An hour later Pansy was sitting at the Slytherin table in the Great Hall for lunch. She was excused from classes for the rest of the day, her throat was swelling and she kept coughing up blood. She sat at the end of the table, in the farthest back corner, surrounded by her friends. As she had suspected, Draco and Goyle told everyone about what Neville had been doing to her, and now every Slytherin wanted to get a chance to talk to Pansy about her trauma.
Draco, who was sitting on Pansy's left, kept leaning dangerously close to her. Pansy had to lean back to keep his head from colliding with hers. Crabbe and Goyle found it hillarious when, on the third time, Pansy leaned back to far and fell backwards into a Ravenclaw student. She murmered an apology and the disgruntled Ravenclaw shouted something that made Pansy blush bright red before walking off.
"Pansy," A Slytherin 6th year asked from across the table. "Did he rape you?"
Pansy, who had just recovered from the Ravenclaw's insult, blushed furiously. "No, of course not."
"What'd he do to you, Pansy?" She insisted.
"Just made it hard for me to breathe, that's all, Serinity," Pansy said, irratated. She glared at Draco and Goyle, who pretended not to notice. "Why'd you tell them?" She hissed angrily. "I trusted you two!"
"You told Crabbe!" Goyle protested. "So we figured we could tell people."
"It's about me!" Pansy cried. "It isn't your decision who you can or cannot tell! I can tell anyone I want, but you can't. Look at Crabbe, he didn't tell a soul!"
Crabbe hid his face in embarassment behind his hands.
Pansy stood up. "If you'll all excuse me, I'm going to my room." She walked out of the Great Hall without another word, despite the protests of the entire Slytherin table. Pansy ran up the staircase to her dorm and locked the door. She didn't care if she was locking the other girls out of their room, she knew why they would come up- to ask her more questions.
She plopped down on the edge of her bed. Tears stung her eyes. She wiped them away with the back of her hand just as there was a knock on the door.
"Go away!" Pansy shouted angrily.
"Pansy, it's me!" Draco called.
"Go away!" Pansy repeated, louder this time.
"Please let me in!" Draco pleaded.
"Are you a complete moron?" Pansy asked, crossing the room and opening the door. "I said go away, I'm not in the mood to talk to anyone."'
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have told."
"You're right. You shouldn't have." Pansy snapped, crossing her arms over her chest. "I trusted you, Draco. I thought you were my friend."
"And I am!" Draco cried. "It was a mistake."
"No, my coming here was a mistake." Pansy slammed the door shut and locked it before Draco even knew she was back in the room. He pounded on the door again.
"Come on, Pansy, let me in!"
"No!" Pansy shouted. "Go away!"
After a few minutes, Draco left. Pansy lay face down on her bed, crying into her pillow. For the first time since she came to Hogwarts she felt completely and totally alone. After an hour or so, classes ended and the girls began to arrive in the hallway. They tried the doorknob, and seeing as it wouldn't open, spelled it to open- doing what Draco hadn't though of.
"Pansy!" One of the girls cried, as if concerned to see her crying on her bed. "What's wrong?"
Pansy sat up and looked at her. She wiped her eyes. "Nothing's wrong." She told her angrily. "Mind your own buisness."
The girl shook her head then walked to her own bed. She dropped her book bag down. "Fine, then, don't tell me."
"I wasn't planning on it."
"Ok then."
"Ok." Pansy turned back over and pressed the pillow over her face. She felt the pillow being lifted slowly away. "Hey!" She cried, grabbing it. "I'm trying to sleep."
Draco was standing behind her.
"What are you doing here?" She asked, sitting up. "You're not supposed to be in here, this is a girl's dorm! Get out!"
"It's fine with us," One of the girls told Pansy. "Actually, we suggested he come up and talk to you. We're going to leave you two alone." And the four girls left, shutting and locking the door behind them.
"What are you doing here?" Pansy repeated.
"I'm here to see how you're doing, Pansy," Draco said, reaching for her hand. Pansy drew it back to her shoulder quickly.
"I'm miserable, Draco," She told him mournfully. "And it's all your fault."
"All my fault?"
Pansy looked Draco straight in the eyes. "I can't believe you, Draco."
"Tell me."
"Tell you what?" She asked.
"Who you love." He told her.
"No!"
"Yes!"
"I won't." She protested.
"I'll make you." He said confidently.
"You can't make me!" Pansy shouted.
"Please, Pansy, I'm just curious."
"Why do you care so much?"
"Because I love you!"