Malfoy

Her voice was painfully beautiful, its last notes still echoing in my mind. I had woken up to an ethereal sound, and the moment I heard it I knew it was Cecilia's voice. I was too much of a coward to go up to the grounds and had instead stayed down in the Slytherin common room. I had listened to the others comment on how ugly and terrible that voice was and how they hoped that Umbridge would punish whoever was doing it.

Deep down I knew that I should hate the girl with the turquoise hair and startling eyes, but I couldn't and that made me hate myself. The worst part was, I couldn't tell anyone, I would lose my place as the leader of the fifth year Slytherin's. And if that happened, well, my father would never forgive me.

Pansy turns to me and asks, "Hey Malfoy, don't you just hate that awful noise. Who do you think it is, that's croaking around up there?"

"I don't know, why don't we just go get breakfast. I'm starving," I say, rising from the couch. I am already half way to the door when Pansy stops me by saying,

"You don't think it could be that Diggory girl, do you?"

I turn back to her, take a breath and steal myself for the horrible thing I am about to say.

"I'm sure that if Cielie could sing even half as bad as that she wouldn't dare to poke her head out of her Common Room."

I get several laughs, each one piercing my heart, tearing into the strange feelings that I harbor for Cecilia Diggory. The comment gets Pansy to drop the subject and follow me into the Great Hall where half the school is already sitting and chattering about the singer. I hear one Ravenclaw first year say to another that their older brother was Cedric's friend and had met Cecilia before. The boys' friend stares at him in awe and quickly asks whether he had ever heard Cecilia sing before. I smile, but quickly hide it as Pansy turns towards me to complain.

"I can't believe the nerve that Diggory has. I mean her brother was bad enough, getting to be Hogwarts Champion and all. They're both terrible pests, at least one of them is gone for good."

A fellow Slytherin answers to her complaint with a jeering of "Weren't you the one who wanted to go to the Yule Ball with him so desperately that you promised Snape you would clean his cauldrons for the rest of the school year if he made you a love potion." More taunting laughter comes from the group and I hurry towards the table, wanting desperately to get away from the talk of Diggory and his sister.

XxX

The corridor is empty as I walk away from the Potions' classroom. I'm glad that for once, Pansy would rather wait for the other Slytherin's. She has been quite the pain lately and any moment I can get without her is a relief.

I have Care for Magical Creatures next, with the Gryffindors. I start to groan, but then realize that Cielie is a fifth-year Gryffindor and will be there. A small bubble of joy grows in my chest, before I quickly squash it. I'm not supposed to feel this way about a Gryffindor, I'm not supposed to feel this way about anyone. I turn into the front hall and walk out the door and onto the grounds, slowly, taking my time so as to see if Cecilia is walking down too.

By the time I get there, most of the class is already there. But the person I am really hoping for, is still missing. I can't spot a turquoise streak anywhere, to my great disappointment. And unfortunately Pansy runs up at exactly that moment, asking me where I've been.

"Draco, you're late. What took you so long? I was starting to worry," Pansy chatters away. I inwardly groan, but outwardly plaster a cold smile on my face, and simply say.

"I was just…" but I am cut off by someone running right past me, blowing turquoise and brown hair in my face. A girl, Cecilia, I realize, pants, surrounded by her fellow Gryffindors. Hagrid strides up towards her, pushing through the crowd as Pansy tries to catch a glimpse of what is going on. I stand back, concerned, but not enough that I am willing to brave the crowd, especially not with Pansy so close by.

Hagrid booms in his loud voice, "Everyon' get back to the school. You've got a free this period, go enjoy 'urselves." With that a giant surge of children pushes past me. They flow up the castle stairs and in through the giant doors, an quickly flowing river dissipating in seconds.

It's just Pansy, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Cielie, and myself. Cielie is being blocked from Pansy and my view and Pansy soon grabs my arm and pulls me away from the grounds. Leading me up to the castle, following the other children. Leaving me wondering, what was it that brought Cielie to run as though a banshee was behind her, and why the 'golden three' would be hiding her from us.

With these unsettling thoughts, I head back to the Slytherin common room where I am immediately showered with questions.

"Did you catch a glimpse of what she was holding?"

"Why did Hagrid send us away?" "It can't have been that dangerous, I mean he let that loser, Potter, stay. And we all know that oaf is half in love with him." There are a lot of laughs following that comment. I just try to shut them out, not wanting to take part in the speculating and spread of wild rumors. Hopefully whatever it is will blow over soon.

Cielie

It seems like hours before Pansy finally drags Malfoy away. He seems reluctant and that makes me queasy, since when does Malfoy care about other people, particularly Gryffindors. What worries me most is that he would do something like that in front of another Slytherin, in front of not just any Slytherin, in front of Pansy Parkinson. Who, if Malfoy is their king, would be their queen. Then I am left with just Harry, Ron, Hermione and Hagrid. He turns to me and asks with wonder. "Well where ever did you get it?"