𝗟𝗜𝗠𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘| hjp

8

CELESTE buried her face in her hands, letting out a shuddering breath. She was sitting on the ledge of the wall by the courtyard, her thoughts all over the place. It was just a boggart. It was not real. But that did not stop her from thinking that they would actually leave her. All of them would. Just like her father.

"Les, " said a familiar voice. Draco sat down on the ground and made her look at him. "It's not real. Nobody is leaving you."

Celeste's stormy gray eyes teared up. "I'm humiliated, Draco." She sniffled, a tear escaping her eye. "They'll all talk about me now."

Draco didn't know what to reply because he knew she was right. "So?" He frowned as if it was no big deal. He brushed away her tear and continued, "Tell you what. We'll do something else. Blaise and and I will give them something to actually talk about."

Her lips quirked upwards. She put her arms around her knees. "Like what? what could be more important than Celeste Black's boggart?"

Draco seemed to be in thought. After a minute, he said, "Leave that to us." and he stood up, giving her a hand. She looked up at him with unshed tears in her eyes and took his hand, standing up.

Her brother. The boy she basically grew up with. The mean and cold boy, who was only soft for this girl he considered as his sister. And the mean and cold girl, who had nobody but him and her uncle.

"What was it uncle Reg and my mother always said?" asked Drace, grabbing her bag— that he had brought with him after running after her— on the ground and slinging it over his shoulder.

"Toujours Pur," offered Celeste offhandedly. Always pure. Their family motto.

Draco chuckled and shook his head. "Not that, you dimwit. The other thing." He said, pursing his lips in thought.

Celeste felt her lips turn up. "Always have each other's back, even when the whole world turns its back on you."

Draco nodded and slung an arm over her shoulder, rubbing her arm comfortingly. "Yes, that. I've always got your back, Les."

"I've always got your back, Draco." She smiled, her mood lifting. "What class do we have now?"

"Potions," replied Draco as he led the way to the dungeons. When they reached there, they started walking to the potions classroom.

They opened the door and ignored the others already there, taking seats at the back of the class. Blaise and Daphne, who were sitting in front of them, turned around and gave Celeste concerned looks.

'Are you okay?' mouthed Daphne in concern, her eyes on the girl.

Celeste gave them a small smile and a nod.

Daphne smiled back and turned around, Blaise as well.

Professor Snape cleared his throat and looked at them all, a sneer on his face as usual. "Today, you will be making the Shrinking Solution." He said in his drawling voice. "If brewed incorrectly," he glanced at Harry and Ron, "it is going to turn poisonous. Unless you want me to use the incorrectly brewed potion on you, then you must do it right. Understood?"