Chapter 2: Second day, the challenge.

What time is it? If it's not past noon yet, I won't wake up…

Shit, it's 1.00 pm, I don't have much choice.

At least it's past lunch time, I'll go to the kitchens: I won't run into him there.

--

2.00 pm, I really took my time. I won't be able to go back to bed until five hours, so the only place I can go without risking seeing him, is the library.

--

I settle into my usual peaceful corner. When I'm there nobody can see me. Only a few people who know me quite well know that it's my favorite place in the library.

- 'Hi Malorie.'

What is it? … Phew, no problem.

- 'Hi', I reply.

- 'When are the examiners going to come?' my Hogwarts mate asks, sitting down next to me, so that she can't be seen by the other students in the library either.

- 'On Tuesday.'

She keeps glancing around discreetly, we'd better not be seen chatting together.

- 'Not to stress out?'

My whole future is going to be settled in twenty little minutes, of course, I'm on the verge of freaking out.

- 'A little bit.'

- 'How are they going to judge you, if they're not testing you on your knowledge?'

- 'They want to know my motivation, they'll be able to check my knowledge according to my N.E.W.Ts results.'

I think you're the only one to be surprised that one can be judged on something else that one's knowledge.

- 'Did you know Malfoy was a spy?'

I don't think I should have asked this, she could guess something. No, everybody is talking about that, I'm getting paranoid.

- 'Yes', she says, 'but don't tell it to anybody.'

Don't worry, I can keep secrets.

- 'I won't.'

Wow wow, who's coming towards us? My interlocutor's suitor, who also happens to be a distant cousin of mine.

- 'Hi Malorie', he says, getting to our table.

- 'Hi cousin.'

I only call him this way when they are no other students around.

Watch out, he's going to talk to her, come on cousin, you can do it, be brave…

- 'I wanted to tell you that… McGonagall is waiting for us at 7 o'clock in her office'.

… Let's run away, quick! Congratulations cousin, all this time you've known each other and you still didn't find the way to make up your mind. But be careful, she's going to answer know…

- 'OK.'

Brilliant! Luminous! The damned worst snails I've ever met, they love each other, they know it, and then they still won't do anything. This is really pathetic. In twenty years, they might start the preliminaries.

- 'See you, cousin.'

- 'See you, I answer.'

Outside Hogwarts, we only see each other during great family events, as weddings or burials. We don't rub shoulders with each other. Hanging around with him and his family doesn't make a good impression, especially on my grand-parents.

- 'Considering the great affection he showed towards you, I assume you aren't going out with each other yet?' I ask.

Here it is, she stops staring at the door and crashes on the table.

- 'No', she says, taking her head into her hands, 'and what's more, we're not going to see each other very much from now on.'

Well… do I have to comfort her now?

- 'Maybe you should make the first move', I suggest.

- 'Because you made it, didn't you?'

What? Oh she knows something! Stay calm, and simply deny everything outright!

- 'The first move towards whom?'

That might not be very clever.

- 'Towards Zabini!' She exclaims.

Blaise, of course, who else could have she been thinking about?

Alert, she is looking at me suspiciously! Put a bold front !

- 'In fact, it was sort of both of us, we were sitting on one of the sofas in the common room, everybody had gone to bed, and at some point we moved closer to each other, and we took the initiative simultaneously.'

Maybe I gave to many details, I always do when I'm panicking.

- 'Very romantic', she says.

I said too much, I knew it. I have to change the subject.

- 'So what about you, after Hogwarts, you're still doing a formation to enter the department of magical creatures?'

- 'Yes', she says, 'but it only starts mid-August, so I'll have some holidays.'

Lucky devil! As soon as the Hogwarts express will have arrived at the station, I'll myself get in the program's train. I'll have a three minutes holiday between platforms 9 ¾ and 7 ¼. I'm going to live three years on this train, let's hope the other students won't be complete idiots.

- 'I have to go, Headgirl duty…' She says.

She leaves.

Drat, she's forgotten her potions book.

- 'Hermione!'

Ho no, it can't be real, I called her in front of all the students in the library.

She turns round and runs to me quickly so that the scene doesn't take long.

- 'Thank you', she says, taking her book back.

We give each other a worried look and she runs away.

I don't like it for other students to know that I get on with Hermione Granger, she's muggleborn. As far as I am concerned, I don't believe that blood's important, but the other Slytherins do.

It must upset Hermione too, I'm a Slytherin and she's a Gryffindor, a mini-phoenix moreover.

--

Half pas four! I'm going to have diner now, Draco is used to have it later. I don't think there are many chances for me to run into him in those corridors around the library.

… Ho no, that can't be true, he's here, alone, right in front of me, and he's seen me, I can't turn back!

Be brave, breath…

Don't forget, arrogant smile, sarcasms, insults, I should tell him that he's become even more ugly that he used to be, that he's become a misshapen monster, a bloody sexy I want to… no! No! It's not that!

My god, he's talking to me! Focus! What's he saying?

- 'Are you avoiding me?'

How do you know? Ho no, he knows everything!

- 'Not really… I didn't know that my movements were spied on.'

Very nice reversal of the situation.

One… Two… Three seconds, he's hesitating… Very good.

- 'You're giving yourself too much importance', Draco says.

- 'Malfoy', I state very slowly, 'don't you realize you're the one who's always doing it?'

He starts laughing. I'm going to fly into his arms.

- 'No, I am very important that's all. Especially now I've helped the Order to destroy You-Know-Who.'

- 'I hope you don't think your name will stay engraved in history', I say, 'the only name people will remember is Harry Potter's.'

- 'My participation to this destruction is only a master key, Moon, he says. After that, it will be easy for me to increase the family treasure.'

- 'Provided, of course, that you could leave Hogwarts and the ministry protection. After the last war, it took more than two years to the aurors to capture all the Death Eaters. You'll have to hide yourself here, under cover: the very thing you reproached me for a whole year.'

- 'I've had enough risk for a few years', he says, 'I could do with some rest. On the contrary, the amount of risk you already took is very low. Except the few stupid and suicidal ideas you got to give yourself importance in front of the others.'

- 'Stupid and suicidal?' I ask cynically. 'Malfoy, I'm not the one who joined the Death Eaters and then became a mini-Phoenix, even if I admit your second choice was brighter, shameful for your pure-blood, but brighter.'

- 'There's nothing shameful in helping the Order of the Phoenix', he says.

Were getting to it, he's starting to lose his temper, yes!

- 'Potter has become your best friend? And you're going out with Loony?' I ask in a fake serious tone.

- 'You're really a pest', he says, sounding half furious.

- 'I'm not forcing you to speak to me', I say.

- 'Me neither', he answers.

- 'Fine', I'm going to have diner then.

I walk away until I hear a whisper.

- 'Chicken.'

I stop dead and turn round abruptly.

I might be a Slytherin, but I'm no chicken.

- 'What did you say?'

He turns round.

- 'I said… you were a chicken', he states with a smile.

He shouldn't smile to me like this, or he's going to hear my heart beatings.

- 'I'm not a chicken!' I say. 'At any rate, you're a bigger coward than me.'

- 'Do you really believe this?' He says.

There he is, back with his furious face on, and now he's getting nearer.

- 'Exactly', I answer.

- 'And I am quite sure of the opposite'.

- 'It seems we're making much progress', I state.

At least, he is, he's standing about a foot from me now.

- 'What about a little challenge?' He asks.

- 'I was going to suggest the same thing.'

He's to close now! What if I offered him to kiss me, isn't that a good challenge?

- 'I'll tell Nott and Millicent to concoct us something for tonight, he says, they'll be neutral. I was about to say Zabini, but he mustn't be now, I heard you two went out together…'

- 'Tonight', I stop him, 'very well.'

- 'Very well', he says.

We haven't moved, my lips are still a foot away from his, I'm in a nightmare… or in a dream, I can't make up my mind.

Don't look at his lips, stay focused on his eyes, don't look his lips…

- 'No fights in the corridors.'

We move apart abruptly.

Filch, you're my savior! He's so used to seeing us fighting that every time he finds us together, he believes we are.

- 'We weren't fighting', I say.

- 'Not yet', Malfoy adds in a low voice.

- 'Get off', orders Filch.

We move away, each on a different side.

My how-to-avoid-Malfoy evening is over, I'm going to have to spent it with him now.

--

- 'You haven't lost your time!' Millicent tells me, sitting down next to me.

Can't I have diner in peace ?

- 'Lost my time about what ?' I ask

- 'I just saw Theodore, he told me we add to organize some kind of challenge to decide on who has the more guts between you and Draco.'

- 'He provoked me', I sayH.

- 'Malorie', she states slowly.

Why this worried tone ? Especially from Millicent Bulstrode, the stone-hearted Lady.

- 'What', I ask turning to look at her.

- 'Draco spent a year with the Death Eaters, he is bound to have learned things', she says, 'he must have changed.'

The fact is, she is right. How could I have not thought about this earlier ?

- 'He must have become a little dangerous now.'

- 'I'll be careful', I say.

I leave the table and get off to my dormitory. I should learn to be afraid of Draco.

--

- 'Malorie', Pansy tells me, opening the door of the dormitory.

- 'Millicent and Theodore are ready, they're waiting for you with Draco.'

And with half of the Slytherins.

- 'Thanks Pansy', I answer, standing up.

As expected, the common room is full. Draco, Millicent and Theodore stand in the middle. Everybody is watching Draco and me with nasty smiles.

I move towards Draco.

- 'Well', says Theodore. 'Here's your challenge, you will have to fetch a broomstick we've set down between the branches of a tree in the middle of the forbidden forest. Millicent and I have bewitched the broomstick so that it diffuses a strong red light, this will enable you to see it from far away. Malorie, you will enter the forest through the path near Hagrid's hut. You Malfoy, through the path near the lake. The broom will be at the same distance of both of you. The one who'll bring the broom back will be the winner.'

I'm favored, I already know the forbidden forest.

- 'You can't attack each other, and you can't use broomsticks to get there, you have to go on foot', says Millicent.

Draco, Draco… You're scaring them, they fear you might damage me.

- 'Ok', Draco says, heading for the door in a hurry.

I follow him.

- 'Wait!' Millicent calls, 'there's one more requirement.'

That's what I thought, it was too easy for us to come back alive.

- 'Your wands', Millicent says.

- 'What?' Malfoy asks.

- 'Your wands', Millicent repeats, 'It's a magic-free challenge.'

- 'You're out of your minds' I say, 'I've already been in the forbidden forest, and without magic, you can't get out of it alive.'

- 'You don't have to go there, but I thought you wanted to test your guts…'

Touched.

I take my wand out and hold it out to Millicent. Draco quickly imitates me. I turn round and get out, Draco on my heels.

--

It's been at least five minutes that Draco and I are walking side by side silently, this can't last long.

Without magic! They're crazy, we're going to get ourselves killed… That's not enough to make me give up.

Here it is, the path is dividing. Draco goes towards the lake, and me towards Hagrid's hut. With my usual luck, he's going to be in his vegetable garden.

Bingo, he's here, I have to enter the forest right now, I'll join the path later.

--

It's a quarter past eleven, the curfew started long ago, I've been walking for at least four hours, and I still haven't seen any red light, or any creature that would try and kill me, not that I complain about it.

Usually, spiders don't get near the path and I hope they won't change their minds.

No centaurs either, I heard they had made peace with us, but I'm not sure it would apply to me.

There's something there, is it… ? Yes, the red light.

So all I have to do is run, and then localize precisely the tree, climb it, at least forty feet, to catch the broom, mount it and fly back.

Very simple indeed.

Especially since to there's no path to get to the broomstick, since it's dark, and I don't have a lamp, since I can't climb trees, since I have vertigo and thus never could fly a broomstick.

Easy.

What's more, I can hear strange sounds now, I mean, stranger than the others. Oh my god, something is getting close behind me. I'm really running now, bloody brambles… It's freaking me out even more.

-'Hagger?'

Help, that thing is talking, and it's making more noise than a herd of elephants.

The broom, I have to grab this bloody broom.

The thing's running after me, yelling.

- 'Hagger!!'

Hag… ? What? I don't have time to wonder.

- 'Ouch!'

Damn it, my ankle ! I can't help up.

Look at that, there are too sleds near me, they are tied up to tree trunks…

Woooww !

A giant !

He hasn't seen me, he's looking for me. I crawl slowly towards the other side where there is a huge oak tree behind which I'm going to hide.

Slowly… bloody dead leafs, they're going to make me being spotted. Yes, the oak tree, I reached it at leaaaas… aaahhh, a hole.

I've fallen with a blasted racket.

My life is going to end. Sorry, cruel word, to be as cruel as you are. Sorry mom to want a carrier more than a husband. Sorry my family to be disgraceful by my blood, sorry…

A hand sticks on my mouth and pulls me behind. I land hidden under a stump, stick to a guy I can't identify.

- 'Hagger?'

The giant leans over the hole. Hidden behind thick roots, we can't be seen.

The giant goes away from us, but stays nearby. I can hear him go round in circles. The red light must have attracted him. Slowly, I remove the hand that prevents me from speaking, and turn round.

My Draco! It's him, my hero.

- 'We wait for him to leave, and then we resume the challenge.' He says.

I nod in agreement.

Anything you want.

We're hiding in a very narrow place. I'm moving as far from him as I can. I'd rather stay stick to him, but I can't, he'd realize something.

The giant is coming back in our direction. Draco pulls me backwards, I stick to him again, hurrah !

If it were not for the giant and the stump, I could stay here for hours.

The giant stops right above us.

Under his weight, our shelter collapses partly.

Draco surrounds me with his arms and pulls me even more backwards.

My hearts beats faster, my breath gets quicker.

- 'Calm down', whispers Draco, 'he's going to hear you.'

And you're going to understand everything.

- 'Don't be afraid', he says.

Afraid ? Why should I be afraid ? Oh yes, the giant, Draco's takes my state for panic.

The giant goes away from us, and me from Draco.

Progressively, the giant's steps get more distant.

I take my head out of the stump, Draco's by my side.

Our arms are touching !

-'He's gone', states Draco, 'The challenge resumes'.

- 'I must have sprained my ankle', I say, 'I can't fetch the broomstick. Once you're back at Hogwarts, tell Millicent to come and get me.'

-'Don't give me orders', Draco says. 'I won't say anything to Millicent.'

And there he goes.

All I can do is wait for the morning. When Millicent doesn't see me back, she will give the alarm, and somebody will come for me.

Who's never dreamt of spending a night in a tree stump, between a giant and other fierce beasts ?

I should be more positive : I'll have great dreams. Draco saving me… Well, he saved me only because had the giant found me, he would have found him right after. So Draco saved himself. But I can still dream !

He's back, mounting the shining broomstick. He stops, six feet above me.

- 'You're going to sleep well here, Moon', Draco tells me with a mocking smile.

- 'Very well', I answer.

I can't stand up to face him, my ankle's hurting too much. I hate to be in a position of weakness.

- 'Your ankle's doubled size', Draco says in a neutral voice.

- 'Did you notice it too?' I say.

Now, I'd rather him go away. I don't want him to see me in his state.

- 'Ask me', Draco says all of a sudden.

- 'Ask what?' I ask.

- 'Ask me to bring you back', says Draco with a nasty smile.

What? He's really… I'll do the same if I were him.

- 'I'd rather die !' I say violently.

- 'That's what might happen to you', says Draco, looking over the stump.

- 'The giant's back', he says.

He's right, I can hear heavy footsteps.

- 'You've won, bring me back.'

- 'Maybe I should have been more specific : I want you to beg me', says Draco slyly.

The bast…

- 'Ok, well, Malfoy, I beg you to bring me back to Hogwarts.'

- 'You could look more convinced, I don't really get the feeling a giant's going to kill you.'

- 'What do you want me to say exactly?'

Long seconds go by.

- 'I want you to humiliate yourself.' He says, staring at me fixedly.

A true Slytherin.

The giant mustn't be further than three hundred feet now.

-'Are you aware that if you leave me here, you will have killed me indirectly?' I say.

- 'Nobody will be able to prove it', Malfoy says.

Millicent was right, he's become dangerous.

Seconds go by, the giant's coming closer, he must be a hundred feet away now.

Suddenly, Draco moves closer to me, takes my shoulders in his arms and helps me to mount the broom. Then he mounts it himself, in front of me.

- 'You're really a pest' He says.

- 'I'm a Slytherin', I answer, amazed.

The giant starts running towards us.

- 'Hang on!' Malfoy yells.

That's the only thing I want!

Couldn't you have avoided raising that vertically?

We're above the forbidden forest, the situation could almost have been romantic, but…

- 'Do you realize I saved your life twice?' Draco states.

Do you realize you held me in your arms?

- 'We'll discuss it later if you don't mind.' I say.

I've vertigo and I'd better not lose my concentration.

- 'Why?'

- 'Please.' I beg.

I hate humiliating me like this.

- 'Does the indestructible Malorie Moon have vertigo?' Draco asks.

Well, yes.

I don't answer, and just tap him slightly on the arm.

- 'That's a scoop', Draco says.

He makes a violent swerve. Instinctively I grab hold of him even more. He starts a set of pirouettes, laughing. I close my eyes, holding him as hard as possible.

- 'I'm begging you', I say, 'Stop, I'm really afraid.'

He stops laughing instantaneously and heads for the castle again.

- 'You can humiliate yourself, eventually', he says after a while.

He's really appalling, why do I have to be in love with this horrible guy?

He takes us to the windows of Slytherin's dormitories.

One of them is open. There I can see Theodore, Blaise, and both of Draco's gorillas, Crabbe and Goyle. The broomstick rushes into the window.

Almost straight away, Blaise catches Draco and punches him in the face.

- 'She has vertigo', Blaise yells.

Draco doesn't move, he's groggy.

- 'Blaise, stop', I yell.

Crabbe and Goyle wake up, grab Blaise and stop him from moving.

I get off the broom and… fall flat on my face.

Bloody ankle.

Theodore leans on me and carries me onto a bed.

He takes his wand out and points it towards my ankle.

Immediately, it goes back to a normal size, and the pain vanishes.

- 'Malfoy won', I say.

Crabbe and Goyle start releasing their grip on Blaise, who, automatically, jumps on Draco.

- 'Blaise stop, he saved my life.' I tell him.

- 'What?' Blaise asks, amazed.

This moment of carelessness costs him a nice punch from Draco.

A blue flash of lightning lights the room up.

Draco and Blaise find themselves propelled on opposite sides of the room.

Theodore puts his wand away in his pocket.

- 'Stop acting nonsense', he says, 'we're going down to the common room.'

Draco heads for the door and goes down the stairs.

--

- 'Are you OK ?' Millicent asks me, giving me my wand back.

- 'Yes', I answer, 'I'm tired, I'm going to bed.'

- 'Don't you want to celebrate my victory with us?' Draco asks in a low voice.

- 'Another day', I say, 'except that you're not going to have another victory against me, so make the most of this one.'

- 'You'll never change', Draco says, laughing.

- 'Never', I answer.

I run into my dormitory and crash on my bed without going to the trouble of taking of what were still, a few hours ago, clothes.