Hell Tastes Sweet

Chapter Eight

Going through the day's lesson was something close to a nightmare. Pansy kept staring at the classroom's door hoping that it would open to let Draco in the class.

"Miss Parkinson, what, exactly, do you find so amusing about that poor door?."

Professor Flitwick's kind voice startled her. She looked down from her desk and saw the tiny professor looking at her a bit irritated.

"No…nothing…I'm…I'm sorry…" Pansy replied feeling herself blush.

"Alright then…I hope you can reward us with your attention from now on…" the head of Ravenclaw said almost sarcastically.

This caused the rest of the class to look up from their exercises to stare at them, they weren't used to see Flitwick, usually kind and easygoing, speak to any student in such manner.

After a quick lunch, she headed with a few other Slytherins to the dungeons to have their Double Potions lesson. 'At last a quiet lesson' Pansy thought for it was well known that Professor Snape had always had a soft spot for the students of his own house.

In any case, Pansy thought well to apply herself to the lesson so she would stay out of trouble. Every now and then, she gave quick glances at Potter and Granger who were busy making the universal antidote that had been assigned to them by Snape.

"Be careful!" Sonia whispered to her and Pansy saw that she was about to put in their cauldron a pinch of belladonna powder that would have made their potion totally poisonous.

"Sorry!" Pansy whispered back.

"It's alright…I know you're probably…" but what she was she never found out for at that precise instant, the dungeons door opened to let Draco Malfoy in.

Pansy's heart did a triple somersault. She felt about to faint and grabbed the edge of the table trying to prevent herself from falling on the floor. She heard Sonia gasp and felt the girl's gaze on her.

Pansy looked at Draco, he had a very nasty cut just over his eyebrow and was limping quite obviously. His eyes were back to being as cold as ice and his ever present smirk had been replaced by a fine line placed where his lips were supposed to be.

Whatever had happened to him, it hadn't been pleasant. Pansy was too scared to keep looking at him so she lowered her eyes, pretending to find the contents of her cauldron to be the most fascinating thing in the world.

"Professor…I'm sorry I'm late…" she hear Draco say.

Snape, as usual, didn't say anything to Draco, just pointed at the table in front of him where two other Slytherins were working. Draco just moved to that table and started emptying his bag looking for the potions book.

"Settle down…and keep working, we'll test a few of this potions at the end of the lesson…" Snape said looking at Harry and Hermoine as if challenging them to say anything. The two Gryffindors, choose very smartly to stay quiet and kept working. Hermoine, though, as soon as she was sure that Snape's attention had been diverted by something else, looked quickly at Pansy. The Slytherin girl caught that look and was surprised at what she saw in it: curiosity.

Pansy then broke the eye contact and moved her eyes to look at Draco. He appeared to be busy catching up with the class' work and showed no intentions of wanting to look at her.

Pansy didn't know what to think.

"Pansy…come on…we've got to finish this…" Sonia called.

"Sorry…I…" Pansy started.

"What happened to him? Did he get into a fight or…" Sonia started saying but she interrupted herself when Snape came to their table and enquired after their work.

The lesson, from that moment, dragged itself so slowly that Pansy thought it would never finish so when it finally did, Pansy put everything away as fast as she could so she could go to talk to Draco.

Alas, when she came back from washing her hands, Draco was nowhere to be seen and nor was Professor Snape.

"They left together…to Snape's office…" Sonia said seeing Pansy looking out for the blond Slytherin.

"Ah…alright…" Pansy said trying to hide her disappointment but failing miserably.

They headed to the Great Hall for dinner where Pansy hoped to see Draco again. Unfortunately he didn't turn up for the evening meal and Pansy had to go back to the common room without seeing him.

Half way to the dungeons' entrance, Hermoine Granger grabbed her by the arm and said to her in a whisper:

"Parkinson, I know that what Professor Dumbledore asked you is difficult but…it is necessary you do as you're told…just be careful and don't do anything silly…."

Pansy, not wanting to show her shock at Hermoine's kind words, removed her arm from the Gryffindor's grasp and said as malignly as possible:

"As if you cared…."

"Actually I do…and I understand that your position is not the easiest…" Hermoine said before walking away.

Still puzzled by this, Pansy reassumed her pace. She had almost reached the entrance of the common room when she felt someone grab her arm again.

"What…" she started saying.

"Come with me…we need to talk…in private" turning round, Pansy saw Draco's face.

Not sharing a further word, Pansy started walking after him. Instead of heading to the Room of Requirement, they were heading somewhere deep down the castle, even past Snape's office that was believed to be located at lowest floor in the dungeon.

Finally they stopped in front of a room and Draco, opening the door, asked her to go inside. There was a fairly small room with a two armchairs facing a lit fireplace.

"Sit down…" Draco ordered while seating himself on one of the armchairs.

Sitting down, Pansy looked at Draco's face more carefully now, she realised that Snape must have healed him somehow for the nasty cut above his eyebrow as now forming a very thin pinkish line that wouldn't be deep enough to leave a scar.

"Why didn't you tell me…" Pansy asked trying not to sound too nagging.

"What have you been talking to Granger about?" Draco asked not answering her question.

Pansy looked down on the floor not knowing what to reply.

To be continued…