Chapter Nine: Technicalities
By the time I made it back to the Slytherin Common Room, the after-party was in full swing. I quickly scanned the room, seeing Blaise and Madi with Lillian and Tracey over by the fireplace. As I headed their way I almost stopped from shock when I spotted Daphne practically in Montague's lap, the two of them snogging passionately. I re-scanned the room, it making much more sense to me when I realised with a grimace Theo and Parkinson were nowhere to be seen, and it didn't take a genius to figure out why that was.
"You saw, then?" Lillian asked as I reached them, nodding towards where I'd just walked past Daphne.
"How long did it take the other two to ditch?" I questioned, smiling gratefully at Blaise when he quickly deposited a drink in my hand.
"All of five minutes," Tracey snorted, "You know, I expected this from Pansy, but I honestly thought Nott had more respect for Daphne."
I sighed, looking over at Daphne again with a sad smile, "Denial will make you do funny things sometimes."
"Or disgusting things," Blaise smirked, and we all chuckled a little despite the situation.
"Did you talk to your boyfriend?" Madi asked, turning to me.
My face fell, "Kind of wish I hadn't," I responded sadly.
"That bad?" Blaise grimaced.
"I think I just made it worse," I muttered, and he and Madi both looked at me sympathetically.
"Well," Madi smirked, "I guess we're drinking our problems away then?"
"Cheers to that," I replied, tapping my cup against the two of theirs and then taking a massive gulp.
"We're going to be carrying you into the dorm tonight, aren't we?" Lillian teased with a smirk.
"That's the only way to do it," Blaise winked, raising his cup in the air as we all laughed.
"Salazars spit!" Tracey suddenly exclaimed, almost choking on her drink as she turned to look at me with wide eyes. "I just remembered you weren't here!"
I frowned in confusion as the other three seemed to catch on to what she was referring to, all their eyes going wide as well and then turning to me with wicked grins on their faces.
"Wasn't here for what?" I looked between them, a little scared.
"Malfoy dumped Avery - for good," Lillian grinned, and my mouth dropped open a little.
"You're joking?"
"It was spectacular," Blaise agreed, "In front of everyone and everything."
"I don't think he meant for it to be such a spectacle though," Tracey said, "I reckon she just lost her marbles at him."
I was lost for words. It didn't make any sense to me, why would Malfoy dump Gorgia when he'd already lost Parkinson to Nott? It was unheard of for him not to have at least one of them at his beck and call. The fact that I'd danced with him earlier was now making me even more nervous, if she knew about that and then he dumped her I doubted she would blame anyone else but me.
"Is she here still?" I looked around nervously.
"No," Madi scoffed, "She ran off to the dorms and hasn't emerged since."
"No bloody idea where Malfoy's gone either," Blaise looked around with a frown, and I sagged a little in relief.
"Probably prowling for new prey," Tracey snorted, she and Lillian bursting into giggles.
I downed the rest of my cup, still reeling from the news. I saw Blaise watching me out of the corner of my eye, scowling when he turned to whisper something to Madi that made her smirk knowingly in my direction. I rolled my eyes, not in the mood to deal with the two of them acting like they knew what I was feeling.
"I'm going to find a refill, I'll find you later," I said, walking off before any of them could get another word in.
I found my way to the drinks table, refilling my cup and taking another large sip as soon as I did.
"Take it easy," I turned in surprise when Theodore appeared next to me, eyeing me and my rapidly decreasing drink warily.
"Done with Parkinson already?" I snapped, the alcohol and all the emotions of the night starting to get the better of me. Theodore looked a little taken aback at my coldness, his eyes narrowing.
"That's none of your business."
"Hmm," I mused, pointedly looking over to where Daphne and Montague were still tangled up in each other, smirking in triumph when Theo followed my gaze and his whole body tensed up in anger, letting out a small growl and clenching his fists, looking like he would happily beat the shit out of Montague.
"It's none of your business, right?" I quipped, and he turned back to me, glowering fiercely. I merely raised my eyebrows in challenge, and he let out another frustrated growl before he stormed off. I rolled my eyes, deciding I needed some air, the room was starting to become suffocating.
I stepped out of the portrait, taking another sip of my drink and walking a little way down the corridor, intent on getting as far away from that party as possible. I was stumbling a little as I walked, probably due to the amount of alcohol I had consumed in such a short time.
"How much have you had to drink tonight?"
I gasped, almost jumping out of my skin when I suddenly noticed Malfoy leaning against the wall just in front of me, looking at me with raised eyebrows.
"What the fuck Malfoy!" I exclaimed, trying to regain my breath, "Do you often lurk in dark hallways?"
"Occasionally," he shot back, pushing off the wall. "How much have you had to drink tonight?" he repeated.
"Why is that any of your business?"
He rolled his eyes, "You can't even stand up straight."
"I'm standing up straight," I defended stubbornly, before my eyes widened as I suddenly felt myself tipping sideways. Malfoy quickly moved towards me, gripping my arms and pulling me back upright.
"For fucks sake, Black. Pull yourself together," he snapped, releasing me and stepping back like I'd burned him.
I glared, "I came out here for some peace and quiet, not to be chastised. Especially by you."
"I was here first," he shot back childishly, and I snorted.
We fell silent, and he leaned back against the wall once more, staring straight ahead. I was really feeling the effects of the Firewhiskey now, and I cursed my tiny body weight as I studied the blonde in front of me. I wondered if him hiding out here had anything to do with what had gone down between him and Gorgia, I know I wouldn't want to be around anyone after such a public spectacle.
"You know it's rude to stare," he drawled, startling me a little when he suddenly looked back at me. His eyes met mine for a brief moment, but I looked away quickly when I felt my cheeks growing hot. Blaming it on the alcohol, I walked closer to him and held the cup out.
"Here take it, you probably need it more than me."
He looked skeptical for a moment, like he was deciding whether I was attempting to poison him before he took it from my grasp.
Despite my better judgement, I moved to lean on the wall next to him. It was justified, I was tired, and apparently a little tipsy so technically was having a hard time standing up straight anyway. He looked a little surprised, watching me from the corner of his eye as he took a sip from the cup I'd handed him.
"I suppose you're pretty happy with yourself," I blurted out, and he looked at me questioningly, "Fred and I had a massive fight, but I'm guessing that's exactly what you wanted," I said bitterly, glaring at the floor in front of me.
"Didn't realise Weasley was so possessive," Malfoy replied drily, tapping his finger against the side of the cup.
"Please," I rolled my eyes, "You knew exactly what you were doing."
He let out an irritated sigh, "I didn't care about your boyfriend's reaction at all, actually."
I turned to him incredulously, the alcohol in my system making me much more confident than I usually was, "Do you really expect me to believe you actually just wanted to dance with me?"
He pushed off the wall, tossing the now empty cup to the side and turned back to face me, arms crossed, "Why wouldn't I?"
"Why would you?" I fired back harshly.
He studied me for a moment, and I fidgeted under the intensity of his gaze. His eyes moved to rest on the necklace on my neck, and I subconsciously reached up to touch it as he did, causing him to slowly look back up at me.
"I see you liked my gift then."
My mouth dropped open. There was no way - there was absolutely no way.
"You…" I breathed, my hand dropping to hang lamely by my side as I stared at him in shock, "You got me this?"
Malfoy nodded, watching me carefully.
"Why?" I demanded, annoyed at the slight tremor in my voice.
"Because," he said, "It was my fault that Avery did it in the first place, so I owed you. And I don't like owing anyone anything."
I sucked in a breath, so he did know why Avery had attacked me. What he'd said when we were dancing at the ball came back to me - he only went with her because it would have been pathetic to go alone, and then he'd dumped her as soon as the ball was over. Had he been planning on doing it since she'd attacked me? Why would I have anything to do with him and Avery being over?
"A thank you would be nice," he scowled when I didn't reply, and I glared at him.
"I'm not daft, Malfoy. You never do anything unless there's something in it for you."
He shrugged, "You can believe what you want, Black. That doesn't change the fact that you obviously like it, otherwise you would have incinerated it the minute you found out it was from me."
He was right, the moment I had opened it I had loved it, and now that I was used to having it around my neck again I couldn't imagine ever taking it off, even if everything in me was screaming it was a terrible idea to keep it. What if everyone found out that he was the one who gave it to me? I didn't even want to think about the damage that could cause.
"Stop overthinking it," he snapped, breaking my thoughts, "You're going to drive yourself mad one day doing that."
"I have to overthink it," I retorted, "Did you really expect me to just say thank you and leave it at that? You're not a generous person, Malfoy. It's like I said, I've never seen you do anything without wanting something in return."
His smirk dropped once more, and my heart began to race when he took a few steps closer to me so he was standing right in front of me, his eyes flickering in satisfaction when I leaned back against the wall to try and put some space between us.
"You aren't ready to admit what I want in return yet," he said quietly, his grey eyes locked on mine. I drew in a breath at his words, searching his eyes and noticing instead of the usual cold grey there was something else flickering behind them, something more… vulnerable?
"What the hell does that mean?" I managed to get out.
He smirked again, straightening up and stepping back.
"You'll figure it out."
And then he was gone, striding down the hall back towards the Common Room, leaving me watching him with no idea what the hell had just happened.
We all got up late the next day. I'd gone to bed after Malfoy's strange admission, but I'd heard the rest of the girls stumble to bed in the early hours of the morning. The Common Room was practically empty by the time I came out, most people choosing to stay in bed or probably in the Great Hall eating as much greasy food as possible. The girls were all still asleep, so I decided to head to the kitchens for food, I wasn't quite ready to risk going to the Great Hall yet. I had no idea what I was going to say to Fred, it was bad enough we'd had a fight and now I had to decide whether to tell him that Malfoy had been the one to buy me the necklace too.
I tickled the pear on the portrait, grinning when I stepped into the kitchens and the smell of food hit me.
"Missus Cassie!"
I turned when I heard the excited squeak, seeing Dobby running across the bench towards me.
"Hi Dobby, Merry Christmas!" I smiled warmly.
"Merry Christmas missus!" Dobby beamed back, "It has been too long since Dobby has seen missus!"
Hermione had been the one to discover Dobby had come to work at Hogwarts, when she'd come into the kitchens to try and convince the elves they should want to be liberated. So far it wasn't working very well, Dobby seemed to be the only elf who had any interest in being free or wanting to be paid for his work.
"Sorry, Dobby. There's a lot going on this year," I apologised.
Dobby shook his head vigorously, "Dobby understands missus! Dobby is very worried for Harry Potter."
I sighed, "Me too."
"Does the missus want any foods?" he perked up, almost like he'd read my mind before grabbing my hand and dragging me down the kitchen. All the house-elves we passed either bowed or ducked as they saw me, most of them shoving plates and snacks towards me. I gratefully accepted a plate of pancakes from Dobby, before promising him I would come back soon and heading out of the kitchens once more.
I spent the last few days of winter break doing all the homework I'd previously neglected, and skillfully avoiding any chance of running into Fred, and any chance of a one-on-one interaction with Malfoy. By the time the first day of classes rolled around I still hadn't spoken to my boyfriend since the ball, which I knew was bad, but I still had no idea what I was going to say to him.
"You really need to stop being such a child," Madi chastised as we walked down to Care of Magical Creatures through the thick layer of snow still covering the grounds.
"Seriously," Blaise agreed, "I thought you were being childish earlier in the year, but this is a whole new level."
"Do you even remember what your supposed boyfriend looks like?"
"Alright," I growled, looking between the two of them, "I get it."
"Ugh!" Daphne exclaimed from behind us as she almost skidded on some ice, "This class should be banned in winter!"
"This class should be banned full stop," Tracey muttered.
"Oh, I don't know," Malfoy said cheerily, turning around from where he and Theodore were walking in front of us, "I think you'll find today's class much more interesting than usual."
My eyes narrowed suspiciously, he looked far too pleased for my liking, "What the hell does that mean, Malfoy?"
He simply smirked smugly, turning back to Theodore without any further comment.
"Didn't you read the paper today?" Daphne questioned, and I shook my head.
"How could she?" Lillian snickered, "She didn't come to breakfast again, remember?"
We made it down to Hagrid's cabin before I could retort, and I jumped as Harry, Ron and Hermione appeared in front of me almost instantly, all three of them glaring at me haughtily.
"I've been trying to find you for days!" Harry frowned.
"Sorry," I shrugged, avoiding meeting his eyes, "I had all of my homework to do these last few days, I've been trapped in the Common Room trying to finish it all."
"Right," he said sarcastically, staring at me knowingly.
"You've been a real git, you know that?" I turned to Ron in slight surprise at his sharp tone, "Fred's been out of his mind, how could you just ignore him like that?"
"It's actually none of your business, Ronald," I hissed, narrowing my eyes.
Ron looked like he wanted to retort, but Harry elbowed him in the ribs in warning, before he turned to me with a little shrug.
"He is right though, you know."
"Alright, all of you hurry up!"
I turned in surprise when I heard a voice that was definitely not Hagrid's, seeing an elderly woman standing at Hagrid's door instead of my giant friend. Any plans I'd had of yelling at Harry and Ron immediately vanished, replaced with confusion at who the hell this woman was.
"Who're you?" Ron echoed my thoughts, "Where's Hagrid?"
I could hear Malfoy and a few others sniggering behind me as we trudged through the snow, my earlier suspicion returning.
"My name is Professor Grubbly-Plank, I am your temporary Care of Magical Creatures teacher."
"Where's Hagrid?" Harry repeated.
"Indisposed."
The sniggers grew, and I turned to glare sharply at Malfoy, who raised an eyebrow tauntingly at me in response.
"This is why you should come to breakfast," Madi muttered to me as we reached the paddock holding the large Beauxbatons horses.
I could hear Harry still questioning Grubbly-Plank, who seemed to be ignoring him for the most part. I suddenly heard awed gasps from the girls in the class, and raised an eyebrow when I noticed we'd stopped just near the edge of the paddock, and a unicorn was tethered to the fence.
"Boys stay back! They prefer the woman's touch, girls move forward, careful now!" Professor Grubbly-Plank instructed, and the girls in the class didn't hesitate to rush forward as fast as they could, even my fellow Slytherins who usually would never show any kind of interest in this class. I hung back, quickly striding over to Harry and Ron.
"Do you think Hagrid's alright?" I whispered.
"Maybe a Skrewt finally got him," Harry mused, and Ron nodded in agreement.
"Oh, he hasn't been attacked, Potter."
We all turned to see Malfoy smirking smugly at us, and I fixed him with a sharp glare.
"He's probably just too ashamed to show his ugly face."
"What are you on about, Malfoy?" Harry said sharply.
Malfoy made a big show of pulling a folded page of what I presumed was this morning's Prophet out of his pocket, and I rolled my eyes, not in the mood for his dramatics. I snatched it out of his hands, ignoring the affronted look he gave me for doing so and turned back to Harry and Ron.
Seamus, Dean and Neville all came to hover over my shoulder as we started reading.
DUMBLEDORE'S GIANT MISTAKE
Albus Dumbledore, eccentric Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, has never been afraid to make controversial staff appointments, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent. In September of this year, he hired Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, the notoriously jinx-happy ex-Auror, to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts, a decision that caused many raised eyebrows at the Ministry of Magic, given Moody's well-known habit of attacking anybody who makes a sudden movement in his presence. Mad-Eye Moody, however, looks responsible and kindly when set beside the part-human Dumbledore employs to teach Care of Magical Creatures. Rubeus Hagrid, who admits to being expelled from Hogwarts in his third year, has enjoyed the position of Gamekeeper at the school ever since, a job secured for him by Dumbledore. Last year, however, Hagrid used his mysterious influence over the headmaster to secure the additional post of Care of Magical Creatures teacher, over the heads of many better-qualified candidates. An alarming large and ferocious-looking man, Hagrid has been using his new-found authority to terrify the students in his care with a succession of horrific creatures. While Dumbledore turns a blind eye, Hagrid has maimed several pupils during a series of lessons that many admit to being "very frightening." "I was attacked by a hippogriff, and my friend Vincent Crabbe got a bad bite off a flobberworm," says Draco Malfoy, a fourth year student. "We all hate Hagrid, but we're just too scared to say anything." Hagrid has no intention of ceasing his campaign of intimidation, however.
Weeks ago, I reported Hagrid had illegally bred a new species. And now, as if this were not enough, the Daily Prophet has now unearthed evidence that Hagrid is not - as he has always pretended - a pure-blood wizard. He is not, in fact, even pure human. His mother, we can exclusively reveal, is none other than the giantess Fridwulfa, whose whereabouts are currently unknown. Bloodthirsty and brutal, the giants brought themselves to the point of extinction by warring amongst themselves during the last century. The handful that remained joined the ranks of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and were responsible for some of the worst mass Muggle killings of his reign of terror. While many of the giants who served He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named were killed by Aurors working against the Dark Side, Fridwulfa was not among them. It is possible she escaped to one of the giant communities still existing in foreign mountain ranges. If his antics during Care of Magical Creatures lessons are any guide, however, Fridwulfa's son appears to have inherited her brutal nature. In a bizarre twist, Hagrid is reputed to have developed a close friendship with the boy who brought around You-Know-Who's fall from power - thereby driving Hagrid's own mother, like the rest of the Death Eaters, into hiding. Perhaps Harry Potter is unaware of this unpleasant truth about his large friend - but Albus Dumbledore surely has a duty to ensure that Harry Potter, along with his fellow students, is warned about the dangers of associating with half-giants.
"How the bloody hell did she find out?!" Ron whispered to Harry harshly, and I frowned in confusion. Neither of them had ever said anything about knowing Hagrid was half-giant to me. Harry didn't seem to even hear Ron, turning to glare at Malfoy once again.
"What do you mean, 'we all hate Hagrid'?!" he spat, "And Crabbe getting bitten by a flobberworm is rubbish and you know it!"
"They haven't even got teeth," I agreed, my eyes narrowing as Crabbe himself started sniggering, evidently very pleased with himself.
"No matter," Malfoy shrugged, "I gather this will put an end to the oaf's teaching career, no parents will want their children taught by a vicious half-giant."
"You-" Harry started to snarl, practically shaking in anger.
"Are you paying attention over there?" Professor Grubbly-Plank's sharp voice cut him off, and I yanked him around to face the front again to prevent him from getting himself into trouble, shooting Malfoy one more disappointed glare as I did so. Any nice feelings I'd had from him giving me the necklace had all but vanished, this was just a reminder of what a git he was.
"That was the best lesson we've ever had," Daphne sighed dreamily as we trudged up to lunch an hour later.
"Just because you're easily pleased by anything shiny, Greengrass," I snapped, still furious about Hagrid.
"You're just bitter because your oaf of a friend got exposed for the fraud he is," Daphne stuck her nose up, glaring at me slightly, which I returned easily at her words.
"Don't mind her Daph, she's been grumpy all week," Madi sniggered, most of my friends joining in. Maybe I had been a lot snappier than usual the last few days, but how could they blame me? It wasn't like I'd been having the most relaxing winter break.
We reached the Great Hall, and I stopped, planning on heading to the kitchens as usual, but Blaise let out a frustrated growl.
"That's it!" he exclaimed angrily, pulling me back, "I'm not letting you avoid this anymore, we're all sick of dealing with your attitude."
"Don't you dare Zabini!" I warned, fixing him with my most threatening of stares, but the bastard didn't waver.
"You can't keep avoiding your problems, CB," Lillian agreed, watching in amusement as I continued to try and struggle against Blaise to no avail.
"I can and I will!"
"Oh, grow up." Theodore snarled, grabbing my other arm roughly and helping Blaise drag me into the hall. I glowered at him, the two of us had been cold with each ever since the Yule Ball after-party, he was still angry at me for how I'd acted about Daphne and Montague, and I was still angry with him for Pansy.
"Stop being so embarrassing!" Malfoy hissed as they dragged me the whole way to the Slytherin table, sitting either side of me to trap me in. Everyone settled in around us, the girls all giggling at my expense and Malfoy looking like he wanted to hex all three of us. Part of me wished he would, then maybe I wouldn't have to stay.
"I feel violated," I stated bluntly, looking between the two boys sitting either side of me, who looked smug as they started to pile food onto their plates.
"We do it out of love," Blaise responded.
"I really don't understand why you've avoided him for this long, the fight wasn't even that bad," Madi stated, looking at me with a raised eyebrow. She had been quizzing me all week about it, I knew she suspected there was something else going on.
I looked at Malfoy out of the corner of my eye, who was pointedly ignoring our conversation. Maybe I would have talked to Fred sooner if I hadn't been so thrown off by the fact he'd been the one to buy me the necklace, and why he'd said he'd done it in the first place.
"Weasley twin incoming," Tracey suddenly said, and I was startled a little when I realised it was George - not Fred - striding purposely towards the table.
"Looks like you're getting told off by both brothers today," Blaise sniggered, then winced when I elbowed him hard in the side before standing up and meeting George just before he reached the table.
He stared down at me, arms crossed, but he didn't look as angry as I thought he might - just a little concerned.
"I know," I mumbled, "I'm awful."
"I think both of you are being idiots," George stated, "But yes, hiding for days probably wasn't the smartest thing for you to do."
I sighed, my eyes flicking over to the Gryffindor table and frowning when I realised Fred wasn't actually there.
"Where is he?"
George's lips curled up into an almost smile, "Where do you reckon?"
It hit me instantly, and I squeezed George's arm lightly in thanks before I raced out of the hall. I went as fast as my legs would carry me, almost taking the steps two at a time before I finally reached the top of the Astronomy Tower, gasping to catch my breath. Fred turned, raising his eyebrows as he watched me trying to regain the ability to speak. His eyes were guarded, and he was clearly waiting for me to speak first. It was like all my confusion vanished as soon as I saw him, and all I wanted was for him to forgive me, for us to be okay again.
"I'm sorry," I breathed out, walking towards him hesitantly, "I have been the world's worst girlfriend."
He didn't respond, continuing to stare at me passively.
"You were right that night, I pushed you aside way too much and didn't treat you like my priority. I am scared of letting people in, and sometimes when I see how much you care about me it terrifies me - so I try and push you away, but that isn't fair on you at all, I know that. And I should have told you how I felt about going to the tower before, but I was just so scared you would take it the wrong way. But I meant what I said Fred, you are my priority - and I really, really, want this to work. So, please don't give up on me just yet…"
My heart was racing by the end of my little speech, partly from the anxiety I was feeling and probably partly from the mini marathon I had just run. His face had softened a little, but I could tell he still had his guard up. My heart ached from realising how much he'd probably been hurting these last few days.
"You haven't apologised for ghosting me yet," he finally said, and I bit back a smile when I heard the teasing lilt to his voice.
"Right," I whispered, moving closer to him hesitantly, "I'm especially sorry for being an immature little cow ever since."
He snorted back a laugh, reaching one arm out to rest his hand on my hip, holding my gaze, "I thought I'd lost you," he said, his voice hoarse.
I shook my head, reaching up to brush some hair off his face, "I was more worried I'd lost you…"
He finally wrapped his other arm around me, pulling me in close, "Never gonna happen."
"I mean it," I whispered, the relief flooding over me as he held me tightly, "I really am so, so, sorry. I'll spend as long as it takes making it up to you."
His lips quirked into a mischievous smirk, "I have a few ideas how you could start…"
I giggled, threading my hands into his hair as he started walking me backwards until my back hit the wall, "Do you, now?"
"Mhm," he mused, dipping his head and starting to trail kisses along my neck. I gave his hair a little tug after a few moments, finally meeting his lips in a kiss. I let myself get lost for a while, tangling my hands in his hair and showing him with my kisses just how sorry I was before I reluctantly pulled back.
"Are you sure we're okay?" I breathed, stroking my thumb over his cheek and searching his face for any kind of hesitation.
He chuckled, brushing his nose against mine softly, "I promise."
I frowned slightly, how was it so easy for him to forgive me? Would he be so quick to let it go if I told him about Malfoy?
Almost like he'd read my mind, he suddenly picked up the necklace gently, "Did you get a chance to ask your Dad about this?"
I stared down at where his hand was still fiddling with it, my heart pounding in my chest. I had just gotten him to forgive me, the last thing I wanted was to go back to fighting with him.
"Yeah," I breathed, the guilt seeping through me instantly, "It was him, he assumed I would know it was from him, that's why he didn't put a card with it." The lie fell from my lips so easily, but it was hard to feel too bad about it when Fred looked slightly relieved, like he'd almost suspected who had actually given it to me.
Sometimes it was just easier to hide the truth, especially if it stopped people I cared about getting hurt.
At least that's what I keep telling myself.
By the time the next Hogsmeade trip rolled around two weeks after Christmas break, Hagrid still hadn't returned to classes. The three Gryffindors had been telling me how often they'd tried to see our friend, but he kept turning them away. The Slytherins were thrilled, and Malfoy took every chance he could to mock Harry about it. I'd barely had any conversations with him since Christmas, mostly as I tended to avoid him as much as possible. But it was getting harder for me to not think about his cryptic words - and what they meant.
"I just thought you'd want to use this time to work on your egg," Hermione was saying as the four of us walked towards Hogsmeade village.
"Oh," Harry fidgeted a little - and I could immediately tell whatever he was about to spin to Hermione was a lie - "I reckon I've got it almost figured out now…"
I had to hold back a scoff, and he shot me a sidelong warning look. Hermione, however, seemed to believe him because she immediately brightened up, looking almost proud of him. Gryffindors were far too bloody gullible.
We made it to The Three Broomsticks, scanning the always crowded pub for a sign of a free table.
"Why is he bloody everywhere?" Ron suddenly frowned, and we followed his gaze to see Ludo Bagman sitting at a table in the corner, chatting quite urgently with some angry looking goblins. He glanced up and noticed Harry, standing up and shooing the goblins away before rushing towards us purposely.
"Harry! Been hoping to run into you, how are you?"
"Fine, thanks," Harry responded.
"Wonder if we could have a word... in private?" Bagman's eyes flicked between me, Ron and Hermione. I exchanged a look with Harry, who gave me a small nod of assurance before I gestured to the other two to leave them be.
"What d'you reckon that's about then?" Ron said, still watching them as we managed to find a table.
"Probably nothing good," Hermione frowned, "There's something off about that man, Viktor says he doesn't think he's very honest."
"Viktor said that, did he?" Ron mumbled bitterly, and Hermione flushed red while I rolled my eyes. Hermione had barely mentioned the Bulgarian Seeker since Christmas - mostly to save Ron's ego - but I knew they'd still been spending quite a lot of time together.
I sipped my Butterbeer, watching Harry and Bagman's odd exchange, before Fred and George suddenly appeared and interrupted their conversation. Within seconds, Bagman was exiting the pub, the goblins all following out after him, and Harry and the twins headed over to our table.
"What did he want?" I asked instantly.
"He offered to help me, y'know with the egg."
Hermione looked personally offended, "He can't be doing that! Viktor was right - there's something off about that man!" she hissed, and I had to hold back a giggle when Ron's face went instantly red at the mention of Krum's name again.
"What was with the goblin army?" Fred asked, draping his arm over the back of my chair lazily.
"They're looking for Mr Crouch," Harry said, "Apparently he's still ill, hasn't been to work in weeks. That's what your brother was telling me at the ball." The three Weasley's all grimaced at the mention of Percy, his name was as forbidden as You-Know-Who's in their house these days.
"Maybe he's poisoning him," Ron commented drily. The twins both snorted in laughter, but Hermione looked less amused. I gazed over at Harry, who was staring at his Butterbeer deep in thought and frowned in concern. I knew he was no closer to figuring out his egg, and the task was only five weeks away.
"Oh no," Hermione suddenly grimaced, and we turned to see Rita Skeeter striding into The Three Broomsticks, armed with her camera man and quill as usual. Harry immediately tensed up, glaring fiercely at her as she started bustling around.
"...didn't seem very keen to talk to us, did he?"
"Trying to ruin someone else's life?" Harry said loudly, and I groaned inwardly. Why did he always have to be a bloody hero?
"Harry!" Skeeter seemed thrilled to have found him, starting to make her way towards us, "How about another interview?"
"No thanks, I don't really like talking to people who trash talk my friends."
"I can't decide if this is terrible, or terrific..." George murmured, Fred nodding in agreement as I watched the confrontation growing in front of me.
Skeeter pushed her bedazzled spectacles up her nose, "It is my job to report the truth Harry."
"Who cares if he's half-giant?" I jumped at his sudden loudness, becoming increasingly aware of how quiet the entire pub had gone, "There's nothing wrong with him!"
"Harry," I hissed warningly, "Just leave it!"
He ignored me, continuing to glare daggers at the reporter, who's lips merely quirked into a smile. Harry was giving her exactly what she wanted, more ammunition for a story.
"Why not give me an interview about the Hagrid you know?"
Hermione stood up abruptly, "You horrible woman!" I gaped at her, a little shocked at her gall, "You don't care about anything do you, anything for a story!"
"Sit down, you silly little girl," Skeeter hissed, looking at her like she was dirt on the bottom of her high heel, "Don't talk about things you don't understand!"
Ron stood up then, Harry following his lead as they both glared viciously at her, "Let's just go, c'mon," Ron muttered, tugging Hermione up as well before the three of them stormed out, the whole pub watching them as they went. Rita Skeeter merely let out an affronted 'hmph', before she stalked out as well and everyone seemed to go back to their business.
"She'll go after Hermione now," Fred sighed, and I nodded solemnly in agreement. It was never a good idea to piss off Rita Skeeter, she always managed to be able to dig up something bad about anyone who dared to cross her.
"How is Harry going with the egg anyway?" George turned to me, and I rolled my eyes a little.
"He's being Harry, he'll leave it to the last minute and then somehow miraculously survive anyway."
They both laughed, "What d'you reckon this task will be anyway?" Fred mused, "I mean, how do you beat a dragon?"
"Whatever it is, I'm sure it'll be dangerous," I sighed, I spent most of my time these days worrying about Harry and I had a feeling it was only going to get worse. Fred ran his fingers up and down my arm lightly, and I smiled at him softly for the comforting gesture.
We turned as the door opened again, and I immediately fixed a glare on Gorgia Avery as she came sauntering in – followed by the Carrow twins. She glared right back at me, only turning away once she was settled in a booth near the back.
"Are you sure you don't want us to slip something into her dinner?" George said coldly, pulling my attention back to the twins – who were also glaring coldly at the brunette.
I shook my head, "No, don't worry. I'll get her eventually."
"Any ideas yet?" Fred raised an eyebrow.
"No," I sighed, "But don't fret boys, when I do finally get her back, I promise it'll worth the wait."
"That's our girl," they chorused in unison, and I couldn't help but laugh.
I spent the rest of the day in Hogsmeade with the twins, well and truly exhausted by the time I made it back to the Common Room that night. I spotted Blaise and Madi lounging on the couches, and immediately headed their way - throwing myself on top of Blaise dramatically.
"Get off me you troll!" he grumbled angrily, shoving me off easily and glaring when all I did was laugh in response.
"Does that ever bother you?" Parkinson asked Madi snootily from where she was snuggled into Theodore's side on the couch diagonal to us. Nott was engrossed in the book he was reading, ignoring all of us.
Madi rolled her eyes, "Does what bother me, Parkinson?"
"Black whoring herself all over Zabini," she glanced at me snidely, "Obviously."
Madi had to snort to hold in her laughter, while Blaise just looked disgusted at the insinuation.
"Funny you using the term whore, don't you think Parkinson?" I raised an eyebrow, flicking my eyes between her and Theodore meaningfully.
"How dare you!" Parkinson leaned forwards, her eyes blazing as Blaise and Madi tried their best to stop their sniggers. Theodore had other ideas, closing his book and putting a hand on her arm to calm her down.
"Don't, she's trying to get a rise out of you," he glared coldly at me, before tugging Parkinson up. The two of them exited the room, Pansy glaring viciously at me the whole time while I watched them with cold indifference.
"What is going on with you and Nott?" Blaise asked after they'd gone, looking at me questioningly.
"He's just mad at me for pointing out what a hypocrite he is," I responded stubbornly.
"You should just leave it alone," Madi sighed, "It's none of our business."
My gaze moved over to where Daphne was sitting with Montague, giggling away as she usually did when she was around him. Maybe they were right, if Daphne and Theodore wanted to pretend to be happy with other people, that was their choice. It wasn't like I didn't understand, I remember how scared I'd been of my feelings for Fred at first.
We turned as the door to the Common Room opened again, and Lillian and Tracey climbed in - joining us as soon as they noticed us.
"How did your gift hunting go?" Madi asked with an amused smile, seeing how utterly exhausted the two of them looked. Tracey had been stressing over finding her older sister the perfect birthday present for days and had planned to find something today. From her reaction to Madi's statement, I guessed she hadn't been successful.
"I don't even want to think about it," she groaned, slumping into the cushions of the chair in defeat.
"Surely it can't be that difficult," Blaise scoffed, the four of us exchanging a withering look at his ignorance.
"You don't understand," Tracey exclaimed, "She always gets me the perfect gift! And just once I want to one-up her…"
Lillian snorted, "So it isn't even about getting her a nice gift? You just want to bloody win!"
We all laughed as Tracey shrugged, not looking the least bit bothered.
"Maybe you should ask your dad where he got your necklace," Madi nodded towards me, and I immediately stiffened.
Tracey sat up eagerly, her eyes wide, "Can you?! Something like that would be perfect!"
"Um," I stammered, trying not to go red as they all looked at me in slight confusion at my hesitation. After I'd told Fred he had been the one to give it to me, I figured it only made sense to tell everyone the same thing.
"Yeah," I finally said, forcing a smile Tracey's way, "I'll send him a letter."
Tracey grinned at me gratefully, the four of them falling back into conversation. I zoned out, staring into the fire flickering not far from us. I wasn't normally a liar, and this little white lie that had started to protect my boyfriend's feelings was suddenly spiralling into something much bigger. I bristled, looking up only to be met with steeled grey eyes. Malfoy was sitting at one of the chess tables - and from the way he was looking at me I knew he'd heard the whole conversation.
"I need to talk to you!"
I was a little surprised when Harry raced to catch up with me on the way out of Defence on Thursday, but I stopped when I heard the urgency in his tone, waving to the others that I'd catch up. They all made sure to give Harry dirty looks as they went, Malfoy making a show of flashing his stupid badge as he did so.
"Ignore them," I muttered, pulling him to face me when he continued to glare after the group of them with clenched fists. The last thing he needed was to get into a pointless fight, he had enough on his mind.
He let out an irritated sigh, before quickly scanning the hallways to make sure no one else was around and turning to me looking much more serious.
"I need to borrow the map," he said quietly.
I raised an eyebrow, "What for?"
"Cedric gave me a hint about the egg, but I need to sneak into the prefect's bathroom."
I nodded in understanding, "And it would be a lot easier if you had the map."
He hesitated, "Do you reckon I could keep the cloak too?" I mustn't have looked too pleased at this because he quickly put on his begging face, "Please? I don't want to risk getting caught!"
I sighed, "Fine, I'll bring it to dinner tonight." He smiled at me gratefully, and I held up a finger in warning, "But I want it back first thing tomorrow morning!"
"I promise," he nodded quickly, the two of us starting to head back in the direction of our Common Rooms, "You're a lifesaver."
"As always!" I called over my shoulder as we went in our separate directions, not even having to turn around to know he was rolling his eyes.
"What did Potter want?" Daphne queried when I made it into our dorm, and I shrugged nonchalantly in response.
"Just tournament stuff."
Lillian let out an amused snort, "Has he not figured that egg out yet?"
"I heard Diggory's known for weeks," Daphne said snootily.
"Good for him. Harry's doing just fine as well, but thanks for your concern," I snapped, opening my trunk.
They seemingly realised I wasn't in the mood to hear them trash talk Harry, and turned back to whatever conversation they'd been having before I came in. I glanced between them all subtly to make sure they couldn't see what I was doing before stealthily slipping the shrunken parchment into my robe pocket. I closed my trunk and stood up again, noticing Madi watching me knowingly from the corner of her eye and sending a small wink her way. She and Blaise were the only two who knew about the Marauders Map, and I wanted to keep it that way. I could only imagine the carnage my group of Slytherins would cause if they had something like it in their grasp.
After about an hour we all headed down to dinner, and I went straight for the Gryffindor table and slid in next to Harry.
"You're the best," he grinned as I subtly slipped him the map, which he quickly re-pocketed in his own robes.
"I mean it Potter, first thing tomorrow! You can't have both for too long, one man shouldn't hold that much power," I said warningly, and he nodded - adding a mock salute for dramatic effect.
"What are you two whispering about?" Hermione asked, looking between us suspiciously.
"Nothing," I said breezily, "Just discussing how well Harry's going with his egg," Harry shot me a warning look, but I simply shrugged innocently. He'd made his own bed by lying to Hermione about his progress, he could lay in it.
"Did you hear we convinced Hagrid to come back?" Ron asked.
"Thank Merlin," I sighed in relief, "I was getting worried."
"I still think Professor Grubbly-Plank was a great teacher," Hermione said indignantly, and we all glared at her, "I love Hagrid though, obviously!" she added hurriedly, fidgeting awkwardly.
I started to notice the growing number of glares on me from around the table and let out a sigh, standing up.
"Where are you going?" Harry looked at me in confusion, oblivious as usual.
"To eat dinner," I shrugged, he looked like he wanted to argue but I didn't give him the chance, giving them all one last smile before making my way back to the Slytherin table and sitting down next to Daphne.
"More tournament business?" she asked casually, looking at me in suspicion.
"He needs all the help he can get," I smirked, which seemed to appease her as she didn't question me any further – turning back to her conversation with Montague.
"Is it true Hagrid is actually considering showing his face again, Black?" I was a little taken-aback as Gorgia's snooty voice floated down the table, surprisingly she'd barely said two words to me since the ball. I'd just figured she'd realised she lost Malfoy anyway so hurting me wouldn't benefit her at all. Even I had to admit that was probably a little naïve though, she was more likely just biding her time waiting to make my life miserable again.
"He has every right to," I snapped back, "It's his job."
"For now," she giggled, and I rolled my eyes, electing to go back to ignoring her existence.
"What did Potter want your map for?" Madi asked me in a low voice a few minutes later.
"Needs to sneak out tonight to figure out his clue," I ducked my head down to avoid anyone else hearing us, "Diggory gave him a hint, it has something to do with the prefect's bathroom."
Madi frowned quizzically, "That's a bit random, do you think Diggory is just trying to throw him off?"
I shrugged, "Who knows? But Harry did help him out with the dragons, it would make sense for him to return the favor."
She snorted, "Very noble."
I laughed, "And brave."
We both giggled at the two of them being so on-par with their house traits. I could never imagine a Slytherin helping the way the two of them seemed to, it was self-preservation always. Calculated and clever as we all usually say.
"What is it with you and your secret conversations?" we looked up at Malfoy's question, noticing him looking at us with an annoyed expression.
"Not everything involves you, Malfoy," I responded, "As hard as that may be for you to believe."
"Why do you care so much what secrets she has?" Madi challenged, her eyebrows raised.
He glared at her coldly, but my best friend didn't seem phased, only growing smugger at his reaction.
"Just seems like she has a lot of them," he shot back, staring at me pointedly, and my eyes immediately widened. I knew exactly what secret he was referring to.
Blaise let out a sudden snort, "Cass has the least secrets out of anyone I know. So I find that hard to believe, mate."
Malfoy simply smirked, satisfied enough to go back to his dinner while I tried my best not to look as flustered as I felt. Madi was watching me curiously, and I pointedly avoided her gaze. Blaise's comment hadn't made me feel any better about the web of lies that was slowly becoming my life. He was right, I was usually never one for secrets, and now I didn't even know who I was trying to protect by keeping them anymore.