lomonaaeren

Brilliant chapter! I really liked seeing the trio's different teaching styles, and Harry's musing about how competent Neville is getting and how he's appreciate having him at his back in a fight. How proper that Draco should be trying to fix the cabinet with a spell used for enhancing torture, and Narcissa's handwriting is a good and telling detail. I adore how Severus plotted to draw Harry out in his class, and the exciting description of their dual, and the little smile. But is is also quite sad, since for now, S. is not doing it because he has any more positive feelings for H. than a begrudging appreciation for his skills in DADA. That makes his using Albus's method of emotional manipulation on him a bit creepy to me. But since I know that (surely???) that eventually will change, and that hopefully he and H. will develop a bit of a father/son relationship, it is alright ;) I also really liked the following paragraph. Harry is starting to obsess about Draco and is peering at him like an analytical little bird, and yet the possibilities that he ponders are also so telling about his own experiences:

Malfoy also had dark circles under his eyes, and his hands trembled where they were folded over each other. Harry cocked his head. Was he afraid? Or hungry? Sometimes his hands trembled that way at the Dursleys’.