Draco didn't talk to Clare for a few days and she found this peculiar. She tried to talk to him once or twice but he would always start being deeply engrossed in something as soon as she approached. She finally gave up and decided if he was going to give her the cold shoulder she would give him the total iceberg treatment. She ceased to even acknowledge him when they passed.
Finally, in Ancient Runes, Draco and Clare were paired together for an assignment on Motion-Reversing Runes.
"So" Clare said icily as they moved to a corner of the room to practice, "have you gotten over yourself enough to talk to me or shall I do this assignment on my own, I could you know."
"Of course I know that, you're fabulous at Runes, even better than that mudblood Granger, who gets top marks in everything."
"DON'T CALL HER THAT DRACO MALFOY!" Clare shouted.
"Okay, Miss muggle-born Granger."
"You know it is possible to talk about someone without putting their blood-status before their name. It's not like it matters."
"Of course it matters!"
"I'm sure the two of you are having a fascinating conversation but it doesn't sound like it is pertinent to the assignment" Professor Babbling chided.
"If it matters so much then why do you talk to me?" she asked harshly.
"You're different; you don't act like a mud… muggle- born."
Clare laughed. "And what Mr. Pureblood-supremacist does the typical muggle-born act like?"
Draco stammered, he had no reasonable answer for her question.
"We're just as different as you are from Ronald Weasley."
"But that Granger girl is irritating."
"You just don't like her because she gets higher marks than you." Clare looked up straight into Draco's grey eyes and then gently said "you're jealous Draco, it's your worst fault, you're jealous of Hermione because you always come in second to her. You're jealous of Harry's popularity, and I'm not really sure why you're jealous of Ron, you're filthy rich and he's poor as a potato farmer."
"You wouldn't understand" he said bitterly "you weren't here."
"Ten points from Slytherin and ten from Gryffindor" Professor Babbling said sternly.
Draco and Clare looked at each other and grimaced.
After class Draco came up behind Clare.
"I'm sorry about not talking to you lately, I was in a bad mood."
"Well don't take your mood swings out on your friends, it's just not cool."
Draco laughed softly, and then asked her "do you want to study after dinner then?"
"Sure, it won't be 'til later though, Seamus and I have to take our usual walk."
Draco gritted his teeth, but Clare didn't see.
"You've been dating for not even two weeks and you already have a routine walk?" he asked with a combination of repugnance and bitterness.
"Yeah, it just started, you see I frequently went for walks alone in the evening before, but after we started dating it became a couple thing."
"Oh" he responded "well see you after you get done with your couple walk."
"Ok, see you later Draco."
Clare and Seamus sat next to each other during dinner and chatted. She happily told him that she and Draco were reconciled. He smiled for her sake; he could care less about the snooty git from Slytherin. After dinner they set out for their walk.
Draco got up from Slytherin's table and found his feet carrying him out of doors. He stretched and yawned as he looked out across the lake, the cloudy sunset reflected in its surface. As he blankly looked out towards the forest he caught sight of two figures in crimson edged robes walking around the lake holding hands. He felt he had to watch them. He knew it was Clare and her boyfriend and for some unknown reason he felt compelled to observe her. He saw the couple stop and watch the sun slip below the horizon in a blaze of fuchsia and orange. But as he turned his attention from the splendid sunset to the couple his jaw fell. The sandy-haired boy who blew things up had Clare in a warm embrace and his lips were on hers. Draco felt a combination of feelings so complex that he picked the most familiar, disgust, and harboring that feeling he went inside. But the other emotions kept creeping up along with the disgust. Jealousy. Distress. Indignation. All feelings that he had no right to be feeling, but felt all the same. He told himself that the jealousy was only caused because he was currently single. The distress was brought about because she was his friend and he wanted to look out for her and the indignation because he had been put behind her boyfriend.
Clare found Draco loitering in the entrance to the castle when she came in with Seamus. She was red-faced and smiling from ear to ear. He forced a smile onto his face.
"I'll see you later Seamus."
"See ya' love" he said with a big smile and short wink.
"Hey Draco, I brought my books with me on my walk so you wouldn't have to wait."
Draco was disarmed, she had thought of him, even while she went out with her boyfriend he was still a priority for her. He felt very satisfied as they walked to the library. After all what did it matter what mad pubescent emotions were messing with his head when it came to Clare and Seamus, she was still his friend and he was just being stupid.
They enjoyed the peace of the library, what with examinations the next week and the final Triwizard Task the week after that Hogwarts was becoming a bit boisterous. But there, in the library, with nothing but the smell of books and the soft murmuring of other students trying to avoid Madam Pince's wrath, things were serene and pleasant.
