Chapter III

Ceri and I sat opposite eachother in the great hall at breakfast, she working on homework, and I dreamily eating bananas with sugar and cream.

"Ceri, really. You just have to try some of this. It's sooo good!"

"Nope. I don't like bananas."

"But the cream makes them taste so much better. Besides, you need your potassium."

"I'll live. I don't like bananas."

I grinned. "Well, your husband's not gonna like you." I said, scraping the bowl with my spoon and holding a smile in. She blinked, then glared at me.

"Eww! Karaaa!" she whined, throwing a crumpled piece of parchment at me. I laughed and threw it back at her.

"Kara, that's just gross."

"He may not think so."

"Shut up! Jesus, you're sick!"

I laughed evilly. "Sick in the head, you mean." I fixed her with my maniacal stare. She cringed and whimpered. She was so easily scared. I laughed at her and pulled a book out of my bag. After a few minutes, I noticed she was looking at something over my shoulder. I turned and saw Draco Malfoy and some Slytherins at their table. I turned back quickly and Ceri frowned.

"You like Malfoy?" I nodded a little.

"Why?"

"He's nice, and he's very fit, or maybe you can't see that."

"No, I agree with the fit part, but he's not really nice."

"Yes he is. You've just never talked to him."

"No, but you know I have some kind of intuition about this."

She was right. She could sense things about people.

"He's nice."

She looked at me. "Just don't get involved with him."

"Why?"

"Because he might not be all he seems! He may be more, and not in a good way."

"What could be bad about him? People don't like him because of his family. He's guilty by association, that's it. He's really nice. He helped me in Potions a few days ago."

"Just don't pursue it, alright?"

"I will if I want to."

"No, Kara...please. He's not as nice as he seems!"

"And how would you know?"

"Be-cause..." she hesitated. "I used to live near him, and we went out for a while."

I looked at her incredulously.

"And all he wanted was my body. He wanted me to sleep with him."

"Oh, please, what body? You're just jealous that I get looks and you don't." I snapped, standing up and walking off. I immediately wished I hadn't said that. Ceri had been my best friend since we were little kids, and we'd always agreed on everything. I don't think I'd ever snapped at her before. I sighed and walked out into the empty courtyard, sitting on a bench and staring up at the owlery. I was aware of footsteps on the stone behind me and looked up as Malfoy sat down beside me. I got the sudden feeling like ten chocolate frogs in my stomach.

"I didn't see you at the match Friday."

"I was there."

"Oh. Wish I'd seen you. I would have played better."

Hufflepuff had only lost because a Slytherin Beater fouled their Seeker. I didn't say anything though.

"You played well. You're good." I told him. He smiled.

"Thank you." I gave him a small smile.

"Why haven't you been in Potions?" I asked him.

"Detention with that bitch McGonagall." He scowled. I smiled to myself. Why were bad boys so endearing?

"What'd you do?"

"Nothing, that's just it. She just doesn't like me. Nobody outside Slytherin likes me. What have I ever done to anyone?"

"Nothing. You just seem to have a reputation for trouble because of...."

"Because of my family's history, I know." He sighed heavily. "But I'm not like that. People just don't understand."

"I know what you mean. My family is one of the last pureblood lines left, and we've never done anything wrong. Everybody thinks I'm just this perfect little goody-goody smart girl 'cause as far back as anyone can tell, my family's been in Ravenclaw. Both my parents were prefects, my dad was head boy..." I sighed. "I've just got so much to live up to. It's hard." He listened intently as I spoke, looking interested and empathetic.

"And I've got a lot to live down." He chuckled.

"We're exactly opposite." I laughed a little.

"You know what they say..." he glanced at me secretively. "opposites attract."

I blushed a little. "True..." I smiled.

"Kara!" A voice called my name from the covered walk around the courtyard. It was Ceri.

"Gotta go. I'll talk to you later, then?"

"I hope so." He smiled. My insides fluttered and I hurried toward the frowning Ceri.

"Ceri, I'm sorry for what I said earlier." I said as we walked.

"It's okay." She didn't look at me.

"Ceri, I appreciate the fact you're worried, but you don't have to be. He's one of the nicest blokes I've ever met."

"What's his house?"

"Slytherin."

"What's the animal of Slytherin?"

"It's a serpent." She turned on me.

"Exactly. He's a snake, Kara. Why can't you see that!? He's a conniving, two-faced, evil snake."

"Shut up! You don't even know what you're talking about!"

"Oh, I think I do."

"How the hell would you know?"

She swallowed and looked pained.

"Remember, I told you he wanted me to...." I nodded.

"Well..." she opened her mouth a few times like a fish out of water. "I did."

I stared at her.

"You.....what?"

"I slept with him, Kara. All right? I slept with him. We did it. We had sex!"

I couldn't believe what she said. I looked back in the direction of Malfoy.

"He..."

"No, he didn't force me. I went willingly, but...he's hard to resist."

I looked at the ground.

"Just be careful, all right?"

"How come you never told me?"

"I don't know, I just...I didn't want to tell you. It was one of those things...."

I nodded.

"Kara, please. Consider this wisely. It was a few years ago, and he may have changed. I don't know. Just be careful."

"I will."