Here I go again! Couldn't just leave it a one-shot!
Disclaimers: All the credit goes to Jo!
David couldn't help but shift uncomfortably in his seat as he ate his breakfast in the Great Hall. If she stared any harder, she would bore a hole right through him! Since the day of her release from the hospital wing, Angelina seemed intent on staring down Montague to death.
He'd noticed it right away…Pucey thought it was funny at first too. But the gaze had somehow turned from inquisitive to something more hostile…more desperate to catch his eye. And that's when he became uncomfortable.
He gave in as he did every day and slowly lifted his eyes from his eggs until he felt the electric jolt that told him he'd met Angelina's gaze. Her brown eyes narrowed accusingly. Why was she so mad at him! Hadn't he helped her that night in the dungeons?
Damn Gryffindors and their inability to just bloody let things go, he mumbled to himself. His own expression frosted over, apparently surprising Angelina. He rolled his eyes and broke the eye contact, sick of these stupid games they played every day. Another meal ruined, he angrily dropped his spoon and pushed his plate away.
"Again, Montie? What's with this sudden loss of appetite? What's goi-" Millicent Bulstrode reached a sympathetic hand out to pat his shoulder, but found herself brutally rebuffed as he slapped her hand away and got up from the table.
Angelina watched surreptitiously as David Montague exited the Great Hall, muttered some quiet excuse to those around her, and followed him out the door. Fred was the only one that noticed her chasing at the heels of the Slytherin, and began to put two and two together.
Fighting every urge to follow with a set of Extendable Ears conveniently waiting in his pocket, he was sidetracked by George suddenly leaning in to ask him about the potential side-effects of a new Snackbox they were working on to cause temporary nosebleeds. He surrendered his plans and began plotting with his twin.
Meanwhile, in the hallway, Angelina was running down the halls, cursing to herself at having lost David in a matter of seconds. Undeterred, she stopped and closed her eyes to listen for footsteps. Hearing nothing but the usual murmurs of the castle, she swore under her breath once more and turned to head back to her common room.
"Well, we can count out 'Auror' as a potential career path, Johnson. You're a terrible tracker."
She heard his unmistakably smooth voice behind her, and didn't realize she was smiling when she turned around to face him.
"What's that stupid grin for, anyhow?"
Angelina's expression dropped immediately as she crossed her arms defensively and opened her mouth to retort.
"Please, spare me," His voice seemed a little more defeated than she'd expected. "So, are you going to tell me why you've been staring at me and now stalking me around the school? Or will I just have to guess?"
Angelina bit her lip and stared at the thin slit running across the skin of her inner right wrist. "Guess I just wanted to thank you."
David's expression tightened as he shrugged. "Yeah, okay. Is that all?"
Angelina looked as though she'd just been slapped. "Well, yeah! I think it is! Merlin forbid I should want to thank you for doing something like this for me…"
"Like what?"
"Like saving my life, you insufferable prat!"
"Oh, well, don't think too much into it…"
"Why not? You didn't have to take me to the hospital wing! I ruined your tie!"
David raised an eyebrow a chuckled softly at her ludicrous exclamation. Angelina laughed in spite of herself. That hadn't come out quite how she'd meant it. She stopped, realizing he'd grown quiet and was now staring rather intently at her.
"What makes you think I had a choice, Angelina?"
She blinked quickly several times, realizing that was the first time he (or pretty much any Slytherin) had ever used her first name. She felt a dull heat creep up her neck and face, making the moment even more difficult than it already was. She stammered, too afraid to look away from him just then.
"I just thought that with you being in Slytherin and all…and me in Gryffindor…I just…I dunno…"
Montague seemed to grow more imposing and dangerous right in front of her as he exploded with what seemed like long-pent up anger and frustration. "The world isn't simply divided into good and evil, you idiot!"
"Don't you dare speak to me that way, David!"
They both froze immediately. The way she'd used his name…there was a strange sort of intimacy to it. She hadn't even meant to use his first name. It had just sort of come out. They stood in awkward silence, inexpressible emotions passing vainly between them. The seconds dragged out into long moments, each unsure of what was to happen next.
Suddenly, the sounds of doors opening and the collective murmurs of many a student began to fill the air. Their time was up. Angelina still stared unashamedly at Montague, who fiddled in the pockets of his robes momentarily before pulling out his wand.
"This is the way you want it, right? Fine. I'll be the villain…and here comes the hero now."
He glanced sidelong at the throng of people approaching them, Fred at the head of the pack. His own wand brandished, Fred yelled the Disarming jinx, sending David's wand skidding across the floor.
Angelina's face was contorted in a mix of confusion and horror. Was he actually going to hex her? And what point was he trying to prove? His inferior attitude was beginning to annoy her. She didn't like being spoken down to – especially by the likes of him.
Snapping out of her silent reverie, she saw that a circle of studentshad formed around the three of them, and Fred was on top of David trying his best to throttle the Slytherin. Angelina immediately set to pulling Fred off of him, and succeeded with great difficulty. As she managed to push the Weasley away, she quietly whispered down to the bemused Montague, "There, that makes us even. Doesn't it?"
David returned her small smile, making Angelina's stomach knot. He licked away a trickle of blood from his lip, but made no move to get up from the ground. He looked like he was about to say something in return, but Angelina was suddenly yanked away by Fred.
After bludgeoning her with questions to see if she was all right, Angelina nodded blankly and allowed herself to be lead away to their first classes by Fred and the others. It took all of her will power to keep from looking back over her shoulder once more, just to see if her was still there, smiling that mysterious smile, knowing something she didn't. Arrogant git.