AN: okay so I know that its been way too long since my last update… depressing really… and I know that this chapter is rather short (at least I think it is) but I am getting back into the writing mode so it should get better. Its just been a very long several months with school and all, so my profuse apologies… but on with the show… I do hope it is still enjoyable…

Flight of the Phoenix

Chapter 9

All the things you didn't say

The stifling stench of old books wafted to Draco's nose as he entered the library shortly after his row with Pheona. The girl had some skeletons in her closet and Draco decided to dust one of them off. He swiftly made his way to the back of the library, after nodding acknowledgement to Madame Pince, and ignoring her comment of how surprising it was to see him. After reaching the back bookcases, he scanned the titles. Somewhere between Astonishing Acronymic Nymphs and Zainy Zonko's Zimmering Zazzy Ingredients- for those not violently afraid of loosing a loved limb, Draco found the subject of his searches. He pulled the book from its shelf and sat down at a table to analyze his finding.

Draco ran his fingers over the tattered cover of the ancient book. Though the book looked as though it hadn't seen the light of day for over a decade, he knew it would have the name of every registered animagi from the beginning of humanity to the beginning of that very day. Draco flipped the yellowing pages to the G section, his eyes scanning the names for one in particular. Thanking the man who thought to organize things by alphabetical order, Draco came to the very spot where the name he was searching for should have been placed, but to his surprise he did not find it. Fretting over the absence of the name, Draco continued to scan the rest of the book in case the name had been placed elsewhere. Draco flipped through the fraying pages, and found something peculiar when he got to P section. Potter was the last name on the page. There was only one Potter listed. Draco was surprised that even one person of the Potter clan had been able to amount to anything of such stature. The first name of the Potter was unknown as the corner of the page had been torn, which was odd because no matter how old and tattered the book became, magic still held it together. Nevertheless the curiosity that struck Draco over the Potter business was not as strong as the curiosity involving Pheona.

Draco finished searching the book. He did not find the treasure he was hunting. He returned the book to its shelf and left the library in a huff. The absence of Pheona's name in the book led Draco to only one conclusion: she was an unregistered animagi. Draco considered this thought. Why had she seemed so anxious when she found out he had her diary. She didn't even know if he had read it, and even if she did assume he had, there wasn't much to be worried about. He wasn't going to tell anyone about her being unregistered animagi. The Malfoys were a lot of things, but tattletale was not one of them. Draco distantly heard the bell ring as he stalked the halls, deep in thought. Racked out of his thoughts by the heavy stream of students occupying the hall, he decided to go to Herbology and let his thoughts of the mysterious Pheona rest for the day.

Draco let the brisk breeze slap his blonde locks around his stern face, as he left thebuilding.He was still pondering about this girl, but as he was walking down the stairs toward his next class, a new thought crossed his mind. He realized that no girl had ever occupied his thoughts as much as Pheona. It was hard enough for them just to get his attention for a split second, and some went to great lengths for this second of triumph (Pansy), but no matter the lengths taken, the girls would quickly be forgotten in jumbled thoughts of revenge and schoolwork. And now the girl who triumphed over his thoughts seemed to want nothing to do with him. As Draco was puzzling over the irony of the world, he heard some screeching coming from the opposite direction of his class. Draco started to walk towards the horrible noise, and realized why the sound reminded him so much of Pansy; it was Pansy. Draco continued to approach the insanely annoying girl, readying to shut her up, when he saw the object of her distraught. Pheona's red hair glinted in the sun, almost mocking him, making him long even more for her. Draco stood to watch the scene for a second, trying to measure the reason of the argument, but before he could analyze too much, Pansy pulled her wand from her cloak and started to utter a curse. Draco lunged forward, trying to keep Pansy from finishing her thought.

Pheona stared at the girl who was trying to scream her into oblivion. It took Pheona a minute to realize that the sliver of silence that the girl had allowed was only because she was about to curse her. Pheona reflexively reached for her wand, only to pull her empty hand back to block the curse hurtled at her. Pheona was hurtled back and hit the tree that had previously shaded her during her nap. She blinked a few times trying to figure out exactly what had happened. She then sat up, expecting her foe to be hovering over her, ready to finish the job, but was surprised to see she was also on her back, but with Draco on top of her.

"Would you two just get a room already," Pheona said, happy that her personality had not seemed tampered with. She then looked over her body, looking for any alterations or dysfunctions. Relieved to find everything normal and usable, she stood up to go to her next class. She rushed past the two entangled Slytherins but was nearly tripped by a hand grabbing her ankle. She turned to see Draco stand up and Pansy shakily grab Draco for support. He shoved her off and told her to get to class. Pansy whimpered and left with her posse tailing. Draco then turned and looked at Pheona.

"You need to go to the hospital wing; she may have used a curse with delayed reactions. Surprising seeming how dumb she is," he said.

Pheona just stared at him, then promptly kicked his shin and started off towards the school. After overcoming the sudden pain, Draco started after her. He grabbed Pheona's shoulder as she was climbing the stairs to enter the school.

"Don't you dare touch me." Pheona whirled around to release herself from his grip. She looked him up and down, determining what to say next. There was so much so wanted to say to him; so much she hardly dared to ask him. She wanted to scream at him for reading her diary; she wanted to know what he had read. But if she were to speak to him, she would most likely blurt out details of the diary that he may not have read (not that she expected him to only read parts). But at any rate she needed to think things over before she could talk to Draco, so the things she said to him beforehand had to be minimal. Noticing that Draco made no further attempt to touch her or talk to her, she turned around and vanished into the castle.

Draco stood staring once again at the spot that Pheona had just occupied. He had run after her to apologize to her for having her diary, and to assure her that he had not read it. He wasn't expecting her to believe him but it was worth a try, and being her hero, (considering he had just saved her complexion), made him think that her gratefulness might bring her to forgive him. But Draco had no such luck. When she had turned around to escape from his grasp, the look on her face made him freeze. He was expecting a look of venom, a look of pure hatred to be peering back at him, sure he could handle that, he did everyday. But a look of hurt, worry and something deeper, Draco couldn't tell, graced her beautiful face. The look almost made his icy heart melt, almost. He wasn't expecting it. That was all; his surprise was what made him freeze up like that. Draco tried to rattle the feeling of confusion from his brain. Nothing had ever rendered Draco Malfoy speechless, and now a single girl had done it twice in one day.

Draco shook his head in despair as he opted for a walk around the lake. His classes could wait; its not like he had much to say anyway.