Storyline (c) 2003 inTOtheSKY, all Chimeral characters are my own and should not be copied without permission. All other characters belong to JK Rowling ;D Feel free to e-mail me at spirit@eluding.org
Ch10
"Harry! Harry!"
"Wh...what?" Harry opened his eyes blearly and sat up, putting his glasses on. "Hermione?"
"Yes! Oh, Harry...I was so worried!" The girl wrapped her arms around her friend in a tight hug. "I just heard what happened...and I'm sorry I wasn't there to help!"
"You...you came back?" Harry asked, still unable to believe his friend was standing before him now.
"Of course I did!" Hermione exclaimed. "The Hogwarts students were sent back a week early because of all the chaos that happened here...oh Harry, I'm so releived to see you're all right!"
"Oh. Well, its great to see you too..." Harry smiled. "How was Chimeral?"
"Oh, great...I was a bit lonesome sometimes though...I missed my two best friends so much." Hermione smiled.
"We thought of you too." Harry grinned. "By the way, how is Ron?"
"I heard he was all right, but I had better go see for myself..." Hermione glanced quickly in Ron's direction. "I'll see you in a bit, Harry." She gave her friend a quick parting smile, then left.
Harry looked about the room. There were students everywhere around him in beds, which led Harry to conclude that he was in the medical ward. Roger, Henry and Eric walked up then, their wrists and areas of their faces bandaged. Roger himself was on crutches, and he winced with every hop he made. Upon seeing Harry however, the boy grinned.
"Hey Harry." Roger said. "Well...that was quite a fight, wasn't it?"
"Don't remind me." Harry shook his head, smiling. "How're you all doing? You weren't hurt bad, were you?"
"Oh, not really." Eric replied. "Just some sprains, bruises, cuts...most of us Chimeral students are recovering quickly. Wei and Lillian weren't involved, so they're fine."
"Great." Harry nodded in approval. "But...what about Jonathan, then?"
"Oh." Roger gave a slight shudder. "Apparentely your headmaster showed up in the nick of time and saved all of us. He stopped Jon from using the Avada Kedavra curse on you and somehow managed to knock him out with some sort of hex..."
"I heard Jonathan was sent off to some sort of rehabilitation center for troubled young wizards..." Henry shook his head. "They ought to lock him up in Azkaban, if you ask me."
"Well, he's been expelled from Chimeral, that I know." Melody came striding up with Alex in tow.
"And the Snidgets were taken to some unknown location." Alex added, stretching.
"Terrific." Harry replied, relief flooding into his system as he heard his friend's words.
Tess walked over with Paige, smiles upon their faces despite the number of bandages that coated their arms and legs.
"Hey, Harry." Tess sat upon her friend's bedside. "How're things holding up?"
"I'm feeling much better." Harry replied. "How about you two?"
"All right, I suppose." Paige smiled a little, rubbing her wrist. "I should thank you Harry, for fighting off Jonathan like that."
Harry shook his head. "No. I ought to thank all of you, for coming and helping, even though you didn't have to.
"Oh, well...it sure made our experience here interesting." Roger laughed.
"So are you all staying for another week, then?" Harry asked eagerly.
The Chimeral students looked to each other doubtfully.
"Well...we don't think so, Harry." Melody replied ruefully. "The Hogwarts exchange students are already back...that probably means we're bound for home soon."
"This'll probably be one of the last times we'll be seeing one another." Eric shook his head.
"We'll stay in touch, though." Tess said.
"And we won't forget all the fun we had here, either." Henry brought up.
"Guess we'll be seeing you around, Harry." Alex said.
"We'll miss you." Tess squeezed Harry's shoulder, then followed the others to visit Ron at the bed across the room. Harry wasn't left alone for long, however, for Neville had approached with a wrapped present in his arms.
- -
Some many beds down, Draco lay quietly between his sheets, stirring slightly when someone placed a hand upon his shoulder. Opening his eyes, the silver eyed boy gave a wide grin to his usual group of friends - Millicent, Crabbe and Goyle. Sitting up, he propped himself comfortably against his pillow and turned to his friends.
"Wow, Draco." Millicent grinned a toothy grin at her classmate. "So you fought with you-know-who?"
"Well...not really." Draco said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Just some exchange student that you-know-who put a hex on."
"That's still just...AMAZING!" Millicent exclaimed, grabbing her classmate and shaking him by the shoulders. "You must tell us what it felt like!"
"How about later?" Draco grimaced, prying the girl's hands off. "So...you all got out of the forest all right, then?"
"Yeah...we just kind of stood around and all of a sudden Dumbledore appeared and helped us back." Millicent explained, yawning slightly.
"We brought some presents for you." Crabbe gurgled, slapping a heavy bundle upon Draco's lap, causing him to wince. "Hope you like it."
"Oh. Thanks." Draco replied, a little surprised his friends had gotten him something.
"Pansy picked it out for you." Millicent announced. "She wanted it to be perfect...obviously she's infatuated with you."
"Pansy...infatuated." Goyle gave a freakish giggle. "Funny."
"Where is she?" Draco asked, holding the present carefully.
"Oh...she wanted to make herself look nice for you, so she's somewhere making herself beautiful." Millicent rolled her eyes. "Anyway, she should be running in here any moment now..."
"Draco's asking for Pansy?" Goyle looked surprised.
"You've never asked about her before." Crabbe laughed.
"Well, maybe he finally decided to care." Millicent nodded in approval.
Draco was surprised to hear his friends talk about him in such a way. Had he really changed? What had he changed from?
"I need to go to the restroom!" Goyle bawled all of a sudden, and Milllicent gave him a look of disgust.
"Can't it wait, Goyle? Pansy's about to show up any second, and-"
"I NEED TO GO!" Goyle roared, stomping his feet. Crabbe looked dumbly at his friend, then grabbed him by the arm and the two of them waddled away. Millicent gave a loud sigh.
At that moment, the Paige looked up from Ron's beside to see Draco in the middle of conversing with his classmates. Excusing herself from her friend's side, she walked over warily, unsure of whether to approach the Slytherin or not. Spotting her, Draco's eyes flickered slightly, and Millicent threw the Chimeral student a suspicious look before backing away.
Paige moistened her lips, unsure of how to express what she wanted to say. Nearing the Hogwarts student, pulling at her robes anxiously.
"Draco, um..." She cleared her throat. "Well..this is really weird...I really don't know how to say this...but I guess...I guess I should say...thank you. Thanks for...doing what you did...back in the forest." She couldn't meet his eyes, and she stood there awkwardly. "Um, well...I don't know what you were doing in the forest, you really shouldn't have been there...I mean, sorry, that's not what I meant, er, um..."
"It's all right." Draco cut in, his gray eyes watching her. "I know what you mean."
"No, Draco, I don't think you do." Paige shook her head in frustration. "I...I don't know how to talk to you like we're friends...I'm not used to the fact that all of a sudden you decided to be courageous and protective, which is the total opposite of what you were before...Draco, if you don't remember, you wanted to hurt me before all this happened." She paused, letting her words sink in.
"I don't know why you bothered to save me when Jonathan had me in his grasp, Draco. I want to thank you for it...but...I don't know...why I should. Every time you've ever done something...you did it because there was something in it for you. But this time, there wasn't, was there? That's what confuses me." She exhaled, then laughed at her own words. "What am I saying? You aren't listening to me...you wouldn't care..." She turned to leave, yet froze, feeling Draco's hand grasp upon her arm. The same feeling of fear shot through the girl, and she pulled away.
Draco narrowed his eyes. "You're still scared of me, aren't you?" When Paige did not reply, an ache began to build beneath his throat, and Draco swallowed to ease it. "I don't understand why you need to be scared of me...didn't what I do convince you that I'm not going to hurt you?"
"That doesn't mean you won't go on hurting other people." Paige replied, turning. "I'm sorry if I sound like some sort of philanthropist, but I've always hated people like you, always bullying and hurting..."
Hearing her words made the ache throb more, and Draco looked away, breathing shallowly. "Well if that's the way it is, I don't know why I bothered to save you."
Paige took in a deep breath. "Well...I suppose that what you did for me when I was in danger...that was-"
"Nothing." Draco muttered angrily. "It meant nothing to you, did it?"
"Well, no, not at all!" Paige replied quickly. "I know I sounded ungrateful...but I am really thankful, Draco, I am." She gave him a sad half smile, and the ache grew more. "Everything you did to protect me I'm thankful for."
"Then why won't you say..." Draco's voice wavered. "Why won't you just..."
"Draco." Paige ran her fingers through her long hair. "When you took the Cruciatus Curse for me, I cried. I cried for you." She lowered her eyes. "When I saw that, I'll admit that...I was surprised. In my mind you were always selfish, uncaring, insensitive..."
Draco remained silent, though he listened to the Chimeral student speak. She had smiled at him, even if it wasn't a real, true-to-your-heart smile, and that gave him a tiny sense of contentment.
"But anyway." Paige brushed a loose strand of hair away from her face. "At least I know that...a part of you has changed for the better."
When Draco did not speak, she raised her head to see what was wrong. His eyes drew her to him, and she stood, frozen, never seeing his eyes up so close. How esoterically silver and gray they were, and how they cut through her gaze like the sharp edge of a blade, sending shivers down her back. She swallowed hard and backed away slightly.
Draco observed Paige's own gaze with interest as he locked her stare with his own. She had warm, chocolate brown eyes that were filled with a variety of different emotions, each tempting for its viewer to decipher and decode. He reached over slightly and brushed a finger over her hand, and she jumped, his touch unfamiliar and strange. Reddening, Paige broke away from his eyes and darted down the hallway and out of the room.
- -
"This is it, then Harry...Ron." Roger nodded to the two Hogwarts students. "Hope that you'll stay in touch with us."
"You can count on it." Ron grinned, giving the Chimeral student a hearty handshake while Harry exchanged one with Alex. "I'll owl you as soon as I get the chance!"
"It's a pity we didn't get to watch the two of you fly through a whole Quidditch match." Eric commented, shaking Ron's hand.
"If you ever get the chance, come down to Chimeral for a visit!" Henry exclaimed.
"You can watch one of our own Quidditch matches then." Alex grinned.
"We'll miss you." Melody said, giving both friends a hug. "Take care, all right?"
"Thanks for showing us a good time." Tess added.
Wei approached Harry then, with a rueful expression upon her face. "Sorry for being such a pain sometimes...I should apologize for that."
"It's all right." Harry smiled, giving the girl a pat on the back.
"Thanks for everything, the both of you." Paige gave both boys an embrace. "I won't ever forget it."
"Yeah..." Lillian gave a big sigh. "I'm SO sorry that I didn't get to know either of you two better! And I didn't even get to pick up a new boyfriend either! That makes me so mad!"
"Um...right." Ron gave the girl a sideways look. "We'll miss you too."
Hermione approached the little group then, and was given friendly introductions to all the exchange students. After exchanging greetings and good-byes, the call was made for the departure of all Chimeral students. As Harry and the others began to wave good-bye, they were surprised to see Draco rush out all of a sudden and call out Paige's name. She looked to him quickly, then beckoned for the others to continue on without her. Though they were too far away to be heard, Harry watched them silently, wondering what they were saying.
- -
Paige blinked up at the Slytherin who had called her name. He looked at her with a slight flicker in his eye, as if trying to say something he wasn't sure how to express. Remembering her own reaction the last time they'd talked, Paige felt a bit flustered, yet found her voice.
"Draco, I have to go." She said almost calmly. "Do you need something?"
"I really don't know." Draco replied.
Paige exhaled. "Look, Draco, the others are waiting for me and I need to go, now. Whatever it is you need...I'm sorry, but I can't answer it or do it right now." She turned to go.
"Wait." Draco called out, grasping onto her hand. She paused, the feel of him suddenly not so cold and horrible. She moistened her lips and lowered her head.
"Draco, they're waiting."
"I don't want you to go." He insisted, continuing to hold onto her. "I haven't even really got to know you as much as...as much as I'd like."
"The six months are over." Paige said. "If you wanted anything from me, you should have asked for it before."
"I regret that!" Draco said loudly, and circled around to face the Chimeral student. "But there's nothing I can do about it, is there?"
Paige could feel the blood pounding through her veins as she heard the emotion in his voice. Yet even before the truth of Draco's feelings dawned upon her, she'd pulled her hand from his grasp. She looked up to him, and he felt a pang of anguish rush through him as she shook her head no.
"I can't, Draco, you know I can't." She closed her eyes and opened them slowly. "Don't make this dramatic...that's just stupid. Don't make it emotional, either...I can't stand that." She started to walk past him, but he blocked her.
"Listen to me, Paige. I figured out what you did to me." Draco said, and Paige raised her head in surprise, hearing him say her name. Yet she continued to try to move past him, and he grabbed her by the shoulders.
"You might not think you did something to me, but you did. Paige, you did!" He shook his head. "You made me feel-"
"No." Paige stepped away from the Slytherin. "Don't say it." She shook slightly, and darted past him, causing him to chase after her. She walked faster. "Don't make a scene, Draco."
"I don't care if I make a scene, and I don't care if everyone knows how I feel!" Draco yelled, pulling Paige back by the sleeve. "I care about you!"
Though most of the people in the room had been oblivious to the little scene that had been happening, at the sound of Draco's voice reverberating through the hallways, everyone turned and stared. Paige, feeling everyone's eyes upon her, wrenched herself away.
"You don't really feel that way. You're just saying that." She muttered, flushing with embarrassment. "I've gone through enough relationships to know that I can't trust anyone who says that to me...especially the type of person who acts like you! You might have done good in the forest, but that doesn't change who you are. You could be lying to me right now because you want to play some dirty trick on me!" She whipped out her wand. "Now leave me alone!"
Draco stared at her for a moment, seeing the girl's wand arm quiver slightly and her expression wavering. "You don't want to use that on me." He said quietly. "...I know you don't."
"Oh really? And how would you know?" Paige retorted.
"I did a lot of thinking ever since I laid eyes on you, Paige." Draco watched the girl carefully. "You're insecure and sensitive, and you continue to lose confidence in yourself because of your failed relationships." He took a step forward, and Paige flinched slightly. "You need someone who will treat you with loyalty and just to see you as who you really are. You want it so badly that its killing you, probably...all you ever wanted was for someone to care." He reached for her wand, and she blinked, causing tears to fall from her dark eyes. "You've been treated badly, and you know what pain feels like...so you'd never inflict it upon another person."
Paige stood there in silence, tears trickling down the sides of her face. Draco slipped her wand away from her fingers, and weakly, she let her arm drop to her side, weeping softly. When the Slytherin came forward again, she did not run, and he placed his arms around her, giving her the strength and care that she'd needed all along.
Once Paige's sobbing had quelled down to a mere hiccup, she pressed herself away from Draco's grasp gently and dried her tears. She looked up at him then and smiled in a melancholy fashion, causing the Hogwarts student to feel confused.
"What..why are you still..."
"Pansy's waiting for you, Draco." She said, looking over his shoulder at the Slytherin girl. "She cares for you, more than anyone ever could." Backing away, she turned, brushing away a stray tear. "Bye."
"Paige..." Draco reached out, hesitated, then remained where he stood. "I won't forget you."
Paige smiled again, shaking her head. "Yes, you will."
She walked down the hallway, never looking back, leaving Draco standing alone and confused. Harry was about to come forward to say something when the Slytherin looked up and met the Gryffindor's gaze.
"Don't think this changes anything between us, Potter." Draco snapped. Turning, he walked off with his usual group of friends, not looking back.
"Well...what was that all about?" Hermione asked, watching them leave.
"I don't know." Ron shook his head.
Harry smiled silently to himself, watching Draco walk away. Clearing his throat, he placed his arms around his friend's shoulders. "C'mon. We'd better get to the Great Hall for dinner..."
Hermione gave her friends a look. "And you two better tell me everything about Jonathan and those Snidgets...I can't believe I wasn't there!"
Ron sighed. "Anything for you, Hermione..."
Ch10
"Harry! Harry!"
"Wh...what?" Harry opened his eyes blearly and sat up, putting his glasses on. "Hermione?"
"Yes! Oh, Harry...I was so worried!" The girl wrapped her arms around her friend in a tight hug. "I just heard what happened...and I'm sorry I wasn't there to help!"
"You...you came back?" Harry asked, still unable to believe his friend was standing before him now.
"Of course I did!" Hermione exclaimed. "The Hogwarts students were sent back a week early because of all the chaos that happened here...oh Harry, I'm so releived to see you're all right!"
"Oh. Well, its great to see you too..." Harry smiled. "How was Chimeral?"
"Oh, great...I was a bit lonesome sometimes though...I missed my two best friends so much." Hermione smiled.
"We thought of you too." Harry grinned. "By the way, how is Ron?"
"I heard he was all right, but I had better go see for myself..." Hermione glanced quickly in Ron's direction. "I'll see you in a bit, Harry." She gave her friend a quick parting smile, then left.
Harry looked about the room. There were students everywhere around him in beds, which led Harry to conclude that he was in the medical ward. Roger, Henry and Eric walked up then, their wrists and areas of their faces bandaged. Roger himself was on crutches, and he winced with every hop he made. Upon seeing Harry however, the boy grinned.
"Hey Harry." Roger said. "Well...that was quite a fight, wasn't it?"
"Don't remind me." Harry shook his head, smiling. "How're you all doing? You weren't hurt bad, were you?"
"Oh, not really." Eric replied. "Just some sprains, bruises, cuts...most of us Chimeral students are recovering quickly. Wei and Lillian weren't involved, so they're fine."
"Great." Harry nodded in approval. "But...what about Jonathan, then?"
"Oh." Roger gave a slight shudder. "Apparentely your headmaster showed up in the nick of time and saved all of us. He stopped Jon from using the Avada Kedavra curse on you and somehow managed to knock him out with some sort of hex..."
"I heard Jonathan was sent off to some sort of rehabilitation center for troubled young wizards..." Henry shook his head. "They ought to lock him up in Azkaban, if you ask me."
"Well, he's been expelled from Chimeral, that I know." Melody came striding up with Alex in tow.
"And the Snidgets were taken to some unknown location." Alex added, stretching.
"Terrific." Harry replied, relief flooding into his system as he heard his friend's words.
Tess walked over with Paige, smiles upon their faces despite the number of bandages that coated their arms and legs.
"Hey, Harry." Tess sat upon her friend's bedside. "How're things holding up?"
"I'm feeling much better." Harry replied. "How about you two?"
"All right, I suppose." Paige smiled a little, rubbing her wrist. "I should thank you Harry, for fighting off Jonathan like that."
Harry shook his head. "No. I ought to thank all of you, for coming and helping, even though you didn't have to.
"Oh, well...it sure made our experience here interesting." Roger laughed.
"So are you all staying for another week, then?" Harry asked eagerly.
The Chimeral students looked to each other doubtfully.
"Well...we don't think so, Harry." Melody replied ruefully. "The Hogwarts exchange students are already back...that probably means we're bound for home soon."
"This'll probably be one of the last times we'll be seeing one another." Eric shook his head.
"We'll stay in touch, though." Tess said.
"And we won't forget all the fun we had here, either." Henry brought up.
"Guess we'll be seeing you around, Harry." Alex said.
"We'll miss you." Tess squeezed Harry's shoulder, then followed the others to visit Ron at the bed across the room. Harry wasn't left alone for long, however, for Neville had approached with a wrapped present in his arms.
- -
Some many beds down, Draco lay quietly between his sheets, stirring slightly when someone placed a hand upon his shoulder. Opening his eyes, the silver eyed boy gave a wide grin to his usual group of friends - Millicent, Crabbe and Goyle. Sitting up, he propped himself comfortably against his pillow and turned to his friends.
"Wow, Draco." Millicent grinned a toothy grin at her classmate. "So you fought with you-know-who?"
"Well...not really." Draco said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Just some exchange student that you-know-who put a hex on."
"That's still just...AMAZING!" Millicent exclaimed, grabbing her classmate and shaking him by the shoulders. "You must tell us what it felt like!"
"How about later?" Draco grimaced, prying the girl's hands off. "So...you all got out of the forest all right, then?"
"Yeah...we just kind of stood around and all of a sudden Dumbledore appeared and helped us back." Millicent explained, yawning slightly.
"We brought some presents for you." Crabbe gurgled, slapping a heavy bundle upon Draco's lap, causing him to wince. "Hope you like it."
"Oh. Thanks." Draco replied, a little surprised his friends had gotten him something.
"Pansy picked it out for you." Millicent announced. "She wanted it to be perfect...obviously she's infatuated with you."
"Pansy...infatuated." Goyle gave a freakish giggle. "Funny."
"Where is she?" Draco asked, holding the present carefully.
"Oh...she wanted to make herself look nice for you, so she's somewhere making herself beautiful." Millicent rolled her eyes. "Anyway, she should be running in here any moment now..."
"Draco's asking for Pansy?" Goyle looked surprised.
"You've never asked about her before." Crabbe laughed.
"Well, maybe he finally decided to care." Millicent nodded in approval.
Draco was surprised to hear his friends talk about him in such a way. Had he really changed? What had he changed from?
"I need to go to the restroom!" Goyle bawled all of a sudden, and Milllicent gave him a look of disgust.
"Can't it wait, Goyle? Pansy's about to show up any second, and-"
"I NEED TO GO!" Goyle roared, stomping his feet. Crabbe looked dumbly at his friend, then grabbed him by the arm and the two of them waddled away. Millicent gave a loud sigh.
At that moment, the Paige looked up from Ron's beside to see Draco in the middle of conversing with his classmates. Excusing herself from her friend's side, she walked over warily, unsure of whether to approach the Slytherin or not. Spotting her, Draco's eyes flickered slightly, and Millicent threw the Chimeral student a suspicious look before backing away.
Paige moistened her lips, unsure of how to express what she wanted to say. Nearing the Hogwarts student, pulling at her robes anxiously.
"Draco, um..." She cleared her throat. "Well..this is really weird...I really don't know how to say this...but I guess...I guess I should say...thank you. Thanks for...doing what you did...back in the forest." She couldn't meet his eyes, and she stood there awkwardly. "Um, well...I don't know what you were doing in the forest, you really shouldn't have been there...I mean, sorry, that's not what I meant, er, um..."
"It's all right." Draco cut in, his gray eyes watching her. "I know what you mean."
"No, Draco, I don't think you do." Paige shook her head in frustration. "I...I don't know how to talk to you like we're friends...I'm not used to the fact that all of a sudden you decided to be courageous and protective, which is the total opposite of what you were before...Draco, if you don't remember, you wanted to hurt me before all this happened." She paused, letting her words sink in.
"I don't know why you bothered to save me when Jonathan had me in his grasp, Draco. I want to thank you for it...but...I don't know...why I should. Every time you've ever done something...you did it because there was something in it for you. But this time, there wasn't, was there? That's what confuses me." She exhaled, then laughed at her own words. "What am I saying? You aren't listening to me...you wouldn't care..." She turned to leave, yet froze, feeling Draco's hand grasp upon her arm. The same feeling of fear shot through the girl, and she pulled away.
Draco narrowed his eyes. "You're still scared of me, aren't you?" When Paige did not reply, an ache began to build beneath his throat, and Draco swallowed to ease it. "I don't understand why you need to be scared of me...didn't what I do convince you that I'm not going to hurt you?"
"That doesn't mean you won't go on hurting other people." Paige replied, turning. "I'm sorry if I sound like some sort of philanthropist, but I've always hated people like you, always bullying and hurting..."
Hearing her words made the ache throb more, and Draco looked away, breathing shallowly. "Well if that's the way it is, I don't know why I bothered to save you."
Paige took in a deep breath. "Well...I suppose that what you did for me when I was in danger...that was-"
"Nothing." Draco muttered angrily. "It meant nothing to you, did it?"
"Well, no, not at all!" Paige replied quickly. "I know I sounded ungrateful...but I am really thankful, Draco, I am." She gave him a sad half smile, and the ache grew more. "Everything you did to protect me I'm thankful for."
"Then why won't you say..." Draco's voice wavered. "Why won't you just..."
"Draco." Paige ran her fingers through her long hair. "When you took the Cruciatus Curse for me, I cried. I cried for you." She lowered her eyes. "When I saw that, I'll admit that...I was surprised. In my mind you were always selfish, uncaring, insensitive..."
Draco remained silent, though he listened to the Chimeral student speak. She had smiled at him, even if it wasn't a real, true-to-your-heart smile, and that gave him a tiny sense of contentment.
"But anyway." Paige brushed a loose strand of hair away from her face. "At least I know that...a part of you has changed for the better."
When Draco did not speak, she raised her head to see what was wrong. His eyes drew her to him, and she stood, frozen, never seeing his eyes up so close. How esoterically silver and gray they were, and how they cut through her gaze like the sharp edge of a blade, sending shivers down her back. She swallowed hard and backed away slightly.
Draco observed Paige's own gaze with interest as he locked her stare with his own. She had warm, chocolate brown eyes that were filled with a variety of different emotions, each tempting for its viewer to decipher and decode. He reached over slightly and brushed a finger over her hand, and she jumped, his touch unfamiliar and strange. Reddening, Paige broke away from his eyes and darted down the hallway and out of the room.
- -
"This is it, then Harry...Ron." Roger nodded to the two Hogwarts students. "Hope that you'll stay in touch with us."
"You can count on it." Ron grinned, giving the Chimeral student a hearty handshake while Harry exchanged one with Alex. "I'll owl you as soon as I get the chance!"
"It's a pity we didn't get to watch the two of you fly through a whole Quidditch match." Eric commented, shaking Ron's hand.
"If you ever get the chance, come down to Chimeral for a visit!" Henry exclaimed.
"You can watch one of our own Quidditch matches then." Alex grinned.
"We'll miss you." Melody said, giving both friends a hug. "Take care, all right?"
"Thanks for showing us a good time." Tess added.
Wei approached Harry then, with a rueful expression upon her face. "Sorry for being such a pain sometimes...I should apologize for that."
"It's all right." Harry smiled, giving the girl a pat on the back.
"Thanks for everything, the both of you." Paige gave both boys an embrace. "I won't ever forget it."
"Yeah..." Lillian gave a big sigh. "I'm SO sorry that I didn't get to know either of you two better! And I didn't even get to pick up a new boyfriend either! That makes me so mad!"
"Um...right." Ron gave the girl a sideways look. "We'll miss you too."
Hermione approached the little group then, and was given friendly introductions to all the exchange students. After exchanging greetings and good-byes, the call was made for the departure of all Chimeral students. As Harry and the others began to wave good-bye, they were surprised to see Draco rush out all of a sudden and call out Paige's name. She looked to him quickly, then beckoned for the others to continue on without her. Though they were too far away to be heard, Harry watched them silently, wondering what they were saying.
- -
Paige blinked up at the Slytherin who had called her name. He looked at her with a slight flicker in his eye, as if trying to say something he wasn't sure how to express. Remembering her own reaction the last time they'd talked, Paige felt a bit flustered, yet found her voice.
"Draco, I have to go." She said almost calmly. "Do you need something?"
"I really don't know." Draco replied.
Paige exhaled. "Look, Draco, the others are waiting for me and I need to go, now. Whatever it is you need...I'm sorry, but I can't answer it or do it right now." She turned to go.
"Wait." Draco called out, grasping onto her hand. She paused, the feel of him suddenly not so cold and horrible. She moistened her lips and lowered her head.
"Draco, they're waiting."
"I don't want you to go." He insisted, continuing to hold onto her. "I haven't even really got to know you as much as...as much as I'd like."
"The six months are over." Paige said. "If you wanted anything from me, you should have asked for it before."
"I regret that!" Draco said loudly, and circled around to face the Chimeral student. "But there's nothing I can do about it, is there?"
Paige could feel the blood pounding through her veins as she heard the emotion in his voice. Yet even before the truth of Draco's feelings dawned upon her, she'd pulled her hand from his grasp. She looked up to him, and he felt a pang of anguish rush through him as she shook her head no.
"I can't, Draco, you know I can't." She closed her eyes and opened them slowly. "Don't make this dramatic...that's just stupid. Don't make it emotional, either...I can't stand that." She started to walk past him, but he blocked her.
"Listen to me, Paige. I figured out what you did to me." Draco said, and Paige raised her head in surprise, hearing him say her name. Yet she continued to try to move past him, and he grabbed her by the shoulders.
"You might not think you did something to me, but you did. Paige, you did!" He shook his head. "You made me feel-"
"No." Paige stepped away from the Slytherin. "Don't say it." She shook slightly, and darted past him, causing him to chase after her. She walked faster. "Don't make a scene, Draco."
"I don't care if I make a scene, and I don't care if everyone knows how I feel!" Draco yelled, pulling Paige back by the sleeve. "I care about you!"
Though most of the people in the room had been oblivious to the little scene that had been happening, at the sound of Draco's voice reverberating through the hallways, everyone turned and stared. Paige, feeling everyone's eyes upon her, wrenched herself away.
"You don't really feel that way. You're just saying that." She muttered, flushing with embarrassment. "I've gone through enough relationships to know that I can't trust anyone who says that to me...especially the type of person who acts like you! You might have done good in the forest, but that doesn't change who you are. You could be lying to me right now because you want to play some dirty trick on me!" She whipped out her wand. "Now leave me alone!"
Draco stared at her for a moment, seeing the girl's wand arm quiver slightly and her expression wavering. "You don't want to use that on me." He said quietly. "...I know you don't."
"Oh really? And how would you know?" Paige retorted.
"I did a lot of thinking ever since I laid eyes on you, Paige." Draco watched the girl carefully. "You're insecure and sensitive, and you continue to lose confidence in yourself because of your failed relationships." He took a step forward, and Paige flinched slightly. "You need someone who will treat you with loyalty and just to see you as who you really are. You want it so badly that its killing you, probably...all you ever wanted was for someone to care." He reached for her wand, and she blinked, causing tears to fall from her dark eyes. "You've been treated badly, and you know what pain feels like...so you'd never inflict it upon another person."
Paige stood there in silence, tears trickling down the sides of her face. Draco slipped her wand away from her fingers, and weakly, she let her arm drop to her side, weeping softly. When the Slytherin came forward again, she did not run, and he placed his arms around her, giving her the strength and care that she'd needed all along.
Once Paige's sobbing had quelled down to a mere hiccup, she pressed herself away from Draco's grasp gently and dried her tears. She looked up at him then and smiled in a melancholy fashion, causing the Hogwarts student to feel confused.
"What..why are you still..."
"Pansy's waiting for you, Draco." She said, looking over his shoulder at the Slytherin girl. "She cares for you, more than anyone ever could." Backing away, she turned, brushing away a stray tear. "Bye."
"Paige..." Draco reached out, hesitated, then remained where he stood. "I won't forget you."
Paige smiled again, shaking her head. "Yes, you will."
She walked down the hallway, never looking back, leaving Draco standing alone and confused. Harry was about to come forward to say something when the Slytherin looked up and met the Gryffindor's gaze.
"Don't think this changes anything between us, Potter." Draco snapped. Turning, he walked off with his usual group of friends, not looking back.
"Well...what was that all about?" Hermione asked, watching them leave.
"I don't know." Ron shook his head.
Harry smiled silently to himself, watching Draco walk away. Clearing his throat, he placed his arms around his friend's shoulders. "C'mon. We'd better get to the Great Hall for dinner..."
Hermione gave her friends a look. "And you two better tell me everything about Jonathan and those Snidgets...I can't believe I wasn't there!"
Ron sighed. "Anything for you, Hermione..."
