"Danny, I'm trying to do my work."
"Chal, don't you want to be convincing?"
"I'm actually okay right now," she said stiffly, scribbling something down on her parchment. It was study hall right now, and she was very distraught that Danny wanted to be her "pretend" boyfriend even when Kadric wasn't around. Of course, Danny didn't know it was Kadric Chalondra was trying to cause to be jealous, but still.
It had been two weeks since Kadric had cornered her in the hall. It had been two weeks and a bit since Kadric had stabbed her in the back by kissing Yoyo. It had been two weeks, and Chalondra was doing a good job of staying away from Kadric. She hadn't been going to tutoring lessons, and she avoided him in potions like the plague. He seemed to be avoiding her too, but the odd times when Danny wasn't around she would see him behind her, smirking; other times he would pull at her sleeve, whisper something in her ear that she didn't understand, and then whisk away down the hall. It was all so very, very confusing. She hated doing this, but she wasn't going to stop until she figured everything out.
Danny's arm was still slung around her shoulder. Chalondra closed her eyes, gritted her teeth, and began to silently count to ten. This WAS her fault, after all. She would just have to accept the consequences of turning into…oh no. Oh no.
Chalondra blanched. She was Yoyo! She was becoming Yoyo! This was terrible! Terrible! But…Chalondra's hand began to tremble as she wrote something barely legible in her essay. She couldn't back down now. Not after that challenge Kadric had so clearly set. She couldn't just "dump" Danny—Kadric would know what was happening. And he hated her! He tricked her! He made her friend and made her believe all these things…just to laugh at her!
She was surprised word hadn't travelled around the school yet—she was sure Kadric would be telling anyone would listen about his escapades with the stupid Ravenclaw he had hated since day one. And yet, not a word was spoken. Except for the occasional glare from Yoyo and now Kate, the school was silent. It kind of unnerved her, like Kadric was planning something bigger.
But then there was that tiny hope inside of her that prayed that maybe—maybe—Kadric hadn't meant anything by it. Maybe Yoyo had attacked him. Maybe he was just being a guy. Maybe…maybe Kadric liked her. It was clear he had some sort of feelings for her, what with all the random kissing and hanging out with her even when he didn't have to.
Chalondra smiled serenely to herself, unknowing.
"What're you smiling about?" Danny asked hopefully. Chalondra shivered. Why was Danny being so weird? Did he like her? What a strange thought. That was nearly impossible!
"Uh—I just thought of a good answer." She bent low over her paper, as if she was writing something. She wasn't.
Just then, the door creaked open. Startled, Chalondra looked up. She let her mouth drop open. Kadric…coming to study hall! This was clearly a new development. He had never come before. Chalondra's heart jumped with hope. Was he coming to watch her? She hoped so. Let him be wary of Danny.
To her disappointment though, Kadric didn't sit beside her or across from her, or even in any way where he could look up and see her face. Instead, he sat two tables behind and a little bit over. She sighed heavily, but decided it was time to act—he might just be watching if he went to go get ink from a friend or something. You never know.
Swallowing her small amount of left over pride, Chalondra smiled warmly at Danny. Inside, she felt like gagging. Why couldn't she and Danny just be friends again? That sickly smile on his face was enough to make her scream.
The things she did for love.
If Kadric tilted his chair back a bit, leaned his head over to the left, and acted like he was looking at the wall in the corner, he could actually spot Chalondra and Danny very well. He was pleased with himself. His spying techniques were coming in handy.
Not that he felt the need to spy on them. No way. This was just because he was…okay, okay, she felt the need to spy on her. After caging her against the wall the other day, he knew there was something between them. What, he didn't know, but he was going to find out.
The time passed slowly. Kadric felt something pulsing in his forehead everytime he looked at Danny and Chalondra. Danny was always so close to Chalondra, and it ticked him off. He remembered when she couldn't tolerate any guy but him. Hmph.
It was time to do a little snooping of his own. He had let the two of their privacy, or what little was left of it. The entire school seemed to see them as the 'perfect' couple, and it made Kadric want to gag. But now he wanted to learn some information right from the source.
Time was up. He saw Chalondra hurry out of the study hall—perfect. He got up quickly, grabbing his books in one swift motion. Danny seemed to be fumbling with his things; it had nothing to with the hex Kadric had just laid on him. No way.
"Hey!" he called, making sure Chalondra was out of the classroom. Danny whirled around to look at him. Fear quickly pierced his eyes, which gave Kadric smug satisfaction. "You're Danny, right?"
Danny nodded. "Uh…yea."
"So." Kadric brushed the feathery tip of his quill beneath his chin thoughtfully, watching Danny. The boy averted his gaze, and Kadric was pleased; he still had his power. "You're going together with that Ravenclaw chick, right?"
"Chalondra," Danny choked out, shuffling with his papers.
"Mm, whatever," Kadric said airily, trying to act nonchalant. "But you're going out with her, aren't you?"
There was a silence before the boy answered. "Uh…yea. We're going—we're a couple."
"Hm." Kadric ran a hand through his hair slowly. "So…how're things between you two?"
Danny gave him an annoyed glare that quickly melted away at Kadric's icy eyes. "Uh…good, I guess. Why do you care though? I've never seen you before in my life."
Kadric frowned. "I'm a beater for the Slytherin quidditch team," he snapped.
Danny shrugged. "I don't go to quidditch game."
"Perfect couple then, aren't you?" Kadric sneered quietly. Danny raised his eyebrows.
"Look man, I don't know what you want, but—"
"Hey, I'm just wondering. A man's got to learn about the gossip from the source," he adlibbed, wondering what he was going to say next.
"…Gossip?" Danny asked, trying to act neutral. Kadric shrugged.
"Oh you know, this and that…" He paused, smirking evilly. "People are saying that you might have—well—cheated on her," he lied, wondering if it was visible. But if you ever really did cheat on her I'd kill you.
Danny's eyes grew wide, and he began to splutter. "Wh—What? No! NO! I would never cheat on Chalondra! Ever!"
Kadric's eyes narrowed, trying to learn something else. "Oh really? Just HOW much do you like her anyway?"
"Look, just go away," Danny snapped, elbowing past him. Kadric's hand grabbed at Danny's sleeve at lightning speed as he pushed Kadric to the side. His eyes became slits, staring hard at Danny who, he noticed, was much shorter than him. He seemed to be about the same height as Chalondra.
"Don't push me," Kadric hissed, his voice low. Danny's eyes widened.
"Hey, I didn't mean to—"
Kadric felt some pent up anger just burst out. "You didn't MEAN to? You didn't MEAN to bloody ELBOW me? I'm not DAFT, you idiot!" His voice trembled with rage; he really had no reason to be this angry, he knew that, but all the emotions about Chalondra were just leaking out now—but in anger form.
"I—I never said you did…"
Kadric pushed Danny away from him, sending the boy flying into the chairs. He became tangled up in them, the noise of his flight echoing around the empty study hall. "Just get away you flaming moron!"
He glared at the struggling Danny but then averted his gaze, watching to see if anyone had seen; no one seemed to be gawking at them. But at that very second he felt something lunge into his abdomen. Two arms wrapped around him and threw him to the ground. His air flew out of his lungs as the heavy body landed on top of him. Struggling, Kadric kicked Danny off of him, panting heavily, trying to get oxygen back into his lungs. Coughing, he managed to glare at Danny, who was now glaring at him too.
"Who are you to call me a moron? Who are you to push me into the table? I don't even KNOW you, but you're a Slytherin and that's all that matters."
Kadric smirked at him, rolling up his uniform's sleeves and loosening his green and silver tie. "Oh yea?" he asked tauntingly. "Maybe you think I'm a threat. Maybe I'm walking on your territory."
Danny's eyebrows furrowed to a dangerous point. "What are you talking about?"
"Oh, you know, your little girlfriend might be something of interest," Kadric hissed, not bothering to hide everything. The look of shock on Danny's face was enough to get him angry. "Oh, are you so surprised? Yea, she probably thinks I'm hot. Big deal though. I just want to kill you because you're an idiot!" Kadric jumped at him, aiming at his head for a punch. Danny, unaccustomed to fighting, was too slow and Kadric's knuckles met with his cheekbone. With a huge crack Danny fell to the floor. He rolled up quickly though, panting and wiping the blood away from his mouth.
"Think you're some tough guy, Slytherin? As if. I barely felt that bloody punch!"
Kadric growled. "Bloody is right!" he roared, running at Danny again and attacking him with anything he had; legs, hands, arms. He was a madman, beating on Danny and pushing him to the ground, throwing him onto the tables. But Danny came right back, punching him in the stomach and kicking him in the ribs. The fight was an intense one, filled with cursing and yelling and insults and injury. Kadric was having the time of his life, beating up this nitwit.
"Chalondra! Chalondra!"
Chal whirled around to see a girl she knew from Hufflepuff, panting and grabbing at her robe sleeve. Chalondra looked down at her. "What's wrong Megan?" she asked.
"Danny! He's…in a fight! It's baaad! I saw it myself, and I've been spreading the news!"
Chalondra blanched. As much as Danny annoyed her, she hated to see him get beaten up. She looked up again, noticing students running down the hall towards the study hall. Great. There would be a flipping audience.
"Who's he fighting?" she asked, walking quickly towards the study hall with Megan.
"Some Slytherin guy! I saw them muttering with each other, and then Danny pushed him to the side and the Slytherin just literally THREW him into the air and then it all went downhill from there!" Megan looked worried, but Chalondra felt plain horror curdling her stomach.
Kadric. Kadric is fighting with Danny! Oh my God! Without explanation Chalondra began to sprint towards the study hall, dropping her books on the ground along the way.
As soon as she reached them, she gasped and cringed with horror. A flock of people clothed in black were pouring in to watch. Chalondra bit her bottom lip and plunged in, manoeuvring her way around until she finally reached the front. Then, she literally screamed.
Kadric's face was bloodied up. His hair had streaks of red in it and his tie was torn. His arms had cuts and bruises on them, but there was a fire in his eyes Chalondra had never seen before. He seemed almost happy. Insane, more like it. Danny was even worse off then Kadric. He limped to one side, like something was wrong with his ribs. His entire face was bloodied up, and his clothes were torn and ripped. His skin was purple with bruises. He looked almost confused, as if he didn't know where he was.
"KADRIC!" she yelled, then clapped her hands to her mouth. "Uh—I mean—DANNY! STOP!" The boys paid her no attention. Kadric threw one of his elbows out at Danny's chest, knocking him to the ground. Chalondra yelped. "STOP! STOP YOU GUYS!" She took one step nearer, but someone behind her grabbed her shoulder to hold her back. She whirled around to see Yoyo. Her eyes were wide.
"Don't! You'll get hurt!"
Chalondra let her mouth drop open, and was about to reply before Professor Snape barged through them, throwing Yoyo back into the crowd. Chalondra forgot her for a second, whirling around to see the professor throw a spell at the two. Kadric stopped in mid-movement, as did Danny who was getting up off of the floor. Kadric's face was contorted with immeasurable anger; it scared Chalondra.
"You two are coming with me," he hissed, glaring at Kadric. "Especially you, Mister Marsters. One of my house, how idiotic!" his words rang through out the hall. Students began to back out and run away, fearing the wrath of Snape. Chalondra stayed where she was, watching with her eyes wide. She swore she felt tears in them and rubbed at them. There was only one reason Kadric would fight with Danny. He was mad at him because of Chalondra. That didn't make sense. Why would Kadric care that Danny was dating Chalondra?
As the two passed her, now able to walk and being led by Snape, Danny tried to explain. "He was lying about us, Chal, he was saying stuff. I don't even know the guy!" Chalondra ignored him though, watching Kadric with horror. He kept his gaze forward, but let his eyes slide towards her once as he passed her. She gasped; there was blood, so much blood everywhere on him…but then he was gone, being pushed down the hall. She wiped at her eyes hastily again and then took off in the opposite direction, utterly perplexed.
Kadric scrubbed at the cauldron angrily, every swipe with his sponge filled with anger and hatred toward Danny. The two were sharing a detention in Snape's dungeon, where they were instructed to clean every cauldron—by hand—until they shined. Snape himself was sitting in his desk, making sure the two didn't kill each other.
Kadric winced as he scrubbed at the cauldron particularly harshly. Pomfry had fixed as much as she could on the both of them, but Kadric's arm seemed to be pulled somewhere in the muscles. Pomfry had told him only time could heal some things in the body.
He risked a glance at Danny. His cute little expression that made girls fall for him was twisted in pain. Kadric felt grim satisfaction pierce him; he had hurt him. Good. He had seen Chalondra there though. She had seen Kadric fight Danny. He didn't even know that the fight would have escalated so far, but it had. And he didn't feel the least bit sorry. But Chalondra…what would she be thinking? She must know Kadric had approached him, considering Danny had told her he didn't even know he was. Bloody bastard. What would she assume? Well, the truth probably. She knew he was jealous. She knew he would explode at some point. Stupid Danny. Stupid Chalondra. He had been trying so hard to keep his cool, but it hadn't done anything at all.
"I am going away for a few moments," Snape said suddenly, startling the two to look up at him. Kadric blinked rapidly, his right eye watering from the cut underneath it. "Do not touch each other, or else you will both be expelled." A silence followed his words, but then he left with a swish of his cloak. Kadric chewed at the inside of his cheek, ceasing his scrubbing to rub his aching arm. He wondered when he would see Chalondra again. He wanted to explain things before she freaked out at him for nearly killing her boyfriend.
Just then, the door creaked open. Kadric bent down hastily, trying to act as though he had been scrubbing. But it was Danny's words that caused his head to whip up.
"Chalondra?"
It was her, all right. She was standing in the doorway, her long hair framing her face elegantly and her eyes wide and soulful. Kadric cursed himself and looked down at his cauldron. Why did he have to be so easily affected by her damn good looks?
"Hi Danny," she replied softly, stepping in and closing the door behind her. "I got Snape to leave for a few seconds so I could talk to you."
Kadric grimaced; leave it to the genius to get rid of a teacher so she could talk to her precious boyfriend.
"Really?" Kadric wanted to choke the perkiness out of his voice. "Well, what about?"
"I wanted to say…I'm sorry."
"Chal, it's not your fault."
Keep scrubbing, keep scrubbing…do not look up, do not look up…
"Well—um—I just needed to tell you something."
Scrub. Scrub.
"I think we should…I think we should break up."
Kadric nearly dropped the cauldron out of his lap and onto the ground. He felt something warm leap around in his chest. Break up? She wanted to break up with the loser! Excellent! Maybe this was a sign. Maybe she knew the truth and didn't mind. Maybe she had figured out that he hadn't kissed Yoyo. Maybe she had figured out that he didn't hate her at all. That, in fact, he felt something for her so deep he was afraid of it. Maybe…Maybe…
"Well. Okay."
Kadric risked a glance up. Danny looked perfectly calm, if not a bit uncomfortable, and Chalondra was looking down at her shoes.
"You know, it wasn't really working out anyway. Me being the pretend boyfriend. I was actually sick of it. I mean, why bother doing all that for some guy? I mean, God Chalondra, have some decency sometimes, okay? I hated how you didn't like me back—telling me to act like your boyfriend gave me false hope, you know that?"
This time, Kadric actually did drop the cauldron. It fell to the ground with a large bang, but he completely ignored it. He was staring up at the two, mouth agape.
"WHAT?" he asked loudly. "WHAT?"
Chalondra's face was growing redder by the second; Danny suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Uh…"
Chalondra looked over at Kadric, eyes swimming with tears. It startled him. Why was she crying? Kadric should be the one hurt! She had tricked him. Yea, he thought at the beginning it might have been a hoax, but later on it had seemed so real…but…wow!
"You tricked me?" Kadric asked quietly, standing up with the sponge still in his hand. Chalondra gave a meek nod. Danny was watching them.
"What, you mean you tricked me for THIS guy?" Danny asked incredulously. "Chal, that's stupid!"
Chalondra glared at Danny; Kadric saw the tears on her cheeks and he felt increasingly worse for her. Everything was just a big mess right now. All sorts of thoughts and emotions were racing through his mind and body. But right now all he saw as Danny lecturing Chalondra and Chalondra crying. What a jerk!
Without any warning Chalondra turned and fled out of the classroom. Kadric could hear her shoes echoing down the stone hall. "Oh, nice one!" Kadric hissed at Danny, striding up to him and glaring down at him. "You're such a—I just—flippin' bastard!" Kadric yelled. "What the hell is wrong with you?" With that he spun around and raced out of the classroom after Chalondra, leaving a baffled and slightly irritated Danny in his wake.
"Chalondra?" he called, trying to follow the sound of her footsteps down the maze of stone tunnels. "Chalondra! It's Kadric! Chal!" He had never called her that, but he needed to find her right now, and the nickname felt warm on his tongue.
Just then she flew out of a tunnel, running straight into him. She staggered back, sobbing. Kadric grabbed at her arm. The two stared at each other for a second, but then Kadric grabbed Chalondra and wrapped her in a tight hug, resting his cheek on the top of her head. He felt her arms grasp at him, heard her sobs wracking against his chest. He just hugged her closer, finally feeling at peace. This was right. It felt completely and utterly perfect, hugging her like this. Keeping her close so she could never leave him. This was exactly what he needed. He knew it was right…for the both of them.
He kept her close until her sobs dried up into silence. He didn't let his arms leave her for what seemed like hours; she didn't seem to want to pull away from his hug, either. They didn't need to talk; they didn't need to explain or deny or try to understand each other. They just fell into peaceful silence, and both felt completely and utterly blissful.