~26 All the World's a Stage
Blaise and I walked into the nearly-empty common room a little while later. Julian saw me, rolled his eyes and stalked off to his room. Jordan was draped over a chair, doing some transfiguration homework, and Draco was lying on the couch, still reading Angels and Demons. Jordan eyed Blaise and me up when she saw that we were holding hands. I also noticed Draco glancing over his book every once in a while.
Blaise stopped us and tucked my hair behind my ear. He stroked my cheek and gave me an affectionate kiss.
"Good night." he quickly kissed the top of my head and disappeared into the boys' dormitory. Smiling, I turned to Jordan, who looked livid.
"Where have you two been?" she hissed.
I furrowed an eyebrow at her, "If you really must know, we were in the Room of Requirement."
"And what did you require in there?" she said, a little louder.
"Would you keep your voice down?"
"No! I will not keep my voice down! You knew I liked him! You know my history! You come here doing whatever the hell you want and you couldn't let me have this one thing! How could you!"
Jordan threw her book at me and stormed off out of the common room.
"Jesus Christ, I really am in high school."
I heard Draco chuckle.
"Problems Kenzie?"
"Not that it's any of your business, Malfoy, but yes," I replied walking around to the couch.
He moved his legs so I could sit opposite him.
"I thought you and Blaise weren't an item."
I put my head on my hand, "I don't really know what we are. I mean, I care about him and I feel something for him. But I don't know what it is. I don't know."
Then I looked at him and rolled my eyes, "Why am I telling you this, you don't care, you're a guy."
"You're right, I don't care."
He closed his book and sat up. I rolled my eyes and watched the fire.
"I'm breaking up with Angela," he said after a few minutes of silence.
My head snapped over at him, "Come again?"
He looked at me and didn't say anything else. Then he turned his gaze back to the fire.
"You were right. I don't belong with her."
"I said that?"
"I don't know why I'm with her in the first place. She treats everybody like they aren't fit to lick her shoes."
"And you don't?" I chuckled.
"Yeah, I know, I'm the scum of the earth, right? That's what everybody else thinks."
"No they don't," I frowned.
He gave me an unconvinced look.
"Ok maybe they do, but that doesn't make it true. Listen, I know you, Draco."
"No you don't. Nobody does. Nobody will."
I looked at him.
"Stop being so melodramatic. People have it far worse than you. Ever think about the people your father tortures? Or how about some of the people you yourself have hurt?"
"That's the problem! I can't stop thinking about them! Every night I lie awake for hours thinking about Voldemort and this stupid Dark Mark and what it means! When I'm sleeping I hear the screams of those I've tortured and I think about what I've done just for pure sport and it makes me sick! I hate this life, I hate who I am!"
I was taken aback by Draco's outburst. Before I said anything, I let him calm down.
"You wouldn't understand," he shook his head.
"Maybe not, but I know that the way you feel is a good thing."
"How?" he scoffed.
"You know what you're doing is wrong, and you still have a chance to change yourself."
"Right, like my father would let me. Everything I know and feel comes from him."
I narrowed my eyes, "You let me deal with him."
He sort of laughed and patted me on the leg, "You can't even take care of yourself. How do you expect to deal with my father?"
"Oh don't worry, I'll think of something."
He shook his head with a smirk, "You are a strange one, Kenzie."
"Yeah, I get that a lot," I smiled.
Silence fell between us again. For the next half hour, or so, Draco and I sat in each other's presence. It was an understanding silence, and we had come to a new level. It was good to know that the old Draco was still in there and just needed a good kick in the ass to come back out. Long after Draco had left I still sat there, utterly absorbed in my thoughts. Today was an odd day. And I was sure tomorrow wouldn't be much better.
- x -
"That dirty rotten git!"
"How could he do that to you?"
"And now you have to miss the quidditch match today!"
I wrapped my pillow around my head to try and muffle the sounds of the three stooges.
Angela sighed, "That Potter is going to pay! Making McGonagall give me detention like that! How did he even know I was there?"
"I hear he has a map of Hogwarts that shows where everyone is," Pansy whispered.
That caught my interest. I unwrapped my head and listened.
"Well because of him I don't get to watch my Drakie-poo play quidditch!"
"What a prick!"
"Yeah he's such a little worm!"
Angela smacked the bed in anger, "I won't take this! Here's what we're going to do. We're going to sneak into Hooch's office and take the snitch and bludgers. We'll make it so that if Potter catches the snitch, the bludgers will make a beeline straight at him!"
"Can you do that?"
"Of course I can! I'm not stupid you know!"
I shook my head and peered at the clock. 7:45. Might as well get up for an early breakfast. But there were some things I needed to take care of first. The door opened and closed and I knew it was safe for me to get up. Jordan was still asleep, and I wondered if she would still go to the match today. I suppose I do feel a little sorry, but I'm not going to go and apologize.
I threw on my Slytherin robes and walked out into the common room. Draco was talking with Julian as he uninterestingly let Angela sit on his lap and play with his hair. I walked over to them, getting angry stares from both Julian and Angela.
"What do you want, Kenzie? Draco has no interest in listening to what you have to say," she sneered.
"I'm not here to talk to Draco," I turned to Julian, "I'm here to talk to you."
"That's too bad because I don't want to talk to you."
"Grow a pair, Julian," I chided.
"Well, when you finally mature then I'll talk to you," he lazily turned.
"It's important," I urged.
"Not enough."
Becoming frustrated I folded my arms and tried to keep my anger in-check.
"The Plan, Julian," I reminded him through clenched teeth.
"You're in charge, dear sister, don't you remember?"
"It's about Adrian!" I finally shouted, my patience lost.
Julian, Draco, and Angela all looked at me. He finally was listening.
"I have some new information about our little brother," I managed to say.
"You have a brother? Another brother, I mean," Draco asked.
I nodded.
"He takes after my delinquent sister here and is stuck in juvee."
I narrowed my eyes, "I need to talk to you. Meet me in the library during the game."
He nodded. Blaise came out of the boys' dormitory sporting his quidditch uniform. I made my way over to him and we walked out of the common room.
"Hey my devil child."
I chuckled, "Do you know where the Gryffindor common room is?"
He stopped and gave me a strange look, "Why?"
"Well Angela, in her infinite wisdom, is going to tamper with the quidditch things-"
"Quaffle?"
"No."
"Bludgers?"
"No wait, yeah. Those things. Apparently they hit people?"
"Yeah they knock people off their brooms when they are hit by the beaters," he shrugged his shoulders
"Yeah whatever. Anyway she's gonna make it so that when Potter gets the snitch they hit him."
"And that's a bad thing? Potter's a dick," he scoffed
"I know, but I need to go warn him so that way he owes me something in return."
"Please don't tell me you're going to sleep with him."
"Ew, no. He has this map that can show you where everyone is in Hogwarts. I have an idea."
"Well if you promise me you aren't going to trade your information for sex I'll tell you."
"Haha I promise," I patted his shoulder.
"It's on the seventh floor, behind a picture of a fat lady in a pick dress."
"Ok thanks. And how do you know this?" I furrowed an eyebrow.
He smirked.
"Nevermind, I don't want to know."
He laughed.
"See you at breakfast, devil child," he winked.
I shook my head smirking. Cheeky little punk. I made my way all the way from the dungeons to the seventh floor. It took me a while to finally find the fat lady, but I did.
"Password?" she requested.
"I need to speak to Harry Potter."
"You need a password, dearie."
"I don't have one. I just need to talk to Harry Potter," I repeated.
"I can't let you in unless you have a password."
I let out a frustrated sigh and folded my arms across my chest. The door swung open and some little first years scrambled out. I tried sneaking in, but the portrait swung closed.
"Let me in," I demanded.
"No."
"It'll take five seconds, let me in."
"You need a password."
"You need to lose a few!" I barked.
She gasped and flung open the door, hitting me in the face in the process. I fell to the ground cursing up a storm. I rubbed the side of my face and flipped off the portrait. I backed away a few feet and sat on the ground, waiting for Potter to come out. All the Gryffindors that came out sent me strange looks and snickered at the red mark on my face. After ten minutes Potter finally strolled out flanked by Granger and Weasely and dressed in his scarlet quidditch robes. I stood up and they all looked at me.
"Hey, Potter, can I talk to you a moment?"
"He has no interest in talking to the likes of you. So just go crawl back under your rock!" Hermione squealed.
"Come on mate, just leave her," Ron dismissed me.
I smirked at the two of them.
"Believe me, Potter, you'll want to hear what I have to say to you," I turned to him.
"What could you say that I'd be the least bit interested in?"
"Make your pets leave and I will tell you," I narrowed my eyes at them.
"She's Slytherin mate."
"She's horrible, Harry, let's just go."
I furrowed my eyebrow, knowing he was going to talk to me.
"Go you guys, I'll meet you in the great hall."
They gave him pleading looks, but he forced them to go.
"You have me alone, now what? Planning on jumping me so that we have to forfeit the game today?"
"Please, I don't care about your silly little game. I was telling the truth when I said all I wanted was to talk to you."
"Hard to tell with you Slytherins."
"Angela tampered with the bludgers. When you touch the snitch, they are going straight for ya', four-eyes. And, knowing her, she probably eff'd up the curse and is going to cause some major damage."
"Why are you telling me this? I figured you would want that."
"Hard to tell with us Slytherins. I tell you this information in hopes of getting something in return from you," I smirked.
"And what's that? Hoping you could get in my pants, Kenzie?"
"Pft, you wish. No, what I'm interested in is a map. Rumor has it you have a map that can show the holder where everyone is in Hogwarts."
His eyes grew wide.
"I-I don't know what you're talking about."
"Who are you trying to fool, Potter? We both know you have it. Now I graciously told you of the dangers of the match. You owe me."
"What would you do with the map?"
"If you don't want to give it to me, I can always go perfect Angela's little curse. It would be easy. And I could make it look like she did it too. And you...you would be comatose so you wouldn't even get a chance to rat me out because I know that's what you'd do."
"You're not wrong."
I laughed.
"Yeah, I'll give you the map. But you need to make sure that Draco lets me get the snitch first."
"You run a tough bargain, Potter, but done. Harry Potter is an extortionist, who knew," I wickedly smirked.
He disappeared behind the portrait and came back with a piece of parchment in his hand.
"To see it, you have to say 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good' it should apply nicely to whatever you're going to do with it."
"Thank you kindly, Potter," I mocked.
"Whatever. When you're done you say 'mischief managed.'"
"Will do."
Pocketing the map, I went down to breakfast.
"Did you get it?" Blaise asked.
"Of course."
Blaise kissed my cheek and handed me a plate of food.
"Blaise?" I asked him after a few moments.
"Hm?"
"What do you consider us?"
He looked at me and gulped down a mouthful of food.
"Why? What do you consider us?"
"That's just it, I don't know. I've never really been in a real relationship before. I don't know what to think," I uncomfortably told him.
"I suppose you and I would never really work, huh?"
I laughed and shook my head.
"Well, I never really thought of you in that way anyway. I mean I did in the oh-god-I-want-you-now way," he said while pulling me up close to him. I laughed and pushed him away.
"And I said I would take care of you. I guess you're one of my best friends...with benefits," he added.
I laughed again, "I suppose you're right, Mr. Zabini."
He put his arm around me and gave me a half hug.
"Well if that's the case, I do know someone who is interested, Blaise," I insinuated.
"And give up the one-nighters and snogs with you? I don't know that's a tough one."
"You've gotta grow up some day."
"You're talking about Jordan, aren't you?" he guessed.
I furrowed my eyebrow with a smirk. Suddenly, a crying scream filled the great hall, and it came from none other than the drama queen herself. Blaise and I looked down the table to find Angela absolutely crying crocodile tears and Draco burying his face in his hands in embarrassment. I laughed and the entire great hall was listening.
"You're breaking up with me! How could you!" she was bursting with hysteria, "Why are you doing this to me!"
"Because, Angela, I don't want to be with you anymore," he said through gritted teeth.
"But I'm PERFECT!"
"Not to me," he rolled his eyes.
She made a noise of disgust and let out another shriek throwing biscuits at Draco as she stormed off with yet another obnoxious bellow. Shortly after, Pansy, Millicent, and Daphne trailed after her. Draco gazed down the table at me and shrugged his shoulders. I laughed and finished up my breakfast.