Chapter Fifteen: The Secret Friendship.
Draco lost his bodyguards and followed Penny at a distance into the hedged gardens. The biting cold morning was hinting that winter would soon be arriving. Draco was wearing his cloak, but Penny was still in her dressing gown.
Penny was sobbing heavily upon a stone bench as Draco sat next to her. He noticed the scratches around her bare ankles, forearms and throat. Draco had caused these and felt a deep pang of guilt.
Penny felt the warmth of Draco's cloak around her shoulders and turned to stare blearily into Draco's eyes. Draco looked a little uncomfortable.
"Are...are you ok Penny?" he asked.
"Yes." she managed. "I feel better now." she purred as she threw her arms around a startled Draco's neck and hugged him, bursting into tears as she did so. Draco tentatively hugged Penny back.
From the far side of the hedge garden, Crabbe and Goyle stared, dumbfounded, at the pair in each others arms.
"Flipping heck" sighed Crabbe. Goyle nudged him.
"Let's leave him alone for a bit then. With her around, we'll have more free time." sneered Goyle and the pair wandered back into Hogwarts chuckling.
Harry and Hermione sat wordlessly in the library. They could not face breakfast. Hermione spoke first.
"Harry. It's not your fault. Ginny's been through a lot lately."
Harry felt wretched. In his mind, he kept on replaying all the times he had dismissed Ginny's advances as nothing more than childish thoughts, when all that time, Harry had been hurting her more than any Crucio spell.
Tears wanted to well up in his eyes, but Harry swallowed hard. Being the bravest and most famous boy in school, he had a reputation to keep. Hermione looked into his eyes and held his hand, wishing for once that Harry would open up to her and let it all out. The two stared at each other wordlessly, but through their eyes, communicated ten thousand words of pain, anguish and frustration.
Eventually, Harry whispered "If only there was something we could do?"
Hermione thought. "Perhaps there is something..." she said distantly.
Draco lost his bodyguards and followed Penny at a distance into the hedged gardens. The biting cold morning was hinting that winter would soon be arriving. Draco was wearing his cloak, but Penny was still in her dressing gown.
Penny was sobbing heavily upon a stone bench as Draco sat next to her. He noticed the scratches around her bare ankles, forearms and throat. Draco had caused these and felt a deep pang of guilt.
Penny felt the warmth of Draco's cloak around her shoulders and turned to stare blearily into Draco's eyes. Draco looked a little uncomfortable.
"Are...are you ok Penny?" he asked.
"Yes." she managed. "I feel better now." she purred as she threw her arms around a startled Draco's neck and hugged him, bursting into tears as she did so. Draco tentatively hugged Penny back.
From the far side of the hedge garden, Crabbe and Goyle stared, dumbfounded, at the pair in each others arms.
"Flipping heck" sighed Crabbe. Goyle nudged him.
"Let's leave him alone for a bit then. With her around, we'll have more free time." sneered Goyle and the pair wandered back into Hogwarts chuckling.
Harry and Hermione sat wordlessly in the library. They could not face breakfast. Hermione spoke first.
"Harry. It's not your fault. Ginny's been through a lot lately."
Harry felt wretched. In his mind, he kept on replaying all the times he had dismissed Ginny's advances as nothing more than childish thoughts, when all that time, Harry had been hurting her more than any Crucio spell.
Tears wanted to well up in his eyes, but Harry swallowed hard. Being the bravest and most famous boy in school, he had a reputation to keep. Hermione looked into his eyes and held his hand, wishing for once that Harry would open up to her and let it all out. The two stared at each other wordlessly, but through their eyes, communicated ten thousand words of pain, anguish and frustration.
Eventually, Harry whispered "If only there was something we could do?"
Hermione thought. "Perhaps there is something..." she said distantly.