Rain

Chapter Twenty-Five

Getting on with Life

Two months passed and it was soon March, only a few more months remained until the sixth year was over for Harry, Ron, Hermione, Dorothy, and Draco. Since the incident on the seventh floor corridor, Harry, Ron, and Hermione had been flanking Dorothy and keeping a watch out for Malfoy. As for the classes that they didn't have with her, they requested that the other Gryffindors watch her back. One morning, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Dorothy were sitting at the Gryffindor table, eating breakfast when Dumbledore stood and all became quiet.

"As you all know, O.W.L.'s are coming up and your homework has been increasing for those who will be taking them. This year we ask that no body attack another student while waiting for their examinations. Yes, we know you'll all be on the edge, but please don't take your nerves out on others who are equally stressed," said the headmaster with a cheerful tone is his voice. "Secondly, for all of those who've ask, which has nearly been the whole school, the reason Quidditch was cancelled this year, was because of current events in the wizarding world. It will, however resume the coming year. That is all I have to say for the moment. Continue eating and then hurry off to class."

Dorothy had finished eating nearly a half and hour ago but her three friends who sat around her wouldn't let her leave until they too were finished. She merely tapped her fingers on the tabletop and waited patiently, as she did every morning. When finally they were done eating, she picked up her books, which she had started bringing down with her each morning and followed them to Transfiguration.

Dorothy sat down near the front, with Hermione to her left and Harry and Ron sitting at the table behind her, glaring at the back of Draco's head as the Slytherin boy took notes and listened to the teacher's lecture. When the class was over, Malfoy started toward Dorothy, smirking his usual arrogant smirk. Before he even said anything to Dorothy, though, Harry and Ron mad a human wall in front of her.

"What do you think you're doing?" asked Ron with a glare in his eyes.

"To return this to Agel," Draco replied, holding out a phoenix feather quill. "She elbowed it off her desk by accident and it landed under my table."

Harry snatched the quill out of Draco's hand. The blonde Slytherin scoffed before turning toward the door and leaving, meeting Pansy there and putting his pale arm around the pug-faced girl's shoulders. The boy who lived turned toward Dorothy and handed her quill back, which she quickly placed in her bag and started for the door. She was stopped, however, when McGonagall called her name.

"Ms. Agel," said the elderly professor. "A word if I may…privately."

"You guys go on ahead," insisted Dorothy. "I'll catch up with you in Defense against the Dark Arts." After Harry, Ron, and Hermione had all disappeared out the door, Dorothy proceeded to McGonagall's desk. "Yes, professor?"

"Professor Snape has informed me that you have quit your tutoring lessons with Mr. Malfoy," stated the professor, staring over her spectacles at the girl before her. "Is there a reason for this? It also seems that Potter and Weasley have been guarding you from him of late. Did something happen?"

"Mr. Malfoy and myself got into a row and now we're avoiding each other, as Slytherin and Gryffindor should," replied Dorothy. "It's nothing out of the ordinary really. My grades have come up and I'm sure I'll do better in class now."

"Yes, it seems your graded have come up by a large margin in the past few months," said McGonagall. "However, you haven't had any tutoring in the past few months."

"Professor," interrupted Dorothy. "Not to be rude or anything, but I would really not like to talk about this. I have to get to class and I'm late. Maybe we can talk about it some other time…but not now…"

McGonagall finally realized something and comprehension dawned on her wrinkly face. She dismissed Dorothy, giving her a late note, and turned to her class of third year Ravenclaws.

Dorothy walked very slowly through the halls, not in any hurry to get to her Defense against the Dark Arts lesson. In fact, all she wanted right then was to go back to the nice, safe Gryffindor common room. The classroom door, however, appeared before her before she knew it and she entered sulkily, the whole class turning to look at her as she entered. Dorothy handed Watts her note and sat down beside Hermione who looked curiously at her friend.

"It was just about my grades," explained Dorothy, taking her wand out of her bag. "Nothing too major."

The rest of the day was uneventful. Dorothy skipped out on dinner because she wasn't hungry. Harry and Ron walked her halfway to the portrait hole before their growling stomachs got the best of them and they turned tail and raced down the stairs and toward the Great Hall. Dorothy was very grateful that she hadn't met Draco on her way to her sanctuary. She gave the password to the Fat Lady and entered the common rooms.

"Had a long day?" questioned a drawling voice from one of the armchairs by the fire. Dorothy stopped dead in her tracks and looked over at the person lounging comfortably in front of the fireplace; the person she was dreading seeing. Draco was in the Gryffindor common rooms!

"What are you doing in here?!" blurted Dorothy, taking a few cautious steps back toward the portrait hole.

"What a nice way to greet a guest," scoffed the blonde Slytherin sarcastically. "I came to see you, wouldn't you know? To straighten this out."

"I don't want to talk to you! I don't even want to look at you, you annoying, backstabbing prat!" Dorothy shot, heading for the stairs to the girls' dormitories. "I don't want to see you ever again!"

Before Dorothy could put one foot on the bottom of the staircase, however, Draco grabbed her by the wrist, spun her around, and looked into her eyes with anger.

"Who do you think you are," he asked, "talking to me like that? I gave you everything I had! And—"

"You gave me everything you had, huh?" the dark-haired Gryffindor girl repeated. "Everything…Well, I gave you my heart, my life, my soul…you shattered them to pieces in just a few short seconds. Don't go on about how I crushed you when you have no idea how much pain I'm in right now…" Dorothy was silent for another moment. "Now get out before I call Professor McGonagall."

With her final words, she jerked out of the Slytherin's grasp and stomped up the stairs and into the girl's dormitories, feeling fresh tears building up in her eyes.

A/N: So, I only got a few more chapters left. I'm thinking of ending it on an even thirty but I'm not sure. We'll just have to see. Also, I wish I could get some more readers for my next stories, so if you know anyone who hasn't read this, would you mind recommending it. It's not that I'm not grateful with what I've got, but you know. Anyway, R&R as usual and maybe give me some suggestions for new characters in the sequel. I've already got the beginning planned out so look for Conquest of the Heart coming to a category near you. Ciao.

WEM