Paper Birds

Chapter Four- Nightmares

The day went by without difficulty. Ravenclaws and Slytherins didn't have any other classes together that day. It wasn't until that evening that she even saw Draco Malfoy again.

After dinner, Viridia had gone straight back to the common room. She was curled up on a couch under a blanket, reading. At the time, she was reading a particularly interesting section about nightmares. She had bewitched book pages into paper birds, which were flitting about her head. She was about to start a new page when the door opened.

"Damn, Draco, this is quite the common room," Some oafish Slytherin called, following Malfoy into the room. Malfoy was clearly irritated. "Can I take a look around?"

"I really have quite the homework to do, honestly," Draco started, but was cut off.

"I won't bother you," The boy continued to stare in awe, starting to move about the room, "But I have got to check this pool out!"

Viridia tried not to snort at the pained look on Malfoy's face. She covered it with a cough. It was at this that the Slytherin finally noticed her.

"Who are you?" The boy asked with a very Slytherin-like distaste. 

"I'm Head Girl, obviously." Viridia rolled her eyes.

"So?" He scoffed.

"So, I'd quite appreciate it if you left, as I'm currently reading and you clearly can not take a hint from Mr. Malfoy, here, that you're unwelcome."

"You're reading?" The boy guffawed. "What, do you not have any friends or something?"

"I'd shut my mouth if I were you," Viridia snapped. She slammed her book shut, sudden frustration raging through her. The paper birds turned their sharp beaks at the newfound enemy, their beady eyes of ink narrowing at him. His eyes widened, and he backed toward the door.

"W-wow, I must have hit a n-nerve," He stammered, shifting his glance nervously between the birds, Viridia, and Malfoy.

"Leave, Francisco." Malfoy finally spoke up, his old trademark sneer showing through in his voice.

"Sorry, sorry," The boy, Francisco, mumbled. "I'll be going then."

He stumbled out of the room. Viridia and Malfoy looked at each other and said in unison, "Thanks," and then, "sorry". An awkward silence arose, neither of the quiet students knowing what to say.

"I think I'll just be going to bed, then," Viridia said. She sent the birds floating back into the book as pages and returned the books to their shelves. Malfoy simply nodded stiffly, going to his room and shutting the door behind him. Viridia did as she said she would, going into her own room.

Going to sleep proved difficult for Viridia. She couldn't help but dwell on what the boy had said to her about friends. Surely, she had friends, right? She wasn't completely alone or anything. Ravenclaws liked her. She wasn't that quiet, was she? Well, now that she thought of it, she was. In the past two days she had only spoken to her professors and Malfoy, and then snapped at this boy. Had it really been only them?

Viridia was shaken from her thoughts by the sound of a voice in another room. At first she shrugged it off, but then it grew louder, and sounded like shouts. She tried figuring where it could be coming from by the volume, but couldn't tell. Curious, she rolled off her bed, slipping on a pair of sandals and a jumper over her pajamas. She cautiously peered out of the door, but nobody was there. After a couple moments, she heard the shouting again, but this time she knew where it was coming from. She quietly crossed the common room and reached Malfoy's door, knocking on it lightly. She heard nothing at first, but then he was whimpering again, probably still in his sleep. She tried the door, but it was locked. She whispered, 'Alohomora', unlocking the door and stepping into Draco Malfoy's bedroom.
Malfoy's room was similar yet still quite different to Viridia's. It had the same circular shape, but instead had grey, empty walls and a black obsidian ceiling with tiny emeralds scattered through it. The bed Malfoy laid in had deep green dressings, which were strewn about his bed, tangled in his legs as he tossed and turned in a horrid nightmare. His white blonde hair was plastered to his forehead and his skin was even paler than usual, his eyes screwed shut in fear. 

"N-no, please, don't m-make me," He begged, "I c-can't do it-t!"

Viridia, remembering her reading from earlier, muttered, 'Somnus Surgitus'. Malfoy's shaking and mumbling ceased immediately. His eyes fluttered for a moment, and he then looked around the room. He saw Viridia still standing at the door, and jumped backwards in his bed.

"What are you doing?" Draco shook with fright. He glanced nervously at Viridia's raised wand and stern expression. She immediately lowered her wand, softening her features.

"Oh, you had a nightmare," She mumbled. "I woke you up. I'm so sorry, I'll just go, er-"

"Th-thanks," Malfoy stuttered. Viridia only nodded awkwardly in acknowledgement. She started toward the door, but stopped, remembering the potions lesson from just that morning.

"Wait, don't go to sleep yet." Viridia left the room. She returned only a minute later, holding a small vial with a cloudy purple substance swirling around inside. "Good thing we're working on dream potions, huh?" Viridia gave a half laugh, and Draco only stared at the bottle. "You, er, you can have it," She urged. After the boy didn't say anything, Viridia walked over to his worn form, placing the vial on his table. "Please drink it. I think it would benefit both of us." She left the room, despite Malfoy's lack of words.

When Viridia tucked herself under her covers, her mind wandered to Malfoy's strange behaviors. She always had noticed how the boy held his title as though he was king, torturing muggle-born students and holding his chin up in the air so high he looked down on anything in front of him. She remembered when he set a snake on Harry Potter in second year at Professor Lockhart's dueling club. She recalled his whining over a scratch on his arm in third year, which supposedly came from an unintentionally violent hipogriff. Even during the triwizard tournament, when the Boy Who Lived continued to outshine Draco Malfoy, the haughty Slytherin had never ceased to regard himself highest of wizards in Hogwarts. Not even the evil Umbridge had stopped Draco Malfoy from taking the highest form of superiority he could. Viridia did remember her sixth year, however. Amidst studying for her harder classes, she, along with many of her classmates, did notice Malfoy skipping and showing up late to classes, losing an incredible amount of weight, wearing dark purple circles under his eyes, and losing general interest in life itself. Despite this, it wasn't until now that Viridia had realized the true change in the boy. There were no more snide remarks, no more taunting of first years, and his pride seemed as though it had never existed. Even when Viridia had tried to make small conversation or even tried to help him, he could hardly bat an eye in her direction.

Her questions about the past year had still not been answered. What happened?