By Serendipity7
Arthur's Note: Sorry to have kept you waiting yet again for this chapter. You all probably know about the computer problems that I was having so I won't bother to type them all up again. But here it is and chapter twelve is half way finished too. My back itches and the radio keeps playing the dumbest songs!!! Oh well, I'll survive. So what did you all think about the trailer? I thought that it was alright...needed to be longer.
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters (cept Billy and Noelle)...the Spice Girls...Gucci...Spiderman...Batman...The White Stripes...Good Charlotte...Finch...Eminem...Hamlet...and anything that I might have missed.
Everyone Hates Everyone
My mother was cross with me and I didn't know why. It was Sunday evening and I was sitting at the dinner table with my parents, telling them about my weekend with Aunt Bellatrix. The weekend its self was highly uneventful, so I told them about the Halloween dance. They scowled when I admitted to hanging around George Weasel for most of the night, but they didn't really say anything until I started speaking very highly of Sirius Black.
Mother threw her fork down upon her plate, shrieked obscenities at me, and stormed off sobbing uncontrollably for some reason. My dad grabbed me by my shirt collar and dragged me to the stairs where he slapped me and sent me to my room before I could even get my dessert! I was highly confused by all of this and Dad didn't make it any better Monday morning by forcing me to ride the bus.
"We've spoiled you rotten," he stated when I came down the stairs with my back pack slung on my shoulder. "You can ride the bus until your sixteenth birthday."
Knowing better than to question why, I mumbled a 'yes sir' before grabbing my jacket and walking out into the chilly November air. Potter was already waiting at the bus stop when I arrived. He gave me a look as if to say, 'What the hell are you doing here?' but I didn't give him the satisfaction of an explanation. Instead, I asked him why he didn't have a ride. I was almost certain that he got a ride from the Weasel's every day.
"Old Betsy probably broke down again," he shrugged. "They were probably just too busy to call me."
I had a funny feeling that there was more to it than that, but I figured that Potter didn't know exactly what that reason was yet, so I decided to keep my mouth shut until he figured it out.
A cold rain started up just as we pulled into the school's drive.
"Just peachy," Potter mumbled glumly as we stood and made to leave. We both hoisted our back packs over our heads and ran for the doors.
It was the longest I had gone with not talking to Ron since third grade when we fought over who was better, Spiderman or Batman. He had left the dance without telling me and continued the silent treatment by not calling me. I called twice but both times Mrs. Weasley claimed that he wasn't home before putting Ginny on the line. Ginny said that he (along with Fred and George) have been acting weird to her too, though neither of us could really figure out why.
After I gathered my books from my locker, I went into the boy's bathroom to dry the rain water off of me. Ron and his brothers were there talking in low whispers to Seamus, Dean, Neville, Lee, and Billy (Billy didn't seem to be taking in a word of it seeing as he was currently fascinated with his reflection). The three red heads glared at me when I entered and the others slinked back as if to avoid confrontation. It was a tense moment before I just shook my head and left.
I went into health and waited for the bell to ring. Shortly after, Draco stormed in muttering obscenities under his breath. He plopped down into his chair, took out a piece of paper and pen and began to scribble furiously. Out of boredom and curiosity, I read over his shoulder.
Draco Malfoy
102 Malfoy Lane
Hogwarts Hills, CA 90217
Principal Dumbledore
Hogwarts High
123 Quidditch Road
Hogwarts Hills, CA 90217
Dear Principal Dumbledore:
Two years ago I chose Hogwarts High as the place to continue my studies for several reasons. The highly praised curriculum, award winning soccer team, and the much talked about food are a few of those reasons; however, there is something that has been rubbing me the wrong way since I arrived here...literally: The toilet paper.
The thin tissue paper that the government provides us with is not up to my standards. Please see if you can do something to change this inconvience for me.
Sincerely,
Draco Malfoy
Sophomore
I fell off of my chair and onto the cold floor laughing as I read this. Snape stopped his lesson about alcoholism and proceeded by giving me the dreaded detention pink slip. I took it, still giggling, and sat back down into my chair.
"Something funny, Pothead?" Draco asked, obviously not amused.
"No, nothing," I lied through chuckles.
He glared at me before continuing a conversation, this time in whispers seeing as how Snape was back to explaining that the legal alcohol limit was .8 not 8.
"George, least I think it was George, told me that Old Betsy was fine," he said. I couldn't read his expression seeing as it was one of indifference but I knew that he wasn't lying (it's a little known fact that Draco rubs his nose when ever he tells a lie).
"You talked to him?" I asked.
"Him, his twin, and Weasel III, but I swear they said hi first!" he claimed as if defending why he would be conversing with someone as the likes of the Weasley's.
So they would say hi to Draco but not me? It was official that something was up; I just didn't know what.
"I can't believe that I let you talk me into this," I told Ginny through clenched teeth between an inhale and exhale. She had convinced me to take this Yoga class every Monday after school. We held our poses for a count of five before collapsing onto our mats and huffing from exhaustion.
"It's not so bad," she said, though she was clutching her abs in pain. "Besides, we need something to keep us in shape now that the swim season's over."
"Whatever," I said, as I got up and picked my mat up as well. "Listen, we need to get going. I promised Harry that I'd pick him up after his detention and I'm already twenty minutes late."
Ginny nodded and we got up and went into the locker room. There we pulled track pants over our shorts and hoodies over our T-shirts before locking our mats up in our lockers and heading towards the door.
"I'm sure my father will be here any minute," Draco said, as he crossed his arms over his chest as to block out the cold. The rain from the morning had yet to stop and it seemed even colder than before. Draco had skipped English and was forced to join me in detention. Hermione had called to tell me that she'd be late, but Draco's father hadn't even really agreed to pick him up when Draco called and asked. I was beginning to wonder what was going on in that family.
Draco sneezed and began hopping from one foot to the next in order to keep warm. His bright red cheeks stood out amongst his pale complexion and his hair was escaping his gel's hold and falling into his gray eyes that held a hint of panic in them.
"Draco?" I asked slowly. "Did you do something to piss your father off?"
Draco shot me a deadly glare as if to say, 'none of your fucking business', but then sighed and returned his gaze to the street.
"It's nothing," he said and we left it at that. Fifteen minutes later Hermione pulled into the school's drive. I braced myself against the rain and ran out to the car. I got into the back seat and was about to close the door when I saw Draco still standing by the school doors, trying to keep warm against the cold.
"Hermione?"
Hermione sighed. "Oh all right," she said.
"Hey, Malfoy!" I called.
He looked at me.
"Do you want a ride home?"
He looked down the street once more and when he didn't see his father's car, he came running to join the rest of us in Hermione's car.
Tuesday in English, Mr. Flitwick passed out booklets of Hamlet. The class groaned, but he ignored us. I took my copy before forcefully handing the rest to Harry with out speaking to him or looking him in the eye. Why didn't he tell me that he was feeling something for my sister? And to think that all this time I thought that he was just doing me a favor!
"Now class," Mr. Flitwick stated, coming up to his podium. "I thought that instead of acting this one out," he paused as the class groaned. We liked acting it out. "I know, I know," he continued, trying to abate us. "But I thought that this time I'd assign partners and together you and your partner will read and interpret it then we'll have in class discussions of what you guys thought."
I sighed. I guessed it wasn't too bad, especially if I went with Hermione, but I still liked the acting it out way better.
"Now," stated Flitwick, clapping his hands together. "the partners are as thus: Pansy and Crabbe."
I looked over at Pansy who looked livid, but she didn't protest. Her grade was so bad in there that she couldn't afford it. Crabbe looked ecstatic.
"Draco you will be with Noelle."
Noelle looked back at Draco and smiled. Draco seemed to blush but it could have just been a trick of my eyes.
"Hermione you will be with..."
I sat up straighter, knowing whom Flitwick would pick.
"Goyle."
My face fell; that's not who he was supposed to say. I glanced around the class in panic as Flitwick continued to read off names. Finally there were only two left.
"And Ron you will be with Harry."
Harry and I glared at each other as Flitwick assigned the first act for homework.
"My place then?" Harry asked with forced politeness.
"Whatever, I'll be over around six."
The bell beeped.
"Hey, Dad, where are you going?" Draco called out, lowering his fork onto his plate.
I followed his gaze out into the parlor where his father was currently putting on a black trench coat. His dad had long blonde hair and piercing eyes; he could be considered handsome except for the fact that he gave everyone the hibbyjibbies when they saw him. A chill shot through my spine as the older man glared at me, his look of indifference blocking out any hints of what he thought of me.
"Out," was all Mr. Malfoy said before opening the front door and leaving Draco and I alone in the dining room. The Malfoy's plump maid came in at that moment to fill our glasses of water. She gazed lovingly at Draco, who was staring into his plate, deep in thought. Noticing this, the maid fixed her gaze upon me and smiled warmly.
"Is your food alright?" she asked me.
"Yes, it's very good, thank you." I replied.
The maid beamed and returned her gaze to Draco, pinching one of his cheeks like an aunt would do.
"Cookie's homemade lasagna has always been one of Young Mr. Malfoy's favorites!"
Draco smiled weakly before pushing his half-eaten plate of lasagna away. I followed suit, not wanting him to keep waiting for me. The maid took the plates, her smile still upon her face.
"I'll send some brownies down later," she told Draco, who thanked her and began leading me to his room. His room was in the basement. It was big and had double doors leading out to the patio. The room was decorated in greens, blacks, and whites. He had posters of bands such as The White Stripes, Good Charlotte, and Finch taped up along with some posters of rappers, the most prominent being Eminem. He had a stereo, laptop, and TV as well as a punching bag hooked up in a far corner.
We spent about ten minutes flipping through his Cds (most of them burnt) before he put in what he called 'studying music'. It was the soundtrack to that one movie where this kid finds out that he's a wizard and he goes to this school of magic...what was that movie called again?
Marietta (the maid) came in with a plate of brownies shortly after we stared reading. She picked up a few scattered socks on her way out. After a half an hour of reading, I got fed up with the dialogue and threw my book down in frustration.
"Hamlet complains way too much," I said, rubbing my temples.
"I don't blame him though," Draco said, marking his place and looking pensive again.
"What makes you say that?" I asked, wanting to know his feedback because I was completely confused.
"He's confused," Draco said. "Does he do what his father wants of him or does he do what the rest of the world wants of him?"
"Why doesn't he just do what he wants?" I asked.
"I don't think he knows what he wants," Draco said.
I began to wonder if what Draco was saying held some basis in his life as well.
He looked at me.
"Come on, let's get you home."
Goyle lumbered into my room, looking as though he didn't know where he was exactly. I had already read Hamlet so I decided just to tell him what happened as quickly as possible. He set his schoolbag down on the floor and looked at me anxiously.
"Okay, um..." I didn't know what to say. Goyle and I hadn't talked in the longest time.
"Nice room," he stated, a bit late.
"Er...thanks."
"No, really, it is! The yellow thrown in with the blue and green adds a very nice touch. Your curtains could be different. You should go with a softer blue, that dark tone just throws off the pastel colors of the rest of the room."
I raised an eyebrow and he went back to being stupid. Half an hour later all he gathered from my rendition of Hamlet is that there's a ghost in it. I'm sure the only thing that he'll remember for class is that my curtains are off color.
"Why didn't you just tell me that you were getting feelings for my sister?" Ron yelled from across the kitchen. Hamlet lay forgotten on the kitchen floor.
"Because I knew how you would get!" I yelled back.
"How I would get?"
"Yeah, everyone knows that you and your brothers are way too overprotective of her!"
"WE ARE NOT OVERPROTECTIVE OF HER!"
"RON! REMEMBER A COUPLE OF HALLOWEEN'S BACK WHEN GINNY AND HER FRIENDS DRESSED UP AS THE SPICE GIRLS?"
"Vaguely."
"YOU AND YOUR BROTHER'S MADE HER WEAR A T-SHIRT OVER POSH'S LITTLE GUCCI DRESS!"
Ron faltered for a moment. He looked confused and I heard him mutter something like 'I thought she was Ginger?'.
"And it's not like she had anything to show back then anyway!" I continued, ignoring the fact that I had my Spice Girls mixed up. The reason why she has never had a proper boyfriend is that you and your brothers practically sit on the front porch with shot guns, scaring away nearly every adolescent male within a ten mile radius!"
Ron was looking livid.
"I don't have to take this!" he said. "And from someone who has never had a family!" he added before storming out. I gasped. It felt like he had just taken a rusty knife and thrust it into my chest. I cursed and fell into a chair at the table. Moments later Sirius came home and walked into the kitchen.
"Ron's looking like a tomato again," he stated calmly, opening up the freezer. "Did you make him mad or embarrass him," he paused, "or both."
I didn't answer because at that moment he closed the freezer revealing a massive bruise on his face, accompanied by two scratches on his cheek.
"Where did you get that?" I asked, getting up to examine them closer.
"What these?" Sirius asked, indicating the bruise and scratches. "They're nothing, now what happened between you and Ron?"
My anger flared up again. If he wasn't going to tell me his problems then I wasn't going to tell him mine.
"Nothing," I said, then I went into my room and plopped into bed.
"Why does my room have to be so damn far away from the kitchen?" I wondered out loud as I wandered my house late at night, wanting a glass of juice before bed. I opened the kitchen door to find my mother nursing my father's bloody nose. I stood completely flabbergasted at the sight.
"Get out," my father told me in a deadly quiet tone when he saw me.
I left, crossing my arms over my bare chest to keep warm and mumbling numerous obscenities as I went back to my room. I didn't even get my glass of juice!
Last Author's Note: Guess what! I have the next couple of chapters plotted out. Up to chapter fifteen I believe. I'll plot more really soon. Maybe it'll help me write faster. REVIEWIDUS! I haven't used that in while.