Silver Eyes

By: FreakyHotGeek

Note: Once again, trying to get the next bit to you as fast as possible. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: Own Harry Potter? Me? You flatter me, but it's not true, sadly. I don't own it… now leave me to sob in my corner, and read on.

Chapter 7

Confusing

My lessons that day were surprisingly unchanged. Although at several points during the day, I had wanted so badly to "encourage" someone or another to say or do something, I managed not to do it. It seemed so morally wrong, and even though I hated so many of my peers, I didn't want to cause them pain, or intrude on their privacy. It was stupid, but it was also true.

However, there's only so much a girl can take. It was dinner that night when I first took matters into my own hands.

I was, as usual, minding my own business and simply eating my supper, alone and silent. While before I had almost gotten used to the feeling, since having breakfast, and oddly enough, lunch as well, with Blaise, it seemed incredibly lonely to be on my own again. He was, of course, sitting happily at the Slytherin table, surrounded by his friends. I felt a certain sense of envy, wishing I had that many people to call friend.

"Mind if we sit here?" someone asked, startling me. It was Hermione Granger, and she had Harry Potter and Ron with her. I didn't know why they wanted to sit near me, but I shrugged and they did.

Curiosity took me over at once. I wanted to know what the Boy Who Lived was really like. How he felt about it, what his intentions were… Almost before I realized I was doing it, I squared my eyes up with his, careful not to let him realize what I was doing, cautiously convincing him with my eyes I was not looking into his.

I saw that he was afraid, that he was haunted by the death of Cedric Diggory in our fourth year, saw that Ron was without a doubt his best friend, that even he knew Ron was crazy for Hermione… I was drowning in too much information, which I could never hope to conquer. I realized he was in love with Ginny Weasley, and too stupid to realize it. A feeling I got was that he was in no way ready to face Voldemort… he was still too much a child on the inside, too reliant on our headmaster to keep him safe. But I saw also that he was growing up, and sooner or later he'd be forced to become an adult sooner than the rest of us.

I blinked and broke the contact. It was confusing, looking into someone like that. There were so many things, it wasn't at all like reading a book. It was a bit more like plunging your head into the ocean and trying to count every grain of sand, without getting any in your eyes, and without losing track.

I realized that Hermione was talking to me, and tried to listen, but she was going on about lessons, and while they were important to me, I didn't see the point in talking about them outside class. That was probably because I had never had anyone to talk to, in or out of class.

The constant monologue of Hermione's voice was soon interrupted, however, by a more hostile one.

"So, just who do you think you are?"

It was, of course, the voice of Draco Malfoy. He was wearing his signature sneer, a cold, hard look in his eyes.

"Excuse me?" I mustered, rising shakily and returning his glare.

"You think you can just sweep in and start toying up to my friend, is that it?"

I stare blankly a moment before it sets in; he knows I spent lunch and breakfast with Blaise, and he's not happy about it.

"Well I…" I try, not sure what to say, because this is so unbelievably stupid.

"Do you think any of us actually care a lick about you? The only reason we let you in our compartment on the train was those rumors, which are clearly not true."

"And how would you know?" I say, growing angry and frustrated.

"Clearly, you're just a sniveling little Gryffindor like the rest of them," he says, sneering. The table is watching, but no one comes to my aid. Blaise is nowhere to be seen, though I imagine he is somewhere laughing over this little episode.

"Clearly," I say stiffly. "You're just a complete prat."

He just laughs, and leans in very close to me and whispers, "I don't want to see you around any Slytherins ever again, got it?"

I've had enough. He can't boss me around, not when I know what I can do, what I feel I have the right to do.

"I'm sorry," I say. "But I'm afraid I can't tolerate that," I whisper, feeling a strange feeling like ice growing behind my eyes as I meet his gaze, and say, "You need to shut up. You're not to say another cruel thing to me, or anyone so fortunate to be called my friend, ever again."

The result was very different from what I'd expected. His eyes clouded over, his mouth fell out of its sneer, and he just went, "Of course," and then went off. I gaped after him; so did my fellow Gryffindors, who had not heard the whispered words we exchanged.

"How… how did you get him to bugger off like that?" Ron asked, amazed.

I hadn't thought of that result. Why did I always have to be so stupid about things with people? I sigh and come up with an excuse, "I have… a bit of blackmail," I said as mysteriously as I could. In fact, I had blackmail on a lot of people, but not Draco Malfoy. I saw the things no one else saw; heard the things no one else heard.

"Wow, that's pretty impressive," Ron admitted, seeming to look at me in a new light. I wonder how long it will take for him to look at Hermione in the right light to realize he was in love with her.

I just smile a bit. Even though I've spent all this time wishing for people to notice me, now they have I just want them to leave me alone again.

When did everything get so confusing? I wonder as I head back up the stairs. Only the second day of school, and already everything in my life has changed.

End note: I know it's a bit short and I'm sorry… Review, please?