Madam Pomfrey didn't allow me to return to classes until Thursday. Cursing my luck, I managed to arrive halfway through Potions—shared, of course, with Slytherin.
As the only Gryffindor my father didn't openly scold, I slipped into an unnoticed corner. Not long after, someone else arrived and took the seat to my right.
I glanced over… Draco.
Oh, great. He was definitely going to bully me.
We were brewing a Shrinking Solution today. Because of my own stupid pride, I was struggling to cut the daisy roots properly.
Unexpectedly, Draco spoke.
"Want some help?"
While I stared at him in shock, he simply pulled the daisy roots in front of him and began slicing them carefully.
When he finished, he continued preparing the rest of the ingredients—for both of us.
Then he paused.
From his pocket, he took out a small glass pendant filled with dried daisies. The glass was framed with delicate gemstones, as if to protect it. It was… beautiful.
But why was he giving it to me?
Seeing that I had completely frozen, he stepped behind me and fastened it around my neck. Some students were staring at us oddly—especially the children of Death Eaters.
"Draco?" I asked, confused. "Why did you give me this?"
He smiled.
"I felt like it."
I didn't question it further. Sometimes, the less you dig, the better.
After we stopped talking, my father started bullying Neville again. Even though Severus Snape was my father… there was nothing I could do.
Poor Neville.
At the end of the lesson, I hurried over to him.
"Listen, Longbottom," I whispered. "I… I'm sorry. My father shouldn't treat you like that."
Neville gave a small, bitter smile.
"It's okay, Snape," he murmured.
When we entered our first Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson, Professor Lupin was nowhere to be seen. We all sat down, pulling out our books, quills, and parchment, preparing for the lesson.
When Remus Lupin finally entered, whispers spread across the room.
He only smiled in response.
Placing his worn, shabby bag on the desk, he said, "Good afternoon. Please put your books away—you'll only need your wands today."
From that moment, I knew this would be a lesson I'd never forget.
A smile formed on my face without me realizing it. He was already the best teacher we'd had in the last three years.
He asked us all to follow him, and we did, curiosity pulling us along. He led us into the staff room—a long, wooden-paneled space cluttered with old, mismatched chairs.
No one was inside.
Except my father.
With a disdainful tone, he said, "Leave the door open, Lupin. I'd rather not witness this," before throwing a few more cutting remarks at Neville and leaving the room.
Professor Lupin then announced that Neville would be assisting him in the lesson.
He gathered us in front of a wardrobe that suddenly began shaking violently, banging against the wall.
"There's a boggart inside," he explained.
Everything clicked into place.
We were going to learn how to repel a boggart.
To encourage him, Lupin chose Neville to go first. He wanted each of us to face our fears.
Naturally, Neville's fear was my father. Laughter broke out, but Lupin quickly stepped in, encouraging him.
The boggart, in the form of my father, was successfully repelled.
Then, one by one, the rest of the class began to try.
Just as I was silently praying for the lesson to end…
It was my turn.
I stepped forward, fear creeping into every part of me. I didn't even know what my greatest fear was.
The boggart focused on me.
For a moment, everything went dark.
Screams erupted around the room.
Then it appeared.
A massive, gleaming black serpent—the very creature that haunted my nightmares.
I couldn't move. I was frozen.
My breath caught. My chest tightened.
And then I collapsed.
Just as Professor Lupin moved to intervene, Draco was faster—he stepped between me and the snake.
As the boggart began to shift, another voice rang out—
"Riddikulus!"
As Draco shielded me, Harry Potter cast the spell as well. The fear in the room dissolved into whispers.
For a brief moment, I could feel everyone thinking the same thing:
Why did Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy both step in to save Lily Snape?
But my fear was something else entirely.
When my father learned that my boggart took the form of a serpent—the symbol of Slytherin…
What would he do to me?