Chapter 10,
The next few days were one of the most annoying days of Draco's life. Millicent Bulstrode seemed to take his invitation as if they now suddenly had a relationship. He couldn't understand why she was a prefect if she stupid enough not to understand he was just using her to be able to go to the prom. He could never get used to the new routine with her going 'Hi Draco,' every time they passed in the corridor and him going back 'Hello, Millicent,' He knew she would have preferred it if he would have called her Millie like he had used to do but he didn't care. Her sudden greetings were just annoying to be forced to answer.
This entire big thing only had one good affect except for the fact that he would be allowed to be part of the prom. That was that Pansy actually had stopped following him around in the corridors and instead started to glare angrily at both him and Millicent every time they passed. He was glad she actually had started to realise that he didn't like her and this was the only thing that actually kept his mood on top the following days.
But worst above all the prom matters was the following Wednesday after a normal Quidditch practice. The Slytherin Captain Henry Rontell dismissed the team but for some reason asked Draco to stay after.
'Malfoy, stay. I need to talk to you,' he said and walked over towards the box containing all the Quidditch supplies to put the small snitch back into it's place.
'About what, Henry?' Draco asked surprised he hadn't used his first name like he usually did.
'Malfoy, I don't know what has happened to you,' he said and turned towards Draco with a sad expression on his face. 'Suddenly your playing has become worse and worse. Not at all better,' Draco looked at him. Did he dare believe what he thought was going to be said. 'Do you have any problem's you want to talk to me about?' Henry said. Draco was relieved at the question.
'No,' he simply answered.
'Malfoy, be serious. I really don't want to have to loose you from the team, because you have always been an excellent seeker. Until now. I have a really good fourth grader called Nina Noumarii that has been waiting for the seeker place for ages. If you don't improve your playing for the next game I am afraid her wish will come true,' Draco took a deep breath.
'All right. I will admit it,' he said. 'I do kind of have problems,' the words seemed unbelievably nice to say. Almost as if a big rock was pulled loose from him that he had been carrying around all his life.
'Carry on,' Henry said and his voice sounded kind of relieved.
'Well. I don't know how to start,' he said. He knew that Henry was a really good person to talk to but did he dare admit what was bothering him? 'Ok, well I kind of like this girl.'
'I understand. Is it her that is making you play so badly?' Henry asked sitting down on the Quidditch box.
'Well, I don't know. It might be something else,' Draco took another deep breath. 'She has a boyfriend and a rumour is starting that I have a girlfriend too. But I actually don't like that girl at all. I am just using her so that I can go to a prom for the prefects. ..' Draco stopped. He realised he had said too much. He turned around about to leave.
'I understand,' Henry said. 'I used to have the same problem's. But then I found the solution to all of it,'
'What was it?' Draco said turning back to look at him.
'Becoming gay,'
'Bye, Rontell,' Draco said and left as quickly as possible.
The talk with Henry Rontell made Draco's used-to-be normal life very miserable. Now not only was he in love with Harry Potter's girlfriend but also very close to being kicked of the Quidditch team. The homework load was not exactly decreasing either. It was more towards the opposite direction and Draco's hard working for Quidditch decreased the time to do it.
'Is something bothering you, Draco?' Millicent Bullstrode said one evening as he was doing his Defence Against the Dark Arts homework. She came and sat next to him on another couch with a book in her hand.
'No,' he said annoyed by her entrance. He was glad that he wasn't alone with her in the common room like he had been that day that Pansy had tried to get his attention.
'You can tell me anything, you know that, don't you?' she said and turned her couch so that it was facing his.
'No,' he answered pretending she wasn't there.
'Draco, if you are going to act like this towards me then you can forget about the prom!' she said and stood up.
'Millicent, wait!' Draco called after Millicent who had started walking up towards the stairs leading to her dormitory. She didn't reply. 'Millie!' She stopped. 'I am sorry, all right,'
'That is a bit late to come with,' she said angrily but turned to face him. Some of their fellow Slytherin's were looking up at them. Draco walked up and took her arm and pulled her back onto the couch. He didn't want anyone else to listen to this. He didn't want any sort of rumour to spread because of things he had said. Especially since everyone was going to think it was mean to use her just to be allowed to go to a prom. And he hated being called mean.
'It just that I am very stressed out and with you all the time asking me questions I do not feel any better,' he said truthfully. Millicent glared at him.
'You have pretended I haven't been there even if we are going to the prom together,' she said and Draco could hear a sound of sadness in her words. Wasn't she the horrible Slytherin he had imagined her to be? 'I would think that only couples go together. Or at least friends! But you don't care about me at all!' To Draco's horror she burst out crying. She put her hands to her face to hide the tears but Draco couldn't help noticing. He didn't know what to do. He suddenly felt very bad for her.
'Millicent. .. Millie. I am really sorry,' he said and put his arm around her. He felt that was the only way to calm her down. He was glad she tried to hide the tears because if she didn't he knew the whole entire common room would turn their attention towards them. 'I know that what I have done was wrong, and I feel very bad about it,' Draco didn't know why he had been spilling his whole entire truth out lately. 'Can you forgive me?' he finally asked. Millicent looked up. Her eyes were swollen and red but Draco could spot a weak smile on her lips.
'I can!' she said and gave him a big hug. Draco couldn't do anything else that to return it. He really did want to go to the prom.
The next few days were one of the most annoying days of Draco's life. Millicent Bulstrode seemed to take his invitation as if they now suddenly had a relationship. He couldn't understand why she was a prefect if she stupid enough not to understand he was just using her to be able to go to the prom. He could never get used to the new routine with her going 'Hi Draco,' every time they passed in the corridor and him going back 'Hello, Millicent,' He knew she would have preferred it if he would have called her Millie like he had used to do but he didn't care. Her sudden greetings were just annoying to be forced to answer.
This entire big thing only had one good affect except for the fact that he would be allowed to be part of the prom. That was that Pansy actually had stopped following him around in the corridors and instead started to glare angrily at both him and Millicent every time they passed. He was glad she actually had started to realise that he didn't like her and this was the only thing that actually kept his mood on top the following days.
But worst above all the prom matters was the following Wednesday after a normal Quidditch practice. The Slytherin Captain Henry Rontell dismissed the team but for some reason asked Draco to stay after.
'Malfoy, stay. I need to talk to you,' he said and walked over towards the box containing all the Quidditch supplies to put the small snitch back into it's place.
'About what, Henry?' Draco asked surprised he hadn't used his first name like he usually did.
'Malfoy, I don't know what has happened to you,' he said and turned towards Draco with a sad expression on his face. 'Suddenly your playing has become worse and worse. Not at all better,' Draco looked at him. Did he dare believe what he thought was going to be said. 'Do you have any problem's you want to talk to me about?' Henry said. Draco was relieved at the question.
'No,' he simply answered.
'Malfoy, be serious. I really don't want to have to loose you from the team, because you have always been an excellent seeker. Until now. I have a really good fourth grader called Nina Noumarii that has been waiting for the seeker place for ages. If you don't improve your playing for the next game I am afraid her wish will come true,' Draco took a deep breath.
'All right. I will admit it,' he said. 'I do kind of have problems,' the words seemed unbelievably nice to say. Almost as if a big rock was pulled loose from him that he had been carrying around all his life.
'Carry on,' Henry said and his voice sounded kind of relieved.
'Well. I don't know how to start,' he said. He knew that Henry was a really good person to talk to but did he dare admit what was bothering him? 'Ok, well I kind of like this girl.'
'I understand. Is it her that is making you play so badly?' Henry asked sitting down on the Quidditch box.
'Well, I don't know. It might be something else,' Draco took another deep breath. 'She has a boyfriend and a rumour is starting that I have a girlfriend too. But I actually don't like that girl at all. I am just using her so that I can go to a prom for the prefects. ..' Draco stopped. He realised he had said too much. He turned around about to leave.
'I understand,' Henry said. 'I used to have the same problem's. But then I found the solution to all of it,'
'What was it?' Draco said turning back to look at him.
'Becoming gay,'
'Bye, Rontell,' Draco said and left as quickly as possible.
The talk with Henry Rontell made Draco's used-to-be normal life very miserable. Now not only was he in love with Harry Potter's girlfriend but also very close to being kicked of the Quidditch team. The homework load was not exactly decreasing either. It was more towards the opposite direction and Draco's hard working for Quidditch decreased the time to do it.
'Is something bothering you, Draco?' Millicent Bullstrode said one evening as he was doing his Defence Against the Dark Arts homework. She came and sat next to him on another couch with a book in her hand.
'No,' he said annoyed by her entrance. He was glad that he wasn't alone with her in the common room like he had been that day that Pansy had tried to get his attention.
'You can tell me anything, you know that, don't you?' she said and turned her couch so that it was facing his.
'No,' he answered pretending she wasn't there.
'Draco, if you are going to act like this towards me then you can forget about the prom!' she said and stood up.
'Millicent, wait!' Draco called after Millicent who had started walking up towards the stairs leading to her dormitory. She didn't reply. 'Millie!' She stopped. 'I am sorry, all right,'
'That is a bit late to come with,' she said angrily but turned to face him. Some of their fellow Slytherin's were looking up at them. Draco walked up and took her arm and pulled her back onto the couch. He didn't want anyone else to listen to this. He didn't want any sort of rumour to spread because of things he had said. Especially since everyone was going to think it was mean to use her just to be allowed to go to a prom. And he hated being called mean.
'It just that I am very stressed out and with you all the time asking me questions I do not feel any better,' he said truthfully. Millicent glared at him.
'You have pretended I haven't been there even if we are going to the prom together,' she said and Draco could hear a sound of sadness in her words. Wasn't she the horrible Slytherin he had imagined her to be? 'I would think that only couples go together. Or at least friends! But you don't care about me at all!' To Draco's horror she burst out crying. She put her hands to her face to hide the tears but Draco couldn't help noticing. He didn't know what to do. He suddenly felt very bad for her.
'Millicent. .. Millie. I am really sorry,' he said and put his arm around her. He felt that was the only way to calm her down. He was glad she tried to hide the tears because if she didn't he knew the whole entire common room would turn their attention towards them. 'I know that what I have done was wrong, and I feel very bad about it,' Draco didn't know why he had been spilling his whole entire truth out lately. 'Can you forgive me?' he finally asked. Millicent looked up. Her eyes were swollen and red but Draco could spot a weak smile on her lips.
'I can!' she said and gave him a big hug. Draco couldn't do anything else that to return it. He really did want to go to the prom.