CHAPTER 14
Yay! Chapter 14! And it didn't take me a month this time! I'm so good to you guys X)
Okay, so now I'm going to list all who reviewed and reply to their comments/questions:
Allimba: Thanks! And no, Willow is not Harry's sister, and Voldy is not her dad.
DracoMalfoy4Ever: Thanks for the review! And as to if Willow is related to Harry at all, I'm not sure yet. I have her parantage already down and planned out, but I'm not sure if the family she comes from is related to Harry or not. If they are, it's not a big thing in the story and it would be on James' side.
Monkeyillusion: Thank you!
IceCreamDragon: -loves your name- Thank you for such a nice, long review! I've gotten quite a few comments on how people like that Draco is only nice to Willow. I try to keep him in character as much as possible but still likeable. I don't want to give away too much of what I'm planning, but I'll tell you that Willow does eventually end up with Draco. That's why it's a DracoXOC fanfic! Lol. But I want to make the characters as real as possible, and even in the origional Harry Potter, the characters dated others before ending up with who they did. So please keep reading even if you don't like something for the time being. It wont stay that way for long! I'm kind of flying through the years until I get to the 5th, 6th, and 7th years where the best stuff happens.
CorianderSpice: I loves you!
Narniagirl18: Thank you!
Sam: Thanks for the review! It'll be a while before you find out about her parantage, though. =)
silenaandbeckendorf4ever: =D yes, I did! And I'm updating again! Right now!! And as to who her aunt is, I'm not telling! But it's not Petunia or anything like that. I donno if people where thinking that or not. Petunia only had one sister, Lily, who died. So… yeah. Thanks for the review!!
So, thank you for reviewing! It's because of you that I got this chappie put out so soon. Half of this chapter is kind of just filler, but I couldn't continue without it… soo… yeah.
I am thinking about starting a Will of the Willow page on Facebook… If ya'll think that's a good idea, message me about it. I'm thinking that I'll want at least 7 messages or reviews about it before I actually do. That way I can answer your questions right away and tell you how close I am to updating.
Anyway, here you go! Enjoy!
I wish you were near me
Could feel it when you hear me say
I'd die again for you
--Smile Empty Soul
The sight of the Hogwarts Express rolling into Platform 9 3/4 was bitter-sweet for me.
Sweet in the thought of going back to school, bitter in the fact that I knew Draco would revert back to his regular self. The thought saddened me. I didn't like him when he was like that. He seemed so mean and shallow and... fake.
After giving goodbyes to Draco's parents, we boarded the Hogwarts express. Almost like magnets Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle found Draco as soon as he stepped foot on the train.
"This summer we went to the World Cup. The Bulgarians played well, but the Irish won, of course. We sat in the top box..." he drabbled on about his summer. They had already heard all this before, but when Draco talked about it, everyone listened.
"...Father actually considered sending me to Durmstrang rather than Hogwarts, you know. He knows the headmaster, you see. Well, you know his opinion of Dumbledore—the man's such a mudblood-lover—and Durmstrang doesn't admit that sort of riffraff. But Mother didn't like the idea of me going to a school so far away. Father says that Durmstrang takes a far more sensible line than Hogwarts about the Dark Arts. Durmstrang students actually learn them, not just the defense rubbish we do," he ranted.
I remembered the day Mr. Malfoy and Sissy argued about sending Draco to Durmstrang. They had been locked in Mr. Malfoy's study for the entire night. Draco didn't mind as much as he was letting on. He told me that British girls were better than "Northern" girls, whatever that meant.
Draco's posse soaked up every word. Well, I take that back. I doubted weather if Crabbe and Goyle soaked up anything.
So I followed them to the compartment, but I didn't listen anymore. Instead, I buried my face in a romance novel. I didn't look up from my book until Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle started to leave.
"Where are you going?" I asked.
"To get something off the trolley," he replied, but with the glint in his eye I knew they were going to go bully someone. I sighed and immersed myself back into my book.
Once they were gone, Pansy Parkinson and the other Slytherin girl, whose name I never bothered to learn, started to glare at me. I tried to ignore them, but found that it was impossible.
"What?" I snapped.
"Oh, nothing," she said offhandedly, but continued to glare.
"Look, whatever it is, just spit it out instead of sitting there looking like a constipated monkey," I said. I was starting to get annoyed, but I had startled myself with my short temper. I've been spending too much time with Draco, I thought. His bad attitude was starting to rub off on me.
Pansy made a face but didn't comment on it. "You're just so… plain. And yet, Draco still likes you. I don't get it," she fumed.
I rolled my eyes.
"We're only friends, so he doesn't care about how I look. If you want him, you can have him," I told her. "It's not like I have a claim to him or something." Almost as soon as I said the words, I had the oddest feeling that I wished I hadn't. It was strange, very strange.
"But don't you see the way he looks at you?" the other girl asked. Pansy elbowed her in the side.
"If they're only friends, then it doesn't matter," she hissed at the girl angrily, thinking I wouldn't hear.
"Well, that's wonderful!" Pansy exclaimed loudly. It didn't really make sense, but she didn't give me time to dwell on what she said. "So, since you have the inside scoop, what does he like?" she grilled.
"What do you mean?" I asked, confused. I was also still pondering about what the other girl had let slip. Draco looks at me in a certain way? Looks at me differently, perhaps? I wasn't sure.
"Like, what does he like in a girl?" she asked leaning foreword eagerly.
I hadn't the faintest idea. What did he like?
"I don't know… We never really talk about it…" They looked disappointed. "But I'm sure I could ask him sometime," I said to appease them.
"Great!" Pansy chirped, looking excited. "So I guess we're friends now!"
"Er… I guess so…" I said uncomfortably. I had the feeling that I was making the wrong group of friends.
Better than no friends, I sighed to myself.
Thankfully, the boys came back, so I was spared the third degree.
Throughout the rest of the train ride, I tried to catch Draco looking at me, but I didn't see anything different.
It was pouring rain when the train stopped. Everyone headed to the horseless carriages with their heads bent and their hands shielding their faces. I gave a fleeting thought to Spoons and Zephrys, hoping they were okay.
The steps of the carriage were slick with rain and my foot slipped. I would have ended up sprawled in the mud if Draco had not grabbed my by the waist and hauled me into the carriage.
"Thanks," I said, blushing. For some strange reason, I was unable to look him in the eyes. Instead, I looked around the carriage to see no one else. We were alone.
"What happened to-" I started.
"We lost them in the weather," he answered nonchalantly.
He then grabbed my chin and forced me to look into his icy blue eyes.
"You know, you still haven't given me a birthday present…" he murmured in a husky voice.
I wanted to make a sarcastic comment about how his birthday wasn't for another two weeks, but the words caught in my throat and I was unable to say anything. I noticed that his other hand hadn't moved from my waist.
And then he kissed me.
His lips were soft and tasted like rain. I was in a state of shock and just sat there, unmoving.
Draco's hands moved through my hair, mussing my wet hair. He pushed my head closer. After a second, I kissed him back.
It felt like my whole body was tingling and my lips were hyper-sensitive. It felt wonderful, like I was walking on air.
He suddenly pulled away, leaving me gasping for air. He smirked.
"Thanks," he whispered. His voice was barely audible over the roaring of the wind and rain outside.
"For what?" I whispered back. My mind was having a hard time concentrating, as if I was confounded.
"For my birthday present," he grinned.
The carriage jolted to a stop and in a dazed state, I stepped down to the muddy ground. I still couldn't get over the kiss.
My first kiss.
And Draco stole it.
I couldn't decide if I was okay with that or not. We weren't dating, and it didn't mean we were now dating. It was all very confusing. Why did he kiss me?
I was still in shock when we entered the school, until Peeves dropped a water balloon on me, getting me completely soaked. I gasped and sputtered as students laughed and Peeves cackled.
Professor Flitwick came by and dried me off with a spell, and we entered the Great Hall. It was a while before the first years made it across the lake, and when they entered, they were sopping wet.
Then the hat gave its song (I've always loved the sorting hat's songs) and the sorting began.
Finally, after almost twenty minutes, the last first year was sorted.
"Whitby, Kevin!" Professor McGonagall called.
"HUFFLEPUFF!" roared the sorting hat, and Kevin came over to our table and everyone clapped and cheered.
Professor McGonagall then picked up the hat and stool and carried it away. Then Professor Dumbledore stood and everyone got quiet.
"I have two words to say to you. Tuck in."
The empty dishes on the tables filled magically in front of us. I filled my plate and ate with one hand and read with the other. Fortunately, my book was dried along with my clothes.
"What are you reading?" asked the boy next to me. I looked up from my book to see Cedric Diggory.
I smiled at him. He was nice and a seventh year. He had helped me with my transfiguration homework once.
"It's a romance novel about a witch and a man who gets bitten by a werewolf. It's very good, and I'm almost finished with it," I said.
"That sounds interesting," he said pleasantly. "I'll have to borrow it when you're done."
I beamed at him and we started talking about good books we've read. More than once I caught Draco looking at us from the Slytherin table, and my stomach did a weird flip.
Once the feast had been demolished and everyone was well-fed, Professor Dumbledore stood and the din of chatter fell into silence.
Everyone listened as Dumbledore said the usual about Filch's no-no list (that no one cared about) adn that the Forbidden Forest was.. well, forbidden.
"It is also my painful duty to inform you that the Inter-House Quiddich Cup will not take place this year."
That got everyone's attention.
"What?" Cedric said in disbelief. I was disappointed; I loved to watch the Quidditch matches.
Professor Dumbledore continued.
"This is due to an event that will be starting in October, and continuing throughout the school year, taking up much of the teachers' time and energy--but I am sure you will all enjoy it immensely. I have great pleasure in announcing that this year at Hogwarts-"
But at that moment, there was a deafening rumble and the doors of the Great Hall banged open.
The man that stood in the doorway was unlike any man I had ever seen. His face seemed to be made from poorly whittled wood, he had a wooden leg that clunked every other step, grizzled hair that made him look crazy, and his eyes didn't match; one was small and beady, and the other was large and electric blue. It didn't blink, just kept moving up, down, and everywhere.
He said something to Dumbledore who nodded and gestured to the empty seat. The strange man sniffed his food before he ate it.
"May I introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher? Professor Moody."
No one clapped except Dumbledore and Hagrid. Everyone else just stared at the strange man.
"Mad-Eye Moody?" muttered Cedric.
"Who is he?" I asked.
"He was a famous Auror. But most say he's just nutters now."
Professor Dumbledore cleared his throat.
"As I was saying, we are having the honor of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months, an event that has not been held for over a century. It is my great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year."
"You're JOKING!" exclaimed Fred Weasley loudly.
Everyone laughed.
"I am not joking, Mr. Weasley," he said. He then wanted to tell a joke he had heard, but Professor McGonagall cleared her throat and he went on.
He explained how the tournament started as a friendly competition between the three schools and how the champions competed in three tasks. It used to be held once every five years, but too many died so it was discontinued. But the departments of Magical Games and Sports and International Magical Cooperation had decided it was time to make another attempt.
"The heads of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving with their short-listed contenders in October, and the selection of the three champions will take place at Halloween. An impartial judge will decide which studentsare most worthy to compete for the Triwizard Cup, the glory of their school, and a thousand Galleons personal prize money."
"Wow," I whispered in awe.
"That sure is a lot," Cedric whistled.
Dumbledore started to speak again and the excited mutters and whispers fell back into silence.
He said there was an age restriction, which was seventeen. Suddenly, several students went from wishful to mutinous, especially the Weasley twins.
Then, with a final farewell, Dumbledore dismissed the students to bed.
"Are you going to enter?" I asked Cedric on our way to the common room.
"I think so. Pity about the age requirement, though. The Weasleys looked ready to curse someone," he joked.
"Yeah," I laughed.
I, personally, was glad for the age restriction. I could just imagine Draco entering and getting himself killed just for a bit of glory.
I said good night to Cedric and headed off to bed. Spoons greeted me with a hiss and curled up next to my pillow. I swear, sometimes he acts more like a cat than a snake.
Ignoring the other girls, I pulled the curtains around my bed so they couldn't see me. My last thought before drifting off to sleep was about the kiss and how nice Draco's lips felt against mine.
A/N
I dont usually do author notes at the end, but I just had to this time. XDXDXDXD what'd you think!!?? This doesnt mean they're together yet, that'll still be some chapters off, but I figure ya'll deserved a kiss XD
AND! I made a wallpaper for it!! I'll post it on the facebook page if I decide to make one.
And, if anyone is a good artist n puts stuff on , I would LOVE fanart!! I know it's kind of weird to ask for it, but I want to see Willow n Draco in a picture together =3 Sew, pwwweeeessseeee!!
And, I made a music video featuring IMVU. It's for Disturbed's Indestructable. Next, I'm doing Gothic Lolita. =3 when I'm finished, I'll post the link to youtube if ya'll want to see them.
Okay, I'm done now. Hope you liked it!