I sat outside enjoying the fresh winter air. It was nice to do that every once in a while; simplicity at its finest. The brisk air helped give me some mental rehabilitation. With all the arguing I had done lately with Draco I had started giving myself a few headaches. There was also the constant need to remind Pansy that no, she wasn't any more special to him even if I was dating George, and that if she didn't shut up we would have an issue. But at least things were getting better with Draco, as far as I could tell at least.
A rustling among the quiet caught my attention. Trying to find the source I looked up and saw it was an owl. Draco's Owl, Balthazar, to be exact. I sat up and extended an arm on which he landed gently. He was well trained. Zary pecked at my hair affectionately making me giggle. I smiled at the not so little eagle owl and took what he had brought me. The letter was clean and sealed, without even a signature. There weren't many people I bothered keeping in contact with when in school though so I knew exactly who it was from, without needing that signature.
"Thank you, Zary" I smiled at him, scratching his cheek affectionately. Having done his job he lunged forward and took off, back to the owlery. As he left I heard another sound, the crunching of snow under footsteps. But it only took a second to note who that was.
"I've asked you not to call him that" I heard Draco's voice complain, not too far behind me.
"Don't take it out on me just because he likes me better" I teased as he sat down next to me. Draco smirked in response.
"That's what you think, but he's just using you. He knows how you overstuff your beast; he acts nice so you'll feed him more."
"And I respect that" I shrugged making him smile again.
"Also, I've asked you not to use my owl without my permission" he complained but didn't go on, making me guess he wasn't really upset. I smiled at him before letting out a sigh.
"I needed him" I answered, leaning against Draco. "How else am I supposed to keep in touch with my brother."
At my words Draco paused. I remained by his side anyway. Draco never knew just what to say when it came to Nikolai. He always seemed afraid of what would come out of his mouth. Not that I blamed him considering that he had almost ruined our friendship by saying something he shouldn't have about my brother. But that was in the past and he knew better now, obviously. I smiled again and grabbed his arm. At the gesture he relaxed.
"It's not opened yet, how do you know it's from him?" he asked, noting the still undamaged envelope.
"If it were from my parents then Whiskers would have brought the letter to me. If not him then one of my father's owls. I'm sure it's Nikolai's."
"Then why don't you open it" Draco suggested but I shook my head.
"I'd rather wait" I said, placing the letter safely in the inside pocket of my robes. Draco watched me but didn't argue. He was, however, frowning.
"Is there something wrong?" he asked looking almost concerned.
"You mean besides the fact that it takes months for us to contact each other when all I needed to do before go across the hall" I scoffed. Draco stayed quiet making me sigh. "No, nothing's wrong. We've just been catching each other up on our lives. It's easier to send letters here than it is at home, since I don't have constant supervision. He does seems interested to hear that the Triwizard Tournament is back."
"Have you told him about your more recent poor decision?" Draco asked in an annoyed tone. I turned to give him a look and he smiled. His eyes looked concerned but he gave me a smirk as if he didn't care. He was purposely being a jerk to distract me. I smiled back and leaned closer to him.
"Not yet" I sighed, feeling the letter a lot heavier than I was sure it was. "The last message I sent him was about how Vik and I had been catching up and how not-excited I was about the Yule Ball."
"Months, huh?" he muttered, realizing just how far apart the letters were. I nodded.
"It's frustrating to think about but, then again, it used to take longer" I tried to justify but that wasn't convincing either of us. Draco took his arm from my grasp and wrapped it around me, gently rubbing my shoulders as a way to make me feel better. The warmth of his embrace felt nice.
Draco didn't say anything; he didn't have to. In fact, I rather preferred his silence. What else could he say? That he was sorry. That he knew how much I cared about my brother and how much I missed him. That if Nikolai could contact me sooner he was sure that he would. I knew all of that, Draco knew I knew all of that, we didn't need to unnecessarily repeat everything. We both knew each other better than that. I leaned closer to Draco and sighed. He made me feel better, he always made me feel comfortable. He was a good guy, whether he believed it himself or not.
As I leaned closer to him I felt his robes move back. I paused and frowned at his robes, though Draco didn't seem to notice. Looking behind me I saw a familiar shade of red from a boy who was looking just above our heads. Curious I looked up then quickly turned back to him to give him a warning look. George smiled at me, ignoring it, and dropped the snowball he had been hovering into Draco's robes.
"George!" I scolded, pulling back from Draco just as he shot up from surprise. Draco shook his back to get the snow out as George laughed hysterically in the background. Most likely recognizing the laugh, Draco spun around, infuriated.
"You mangy weasel, I'll—"
"Don't" I warned and stepped in front of him. I gave Draco a look making him step back but let out a growl. Making sure he would stay in place I turned from him to the other boy in front of me. "George!"
"You should've seen the look—" George's sentence was cut short by his own laughter. I frowned at him as he walked closer to us.
"I'll give you something to look at" Draco started. I turned back and pushed at his shoulders, keeping them at a distance from each other.
"Stop it" I warned him again giving him a look. This time, he returned it.
"You're taking his side?" Draco exclaimed.
"No, I am not. But I am stopping this before it goes further" I answered, pushing against his chest this time. George had gotten closer so I pushed Draco farther, evening the space between them.
George took advantage of the distance between Draco and I. He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him. Draco scowled at him in front of us, making me worry he would do something stupid. I sighed. It annoyed me being put between their arguments, this time literally. A lot of times it was literally, actually. But what should I expect given that the person I had decided to date hated my best friend, and vice versa. But if I was going to be in the middle then I was going to have a say in their little arguments.
"Apologize" I narrowed my eyes at George. He pouted at me and let out a sigh.
"I'm sorry I upset you" he cooed with the same look. I gave him a look too, but mine was different.
"That's not the apology I meant" I frowned at him. George gave me a surprised look. It was fake but still rather convincing.
"Really? Because that's honestly the only thing I can think of that's worth apologizing for" he replied with a shrug.
I turned from him to the boy in front of us. Draco looked like he could barely contain his anger. I sighed again. We had just barely been working through that anger and now George was reviving it in what seemed like less than a minute. Draco looked at me but didn't say anything. Instead he turned to the side and began to walk away, without so much as a goodbye. I let out a groan and turned back to George.
"You know he doesn't like you, why do you always have to push him?"
"Because I don't like him either" he smiled and moved towards me. George took his arm off my waist and wrapped it around me, hugging my arms and resting his chin on my shoulders. "Hi, by the way."
"Hi" I smiled and rolled my eyes. He wasn't one for being serious but, then again, I liked that about him. I patted his hand and he smirked, leaning in to kiss my cheek. George let go and grabbed my hand instead. I moved to sit back down and he followed.
"So why were you two out here anyway?" George asked once we were sat.
"I came to clear my mind and he found me out here. He was most likely following Zary."
"Who's Zary?" George asked, interlocking our fingers.
"Draco's owl."
"He named his owl Zary?" George said with a smirk.
"No, I did. It's my pet name for him. His actual name is Balthazar."
"He named his owl Balthazar?" he smiled and shook his head.
"I know, it's so serious for a cute little owl, so I changed it to Zary. I think it's more suited even if Draco hates it" I shrugged and his smile widened. I had a feeling that he would take my side of the argument even if I had chosen the name Balthazar but I wasn't bothered by it. Honestly it was a smart decision. And I really doubt he wanted to agree with Draco in anything anyway. I smiled back.
"So why was Zary with you?" George asked curiously after a second.
"He was delivering a letter... from my brother."
"Oh? You don't seem as happy over that as I would expect" he told me, scooting a little closer to my side.
"Of course I'm happy, I'm always happy to hear from him. I just hate being reminded that he's so far away. It takes months for us to exchange one letter."
"Well, considering the situation, I don't really see any other options" he said softly, looking down at me. I frowned.
"There wouldn't be a situation in the first place if he…" I let the sentence trail off, not wanting to finish it.
"If he hadn't decided to fall in love with a muggle?" George finished for me. When I didn't answer he smiled. "Do you still hate her then?"
"I don't hate her, I just wish she had never existed in the first place" I mumbled, ignoring the look he gave me. "They're completely different things."
"We can't help who we fall in love with" George said as he smiled down at our hands, playing with my fingers. "It just… happens. No matter how much you try ,you can't change that. You think that if it were up to him your brother wouldn't have dropped everything to stay with you?"
"I know that," I sighed at him, "you don't need to remind me. But whether he would or wouldn't have is irrelevant. He's not here and all I can do is wait those couple of months for him to be able to answer me, even if all he wrote was 'hello'."
I let out a groan and George gave me a sweet smile. He sat right beside me now and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, still keeping hold of my hand with his other. Gently he rubbed my shoulders comfortingly. I smiled at the gesture. It was almost the exact same gesture Draco had made when we were sitting together not too long ago. Well, similar, considering the difference in their height and the fact that George was also holding my hand. Still, as much as those two fought out of hatred for each other, it made me laugh to see how alike they really were. George smiled back at me and leaned in to kiss me on the cheek.
"So… Have you told him that, you know… we're dating?" George asked, trying to sound casual. I giggled and shook my head.
"'Months' remember" I replied with a smile. "The last thing he heard from me was a variety of little things that were happening; like the preparations for the Yule Ball, and how I had been spending some time with Vik again."
"Vik, huh?" George mumbled, his tone changing slightly. "Viktor Krum. You've been spending a lot of time with him lately, almost as much as you spend with Malfoy."
"What, are you counting?" I teased but he frowned.
"I'm just saying, I know you're friends, but he seems like he really likes spending time with you" George grumbled, turning back to look at our hands.
"And that's a bad thing because..."
"Because I don't want to have to deal with him like I do with Malfoy" George answered, causing me to pull away from his grasp. George paused, looking surprised as I frowned at him.
"No. George, you listen to me very carefully" I warned to his still surprised looking face. "Fight all you want with Draco; neither of you two like the other so most of the time I'm not even surprised. But if I hear you did anything, anything, to Vik, we are going to have a problem."
"What, why?" George asked, still looking more surprised than anything.
"I love Draco, of course I do," I started and George frowned, "but his personality is an acquired taste and he isn't exactly a model student. Vik is a sweet boy and I will not have you being anything but nice to him."
"What if he—"
"No. Whatever you were going to say, no" I scolded. "He is a sweet boy and would never do anything to hurt anyone, not intentionally. I don't care what you think Durmstrang students are like, you might be right about most of them, but he is nothing but a good kid."
"He just seems like he spends a lot of time with you."
"So?"
"So, why does he hang around you so much?" George frowned at me.
"Because we're friends?" I frowned back.
"Doesn't he have a girlfriend he can spend time with? Or is she, like, back in wherever Durmstrang is from?"
"No, he doesn't have a girlfriend. But he does like Hermione."
"Wait, are you serious?" he asked, his tone changing drastically.
"Yeah, I am. Although... Well I don't think it's a secret anymore, considering they've gone to the Yule Ball together, but keep it quiet just in case."
"So, he likes her then" George nodded happily, scooting back to my side.
"Yes. Why? Are you interested in Vik?" I asked making him chuckle.
"Well he's your friend, right? I should get to know some of your friends now. Besides, you seem really protective of him" he shrugged, now right next to me.
"I told you he's a good kid, so be nice to him" I warned.
"Fine," George sighed. "So long as he knows his boundaries I'll leave him alone."
I gave him a look but George just smirked. What was he supposed to do anyway; stay in the Durmstrang ship until the tournament was over? I rolled my eyes at him. George paused, as if thinking about something. He gave me a smirk again and reached behind me, grabbing my cloak's hood and raising it over my head.
"Why?" I asked, not even bothering to form a proper sentence. He smiled at me.
"Well, while I know you're not the type to worry about your hair, I figured it would still be better to put your hood on" George explained, with a bigger smile on his face. I gave him a confused look.
Before I could ask again George pulled me towards him and leaned us back, against the snow and against the ground. George leaned over me, wrapping an arm around my waist and using his other for balance. Slowly leaning in he kissed my cheek before moving slightly higher towards my lips. He kissed me a few times before I pushed him back. George gave me a smirk as I gave him a look.
"What?" he asked as I sat up. George sighed but sat up too.
"I told you, that is not the sort of thing someone should do in public" I told him as he pouted.
"But there's no one around!" he complained, leaning his head against my shoulder.
"That you can see."
"Who cares if someone sees us!" George insisted.
"I do, okay! It's weird" I frowned at him but he ignored it.
"'It's weird'?" he repeated, giving me a teasing look. I kept my frown.
"Yes, it's weird"
"You are so damn cute" George groaned and let out a sigh. "Alright, fine. How about a compromise."
"What compromise?" I asked but he started before I could even finish my sentence. George reached over, wrapping an arm around my waist and the other under my knees. He pulled me up and towards him. With a smile, he sat me on his lap.
"George!" I squeaked, feeling my face getting warmer.
"I'm not done" he chuckled.
George shifted me, from looking to the side to facing the same direction he was. He moved back, opening his legs, and readjusting himself so that I was sitting between his legs, directly in front of him. Softly he leaned me against his chest, leaning forward, wrapping his arms around me and placing his chin on my shoulder. With a kiss on my cheek George flashed me a smile.
"There, see how well we can compromise" he grinned.
"This doesn't feel like a very fair compromise" I argued, realizing the position still weighed heavily in his favor.
"If you're really that against it, I suppose I could just tackle you to the ground and kiss you again" he threatened with a smile.
"You know, you weren't this affectionate before" I grumbled. George let out a laugh.
"That's because we weren't dating before" he answered simply, squeezing me a little tighter and making me realize what he was doing.
"George?"
"Yes?"
"Why are you holding my arms down" I asked, noting he hadn't let go of them since he had sat me down.
"What do you mean?" George asked in an innocent tone but wearing a wolfish smile. His arms wrapped around me, still holding down my arms. Slowly he burrowed his face in my neck. "You smell nice."
Without warning George closed the rest of the space between us and showed why he had been holding my arms do. He bit my neck. With an unintentional squeal I jumped as he let out a laugh. He waited a moment longer before pulling away from me. Feeling my face warm I turned to glare at him.
"George!" I scolded, but he just smiled. "You bit me!"
"I told you, you smelled nice" he said shamelessly, not seeing anything wrong with what he had done.
"That doesn't mean you can bite me!" I insisted. Instead of apologizing he just shrugged.
"We'll just have to agree to disagree" he grinned. George leaned down and kissed my neck where he had just bitten. "If it's any consolation you taste pretty good too."
"No that doesn't help" I hissed, glaring at him. He smiled innocently.
"You look really cute when you blush, you know?" George cooed, making me sigh. I looked away from him, putting my attention forward but keeping my frown.
"It might leave a mark" I complained, moving my hand to my neck.
"Hopefully," he mumbled, making me turn back to him. He avoided my gaze. "I mean hopefully it won't... leave a mark. Yeah, that."
"You are a terrible liar" I let out a smile and he beamed.
"But I got you to smile, which I think deserves that you don't kill me."
I let out a laugh and he took it as a yes.
George and I spent a bit more time together before parting ways. Then I moved down to the dungeon, going into the room. I didn't trust any my roommates with such delicate information. But hopefully they would find something more interesting than my life to focus on. I decided not to read the letter right away. Instead I just waited; months had passed already, what could a few more days do.
A few weeks later classes began.
As usual, we gathered in the common room before heading to Care of Magical Creatures. There was enough time before the class began that we were able to get out stuff ready without too much of a hurry. Blaise, of course, being the only exception because he can't understand the majesty that magical creatures exude. And also because he's stupid. The others were mumbling among themselves, occasionally letting out a laugh as they hovered over something. When I joined them, Draco turned from his seat and beamed at me.
"What?" I asked suspiciously, sitting next to him.
"Nothing, just catching up on some news" he answered, with the same impish smirk he got whenever he did something. I leaned closer to him and took his copy of the Daily Prophet. Across the top were the words "DUMBLEDORE'S GIANT MISTAKE".
As I read the article I frowned. It started with calling Dumbledore an eccentric headmaster, which wasn't really a lie. Then there was something about Moody being a bad choice for an instructor, which I had to agree with there. But that's where my approval ceased. As the writing continued the article focused on Hagrid as being unqualified as a Care of Magical Creatures professor, that he "terrifies" students, and that he was a half-giant. While not everything was a lie, the way that it was said made me frustrated. Then again it was written by Rita Skeeter, and she'd do anything for attention.
"Draco" I grunted, throwing the newspaper at him. He frowned but didn't say anything. "'I was attacked by a hippogriff, and my friend Vincent Crabbe got a bad bite off a flobberworm.' 'We all hate Hagrid, but we're just too scared to say anything.'"
"I don't sound like that" he rolled his eyes at my impression of him. I picked up the newspaper and threw it at him again.
"What did we talk about!" I exclaimed vaguely, though he seemed to understand what I meant.
"Relax, they didn't cancel the class. Dumbledore is apparently enough of an idiot to keep him" Draco grumbled. I gave him an unbelieving look and he sighed. "He's not going to be teaching today's lesson but we are still having it."
"You said you wouldn't mess up the class" I crossed my arms at him. He rolled his eyes at me again as Theo decided to join our conversation.
"You know, in his defense, he didn't technically mess it up. We are still having the lesson, just with a new professor" he mumbled from his seat.
"And who is going to be this new professor then?" I asked giving both of them a look.
"Her name is Wilhelmina Grubbly-Plank" Draco answered easily, as if knowing I was going to ask.
"I've never heard of her."
"What did you want, some award-winning instructor?" Blaise chimed in, moving to sit on the arm of the couch we were on. I gave him a look too making him chuckle. "Calm down, Volkov, I doubt she will make things any worse."
That didn't in any way make me feel better but I sighed, letting it go. What's done is done. It was my fault, really. I should have expected as much when I found Draco having that talk with Skeeter. After another minute we all headed up to the grounds, sans Blaise, and made our way to Care of Magical Creatures, technically a little late. Everyone else seemed to be fine with Hagrid leaving for the day, guessing we wouldn't be working with the skrewts. I was still not convinced.
"Don't be like that, cheer up" Draco said, catching up to me.
"Why?" I glared at him but he smiled.
"Think about it. This will be a good opportunity to evaluate the different methods of learning this lesson. A different professor means a different learning experience so you're bound to find something interesting with that, yeah?" Draco said with a smile. I shook my head but couldn't help but smile back.
"How long did it take you to think of that excuse?"
"Well I started trying to come up with some as soon as Skeeter showed up" he said honestly. "This one seemed the most fitting to the situation. Plus, being the nerd you are, I assumed the 'learning stuff' bit would make you happy."
"Clever boy."
"Thank you" Draco replied, ignoring my sarcasm, as we reached the gamekeeper's hut. The Gryffindors were all already there. Draco let out a smile when he saw them.
"Where's Hagrid?" Harry demanded to know. His voice was so loud we could hear him clearly.
"He is indisposed," a woman, who I assumed to be Grubbly-Plank, answered shortly.
Seeing all her students present she turned from him and called us forward. Her personality seemed fine enough, seeming quite proud with herself. I wasn't sure if I liked that or not. She had sounded quite short with Harry though that might have been due to his own insisting. Most students often forgot that, technically, professors were more important and held the right to reserve certain information from us. Which is why you shouldn't just ask upright for information, it almost never got you what you wanted.
The class trailed behind her, towards the paddock where the Beauxbaton's horses rested. The poor things were shivering, I doubted France ever got winters like these. I frowned at that. Next to me Draco let out a pleased sort of sound. When I turned to him he smirked.
"Looks like Potter is taking the news of his buddy pretty hard" Draco muttered into my ear. I shrugged back at him.
It was true it had sounded like Harry had asked for Hagrid's whereabouts several times by the time we appeared. Grubbly-Plank, however, was ignoring Harry, acting like he wasn't even there as she led us past the paddock. I didn't see why he hadn't just snuck away to Hagrid's cabin while she led us away if he was so concerned. Then again, Hermione probably wouldn't have let him.
As we neared the edge of the forest, by a nearby tree, a large and shining unicorn was tethered, waiting for us. Not even a second after it came into sight most of the girls began to oooooh at it. Daphne looked like she was about to pass out from joy.
"Oh it's so beautiful!" a Gryffindor girl whispered as if trying not to spook it, obviously forgetting it was leashed. "How did she get it? They're supposed to be really hard to catch!"
She was right about that, the creatures were rare, though not necessarily hard to spot. It's coat was such a brilliant white it made the snow around it look like a dull shade of grey. The creature began pawing at the ground with its golden hooves and throwing its head back, displaying it's sharp horn for all to see. My guess was it wasn't too happy with some of the students' presence, more specifically half.
"Boys keep back!" Grubbly-Plank warned, knowing why it was upset. "They prefer the woman's touch, unicorns. Girls to the front, and approach with care, come on, easy does it..."
"Well, it looks like you only messed it up for yourself" I smiled at Draco, following our temporary professor forward.
"What do you mean? I for one am having a wonderful time" he grinned back as I joined the rest of the girls.
The girls, along with the professor, moved closer to the unicorn. The boys stayed back, near the paddock fence, watching. Daphne walked next to me as Pansy and Millicent trailed off to one side. But when Daphne saw where I was heading she began to change her mind.
"You're going with the Gryffindor, aren't you" Daphne complained. Her question was answered when I waved to Hermione. With a low grumble she slowed her step but followed anyway. Everyone began to find a place near the unicorn as I moved to stand next to Hermione.
"I'm worried about Hagrid" she said in a low voice after a moment. "Is he sick or... Why is he missing?"
"I know why" I sighed. She turned to look at me but I shook my head. "He's not sick so don't worry about that."
"I'd call it sick" Daphne muttered next to me. I gave her a look and she looked away before letting out a sigh. "I'm going to go over to Pansy's side."
I watched her walk away before turning back to Hermione. She gave Daphne a look and was about to say something when our professor interrupted.
"Contrary to popular belief unicorn foals are not born pure white such as this; their coats are actually a rich gold in color. That tone remains until around the age of two when it begins to turn silver. This happens when..."
"So what's wrong with Hagrid?" Hermione leaned in to whisper. It surprised me a little that she would be more concerned with him than with our lesson, not that it should have. "You said you knew why he was missing."
"...at four years old. That is when their horns start to grow in. This particular unicorn is just over seven, making it fully grow with its white coat..."
"It's complicated," I sighed at Hermione, tuning out Grubbly-Plank's lecture again. "It's more of an educated guess anyway. Basically, I think he's just upset."
"The horn and tail hair are very useful ingredients in potions while only the hair is commonly used on wands. Though it is very strong—Are you paying attention over there?"
Hermione, who was leaning in to answer me, jumped back. Thinking the comment had been for her she quickly looked down, ashamed. I smiled a little and bumped her shoulder to get her attention. Grubbly-Plank wasn't looking at us but back at the boys. Hermione let out a sigh and I did too, though mine was different. Behind us Draco was talking with Harry, and the latter looked visibly upset.
The rest of the lesson continued without interruption, although our professor made sure to use a particularly loud voice so the boys could hear her clearly. After the lesson the two houses grouped up again, but not before I noticed how well the girls had behaved around each other when compared to the boys. Neither group had liked it but I thought it was worth noting. Making our separate ways we headed towards lunch, though our minds stayed on the lesson.
"One day with a different instructor and you get a unicorn" Blaise noted, smirking at me.
"That proves nothing" I gave him a look back and took a bite of my sandwich. It wasn't bad. "Unicorns are pretty and but they're a bit boring, aren't they?"
"Boring?" Daphne repeated, looking up from her salad. I never understood how only that could fill her up.
"Yes, boring" I went on. "I mean, what do they really do? Sure they're useful for ingredients and wands and stuff but the same could be said about a tree. What do they themselves do?"
"I don't even know how to answer that" Daphne shook her head. Theo smiled next to her.
"But what's the point of looking at something like that. That's all we did really, look while our 'professor' lectured us on things most people would already know. Sure the Blast-Ended Shrewts were a bit dangerous—"
"A bit!" Daphne repeated, throwing up her arms.
"But they were an interesting set of magical creatures. Not everything in life is unicorns and sugar coated sunshine" I told Daphne before getting back to my sandwich.
"Well not everything is as morbid as you see it" Pansy finally chimed in. I rolled my eyes at her but Theo answered before I could.
"Maybe that's because you can't see what she sees" Theo mumbled at her. Both of us were a little confused by his words but Theo simply shrugged and gave me a faint smile.
"Well I think that was the best lesson we've had yet" Draco said happily next to me.
"You didn't do anything."
"I know, and it was fantastic" he smirked at me.
After that I mostly focused on my lunch. The conversation drifted from one point to another as everyone chimed in with what they each wanted to say. We found this was the best way to keep everyone happy, just let them ramble on about what they wanted so no one could make the argument that we never listened. Aside from Millicent, Crabbe, and Goyle this got everyone talking. The good thing about this was that most of us didn't care if the whole group was contributing to the conversation so I could eat my lunch in peace. Up until Daphne began; she demanded everyone's attention.
"Katerina!"
"I'm eating!" I grumbled back, having barely swallowed my meal.
"Then eat faster" Daphne complained. "We need to go over our plans for Hogsmeade and I want to make sure everybody gets it."
"You do realize we're not all going to go together, right?" Theodore asked but she ignored him.
"Since everyone is always rushing out of Hogwarts I was thinking we could all meet somewhere before heading out."
"And..." Blaise began, waiting for Daphne to go on, but she didn't. "Is that seriously all you have?"
"Well, yes" she crossed her arms defensively.
"As well thought out as that plan sounds, I can't" I announced, taking the last bite of my lunch. Daphne untied her arms and pouted at me.
"What? No! You were supposed to help me carry my things while I shopped!" Daphne insisted making me roll my eyes.
"And as wonderful as that sounds, I told you I can't. I'm spending the day with George."
"Yeah, because that's so much better" Draco grumbled next to me, his tone darker than I would like. I reached out and poked his cheek but that only made him give me a look.
"But, no!" Daphne continued, as if what I had really told her was something much worse. "You're basically converting into a Gryffindor now!"
"Hey, if you want to leave Slytherin, I'll help you petition. I still think it was a mistake to place you here" Pansy offered, being as helpful as ever.
"Aren't you just lovely" I replied with an obviously fake smile. She returned it.
"So, what, is this like a date?" Theo asked, sounding the most level headed out of everyone who had spoken.
"I guess" I shrugged at him. I wasn't really sure, all I knew was that George has insisted that we go together. There wasn't really any place to go here besides the grounds.
"You know, this might've been useful if you had decided to date the Gryffindor last year. Distracting him might've won Slytherin the Quidditch Cup" Blaise smirked at me. I rolled my eyes at him.
"I don't know about that. Some of our players might have been distracted too" Theo added with a look to Draco. He returned it.
"Well fine, I'll just find someone else to help me" Daphne whined, bringing the conversation back to her. "Blaise, Theo, you'll help me, right?"
"No" Theo answered without even looking up from his food.
"Can't you get one of your little followers to do it?" Blaise asked, sounding bored, as if not finding the conversation entertaining anymore.
"I like you two better. Please?" Daphne pouted at them. Blaise rolled his eyes.
"If I say no again, how long between now and Saturday will you bother me about it?" Theo asked knowing exactly how she was. Daphne smiled.
"Probably the whole time."
"Fine then" Theo let out a sigh. Daphne clapped her hands and turned expectantly towards Blaise.
"If I go can we follow these two around and make remarks about unrequited love?" Blaise asked pointing only at Draco. Draco frowned. He didn't say it but I assumed the other person Blaise had meant was Pansy, since her frown matched his.
"Of course" Daphne waved the comment away, as if that had been a given. "Just so long as we don't stray too far from the shops."
"Alright. But don't forget to buy me something pretty" he smirked at her.
After finishing their lunches everyone began to head out one by one until it was just me and Draco. Theo, who was the last to leave, waved at us before making his way to the library. I leaned back, watching as he left, while Draco took a drink of his juice. Once Theo was out of sight Draco let out a sigh.
"Idiots" Draco complained, putting his drink back down on the table.
"You never did say, what are you doing at Hogsmeade?" I asked curiously.
"How should I know?" Draco grumbled, looking ahead. His tone made me give out a sigh.
"Why do I keep thinking we're over this?" I shook my head, realizing I should have known better. Draco looked down at me. "So, what is it now?"
"You spend all your time with him as is, now you're going to Hogsmeade together?" Draco complained.
"Don't people who date usually spend a lot of time together?"
"Yes but then they go and get sick of each other and break up. Can't you just skip to that part?" he asked, almost sounding hopeful. It caused me to let out a smile.
"Deedee" I patted his cheek tenderly, though that only made him scowl.
"You need to stop calling me that."
"I don't know what's going to happen, not really. Maybe on Saturday I'll realize I hate him, or maybe I'll realize I love him—"
"Tell me you're joking" he interrupted, looking like he was going to be sick.
"My point is," I smiled at him, "I have no idea what will happen with me and George. So stop with the pouting, okay? Either way, we're only dating. But whatever does happen between us, know that I'll still love you."
"Yeah, yeah" Draco sighed, taking my hand off his face. "But what are you even going to do in Hogsmeade? Just walk?" He's poor, remember?"
"I told you, I don't know. And besides, I can buy my own things" I frowned at him.
"But you shouldn't have to. A man should always pay" Draco insisted, looking upset that I would think otherwise.
"That is incredibly egotistical of you."
"I think it's chivalrous" he smirked as I narrowed my eyes at him.
"I should be able to do what I want, and pay for what I want" I crossed my arms at him.
"Now who's sounding egotistical" Draco commented, making me hit him on the side of the head. "Ow!"
"I'll be fine. Stop worrying about me so much" I told him, softly rubbing where I'd hit him. Draco sighed at me.
"There you go again, turning everything about you" he grumbled. I gave him a smile and he let out another sigh. "Fine. Do whatever you want. It's not like you ever listen to me anyway."
"Don't be like that" I cooed, letting go of his head. "Come on, there's still time before our next lesson. Let's go take Lev for a walk."
"I don't want to."
"Then it's settled" I smiled and stood up. I grabbed onto Draco's arm and stood waiting. He let out a groan but stood too, knowing I wouldn't have moved until he did.
"See, why do I even try?" he shook his head at me as I pulled him out of the Great Hall. I gave him a smile and linked our arms together. He gave me a look but followed after. "For someone so short you are an incredibly infuriating person."
"Flattery isn't going to get you out of this" I said with a fake warning look. Draco smirked and shook his head, letting me drag him down to the Slytherin Dungeon.