Episode Fifty Nine
Part One
So much had transpired in the past couple of days and Gwen just wanted a moment for herself. Between people trying to decide how best to deal with her (Malfoy was taking to skirting her in the corners, she almost laughed at the fear she caused him now) and buckling down for final exams she had little time to think on the future.
On Dumbledore's avid insistence the hearing on her behavior had been canceled. There were to be no immediate repercussions for either her or Graves, nor would there be any rewards. Gwen was more than comfortable with that arrangement.
Dumbledore officially offered her the assistant teaching position to begin the term following her graduation. She immediately accepted and was more than excited at the prospect of becoming a full-fledged professor. There were other things that she needed to deal with first, however.
Her mother had been buried and she had not yet paid her final respects. She needed to find her Aunt Ann and Uncle George, in hiding she presumed. She wanted desperately to sort out this business with Harry and Graves before the term ended.
Before she could handle any of her issues however she had a bit of an idea. It started when she had accidentally overheard Snape and Hagrid talking in one of the corridors.
"If yeh treat 'em like they're stupid they'll act stupid." Hagrid said gruffly.
"I highly doubt I should take teaching lessons from such a junior member of staff, like yourself Rubeus." Snape said coldly.
Gwen pushed herself as tight against the wall as she could and concentrated once again on appearing invisible. The professors passed by her slowly, allowing her to catch a bit more of their conversation.
"I'm tellin' yeh Snape, if yeh just tried ter talk ter Neville."
"I will not talk to Neville. If he has a problem he can come to me."
"He's too timid ter talk ter yeh."
"That is his problem." Snape said, trailing off as they turned the corner.
Gwen waited a few moments before moving again. Something Hagrid had said struck her. If yeh treat 'em like they're stupid they'll act stupid. If she just changed stupid to rotten she could apply it to Malfoy. Since her return he'd been acting awful again, but maybe if someone tried to be friends with him he would stop.
Gwen would offer him a truce.
Part Two
He passed her in the charms corridor on the way to class. He hadn't even seen her. Now was as a good a time as any. "Malfoy." She commanded.
He cowered at the sound of her voice and stopped in his tracks. He realized how ridiculous this looked and so tried to regain some of his usual oily composure. It wasn't working.
"What do you want?" He said a little high pitched, turning to face her.
"I want to talk to you."
"About what?"
"About our relationship."
"Don't tell me you've fallen in love with me too?" He sniggered.
"You wouldn't be so brave if I had a wand in my hand." She reminded him seriously. "I want to call a truce."
"A truce? You want me to be civil to you? After all you've done to me you actually expect me to accept."
She rubbed her temple. He was be awfully testy this morning in response to what she thought was an especially kind gesture. He posed no threat to her, not yet, and even then she could easily annihilate him. Was he so thick?
"Malfoy a war is starting. I'd prefer to have more friends than enemies, particularly if those friends are on the other side. I know exactly what you are. You aren't evil, you don't have it in you. You can say all the awful things you want to, you've never done a truly evil deed. All this posturing is to please your father and he still doesn't approve of you, does he?" She spoke low enough, so only he could hear.
"What would you know about it?" He asked
hotly.
"I'd know a lot about it
actually." She continued calmly. "You're hurting inside more than you care to share.
I can help you. I can be a friend who will listen to you, walk you through the
rough times."
His face was filled with rage. He was turning a very Vernon Dursley purple. The idea was preposterous, but she had hit upon something he had never admitted to anyone. He was nothing more than a little boy trying to impress his father, a father who couldn't care less.
"I will never agree to a truce." He said, his voice dripping with deadly intent.
She looked at him evenly. "Fine. But the offer is still on the table." She walked away, to leave him spluttering in his anger and embarrassment.
Part Three
There was only a week left, finals were finished and students lounged about waiting for the results. Malfoy saw Gwen lazing on the lawns, smiling at Harry reading aloud from a comic book about muggles. He strode over to them. "Half blood freak." He said, nearly spitting the words at her.
She looked at him calmly. No matter what she would ride this through. Harry made a move to stand, but she placed a hand gently in front of his chest stopping him. Malfoy's eyes narrowed into tiny slits, measuring her up.
"What do you say we have another duel?" He said.
"I have nothing to prove, Malfoy. It would be a waste of my time and yours." She replied coolly.
He arched his eyebrow. "How about you Potter, want to have a go?"
"This obviously has nothing to do with me." Harry sighed. He would have loved the opportunity to knock Malfoy on his ass, but in consideration for Gwen he would not do so.
Malfoy's anger was bubbling up and he couldn't contain it much longer. He turned back to Gwen. "You and I will have it out before long."
She couldn't decide how to respond. No matter what she said to him he would react as badly as ever. She couldn't say anything more about his father, it was obviously a sensitive subject. She couldn't try and convince him that she was being sincere. She really didn't want another enemy, and underneath his rude exterior she felt there might be a good guy dwelling somewhere. Only time would tell.
Before she could say anything, however, Malfoy stalked away, his fists balled in rage.
"What was that all about?" Harry asked.
"An experiment gone horribly wrong." Gwen said wryly.
"Care to share?"
"Well, everyone treats Malfoy like the enemy, right?"
"That's because he is the enemy."
"No, Voldemort is the enemy."
Harry looked at her surprised. He knew that saying the name had never bothered her, perhaps it was a fey thing, but she was the only one who said it fearlessly. Her bravado took his breath away.
She sighed softly. "I just thought that if Malfoy had friends other than Crabbe and Goyle, maybe he'd be nicer. It sounds stupid, but I offered him a truce. I thought that maybe if I treated him kindly he might treat other's kindly in return."
"It's a nice thought Gwen. A really nice thought. But I think Malfoy is beyond kindness now." He said, looking back on his own tumultuous history with the boy. Maybe she was right, but it hardly seemed worth the trouble to him. What was one more to Voldemort's side?
And then he remembered Cedric Diggory, someone he had avoided thinking about since that awful night two years prior. Malfoy's jeering over the boy's death had enraged him so. Maybe Malfoy just didn't know better. "Well," he started quietly "maybe you're right."
She smiled. His words would give her enough courage to stick with it. When Malfoy was at his worst she would be at her best.
