Chapter 10

Much of the next couple of months passed by uneventfully. After a while, Draco finally took that stupid sling off of his arm, though he would still complain about it to anybody who would listen. Hagrid's classes were now boring as hell, consisting of feeding lettuce to flobberworms, which did nothing in particular and were actually kind of gross. Lupin's classes were interesting, but I was still not impressed with him. He did apologize about the boggart incident, eventually, but he was also clearly favoring Harry Potter and the other Gryffindors. However, it was hard to blame him for this, as Draco was constantly muttering about the state of his robes, and his teaching, as were most of the other Slytherins. Snape was constantly a pain, as he was angrier and more moody than he ever had been. He was constantly snapping at me about how I prepared my ingredients or didn't follow instructions, though he was not nearly as hard on me as he was on the Gryffindors, especially Neville Longbottom. Neville was bad at potions and terrified of Snape anyway, and this just made it worse.

Draco and I didn't find much time together, but when we were able to, we often visited the room behind the tapestry of Salazar Slytherin. No one ever bothered us there, and though I got flustered quite a bit and made us stop when things got too hot and heavy, I was beginning to think that maybe I didn't want to stop. After all, we were teenagers now, as Draco has said, not some little first-years holding hands.

October was beginning, though, which meant the first Hogsmeade visit (I had gotten my permission slip signed by the lady who ran my foster home, like she even cared), and also Quidditch. I has been wanting to play for years, I absolutely loved flying, but doubted that they would let me on the team. However, I showed up to try-outs. They put up a fight, but couldn't actually kick me off the field, so I got my try-out. I was (surprisingly) made a beater; I had not expected to make the team, considering most of them hated me, and they usually went for bigger, beefier types. I knew, of course, that I had outperformed Crabbe and Goyle. I had been playing softball since I was very little, and beating was not so different from it, if you didn't count that the bludger was a magical ball flying every which way, and that you fly around on a broomstick trying to take off other people's heads with your aim. Still, I was very much not expecting it, when my name was on the notice that they pinned up in the common room. Draco later told me he convinced them that since I was that good, they should have me play, because it would mean better chances of winning. I let him get to second base after that, though we kept our clothes on. And so I started the grueling quidditch practices several times a week, enduring whatever they threw at me.

Halloween finally came, and so did the first visit to Hogsmeade. I was hoping to get Draco alone for a bit, but as everyone lined up to go out the front door (with Filch checking everyone very thoroughly to make sure they were allowed), I saw he was up with his stupid little gang. Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy, all being simpering idiots, while Draco told stupid jokes. I glared at him, crossing my arms and scowling, and when he caught my eye, I raised one eyebrow pointedly. He just shrugged. I sighed and shook my head, then when I was finally out of the castle, after barely making it past the dementors, I saw Hermione with her (dumb) friend Ron, and jogged a bit to catch up.

"Hey, Hermione."

She looked around, then saw me and smiled. "Oh, hey, Shae. You got permission to come up to Hogsmeade?" She looked slightly confused, as if remembering that I lived in a foster home.

"Yeah, the old lady that runs my foster home, you could stick anything in front of her and she'd sign it. I don't think she even noticed what she was signing for," I chuckled a little, awkwardly. Into the silence that followed, I asked, "So where's Harry? Y'all never go anywhere without him."

There was another awkward pause where Hermione and Ron glanced at each other, then Hermione just simply said, "He couldn't get permission."

"Ah." I was saved from more awkward conversation because at this point we were approaching the town. I waved to Hermione, and looked around a bit, then decided to go into Zonko's (after not being able to find Draco). I got a couple of things, but pranks weren't really my thing, so I entered Honeydukes, and got some sweets. I didn't have much pocket money left after that, so I wandered around for a while, and finally went into a pub called the Three Broomsticks. I looked around, then went to the bar and ordered a butterbeer (the only thing they would let students have), and paid with the last bit of silver I had left.

I was just looking around for a seat when I heard Draco's gang again. I had, apparently, missed them, as they were sitting in a darkened corner together. Pansy was laughing shrilly at something, and Draco was looking smug. I scowled, then spotted a seat-the only catch was, it was right next to their table. I looked around a bit more, but could find no more seats at unoccupied tables, for there was only one unoccupied table. I sighed and made my way over, then sat down with my back to them, hoping they wouldn't notice me, but also frowning into my butterbeer because I definitely wanted Draco to notice me. The drink was quite good, actually, and warmed me up after spending all day outside walking around. I squinted at my mug...was that actual alcohol? It wasn't strong stuff, that's for sure, but I was still kind of miffed about them giving underage teenagers alcohol. I was still frowning at my mug when I felt something wet splash against my back, and I stiffened, not even wanting to turn around but unable to resist when Pansy said, "Whoops! I guess I'll need another one now. At least it didn't get on anything important."

I turned and looked dead at her, and where she had obviously, intentionally, thrown her drink on me, mug still clutched in her hand. "Yeah, it would've been a real shame if it had gotten all over your hideous clothes and fur-I mean, hair." I just smirked at her offended expression, and apparently she couldn't think to anything to say back. Draco was trying very hard not to laugh. I turned back to my butterbeer, downed the rest of it ("Bloody hell," said Draco), then set my mug down and went to the bathroom. I dried myself off as best I could, but there was no getting around that I smelled like straight butterbeer now, which was quite annoying, as it had an alcoholic twinge.

I left without looking back at Draco.

The feast that night was amazing, except for the fact that Pansy was miming throwing her drink, making it obvious she was making jokes at my expense (with Draco laughing along, of course). I was practically boiling with anger by the time the feast was over, and I was surprised that my fork had not bent with how hard I kept gripping it. I was so angry that I didn't even look at Draco as he called out about the dementors to Harry Potter. I was sure I must be red in the face, but as no one was mocking me for it, I couldn't have been.

Once I was in the common room, I made a bee-line for the girls' dormitories, fully intending to go to bed angry, but was stopped by loud calls about me looking like a soaked rat when doused in butterbeer. I spun around and marched up to Pansy Parkinson. "At least I don't smell like a wet dog without even trying, bitch."

"At least I'm not a filthy mudblood, getting filth on everything!" she retorted.

I rolled my eyes. "Once again, your uniqueness and creativity astounds me, you pug-faced attention-whore."

There was a slight gasp, and it seemed she did not know what to say to this. Feeling satisfied, I turned back around to climb the stairs. I was almost out of sight when she finally called out, "At least I have people that pay attention to me! Who would ever pay attention to a disgusting little mudblood?! You don't even have parents for that!"

I paused, my hand clenched on my wand, debating internally whether jinxing her was worth possibly getting detention. I had just about decided that it was, when Snape came into the common room and informed us that we all needed to get back to the Great Hall immediately. I sighed, waiting for almost everyone to file back out of the common room, all of them muttering about what this could be about, before turning around and going back down the steps. I was surprised to see Draco waiting for me, then looked around to see we were the last two people.

I looked at him, then swerved around him to try and avoid him. He snagged my arm, forcing me to stop and face him. "Hey," Draco said. "Stop for a second, I want to talk to you."

I sneered at him, "Talk? Since when do you ever want to talk? You just want to make out with me, feel me up, but only in secret, and then you can get back to making fun of me and spilling things on me, and..." I started to lose steam and took a couple of deep breaths. "...and...and basically make my life a living hell! Well, I'm sick of it. She fawns all over you, and you let her, you just love all that fucking attention-"

He cut me off, "Hold on, now, we've talked about this. You know I can't do anything in front of other people that might give them the wrong impression." He frowned at me.

"'The wrong impression,' is it? Not being horrible to me is 'the wrong impression'?!" I practically screamed at him. I might have been a tad hysterical. "She bring up my-my d-dead parents, and you! You just...laugh along, like a good little boy!" I was in tears now, and couldn't go on. I yanked my arm away from him, and turned around, wiping at my face.

I felt him put his arms around me from behind, but I didn't acknowledge him, trying to keep from crying anymore. "I'm sorry. I can't risk people knowing, and my parents finding out. I'm sorry about earlier, and I'm sorry about what she said, but I can't control what she says-"

This time I was the one who cut him off. "No, you just let her touch all over you, and you laugh at everything she says."

"Wait, are you...jealous?" I thought I heard a smugness to his tone, and I shook my head. "You are, that's what this is, you're jealous of Pansy!" He chuckled a little, as if this was amusing.

I moved away from his arms, then turned around and faced him. "Draco, if things continue like this," I said, so seriously that the smirk was sliding off his face, "I won't be able to do it. I'll break up with you."

"Well, you're not serious, right?" he asked disbelievingly.

"I am one-hundred percent serious, Draco. Fucking try me. I'll fucking ignore you for the rest of our lives, like this never happened. Nothing can come of this anyway because, like you said, you can't risk anything getting back to your parents. So, what happens when one day, we're out of here, and they want you to get married? What happens when I want to get married? Hmm? I guess you haven't really thought about our future-your future. I have. We've only been going out for, like, two months, and it's already come to a breaking point, how is that going to work the rest of our lives? No, no more. I'll give you a week to decide, and if you haven't made up your mind by then, I'm breaking up with you." I looked at his shocked face for a moment longer, then turned and ran out of the common room, trying to catch up with everyone else.

We had to sleep in the Great Hall that night, apparently, which was stupid. If a criminal was here, he probably would've run out when he knew he'd be found out. Draco was subdued, and kept trying to catch my eye; I ignored him. I grabbed a sleeping bag and pulled it over to where the Golden Trio was huddled up, whispering.

"Mind if I sleep here?" I didn't give them a chance to answer, "No? Good." I set down my sleeping bag and crawled in.

"Why'd she have to come over here?" I heard Ron say.

"Shhh!" came Hermione's reply. "It's fine, leave her alone. She probably just wanted to get away from the Slytherins. They're as bad to her as they are to us..."

"I don't like it, I still don't really believe she's not in league with them..."

This time it was Harry who I heard come to my defense, which was surprising. "Leave it be, Ron. She's okay, it's not like it's Malfoy."

With that, they went back to discussing how Sirius Black could've broken into Hogwarts, with Hermione shooting down all ideas. I fell asleep to them murmuring, though it was long after lights out.