a biological impossibility) to Lupin, who to his surprise was looking back at him. "Draco," he said. "You seem elsewhere."

"Just excited about my upcoming project, Professor," said Draco innocently.

Lupin gave him a nice-try-kid look. "See me after class, Mr. Malfoy."

Busted! Harry's voice sang out in Draco's head. He shot his soon-to-be-stepbrother an annoyed look, but Harry's expression was quite innocent.

He remembered when it would have been a near impossibility for Harry to hide anything he was feeling. No longer. He resolved to try to prevent Harry from picking up any more of his bad habits in future.

Class ended five minutes early to allow the students time to get down to the Quidditch pitch. Harry left with Hermione, his arm around her, the parchment with their assignment on it shoved into his bookbag. I'll see you on the pitch, he said, half turning around.

Draco nodded slightly in response. When he turned back to Lupin, he found the DaDA professor folding his parchments into a leather carrying case with gold buckles that Draco didn't care for — gold was so affected.