MetroDweller – Yeah. That "just friends" thing isn't going to last. Heh heh.
J Wish – Poor Draco. He's going to have to figure out something soon, as you will see… and I promise, it will include potions.
Shahrezad1 – hee hee. Nice Star Wars moment. And what would a romance be like, without just a leeeetle bit of confusion? Not to worry, Draco's going to make a decision or two in the next few chapters… look out folks, chapter 14 or 15 might get a little warmer…
Everyone else (pointing with a stern teacher-finger) – REVIEW!!
Chapter 13
Draco was sitting, comfortably ensconced at a table in the far corner of the library. He'd spread out his books and parchment and no one had dared to disturb him. He supposed he could do his homework in the Slytherin common room, but he'd have to be more alert, more aware of who was around and what they were doing. In the library, he could relax a bit, knowing Madam Pince was watching them all with eagle eyes, just waiting for someone to break the silence of the library.
He pulled another open tome closer, and flipped, looking for the right goblin war. Merlin, Binns assigned the most monotonous homework. He had a sneaking suspicion the old ghost didn't read their papers, either, the last three feet he'd turned in on Grablock the Crusher and his victories over the giants of Northern Scotland had contained several deliberate errors. He'd still gotten full marks.
Draco sighed as he flexed his hand and kept copying. He didn't know why he didn't just make up the whole bloody assignment.
Just then, there was a thump as someone set down their bookbag across from him. Draco glared at his parchment before raising his eyes. No one was supposed to be bothering him. His intimidating stare was wasted as it angled right towards the girl just sitting down.
Cara shot him a sunny smile. "History essay?" she asked in a whisper. He glared harder. What the devil did she think she was doing? He was Draco Malfoy, and she was supposed to cower in fear, not pester him. Instead of retreating, she just started rummaging through her own bag, pulling out ink and quill. "I've got two feet for Charms, on banishing charms," she kept chattering in a soft voice. "There's currently a large-scale exploding snap game going on in the common room, and I'm afraid my homework will get incinerated just as I finish."
"McDouglas," Draco finally broke down and muttered. "Shut up."
Cara just shrugged and started to flip pages in her text. Draco tried to concentrate on his essay again, but he was irritated. She was intruding on his personal space. He considered a quick and nasty hex to make her flee, but then decided it wasn't worth the effort. Madam Pince would have in him in detention, probably with Filch, for a week, not to mention Professor Stone would mostly likely give him a disappointed look when he saw her next. He sighed. No hexes, then.
Cara glanced up at his sigh. "Bored?" she whispered. He raised one eyebrow and glanced down at his essay, unable to stop himself. Bored by History of Magic? She grinned. "Yeah, dumb question," she murmured. "Here, can you help me?" She turned her book to face him. "I found three different charms, but I can't find the fourth. Flitwick said we needed to explain all four."
Draco just stared a moment, and she sat and waited. Good lord, the girl was serious. She was actually trying to be a friend. She raised an eyebrow at him. He shut his mouth and then looked down where she was pointing. "Diffusus objectus," he muttered, and shoved the book back at her. He didn't look at her face, but still caught the edge of the blinding smile she sent him.
"Thanks," she said softly, and started writing again. He caught the barest hint of humming as she did, not that 'sunshine' song, thank Merlin. No, this time he actually thought he might know the melody. La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la… Beethoven, he thought. The 'Ode to Joy' movement.
Draco sat back and started writing again, for some reason no longer bothered by the girl across the table.
**********
Cara hummed as she skipped into the Great Hall for lunch. It had been two weeks since she'd announced to Draco she planned to be his friend, and all in all, things were going swimmingly. Sure, he still said mean and nasty things during tutoring when she screwed up, but he had a glint of amusement in his eyes while he did. It made it easier for her to shrug and grin and try again. And she'd caught him in the library a few more times, and helped herself to the other side of his table.
She'd been privately amused and something else she couldn't define by the rumors that had started to circulate. Most of the school was apparently convinced that she was either under the imperious curse, or that she was pathetically in love with Draco. The fact that he scowled and was fairly reluctant to give any ground in public had convinced the majority of students that it was the latter. Cara McDouglas, Love Slave, she thought with amusement, dropping in next to Ginny and reaching for the platter of fried chicken.
"How was Arithmancy?" Ginny asked around a mouthful of chicken.
Cara wrinkled her nose. "Too many numbers," she said before taking a big bite. "I swear, I'm dropping it next year. It's just so dry."
"Don't say that in Hermione's hearing," Ginny mumbled. "That girl thinks it's the greatest subject ever."
Cara rolled her eyes as she munched. As she worked away at the drumstick, she caught sight of Draco coming into the Hall, and heading for the Slytherin table. Cool, calm and with that faint air of menace he always seemed to have, she thought. She swallowed and reached for her pumpkin juice. Then she got an idea and grinned.
"Hey, Gin, you got a spare piece of parchment on you?" she asked.
Ginny raised an eyebrow. "Yep, why?"
Cara chortled. "Going to give a friend a surprise," she said. She held out her hand. "Gimme." A few minutes later, she had a reasonable looking paper plane folded. So one wing was noticeably longer than the other, that really didn't matter. She hoped. She tapped the paper wings and muttered the appropriate charms, hoping she was doing it right. After all, Great-Uncle Max had showed her two years ago.
Ginny was watching, chin propped on her hand and face fascinated as Cara finally lifted her wand and pointed it in the direction of the Slytherin table. "Aquiro Draco," she said, and watched in delight as the little plane wobbled up into the air, and straight for the blonde head sitting alone.
Ginny's jaw dropped as she watched the plane leave. "You're pranking Malfoy?" she said. "Are you sure that's healthy?"
Cara grinned. "I think I'll be ok," she said, and reached for more chicken. This kind of fun always made her hungry. "We're friends, you know."
Ginny raised an eyebrow. "You sure?" Cara rolled her eyes and chomped away. This would be fun.
**********
Draco was calmly eating a biscuit, nicely slathered in butter, when a piece of folded paper came fluttering over towards him rather lopsidedly. He watched with narrowed eyes as the object began to limp around his head. Great. Some bloody idiot thought they could prank him and get away with it.
He waited a few moments, gauging the wretched thing's speed, before reaching up and snatching it out of the air. He glowered as the paper struggled meekly in his hand. "Finite incantatem," he muttered, pulling out his wand. The paper went stiff and he tucked his wand back in his pocket.
Draco made as if to simply toss the paper over his shoulder, before he noticed writing on one of the wings. He tilted it to one side. Try the chicken, it read. His eyes narrowed. What the…
Then he got it. He looked up and over at the Gryffindor table, eyes searching out that particular dark head that had become far too familiar for his comfort. Cara was munching on a piece of fried chicken, and as he watched she looked up and his way. He glared at her, and she just grinned and wiggled her fingers at him. He huffed out a breath of annoyance. That girl was getting far too persistent, and worse, he was liking it.
He turned his attention back to the object in his hand. So it was ok to play a joke on a 'friend', was it? He suddenly smiled, a sharp, satisfied look. Then she surely wouldn't mind this…
**********
Cara was leaving the Great Hall, heading for Care of Magical Creatures when something zoomed past her. "Eek!" she squeaked.
Ginny, who was walking next to her, ducked as it came back. "What the devil is that?" she asked as it zoomed by again.
Cara ducked as whatever it was made another pass. She squinted. "Holy cow," she realized. "I think that's my paper airplane."
"The one you sent at Malfoy?" Ginny asked. People were starting to stop and stare. Cara ducked again.
"I think it is," she said, her heart doing a strange leap. Weird.
And then the plane came zooming at her one last time, and this time when she ducked, it didn't miss. Instead, she felt the tip implant itself at the top of her ponytail. "Wow," Ginny said, straightening up and staring. "It nailed you."
Cara wrinkled her nose as she reached for the plane. "Yeah, I guess he's a little bit better at it than I am," she said as she tried to pull it out. "Umm," she grunted. "Dammit, Ginny, it's stuck."
"Stuck? Here, let me try," her friend said, reaching for the plane. She tried to extract the plane, but nope, it seemed to have attached itself to Cara's head. Cara glared as she thought she saw Ginny's lips twitching.
"Don't laugh," she ordered. "I mean it!"
Ginny held up her hands, grinning. "Me? Never. I wouldn't dream of it." She cleared her throat. "So how are we going to get it out?"
Cara opened her mouth and then winced. "We're going to be late," she said. "Dammit. I'll make that jerk undo the spell tonight when I see him for tutoring." After all, this couldn't be that bad, right? They set off at a run for Hagrid's hut, the paper on Cara's head waving gently as they did.
Four hours later, Cara was steaming. People were laughing, and if she wanted the thing off her head any time soon, she'd have to use a razor. Now the paper had flattened and was covering her entire head. She scowled. He'd messed with the hair. He would have to pay.
**********
Draco was sitting, relaxed and anticipatory as he waited for Cara to arrive that evening. He wondered if she'd gotten the paper off her head yet. He smirked. It was a pretty good Sticking Charm, he had to say. He'd be most impressed if she had.
And then the door to the classroom slammed open and the girl in question stomped in. "Draco Malfoy," she snarled. "You get this thing off me, right now!"
Draco took one look at the girl glaring at him, hands on hips, and started to snicker. He couldn't help it. The paper had gotten flattened somehow until it drooped over one eye, covering the top of her entire head.
"Get it off!" she howled, stamping one foot. He kept chuckling, but decided he'd had his fun, and sent the counter charm her way. Cara proceeded to rip the paper off her head, and to his great amusement, throw it on the ground and stomp on it. "You messed with my hair!" she snarled, and Draco instinctively ducked as her wand came out. It was a reflex, but apparently he wasn't fast enough.
Draco looked down. "You banished my socks?" he said. He was rather bewildered by her choice of punishment.
Her cheeks were red as she glared. "You try walking around without them for a while and see if it's not irritating," she snapped, before swinging around and stomping out.
Draco stared after her, mouth open as the door slammed shut behind her. Then he looked down at his now bare ankles. She'd banished the socks right off his feet. Huh.
His head whipped up and around as he caught movement out of the corner of his eye, and his wand was in his hand without thinking. Professor Snape regarded him coolly from his office door. "Problem, Mr. Malfoy?" his Head of House asked.
Draco shook his head, unobtrusively putting his wand back in his pocket. "No sir," he said politely.
Snape raised one eyebrow. "Then why is Miss McDouglas not here, working on her potions work?"
Draco felt the corners of his mouth twitch. "She, ah, is a little annoyed at the moment and decided tonight would not be a productive session," he said smoothly. "We've rescheduled for tomorrow."
Snape just regarded him for a long moment with those all-too penetrating eyes. Then the Potion Master's gaze dropped down and Draco pulled his feet out of view a moment too later. The eyebrow shot up again, and Snape drawled sarcastically, "Forget something this morning, Malfoy?"
Draco coughed. "No, sir," he said. "Miss McDouglas, ah, borrowed them."
He thought he saw an amused glitter in the older man's eyes. "A true friend is beyond price, Mr. Malfoy," was all the other said as he started turning away. "Do not waste it."
Draco stared thoughtfully after the professor. He couldn't recall Snape having any friends, not before Professor Stone. And now, she was about all he let that close. He wondered if the Potion Master had had friends when he was in school, or if it had always been that way.
Then he shook his head, and gathering his things stood and started for the classroom door. He was all the way back to the common room before he realized that he was going to have a blister on one heel, thanks to his sock-less state. But instead of scowling, he found himself grinning. Apparently the girl did know how to retaliate.
His good mood carried him all the way to his dorm room, where he tossed his bookbag on his bed. And then stilled. Damnation.
There on the pillow lay a letter, his name in a black scrawl. His blood chilled. He knew that hand. He'd hoped, vainly, he knew, that since it had been more than two weeks, he wouldn't see it again. That she'd given up.
In silence, he reached for the note. Carefully, he slipped it open and unfolded the single sheet of paper.
Dear cousin,
What a pretty girl. Maybe I should play with her as well.
B
His hands began to shake, whether with rage or fear, he wasn't sure. It was deep and overwhelming, what ever it was. He swallowed hard, and crumpled the note in one hand. He was going to have to do something, and quickly. And he didn't know what.