I don't know what in Merlin's name possessed me to do it. But I did. I had actually hugged Scorpius Malfoy. And to make matters worse, I had sobbed like a blubbering lunatic into his chest for the better part of thirty minutes. After the whole ordeal was over, I wiped my eyes and avoided Malfoy like the plague for the rest of the day, even scooting as far as the desk would allow me in Potions. Professor Baynes looked at me, with a look in her navy blue eyes as if I wasn't quite right in the head. Apparently, I also looked like I wasn't feeling well either, because Professor Baynes came up to me in the middle of class and whispered softly, "Are you alright, Rose? Do you need to see Madam Pomfrey?" Madam Pomfrey was our ancient nurse; she had even been around when Mum and Dad were here.
Ancient or not, Madam Pomfrey was my ticket to get away from the strange stares of Malfoy, so I nodded my head dramatically. "All right, dear," Professor Baynes said soothingly. She then turned to Malfoy. "Mr. Malfoy, could you please escort Miss Weasley to the Hospital Wing?" Malfoy just glanced at me as if he knew I was faking it, but nodded nonetheless.
"Of course, Professor."
I inwardly groaned. I had pretended to be sick to get away from Malfoy, and now I had to suffer through the long walk to the Hospital Wing with him – which was on the other side of the castle. Before I followed Malfoy through the thick double doors of Professor Baynes's dungeon-classroom, I looked desperately at Jade. She caught my eye, and I mouthed "SOS". She smiled, shaking her head slightly as she turned back to her failing potion.
The hall was like a breath of fresh air. Potions was awesome, but in an underground confined classroom, chock-full of herbs and strange mixtures, with little to no ventilation, it could get pretty stuffy and fume-y. Malfoy fell into step with me as I took a deep breath. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets as he searched for the right words to say. I actually preferred that he wouldn't say anything at all. I was okay with a long, silent walk that would prove to be awkward for the both of us. But apparently Malfoy wasn't.
He cleared his throat. "Ro-Weasley," he corrected himself after I shot him a brief glare at the use of my first name, "What was that all about in the common room this morning?"
I could feel his curious eyes burning into the side of my bushy auburn head, but I didn't turn to meet his gaze. I just shrugged nonchalantly and sped up. Malfoy sped up too, until he was standing in front of me and walking backwards so that he could look me straight in the face. "C'mon, Weasley. I'm being serious."
"You're always serious," was my lame reply.
"Yeah, and you're always evasive. What happened?"
"None of you business."
"Once you started sobbing on me, it became my business."
He looked me straight in the eyes. I glared back unflinchingly. "You really shouldn't go around harassing sick people like this, Malfoy." I coughed weakly for added effect.
"Tell me."
"It was a nightmare, okay?" I sighed in defeat.
Malfoy just looked at me expectantly.
"You're going to fall down a flight of stairs if you keep walking backwards."
"Glad to know you care about my safety. Stop changing the subject."
I narrowed my eyes at him in frustration. He just didn't give up, did he? "Why do you care so much?"
"Because one second you hate me, the next you're hugging me like you're never going to see me again and crying all over my shirt. Something's up." Malfoy stopped suddenly, and I had to steady myself just so that I wouldn't crash into him.
"I saw you die, okay? There were the bodies of Jade, Carter, Teddy, Victoire, Charlotte, Dom, my parents… everyone." My voice broke, and hot tears stood ready in my eyes, like troops waiting to be called to battle. Malfoy's eyes softened, and I turned my head. But I just couldn't stop there. "A-and you were there. There was a man, he-" I had to stop as images from my dream flowed back at me. Mum and Dad, hanging by their thumbs. Al with his head bashed in. Jade with her arm outstretched, but I was too late. Malfoy, bound and gagged, then Malfoy on the floor writhing and twitching under the Cruciatus curse, Malfoy with tears streaming down his face as the jagged blade danced across his pale chest.
I sunk to my knees, sobbing freely now. The tear-troops had been summoned by the memories of a nightmare. "I was too late. For everyone." I looked up at Malfoy. "I had to save you, to make up for everyone else, but-b-but, I-I…"
Malfoy was crouching on one knee in front of me, blonde eyebrows knitted together. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up."
The door burst open to the side of us, and we both jumped to our feet. Little known to us, I had broken down right in front of the Hospital Wing, and, staring at us down from her pointed nose was Madam Pomfrey, eyes calculating as she took in my emotional instability, Malfoy's knitted eyebrows, and it was obvious that she had quickly put together her opinion of the story.
Eyes falling on me, the ancient nurse gently put her hand on my back and clucked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. I gasped for breath in between racking sobs and stared up at her pitifully and almost frightened. I had only been sent here once before, when I had sprained my ankle during Quidditch practice, and her assistant, Madam Friar, had tended to me. As I sat on the hospital gurney, my bruising ankle in a splint, I watched Madam Pomfrey fuss over her patients, with that intimidating look in her eyes like she had now. I was a bit scared of her, and now here she was, looming over me in my delicate state. She glared over her shoulder at Malfoy, beckoning him inside with a terse nod of her head. Apparently, not every adult in the school liked him. I almost smiled.
Madam Pomfrey set me down on a hospital bed, checking my heartbeat and vitals, just to make sure that I wasn't actually ill. She then told me to get some rest, so I obediently leaned back and closed my eyes.
"What in Merlin's name did you say to her?" Madam Pomfrey's sharp rebuke came as a complete surprise.
"Nothing, Madam, I swear!" Malfoy's voice.
"Well something clearly distressed her," Madam Pomfrey hissed. "Does it have something to do with that cursed Masquerade Ball?"
"N-No! She's not going with me." I could almost hear the blush in Malfoy's voice.
"Uh-huh. Suuuurre." Madam Pomfrey sounded so much like a teenager in that moment that I was caught completely by surprise and giggled. Malfoy thankfully coughed to cover it up, and I peeked open an eye.
"For Merlin's sake, boy, cover your mouth when you do that!"
Malfoy nodded with a "yes, madam", and he caught my gaze. I mouthed "thanks" and he smiled in response. It felt like something friends would do – which was weird 'cause we were certainly not friends. That'll happen when pigs fly.
The next day in our dorm, after a rest in the Hospital Wing under Madam Pomfrey's strict orders, Jade filled me in on the rest of the day I had missed. What baffled me most was Charms class. "We levitated little piggy banks!" Jade exclaimed. "'Course, I wish we would have used real pigs, but Professor Biggins said that that could be classified as animal abuse. Oh well," she sighed. Then laughed. "Can you believe it, Rose? We actually made 'pigs fly!'" Despite my best friend's obvious excitement, I inwardly groaned. So much for my promise to myself made in the hospital bed the day before.
Jade then switched gears, warm brown eyes twinkling mischievously. "Scorpius seemed distraught too yesterday."
"Did you seriously just use the word 'distraught'?" I asked with an incredulous smile on my face despite Jade's teasing. She smacked me lightly with her pillow.
"I'm serious!"
"So am I!"
"Anyways, he actually came up to me and asked, (no joke), 'Is Rose okay?'" Jade had deepened her voice a little to do a generic but still ridiculous man-voice that was supposed to be Malfoy. I cracked up, and Jade just rolled her eyes and moved on. She was too excited to stop now. "And I said, 'Well she was a little worked up this morning,' and then Scorpius chuckled and said, 'Yeah, I noticed,' and then we both laughed and-"
"Okay, okay, thanks for the play by play, Jade." I joked.
"I think he likes you. He is pretty cute." I promptly smacked Jade with my own pillow. "Carter was getting pretty jea-loouus," Jade sang the word "jealous", and immediately got socked by me and my fluffy weapon again. We both started laughing and our conversation turned into an all-out pillow fight until Charlotte poked her head in and informed us it was time for dinner – laughing when she saw us trying to hide our pillow-weapons behind our backs. I gave Jade one last hit before we walked out of the dorm room and out into the hall, where Carter soon caught up to the three of us, looping his arms through mine and Jade's before winking at Charlotte.
"Sorry, Char, but I hear you're taken," he said teasingly. Charlotte's white cheeks turned a deep shade of scarlet, making her blonde curls stand out vividly. Instead, Charlotte wound her arm through my other one, and the four of us made our merry way to the Great Hall. "So, Rosie, you sound a lot better. What happened?" Carter inquired.
"I guess the fumes just got to me."
"Uh-huh." Carter raised his dark brown eyebrows disbelievingly. He then whirled around to face us and walked backwards (much like Malfoy did the day before, I embarrassingly noticed). "Well, girls, I think our dear Rosie has finally faked sick! The biggest nerd of all has fallen to our evil yet oh so enticing ways!" Carter exclaimed melodramatically. The hall quickly filled with our laughter. And the strangest thing was: I actually found myself looking forward to going to the Ball with Carter.
Dinner was full of people asking me if I was okay, and what had happened, etcetera, etcetera. Jade finally spoke up and told everyone to just shut up about it and I flashed her a surprised but grateful smile. "Thanks," I confessed.
"Any-time, hon." Jade replied playfully.
I looked across the table to see Malfoy looking at me from under his blonde eyelids as if I was a bad wand, no telling when I was going to explode or do something crazy. I quickly averted my eyes and they found themselves on the face of Madam Pomfrey sitting at the Head Table, giving me a quick smile and sending a glare Malfoy's way. I had a feeling that the old nurse and I were on the same wavelength.
Okay, sorry for this pitiful excuse of a chapter, especially since I've practically fallen off the face of the Earth for 5 1/2 months (feel free to kill me, I apologize!), but I really needed to update! I am a little tired, considering I just finished this and its past midnight, so pardon the horibbleness of this chappie! The next one will be better, I swear! Please R&R, even though I am a horrible person who kept her readers waiting for five long months :-( Tell me what you guys think!
Do you like Scorp or Carter better? What about Al and Lisi? Fred and Julia? And who should the ever-flirtatious Jade end up with: James or Patrick Finnigan or some other dude? And I know you haven't met him yet, but what about Charlotte and Andon? Should Elysse Longbottom get a guy as well? Oh, and on a creepier note, what do you guys think about the ragged Hogsmeade guy from Rose's dream? Better pay attention, he'll be pretty important...
Thank you, my faithful readers, for sticking by this unreliable author. I love you all!
Ally