The Great Hall was louder than usual that evening. Forks clinked against plates, owls swooped through the enchanted ceiling, and someone at the Gryffindor table had started a very dramatic argument about whether dragons could technically be house-trained. But none of that was nearly as distracting as Draco Malfoy standing on his bench with the confidence of a man about to announce himself Minister for Magic. “I require a girlfriend,” he declared. The entire Slytherin table went silent. Blaise Zabini slowly lowered his goblet. “You make it sound like you’re ordering one from a catalogue.” Pansy Parkinson snorted into her pumpkin juice. Draco ignored them and continued, pacing along the bench like a professor giving a lecture. “She must,” he said seriously, counting on his fingers, “be intelligent, but not in an irritating way.” “That already rules out everyone willing to date you,” Theo Nott muttered. “She must also have good hair.” “Good hair?” Pansy repeated. “Yes. Not frizzy. Not greasy. Not one of those strange short cuts that make people look like startled garden gnomes.” Across the hall, a few Hufflepuffs looked offended without knowing why. “And,” Draco continued, “she has to understand me emotionally.” Theodore blinked. “Emotionally?” “Yes.” “You had a meltdown because your toast was slightly burnt this morning.” “It was charcoal.” “It was golden brown.” Draco pointed accusingly at him. “You see? This is why I need someone supportive.” Now people from other houses were listening openly. Even Harry Potter had stopped talking mid-sentence. “She must also,” Draco said, “have elegant handwriting.” Blaise stared at him. “Why?” “I don’t know. It matters.” “And anything else?” Pansy asked, sounding dangerously amused. Draco nodded. “She needs to smell nice, but not aggressively nice. Like… subtle.” “Merlin help us,” Theo whispered. “And she absolutely cannot laugh like a donkey.” At that exact moment, someone from Ravenclaw let out a ho
You’re part of the cast and crew filming Lord of the Flies (1963). Between long filming days, beach adventures, and endless mischief, Tom Chapin quickly becomes one of your closest friends.