Later that day, Tru had been walking in the halls by herself. The only sounds that followed her were the tell tale whispers of the portraits on the walls. Staring down at her curiously. She headed in the direction of her dorm. The others were already there. The light from the sun was slowly dissappearing beneath the surface of the mountains. Swallowing every last bit of it until the castle was swamped in darkness. Tru had stopped halfway to the tower, on a random stair just to stare up at the high ceiling, deep in thought.
She had to admit, Draco coming to live with her was exciting, but it was also awkward. She couldn't help but wonder just why her father had suggested it. But Draco had nowhere to go. And living on his own just wasn't right. And going home wouldn't be completely wise for him. Considering his family was lousy and if they knew by now that he was truly a Gryffindor, they would either throw him out..or worse. The worse part was the part Tru tried not to think about most of the time. She truly was happy that Draco was coming to live with her.
Smiling, Tru stood up and turned around...and screamed. Pansy Parkinson was standing on the landing staring down at her, her eyes were cold and forboding. The scowl she wore on her face seemed so set, you'd think that was her normal look. But it was so fearsome, Tru could do nothing but stare at her. Her feet seemed to be superglued to the stairs she stood on. Pansy started down the stairs and Tru stood her ground. She put her feet together and glared straight back into Pansy's eyes. Her look equaled Pansy's loathing if not topped it. Pansy stopped on the step right above Tru's and looked straight down into her eyes as though trying to stab fear into Tru's soul with her own.
For long moments they just stared at each other in hatred. Tru had no idea why Pansy seemed to be trying to interrogate her. Strutting down to her as though trying to make her flee. Tru had no idea why she didn't just walk away to leave Pansy rotting in her own filthy stupidity and moronic existance. But for some reason, it felt good to stand her ground, to show Pansy that she was no wimp. Like she knew she thought she was. After a long time, Pansy finally spoke. "What are you staring at?" she drawled slowly. Coolness showing briskly in her tone. Tru's eyes widened slightly and Pansy smirked down at her. Tru straightened herself up to her full extent.
"I'm not sure WHAT I'm staring at. Looks like a pile of rotten idiot to me." Pansy's scowl became more pronounced and without warning, she reached up and punched Tru hard in the left eye, sending Tru spiraling down the stairs until she hit the landing, eight or so steps down. Tru tried hard not to show the true pain searing in her body as she stared up to see Pansy walking down to greet her. Pansy was smiling...there was something about her smile that Tru didn't like at all. There was something...hungry in her smile. An evil kind of hungry, such a smile that one would think a mad man wore. And the sense of fear inside of Tru's veins increased when Pansy kneeled beside her, staring into her face as though trying to grasp every tiny droplet of pain and agony for her own pure enjoyment.
Pansy stood after a few moments and kicked at Tru, making Tru coil up in pain. She tried to stand but Pansy just kicked her again. At Tru's next attempt to stand, Pansy did no argument. She just watched her and kept her eyes upon hers until they stood face to face. Tru's arms and legs were shaking, threatening to let her fall again. But Tru stood fast, she had half a mind to throw her own punch in Pansy's direction, but thought twice, seeing Pansy's grip on her wand. Pansy let out a laugh and said in a low voice "One would think of a werewolf as brave." Tru's blood went cold. "But I suppose you're weaker than I thought. Though I always found you Gryffindors to be weak. Half breed or not."
She leaned in closer to Tru, Tru backed away until she hit the wall, making her back ache slightly. Pansy was only three inches from her face it seemed, her eyes burning into Tru's own. "You think you're feeling pain now?" Pansy's tone became dangerous, it made Tru want to run away and never look back and hopefully forget that Pansy ever existed. Pansy began to whisper now "That is no pain...this is only the beginning of what I have in store for you, you loathsome piece of scum." She straightened up, gave Tru one last punch in the jaw, leaving Tru slumped against the wall, nursing her now bleeding lip. As Tru watched Pansy walk away, she couldn't help but wonder in fear of what Pansy meant by her last words.
Tru had limped most of her way back to the tower. Her spill down the stairs had caused her ankle to twist, and she feared it to be broken. Her lip and eye throbbed horribly. And what was worse, her eye had closed completely. She expected it to be almost black in bruising. When she reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, the Fat Lady herself gasped at the sight of her. "Good gracious child what's happened to you?" she shrieked down at Tru. Tru only stared up at her. "I'd rather not say...Horklump..." at the password, the Fat Lady swung forward and Tru stumbled through the opening. People gasped at her appearance and Harry, Ron, Draco, and Hermione rushed forward, blubbering questions and comments of concern.
"What in the world has happened to you?"
"Who did that to your eye?"
"Howcome you're limping?"
"Did you take a spill?"
Hermione sat Tru down in one of the sqaushy armchairs by the fire and many people began to whisper and point at Tru. Tru didn't care much. She then had the distinct impression that this was exactly how Harry felt whenever people did that around him. She looked up at him first. His face was full of concern and worry. She didn't think she possibly looked that terrible. "What happened?" Harry said, kneeling down to be at eye level with her. The entire common room went silent. Tru was aware that many people looked up from their games of chess, homework, and joking just to hear what had happened to their fellow Gryffindor.
Tru sighed and looked at her feet. Her ankle was sticking out at a curious angle, it was official now that it was broken. She winced as she tried to move it back into place. When she finally mustered the strength, Tru looked up into Hermione's face, who was also staring at her in concern and began to retell all what happened. With every right moment, people in the room would gasp and whoop out angry comments about Pansy "Why that dirty little git!" "Someone ought to throw her in the loony bin!" "What a lousy piece of dragon dung!"
Tru continued on until her story was finished. Nearly everyone in the Gryffindor Common Room was shouting angrily about Pansy's actions. At that moment Tru felt honored to be in a house where everyone was so loyal to one another. Tru looked at her friends. Hermione was wearing a scowl and she had snapped her quil in half from holding it so tight. Ron's face was a dark shade of puce and shaking his head in anger. Harry's hand was rubbing angrily at his temples, his eyes shut and his breathing violently heavy. Draco's eyes were forward and his expression was blank. Tru then realized she had left out the parts where Pansy had spoken to her...especially the last bit. She thought she'd save that for just her friends only.
As soon as the Common room had emptied. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Draco had gathered around Tru, her eye had stopped throbbing and after a quick visit from Madam Pomfrey, her ankle was healed and she could walk again. She paced the room until Ron finally spoke. "Why do you think she had the nerve to do that to you?" Tru continued to pace. Harry looked over at Ron. "Maybe it's just because..you know...she's not all there in the head." Draco gave a hearty "HAH!" and he looked at Tru while speaking to Harry. "She's more than not all there, she's NEVER been there at all."
"But she had no reason to just beat the living snot out of Tru." Hermione said, staring thoughtfully at the floor. "She doesn't need a reason." Draco chuckled. "She's just insane."
"She knows." Tru said quietly, finally stopping her tail in the center of the floor. They all stared at her. "Knows what?" Ron asked, in a small timid voice. "She knows about...about my situation during the full moon." Tru emphasised the last three words angrily. She turned from them and stared out the window. "How do you know she knows?" Harry asked, his eyes wide.
"When she was beating on me she said 'i guess for a werewolf you're weak' or something like that. And she said something...something else too.." Tru's blood went cold again and she looked at them. "What'd she say?" Draco asked in a slight bit of urgency. "She said...that all this pain i was in wasn't all she had in store for me...like she's going to beat me more or something...worse." Tru trailed off and sat down next to Ron and Hermione. They all were staring at her.
Silence had fallen after this, they all stared into the fire for a while until Draco and Harry finally spoke up.
"No matter what thought Tru, you could take her out." harry put in.
"Either that or a hex wouldn't be bad, she would deserve it." Draco said angrily, striding over to Tru and putting his arms around her. The lot of them held Tru for a moment. And Tru knew that she would be able to sleep that night.
