I frowned as usual at the Hogwarts owlery. The circular stone room felt unseasonably cold. It technically wasn't spring for another couple of weeks but it was close enough not to require the use of a winter cloak. Perhaps it was because of the draft. Being so high up, and having no glass covered windows, it wasn't unusual for it to be colder than it would be on the grounds. The glassless windows were convenient for the owls, always coming and going with letters and parcels, but it did make the place slightly unpleasant. Although, the draft wasn't nearly as annoying as the flooring. Covered in straw and not cleaned as often as it should be, considering the number of owls living there, the floors were usually covered with a variety of unpleasant things. Still, Whiskers and Zary had never seemed to mind the place.
I walked forward with my hands still in my pockets to one of the open windows. Slightly leaning against the frame I watched the sky in front of me. Zary had disappeared through there, on his way to deliver what was given to him. He was helping me send a letter this morning; a justifiably important letter. I had wanted to do this in the morning, rather than wait until later in the day. It was much less crowded this way, no other students to become unnecessarily curious. Besides, now the thought of it wouldn't have to be on my mind all day. Even so, I let out a sigh.
This whole "make nice" thing was a lot harder than I had initially anticipated. But I knew it would make my brother happy, once he got over the annoyance of having me buy him something when he had asked me not too. Nikolai had his pride, something not uncommon in our family. Then again, he could be trying to avoid burdening me. He always did have a habit of worrying about me instead of himself. I think the first time he ever put his happiness before my own was when he left, and even then I had seen him struggle with the decision for a few weeks prior. Back then I hadn't known the cause for his anxiety but I had noticed it. There are times I think, if I had just spoken to him about it, I might have been able to stop him. But all that really does is make me realize just how selfish I am…
"Katerina" I heard a call behind me. Turning around I found Draco, standing at the entrance of the owlery watching me. With a smile I began to walk towards him.
I had decided to come to the owlery just before heading over to Hogsmeade. If he came all the way up here just to get me it must have meant I had taken longer here than I said I would have. Oh well, it's not my fault I was easily distracted; I blamed genetics. Besides, there were a lot of things on my mind as of late and having a few moments of peace to ponder them over is what helped keep my sanity in place. When I reached Draco I smiled again and took his arm. With that we walked out of the owlery and moved towards the stairs.
"The others are waiting by the bridge" Draco informed me, walking slightly faster than me. Long legs will do that; yet another reason why his height sometimes aggravated me.
"Okay" I answered simply, tugging lightly at his arm. Draco looked down at me.
"Speaking of which, why are they all coming with us?" he frowned but slowed his pace, having understood my gesture. I smiled up at him again.
"Well" I began, before frowning slightly too. "Daphne is avoiding some Hufflepuff boy, I think. She wanted to come along with me in order to do so. I told her I was going with you but she didn't seem to be bothered by that and decided she wanted to join us. Then she thought it would be a good idea to bring Theo, seeing as if it were just her we might try to 'lose her on purpose'."
"She's not wrong" Draco smirked at the thought. I shrugged back.
"After that Blaise decided to come along, since he and Theo originally had plans. That and, according to him, this way he can also have fun with Daphne, which I am assuming means he's going to tease her for most of the trip. Pansy used this as an opportunity to join as well, Millicent is following her, and Crabbe and Goyle are coming because they think we originally meant for all of us to go together."
"So basically, this is all Greengrass' fault."
"More or less, yes" I nodded. Still, I wasn't upset with her. "Really, I think this is a good thing. I told George I was going to spend time with friends so it would be nice if it was more than just you he saw me with."
"Why is that?" Draco asked innocently, or as much of that as he could manage. I gave him a look.
"You know exactly why that is. You have purposely tried to make him jealous because you think it's funny."
"I thought we agreed that this was his fault for being an idiot" he reminded me.
"It is," I admitted with a sigh, "but you're not exactly helping the situation."
"Still, it's going to be annoying having everyone around" he grumbled at the thought. Then he turned to give me a hopeful look. "Tell me you have a plan to lose all of them."
"We should spend some quality time together as a group" I said innocently this time. Draco gave me a look making me let out a smile. "At first, I mean. I do plan on losing all of them later on. It's a work in progress but I think I have a plan."
"Good. What is it?"
With a smile I began to explain my plan to him. If we were all going together then there would obviously be some differences in opinions on where to go. I figured this could be used as an advantage. When switching between shops, if we just happened to lose a person or two, then it wouldn't really be that strange. Or if we move too quickly and leave a shop while someone else is still inside, that could simply be an accident. As I spoke about my plan Draco nodded along occasionally, making me wonder if he was actually following along or just pretending to be. But, taking a step out onto the bridge, I concluded my explanation.
"This is what you consider a 'work in progress'?" he asked with a smirk once I was finished.
"There are too many unknown variables for it to be considered a complete plan" I shrugged in response.
"I swear you terrify me sometimes" he shook his head at me but I took that as a compliment.
"That's so sweet" I cooed reaching over to pinch his cheek. With his hand he swatted mine away before I could reach him. Ahead of us the others were waiting.
"Hey, Volkov, don't most people consider this cheating?" Blaise asked as we reached them.
"Consider what cheating at what?" I asked not understanding his question. Next to me Draco pulled his arm free from mine.
"No, I think one needs to be aware of the situation for it to be considered cheating" Theodore mumbled to him. I frowned at them, seeing as they seemed to be purposefully avoiding my question. With a smirk Blaise looked at me before turning to Draco.
"I'm still not sure. What do you think, Malfoy?"
"I think you should keep this shit to yourself, Zabini" he replied with a look before moving forward across the bridge. Blaise shrugged in return.
"Language" I scolded as Pansy ran after him. Theo gave a small sigh and moved forward. Daphne took my arm and pulled me ahead, to walk with her to the village. The rest seemed to follow after.
We walked across the bridge together, more or less. I mostly stayed by Daphne's side, who seemed to be feeling better about Vik's feelings. She continued to talk about the options she seemed to have, including the Hufflepuff boy she was avoiding. Those topics were the ones she usually preferred. I didn't mind the conversation, I was used to it mostly, until she not so subtly moved the conversation to George and our relationship. And with that I decided to move towards the back of the group and talk to Blaise, ignoring Daphne's pouting as I did. He could be a sarcastic prick but at least he didn't ask questions that were none of his business. We chatted, time passed, and soon enough we were at Hogsmeade.
The whole of us did spend some quality time together in the village. After getting some snacks, traveling is always better with snacks, we wandered around the place, chatting with one another. I made a point to try to avoid certain shops, it would have ruined the plan otherwise. But aside from that we laughed and generally had a good time with each other. While I still would have preferred having spent the trip with just my best friend I did enjoy the others' company, or most of them at least; Pansy I could do without. All I know is, I wouldn't spend time with them in the dungeon if that weren't the case.
Among the crowd of other wandering students I did spot George at one point. He and Fred seemed to be having fun of their own. It didn't take long for them to spot us either. I could tell by his expression George still wasn't happy I had decided to go with them but I chose to ignore it. Instead I smiled and waved at them and not much later they did the same. But before I could even think of going over to greet them, even if only briefly, Daphne grabbed my arm once more and pulled me in the opposite direction. With a sigh I followed along, thinking it best not to resist. I didn't want to start an argument with any of them; we were getting along just fine as it was.
Soon, however, I felt as though enough time had passed. The group was beginning to argue more amongst itself as to where we would go or what we would do. Everyone wanted to do their own things after all. Even if we were all friends there was only so much time we could spend together before personalities collided. I believed it to be a common thing among Slytherins. It really was rare to see a day when there was not one argument in the dungeon. Not that said anger ever lasted, but strong minds have strong opinions.
"Let's go to Tomes and Scrolls" I suggested my first planned shop to the group. A couple of the others groaned but none seemed to have any serious complaints.
We all headed into the bookstore soon after. The only people who seemed legitimately interested in the place were Theodore and I. All the others looked bored, which seemed like an exaggeration considering we had just entered the shop. But the point of this stop was to alleviate some of that boredom; to begin the plan to separate all of us. Really, it was the humane thing to do. I moved towards Theodore and suggested we go look at one of the farther sections on magizoology for a moment. With a shrug he agreed. The others decided to stay by the door, finding it the safest place to be for a quick escape. Ignoring them we made our way to a bookshelf in the back, one specifically reserved for literature on magical creatures. I looked behind my shoulder for any sign of the others when Theo spoke.
"Since we're here," he muttered, running his fingers along the spines of the books, "I wanted to ask, have you found any other books that speak of Thestrals? They seem to be particularly isolated beings and all the literature I have found seems like superstitious babble—"
"Do you mind standing here for the next several minutes while I take the others and leave the shop?"
"What?" Theo asked after a small pause. His face looked mostly blank though with a hint of confusion.
"Will you stay here while we all head to another shop?" I reworded my statement. Still he didn't seem to understand.
"Why?" he asked, holding the same expression. But at least he wasn't right out disagreeing with me because he didn't understand like any of the others would have. That's what I appreciated about him.
"I'm trying to separate everyone" I explained.
"As in, individually?" Theo asked, sounding like he understood my request a bit more clearly this time.
"No" I shook my head. "I'll send Blaise here in a few minutes. Then I'll leave Millicent, Daphne, and Pansy together. Then Crabbe and Goyle can go off and do something. I will be staying with Draco."
"And do they know of this?"
"If they did would I have pulled you aside to discuss this?" I answered his question with a question. Theodore shrugged.
"Fair point. Fine, I'll stay. Now, as I was saying…" he let his sentence hang, asking his question once more without having to repeat it. I nodded in understanding.
"I'm still looking into them myself. Like you said, they are generally isolated creatures" I gave out a small sigh. "There is, however, a study currently being done on them. It is on a wilder pack than that at Hogwarts and being looked after by a notable magizoologist. The work is still under process however and won't be in print for at least another few months."
"Very well, that's all I needed to know."
Theo pulled one of the books from the shelf and leaned against the nearby wall, beginning to flip through it. With a smile I moved away and waved goodbye. He waved in return but didn't look up from the work. I made my way through to the others. Pulling at Draco's sleeve I continued and walked out of the shop with him tripping slightly over his feet after me. Pansy made a disgruntled noise behind us and stomped after. The rest followed behind, sans the currently occupied Theodore.
I walked with Draco towards the next planned shop. Draco turned to give me a curious look, a question in mind. Instead of answering I slowed my pace to let the others catch up with us. There were slight grumbles behind us. They seemed to be arguing about where to go once more. Glancing behind me I made sure the shop was in view before returning to the others. Then, Daphne spoke.
"Where's Theo?" she asked glancing around, holding onto Blaise's sleeve. Draco's eyes seemed to light up in realization. I ignored him for the moment.
"Maybe he's still at Tomes and Scrolls" I suggested, looking behind them as if to check if he was somehow just trailing behind.
"Lucky bastard" Blaise mumbled. Daphne gave him a look before letting go of him.
"I guess we should go back to get him."
"All of us?" I asked her doubtfully. "I think it would be better if we just sent one person to get him. Blaise, you go."
"Why do I have to go" he protested.
"I don't know. Because you're his friend" I offered making him let out a smirk.
"Please, I can barely stand any of you" Blaise said in an apparently sure voice. I gave him a look. He let out an annoyed sigh in response. "Although, I suppose you and him are the ones I can stand the most. Fine, I'll go."
"So we'll meet you here?" I said with a questioning tone. Draco looked curiously at me but didn't comment, knowing this was still part of the plan.
"Let's meet at that shop over there" Daphne suggested, pointing to the clothing store behind me. Blaise rolled his eyes but seemed to accept that. I shrugged, ignoring Draco smiling beside me.
"It's better than standing out here. Blaise you go get Theodore, we'll be at that shop I guess" I surmised and began walking. Without a word Blaise rolled his eyes and headed in the opposite direction, towards where we had originally come.
"Seriously, terrifying" Draco whispered as he walked past me. I smiled in reply.
The rest of the group moved to enter the clothing shop. Already Daphne seemed overjoyed. My assumption was that any place with an unnecessary amount of clothes must have felt like a second home to her. Immediately she began to browse among the different items, Pansy and Millicent by her side. Draco and I idled behind. I glanced around but there was nothing that particularly caught my eye.
"How long do I have to be in here?" Draco mumbled, frowning at an obnoxiously bright jumper folded in one corner.
"Are you bored already?" I asked, to which he replied with a nod. "Well, good. Go stand in the corner with Crabbe and Goyle. When I call out to you just make sure to agree with whatever I say."
"Are you going to try to trick me into walking your mutt or something?" he asked suspiciously, and only half joking.
"You know I don't need to trick you into doing things for me" I said, waving away the comment. "Besides, Lev would become upset with me if I made him go with you instead of walking him myself. He doesn't particularly like you, did you know?"
"Fine, fine, whatever you say. Just don't take too long. This place is more frightening than you are" Draco shook his head.
"Have you ever considered that maybe you're just a coward?" I asked innocently. Draco turned to give me a look but before he could answer I was already making my way towards the girls.
Daphne's eyes shone as she shuffled through the clothes and accessories displayed. I didn't quite understand her feelings for fabric and shiny things but it wasn't that surprising. I'm sure my love of potions and poisons confused her, she had even told me so herself once. But everyone had their own interests, only sometimes overlapping with others'. Theodore and I shared an interest in the unknown, and finding that knowledge through literature. Papa and I shared an interest in finding new ways to make people do as we asked. My mother and Daphne shared an interest in making things look pretty. Who was to say what was normal and what was not among the list.
"Isn't this the cutest" Daphne cooed, displaying a light blue pair of dress robes for us. She had a few other items in her arms, having separated them for a closer inspection. Next to her Pansy glanced behind me, keeping an eye on the door. I wasn't sure if that was to see when Theo and Blaise would return or if she was just watching Draco.
"It's cute" I smiled at Daphne after a moment, realizing she wanted an actual answer out of me.
"This one is mine" she smiled back. Walking to a nearby empty display she set the clothes she had been holding on it. Neatly running her hands along the length of them she turned back to Pansy and I. "I think we should all pick something to buy. Just because the Yule Ball passed doesn't mean we can't enjoy dressing up now and then—"
"But this is a generic shop, none of these clothes will fit us properly" I interrupted, not wanting to be given a stack of garments to try on.
"You're right, we will need to get these tailored" Daphne frowned back at her chosen items. Pansy rolled her eyes next to me.
"You might have that problem but we can still try on some things. Just because you look like a twelve year old boy with a cheap wig doesn't mean we should just sit around and do nothing" she stated trying to hide a smirk, proud of her remark. "On top of that, with the poor taste you seem to have, I'm surprised you found a date to the Yule Ball, even if it was that Weasley."
"Really?" I asked slowly. I hadn't been planning on leaving them so soon but this was more than enough interaction with her for one day. Besides, with that opening how could I put the plan off any longer; and already Draco was bored. "Are you really one to be lecturing me on taste? If anything you should try every garment they own here, that way you can find something not entirely revolting."
"You think you're better looking than me?" Pansy snapped with a glare. That wasn't exactly what I had meant but it worked just the same.
"I think you need all the help you can get" I smiled sweetly at her. She let out a low growl.
"Can't I ever have a calm day with you two?" Daphne sighed between us. Both of us ignored her.
"You're full of it and you know it" Pansy remarked but I kept my smile.
"Fine let's get a third party involved. Draco!" I called, turning my head towards the entrance. He lifted his head curiously but didn't reply. Instead he waited for my question, following his instructions. "Did you hear what we were talking about? Who do you think is right?"
"I'd have to say I agree with you" Draco called back, meaning his words but not in the way Pansy perceived it. He turned back to the other boys and yawned, either not realizing or not caring about what he had just done.
Pansy's expression hardened, trying to hide her disappointment. She cared a little too much about what Draco thought. I was closer to him than she was but I would never change my thoughts or feelings because of what he thought or felt. We had a lot of different opinions and I didn't see a reason to change that. But Pansy wasn't like me, not by a long shot. Begrudgingly she turned to give me a look before slowly walking towards Daphne, who seemed quieter than usual. She looked at the clothes set up for a moment before leaning in towards them.
"Come on, Daphne!" Pansy snapped, grabbing the clothes Daphne had laid out and marching off. It was peculiar to see how one sentence from a certain person could have such an impact on an individual.
And without a word Pansy stomped off to one of the fitting rooms. The other two girls followed after her, ready to help either physically or emotionally. Daphne did drag a little behind. A quick look at her told me she felt like she was deciding between us, like she was normally made to do, by Pansy at least. Daphne was her own person capable of making her own decisions without needing to feel guilty about it every step of the way. She, however, didn't understand that. So after a signal from me, informing her that it was fine and I was in no way hurt by her decision to follow Pansy, Daphne smiled and picked up her pace to match the other two. As they disappeared into the back of the shop I turned my attention to some of the displayed items. Some weren't bad but, still, nothing caught my interest.
"Well?" Draco grumbled expectantly, walking up behind me. I gave him a sigh.
"There's nothing really interesting here. All of these are mostly generic choices" I mumbled. Draco gave me a look making me smile. I interrupted him before he spoke. "Yes, I know what you meant, you impatient baby. We can go now if you really want."
"Good. Now, what did you make me agree to?" he asked, moving to hold open the door for us.
"That I'm better looking than Pansy" I shrugged at him and stepped out of the shop. Draco paused at the door for a moment before stepping through it himself and letting it go. Other than that, he gave no reaction on the comment.
"Crabbe, Goyle, why don't you go get some things from Honey Dukes or something?" Draco offered the two boys, who had followed after us, having spotted us exiting the shop. Finding no fault in his words the two shrugged, gave a nod, then left in the direction of the sweets shop. Draco stepped a little further out then turned to me.
"Now that it's just us," I said, wrapping an arm around his, "where do you want to go?"
"You said you wanted to get a drink, didn't you?" he mentioned, glancing at the Three Broomsticks. I nodded and he gave me one in reply before leading the way into the pub.
Walking into the Three Broomsticks the cacophony of voices filled pub. Still, it was not overly crowded, which was nice. Without needing to discuss with each other Draco moved to order our drinks while I found us a table. It wasn't necessarily from habit but because we just knew each other well enough to know what the other would do. I sat down and waited for Draco to come back, listening to the chaotic mixture of conversations. The interesting thing about the Three Broomsticks was that dozens of people could all be having private conversations but, unless one was particularly focused on one, those conversations often went unnoticed.
"Here" Draco spoke, putting my drink in front of me on the table.
"Thank you" I smiled as he sat down next to me. Draco simply shrugged and took a sip of his drink; I did the same. It was good, but the hot beverage made the place a bit warmer. I began to take off my cloak. Stretching my arms once they were free of the garment I let out a sigh. Draco turned to look at me once more before taking another drink of his butterbeer. I frowned down at my cloak. "It's warmer today than I had expected."
"You look nice today, by the way" he mentioned, having taken off his cloak as well.
"Do I?" I asked looking down, not really remembering what I had been given to wear. "Sometimes, when we don't have to wear our uniforms, I let Daphne choose what I wear."
"Really?" he raised an eyebrow, seeming surprised by that. I frowned at him.
"I can be nice" I protested. Draco gave me a look. "When I want to I can. Besides, it's no different than being home. At least here I only bring clothing I am willing to wear of my own accord."
"When you say it like that she sounds like your mother" Draco snickered, but I had to agree with him on that.
"You're right," I nodded at his remark. "I was just thinking about that actually, back in the last shop. Although I would never tell her that, Daphne does remind me of my mother a lot of the time. But if I ever mentioned it to her I'm sure she would take it the wrong way and think I consider her a motherly figure of sorts. That or she would take it as encouragement to continue this behavior, my mother sure did."
Draco began to laugh into his drink. It made me smile and eventually laugh with him too. After that we moved to talking about other things, nothing in particular as usual. I liked spending time with him like this, just us. Without the usual annoyances Draco and I could have a pleasant conversation, and I enjoyed that. It was really nice. But as much as we enjoyed talking we couldn't sit in the pub forever. Once we finished with our butterbeers we exited the Three Broomsticks and moved to the streets of Hogsmeade. Draco had put his cloak back on once we left but kept hold of mine as we walked. Despite his usual childish behavior and occasionally inappropriate language Draco was really a gentleman, or at least he could pretend quite well.
Both of us headed almost directly for Honey Dukes. We were out of snacks and what was a bit of wandering without the proper food. Inside the shop we browsed their selection of sweets for a bit, something we could share between us. As Draco continued to look I paused when noticing someone coming out of the back door; that was where the secret entrance from Hogwarts was, the one George had showed me. It made me wonder for a moment if the owners of the shop really didn't know of the passage's existence; or if someone could ever use it to manage their way into Hogwarts.
After looking around the shop I decided on some Frostfruit. We had already bought sweets earlier so I wasn't really craving anything in particular. I just wanted something to snack on, and Frostfruit were nice and sweet. Having decided, Draco paid for our candy and we headed outside. We wandered for a bit after leaving the shop, not finding anywhere in particular we wanted to go to. Every now and then I grabbed a handful of the sweets from its bag as I thought about where to go. Until Draco began to chuckle next to me that is.
"If you keep stuffing your face like that you might actually get fat" he smirked down at me.
"Isn't that one of those things you're not supposed to say to a lady" I frowned at him as I grabbed another handful. He continued to laugh.
"First of all, since when are you a lady?" Draco smirked. I reached over and hit his arm, which probably just emphasized his point. "Secondly, you should take it as a compliment. Obviously I don't think you look fat yet."
"You're not fat yet" I stuck out my tongue at him. Draco rolled his eyes at me.
"So where do you want to go?" he asked, still having a slight laughter in his tone. "Or are you just going to make me wander around with you until nightfall."
"I was thinking we could go back to Tomes and Scrolls. I didn't really get a good look—" I paused as I looked ahead, letting out a small groan. Draco gave me a confused look before turning to where I was looking.
"Katerina, Draco, it's nice to see you here" my father greeted us. I'm sure it was sincere. It was better to see him than Draco.
"Hello, sir" Draco nodded politely.
"Hi, Papa" I smiled at him, glad with my decision to bring Draco. I didn't want to think of how he would have reacted if he had seen me with George. "What are you doing at Hogsmeade?"
"I was around and thought I might find you here. It's nice to see the two of you spending some time together."
"You've said that" I mumbled under my breath. My father gave me a look, either having heard or guessing what I just said. I smiled in reply. "Would you like some Frostfruit?"
"No, that's quite alright" he declined, raising his hand. I shrugged and ate another. Papa watched as I did so. He looked between Draco and I noting something, or lack thereof. "I am curious, isn't the point of these village trips to purchase things while in school? Or are the only things you've purchased sweets."
"I mostly use it as an excuse to get out of the grounds once in a while" I replied honestly. Papa nodded, knowing I was likely to do something of the sort. "But yes, this is all we've been buying, for the moment at least. We were just about to do our rounds and see what we'd like."
"Just now?" Father asked curiously.
"Yes, earlier we were with some friends so it was more of just looking rather than making actual purchases."
"Friends?" Papa repeated slowly. That's why he had found the lack of bags curious, and why he had kept asking questions. Just because I had been with Draco now didn't mean I had been with him all day. I was about to answer him but Draco interrupted me.
"Some other students from the Slytherin house, the others from our year" he said carefully. I pouted a little, having been interrupted, but it was probably for the best. If I had responded Papa might have considered it a lie. But Draco, he was much too scared of my father to attempt that. "We spent some time as a group before parting ways."
"I see" Father nodded, completely assured by the response.
I grabbed another handful of Frostfruit and frowned slightly at my father. For a moment I wanted to complain to him. He seemed to believe Draco more than his own daughter. Of course I wasn't in a position to do so. I did lie to him, but he knew and accepted that. In a way, Papa was glad I took situations and made them my own. In another, however, he found it frustrating, especially in situations like these.
"Yes?" my father asked, noting my look. I moved to grab another sweet and frowned at it.
"The last one was surprisingly sour" I lied and scratched at the layer of powdered sugar before putting it in my mouth. I smiled again, as if that one was much better. "Are you sure you don't want one? They're pretty good."
"Just one I suppose" he smiled, knowing what I was doing, and took one. After a moment of chewing it he looked at me. "They are good, but not exactly sour, are they."
"That's why it was so surprising" I smiled back at him, ignoring the obvious accusation. Papa gave me a smirk back.
"How is school? And your classes?"
"The same as the last time you asked" I replied with a shrug. "They're doing well. I could send you a copy of my exact marks if you'd like."
"No, I figured as much, just wanted to check. Anything else happening at school?"
"Nothing worth noting. Except…" I trailed off, thinking about what happened during last Potions. It couldn't hurt to ask. "I have noticed Professor Karkaroff acting nervous lately."
"Isn't he always" Papa muttered to the side before turning back to me. "Although if you thought it worth mentioning it might be something to look into. I'll speak with him next time I'm at Hogwarts."
"It's not urgent but if you do find something interesting I'd be curious to know" I said and he nodded. My father stepped closer and put a hand on my head.
"I should go now, there are some things to do. I just wanted to say hello" my father said, though I knew that was not the only reason. I nodded and smiled at him. He leaned down and kissed my forehead. "Try not to get in trouble."
"I'll make sure not to get caught then" I smiled. He smirked back and began to step away from us. "Take care you two."
"Sir" Draco called politely again. I wanted to roll my eyes at him but resisted the urge. If not for his interruption, Draco wouldn't have spoken three words to my father.
I waved as my father walked away. It was slightly annoying that he was here. One thing I enjoyed about Hogwarts was the lack of supervision I constantly had when home. But, on the other hand, I was glad to see him. It seemed to me that he was trying to make more of an effort to be in my life. And while it may be frustrating to know he was watching who I was spending my time with, he was still trying. I smiled at my father as he disappeared before turning to Draco. He, however, didn't look as happy.
"Honestly, you two terrify me" Draco let out a breath once sure my father was out of the way. I shook my head at him. He began to walk in the opposite direction and I followed.
"Why?" I asked curiously, getting another handful of Frostfruit.
"It's like watching two cauldrons, about to erupt at the slightest movement or something" he tried to explain, making strange hand gestures as he spoke.
"Potions don't work like that" I reminded him.
"You know what I mean" he rolled his eyes at me. I shrugged back.
It was true enough, I suppose. This was not the first time I had heard I was like my father. But I always saw it as a compliment. He was a great man, powerful, and he always knew how to get what he wanted. Sure, he may not always be using the nicest of ways, but the end was always the same. And that's really all that mattered, the end result. Thinking about that I reached in for another bit of the Frostfruit, but this time I didn't get what I was expecting.
"Oh, they're all gone" I pouted, a little sad looking in the packaging. I tipped it over but nothing fell out.
"Weren't we supposed to share those?" Draco frowned at me. It took me a moment to realize he had never gotten a piece. I shrugged at me.
"It's not my fault you never asked" I said innocently. He gave me a look.
"I paid for them too" Draco grumbled at to the side.
"Well I appreciate the gift" I smiled, patting his head. He gave me a sigh, swatting at my hand. "Fine, you baby, I'll make it up to you. Let's go to Spintwitches then. I'll buy you something from there."
"I thought you wanted to go look at boring books" he reminded me, though not sounding enthusiastic about the idea.
"I do, but I wanted to stop by there too" I shrugged at him.
"Why?"
"I wanted to buy George a gift."
"Why?" Draco asked again, only this time his tone sounded less like curiosity and more like distaste.
"It's almost April" I said. His expression told me that meant nothing to him. I sighed a little and smiled. "It's George's birthday the first."
"You're kidding" Draco let out a sudden laugh. "He was born April first, as in April fools? That makes him a fool by birthright, no? He's literally been a joke from the start!"
"Fine, I won't but you anything then" I hit his arm, but he continued to chuckle.
"Come on, it makes perfect sense. He was literally born to be a joke" he smirked down at me. I gave him a look.
"You know, sometimes, you make it hard to love you."
"Yeah, yeah. Now let's go buy me something pretty" Draco smirked and turned towards the shop.
Walking into Spintwitches we were immediately surrounded by sports supplies and accessories. Not too familiar with the shop's layout, having only entered a handful of times before, I began to wander around the shop. There were a variety of different sports sections but I only focused on the quidditch side, that was something George really enjoyed. It was a shame that the matches had been postponed for the year really. But I put that thought aside and continued to look for a proper gift to get.
"Isn't this the sort of thing you usually do months in advance?" Draco asked suddenly, looking around.
"With you, sure, since you're so picky" I grumbled at him.
"And you're just a ray of sunshine" he replied sarcastically. I smiled at him.
"Thank you" I took the complement, ignoring his tone. He smirked back then shook his head and moved towards the different displays set in front of us.
I wandered around the store, looking for something George might enjoy. Draco idled a ways behind me. It was obvious he didn't want to be a part of my decision. Still, I appreciated his silence on the subject of me buying George a gift. Of course I would be getting something for Fred too. Between this and that I found something I thought he would like, a set of Gobstones. Feeling that was a nice gift for him I held onto it then continued to look for something to give George. I couldn't get them the same thing, after all. For one, they were two different people who, although a lot alike, did have separate interests. But, for two, George was now my boyfriend, which made him special I suppose. Trying to find something slightly different I moved to another area.
It took a little while of glancing but among the sea of all different supplies I found something interesting. Looking at the display as a reference I glanced at the content of the kit in front of me. This one was similar to other broomstick servicing kits I had seen, just with a few add ons. Aside from the general supplies, which were an upgrade to the other nearby set, it also carried special grip quidditch gloves and a booklet of instructions for more advanced maintenance such as temporary waterproof charms. It seemed like the kind of thing a Beater might need, something he might find useful. Deciding on that I reached over and grabbed a case. Luckily for me it wasn't very heavy, which was almost surprising considering the amount of items in it. But, having decided, I smiled down at it.
"Here, get me this" Draco called, appearing suddenly next to me. I jumped a little in surprise making Draco let out a smirk. In his hands he held a case of broomstick polish.
"Are you sure this is all you want?" I asked, taking the box from him, ignoring his amused smile. It's not like he needed any maintenance products, his broom was always well taken care of. Besides, if it ever began to wear out he could always just buy another to replace it.
"Sure" he shrugged, not seeming too interested in looking for something else to get.
Draco watched me as I looked the polish over. It seemed like a decent enough brand. But as I inspected his choice Draco decided to inspect mine. He took the specialty kit from my grasp and began to look it over himself. Not bothering with the fact that I planned to gift it to someone, Draco moved the content around, seeming to glare at everything he saw inside. After a moment he closed the case and frowned at it.
"So this is what you're getting him?" he continued to make a face at the case. "Seems too good for him."
"I'll take that to mean you like it."
Draco didn't answer me, he simply returned the gift to me. Without saying anything else to him either I moved towards the front of the shop, to purchase the gifts. Once everything was done and paid for Draco and I left the store, moving once again to explore Hogsmeade. We wandered around for a bit longer, stopping here and there whenever something caught our interest. And, after we each grabbed a few things from the various shops in the village, we made our way to the edge of it all. Finding a nice and quiet place to sit the two of us moved to a bench on the edge of the village.
"I'm tired" I sighed as I rested myself against the seat. Draco sat next to me, our stuff with him.
"Why? I'm the one who had to carry everything" Draco complained, putting our things between us. I gave him a smile, he rolled his eyes.
"Well, I do have other things to be tired about" I pouted at him. Draco smiled at me and moved to pat my head.
"Of course you do" he answered in a condescending tone. I slapped his hand away but that only made him smile more.
"I do" I insisted. "For one, my father showed up like I expected. And it's such a lie that he just happened to be around. He purposefully came to look for me and see who I was spending my time with. I'm just glad I was with you and I hadn't bought George his present yet."
"So is that why you hadn't wanted to buy anything earlier, because your father might have seen?"
"I wanted to make sure he had left before buying his present, yes" I nodded but Draco frowned. Not necessarily at me but more at what I had said. "What?"
"Why are you going through so much trouble to be with him" he muttered, looking off to the side.
"Because I like him" I answered simply. He frowned still.
"All I'm saying is, it would save everyone a lot of trouble if you just ended it."
"Well it's a good thing I'm selfish then" I smiled at him. Draco sighed and leaned against my shoulder. It surprised me for a moment. Gently I placed a hand on his head, running my fingers through his hair. "Are you okay?"
"No" he mumbled, looking at the ground. After a second, he sighed again. "Do you remember what I told you yesterday?"
"What in particular?"
"That thing that annoyed you."
"Oh, you mean when you told me you loved me in an annoyingly cryptic way" I frowned at him. He chuckled a little and nodded.
"Yes, that" Draco smiled. "Just wanted to make sure you remembered."
"Why?"
I waited a moment but he didn't answer me. Instead Draco simply stood up. I pouted a little, annoyed when he did that. If I asked a question I expected it to be answered, but I did the same thing to him so I couldn't be too upset. Draco continued to look at the ground then, with a sigh, turned back to me. Leaning down to me, he kissed my forehead. Once he pulled away I turned and frowned at him.
"I never know whether to be annoyed or concerned with you" I frowned.
"Well, the feeling is mutual" he said with a hand on my head. Draco patted it then stood up. "I'm going to go find Pansy. When we were with the others I promised her I'd get a drink with her."
"I still don't understand how you can be friends with her" I muttered. Draco smirked at me; the feeling was mutual.
"Are you going to be alright going back to Hogwarts yourself?" Draco asked. I rolled my eyes at him.
"All by myself?" I asked, in a slightly higher pitched voice, as if scared.
"I'll take that as a yes" he smirked at me and reached for our things, separating his bags from mine. "I'll see you back in the dungeon."
"Hope she doesn't destroy your hearing" I called out, waving goodbye. He smiled at me and waved back.
I sat for a little while more. Then, with a sigh, I stood up and grabbed my things. It wasn't much trouble, I didn't buy many things for myself, but I still had mixed feelings about carrying my own bags. Normally I had other people who did that for me, it was custom. But I also liked being able to have a hold of my things. It was probably an issue of control, as well as a contradictory feeling. Either way, I grabbed my bags and made my way across the bridge, back to Hogwarts.
On the grounds there were a decent amount of students who had also returned from the village; I just hoped Daphne wasn't back yet. I was sure she would lecture me about separating all of us even though that's what at least half of the group wanted. Either way I wanted to delay that conversation as much as possible. So I didn't idle outside and kept towards the castle. But just as I walked into the entrance hall I was grabbed from behind.
"I've asked you not to do that" I sighed, turning to look at George. He continued to hug me from behind.
"Hi" he smiled in return, tightening his arms around me. "Are you done spending time with your friends now?"
"I am. I have to put my things in the room first though. Do you want to come with?" I asked. Untangling his arms from me George smiled and leaned down to take my things from me. I took that as a yes.
We walked down to the room together. As we did we received a couple of stares from some second year Slytherins, but they didn't linger. It wasn't that unusual to see us together in the dungeon anymore. The looks now were more of those I received from the rest of the group, more of annoyance and confusion. Together we turned at the bottom of the staircase. Making sure no one was around we entered the room, into my miniature office. George set my things down on my desk as I walked towards him.
"Hey, this looks interesting" George called, turning his attention to one of the books on my desk. Holding it up I noticed it was one of my potions books, wrapped in vines.
"Oh, that. Yeah, it's my favorite bookmark" I nodded, moving to stand next to him. I reached out and pulled the leaf, next to the bloomed flower on the from. Slowly the vines unraveled and finally opened, to the last page used. In the crease between the pages lay an unbloomed rose.
"That's an incredible bookmark" he noted.
"Thanks" I nodded at him, agreeing, and closed the book. Once again the vines spread across the book, the flower blooming on the front. "Draco gave it to me last christmas. He knows how much I like reading when I'm alone so he got me that, and a copy of my favorite story book in an edition I didn't have yet. I've become rather fond of it."
"That's nice" George said, his tone changing drastically. He set the book back down before turning his attention from that to my bags. "So, what did you get?"
"Oh, right. Turn around" I instructed, beginning to take the various things from my bags and placing it onto my desk.
"Why?" he pouted, making me roll my eyes.
"I have Fred's and your birthday present in there" I explained and noticed his expression change once more.
"Really? Let me see, let me see" he demanded, almost bouncing like a child would. I giggled a little.
"No" I shook my head at him. George began to pout again. "If I give you your present now what am I supposed to give you on your actual birthday."
"Oh, come on" he insisted but, again, I shook my head.
"Let's say the date doesn't matter for you; what am I supposed to tell Fred when he finds out I let you open your gift before I gave him his?"
"Well you already let me do stuff that you don't let him" he gave me a cheeky smile. I rolled my eyes at him. "Besides, you can't tell me you have my gift in that bag and just keep it. That's just rude."
"You're the one that—"
"Please" he asked again, putting his hands together to emphasize his request.
"Fine, fine, here" I sighed, handing him the bag that held his gift. "Just don't complain when I don't give you anything on your actual birthday."
Looking pretty excited George leaned down to kiss my cheek before taking the unwrapped present. Not wasting any time he sat on my chair prepared to open his gift. I gave him a smile and moved to store the rest of my purchases. Aside from their gifts, and the polish I had gotten for Draco, I also bought a few new books, some herbs, and a few extra sweets. On the bookshelf I stored the books while I put the herbs in the secured wall cabinet. The sweets I placed in there as well, just out of reach from Lev, in case he got hungry; there was actual food he could go get if he really needed it. I had just finished putting everything away when, once again, I was startled from behind.
"This is too amazing. I'd give it back but you wouldn't let me" George cooed, moving in front of me, having apparently like his gift.
Before I could answer George quickly closed the space between us, leaning down to kiss me. It was a sudden kiss, one of excitement for his gift most likely. Then George stepped closer, his lips still on mine. The kiss slowed. Contrary to what I would normally do I felt no need to push him away; there was no one around but us. And, after another moment more, our lips parted.
"You know, I like it here" George gave me a small smile.
"It is a convenient place to spend my free time" I nodded. George's smile grew a little.
"Yes, that, and this way we're not 'in public'" he added, making quotes with his fingers.
"It's inappropriate" I frowned at him, apparently having to remind him once more.
"Not everything I do is inappropriate" he tried to defend, though with a particular smirk that suggested otherwise. "Why is it so bad?"
"Because" I frowned at him again.
"Because why?" George insisted making me sighed.
"Because.." I began to explain but felt my face warm up. Quickly I turned away but George seemed to have noticed. He moved closer to me.
"Wait... Are you blushing?" he smiled.
"You don't have to look so happy about it" I snapped but he kept his grin.
"I'm sorry, you just look so cute" he chuckled. "But why are you blushing?"
"Because!" I repeated, slightly more aggressive and louder than I had intended. "I've never had a boyfriend before. I don't know how any of this works! I didn't even know you liked me until you kissed me. And you've had girlfriends before too; you know what you're doing, I don't! It's incredibly annoying! And it just seems wrong to be kissing wherever we want! Shouldn't that kind of thing be kept private or something! Is it just me or isn't that sort of thing to keep to yourselves?"
"Damn you're so cute" he smirked, sitting on the arm of my chair. "And, well, we are alone"
I gave him a look. George smiled at me and reached for my hand. Grabbing it gently he pulled me closer to him. Moving his hands to my sides, he closed the distance between us and kissed me again. I'm not really sure how long this one lasted, there wasn't really a reason for me to care about the time.
It always felt different having him kiss me in public than it did in private. I preferred it when it was just us. On the surface that could be thought of as caring what others think, but surely by this point it was obvious I didn't. Things just felt... nicer when it was just us. He must have felt something similar because it took a moment before he let go of my side. I stepped back from him, feeling my face warm again. George smirked at me. He opened his mouth to say something but I interrupted him.
"Shut up" I stated, extending a finger to silence him. He gave out a small chuckle. George leaned in and kissed my cheek.
"You're so cute" he chuckled, getting up from the armchair. George smiled at me then moved to look at the stuff around the room. He always liked looking at the things around the room. For some reason he found them more interesting than they actually were.
"I've told you not to call me that" I sighed, mostly from having to repeat myself.
"Why not? It's the truth. What's so bad about being cute?" George asked, looking curiously at the shelf full of ingredients. I rolled my eyes.
"It seems almost patronizing. What am I, a puppy?" I grumbled. George smiled at me but didn't comment. I gave him a look but let it go.
Instead I moved towards my bookshelf, finding the something worth looking through. While George continued to look about the room I sat down on my chair to read. It was not that uncommon that we do something like this. He enjoyed looking through my things, for whatever odd reason, and I enjoyed having some time to catch up on non school related topics. This way we were both happy and even spent some time together. The random sounds he made caused me to turn back. Looking at him for a moment I noticed him smiling at something on one of my shelves. Shaking my head I turned back. Really I was not that interesting.
Suddenly we heard the sound of vines. I turned my head towards the doorway to see Draco walking into the room. As the doorway closed behind him Draco turned to smile at me but paused when he spotted who else was in the room. George's expression changed as well, turning from the smile I had seen before to a tired sort of scowl. But instead of screaming at each other like I expected them to they just stood where they were, glaring at each other. I put down my book with a sigh, standing up to face the two.
"George, this is Draco. Draco, meet George."
"We've met" Draco let out a low growl, keeping his glare fixed on George.
"Then why do you look so surprised to see each other" I rolled my eyes. "Honestly, what is with that look."
"Why is he here?" George asked in an annoyed tone, ignoring my words.
"That's my question" Draco demanded, turning to glare at me.
"What are you doing here?" I asked him curiously.
"The common room is crowded and I wanted somewhere quiet" he answered but in an angry tone, most likely feeling like he shouldn't have to explain. "Now, why is that here?"
"Isn't it obvious? I'm spending time with my girlfriend" George smiled at him, though still sounding upset that he was here.
"Was I talking to you, Weasley?" Draco snapped at him. George took a step forward but I extended a hand to stop him. Again I sighed at them both.
"George wanted to spend some time with me. I met him on the way back from Hogsmeade so he helped me bring my things down here. Then we just stayed" I explained to Draco. Then, I turned to George. "Draco sometimes uses the room like I do. I told him about the place when I first made it and he comes here from time to time. There, anyone have any more questions?"
"Anyone else you have coming in here?" George grumbled.
"Yes, one" I nodded. "Sweet boy really, to me at least. He does like to eat most of my sweets. Still he causes me the least amount of frustration out of you three. Which is why, at the moment, I like him the most."
"Not that hard for her to move on from you, is it" Draco said snidely to George.
"Get out" George snapped back. Draco stayed where he was, with only a small smile on his face.
"Out of the two of us who do you think is out of place here?" Draco said slowly, looking at George. Neither lost eye contact with the other. "This is the Slytherin dungeon. Definitely not the place for someone... like you."
"Out of the two of us whose girlfriend built the place?" George retorted, getting a little closer to Draco and ignoring the latter comment.
"Out of the two of us who do you think knew first?" Draco asked, taking a step closer to him too.
"Out of the two of us who do you think will kick your ass" George growled and began to step forward. But both boys paused at the sound of a bark. The doorway began to open once more, this time much smaller. Through it stepped Lev, deciding to join our... whatever this is.
"There's my favourite boy" I cooed, moving to pick my puppy up. Once in my arms Lev leaned in to lick my face before resting his head quietly against my shoulder. "You two could learn a thing or two from him."
"Like how to become a pig without transfiguration?" he smirked. I giggled a little and shook my head. George frowned at us.
"Shouldn't you be more upset he just called Lev a pig?" he frowned at me.
"Unlike you, we have a special relationship" Draco replied proudly. He was right, in a way. Draco and Lev fought a lot but he was one of the people Lev threatened the least. Although, that could also be because he had known Draco the longest out of anyone at Hogwarts. Still, it was different than how he treated other people.
"And, of course, by that you mean he returns no special feelings you hold for him" George let out a smirk.
Suddenly Draco's face fell into a complete scowl. Something about George's words had gotten to him. Whatever it had been he looked angry. Draco moved to the inside of his robes to reach for something; it was his wand. George, having the same the thought, mirrored his actions.
"Lev" I called just as the two were about to draw their wands completely.
With a bark from my puppy both wands were pulled in our direction; Lev caught them in his mouth. Both boys turned, surprised by the action. Lev handed the wands over to me as I pet his head. Frowning up at the two I gently lowered Lev before turning to scold the two.
"I am really getting tired of having to come between both of you."
"But—"
"No excuses!" I interrupted both of them. With a sigh I stepped forward. Giving them each a warning look I handed them each their wand back. "I was happily reading my book before this all happened. I'm not kicking either of you two out but I don't want any more arguing. If one of you must go then settle it amongst yourselves. But no screaming and no fighting. If I wanted to deal with that I'd be in my dorm with Pansy."
"At least she knows what's important" Draco mumbled.
"What is that supposed to mean?" I gave him a look. He lowered his eyes at me.
"You know exactly what it means" he replied sternly. I rolled my eyes.
"Why must you always hide behind some cryptic remark? If you have something to say then say it" I frowned at him.
"I don't have anything to say to you" he said, though his tone suggested otherwise.
"You are such a child sometimes" I half sighed.
"Oh, really, like you're one to talk" he scoffed in return.
"And what is that supposed to mean?"
"It means you act more like a child than I ever have."
"Oh please," I smiled sarcastically at him, "I've known you since you were a child. There is no way I could ever be that childish, even if I tried."
"So you think you're better than me?"
"I think I'm more mature than you, which you've proven on several occasions is true."
"That's bullshit and you know it."
"Watch your language!" I scolded. Draco raised his arms in a sarcastic manner.
"You think yourself so mature now you're acting like my mother" he sneered. I gave him a look. Ignoring it Draco turned towards the entrance and pointed his wand at it. Calling out the charm he opened the doorway then turned back to give me a look. "Do whatever you want."
Without another word Draco stomped out of the room. Part of me wanted to go after him, follow him and tell him what an idiot he's being. He stomps out of the room when things don't go his way, and still I was the childish one. In a way I suppose I could see where he was coming from; George was in a space he had originally thought only belonged to the two of us. Still, Draco was behaving like an idiot. As I continued to frown at the entrance George stepped closer. From the corner of my eye I could see him smiling. I let out a sigh before turning to him.
"What?" I gave George a look.
"Nothing" he tried to say innocently. George turned to the side, trying to hide his obvious smirk.
"Do you have to look so happy about it?" I sighed, reaching for Lev. My puppy barked at me, happy to be back in my arms.
"Well I'm just glad you've realized what a prick he is."
"What do you mean?" I asked, giving him a confused look.
"What do you mean?" George asked, returning my look. "You basically kicked him out of the room. You have to realize he was behaving like a complete prick."
"We'll just talk about it; it'll be fine" I shrugged. "This happens more often than you would think."
"Then why bother with him?" he frowned. "If you're always fighting to the point where it becomes normal isn't that a bad thing? It seems unhealthy and the type of friendship you don't need to have. It just seems better to end it."
"That's a curious perspective" I noted. George gave me a curious look. I shrugged at him. "Actually, I think quite the opposite of that. Sure, the arguments can be annoying to deal with now and again but I find it comforting. I means we're comfortable enough in our relationship that we are willing to say what we want and what we feel without fear. And, while I may be angry with his stupidity and short mindedness now, it really is nothing compared to how comfortable he makes me feel on a daily basis."
"Really? I wouldn't say so" George replied, in an almost sort of grumble.
"But we've had an argument ourselves. Didn't that only happen because you cared enough to bring it up?"
"I suppose" he mumbled, not having thought about that. I smiled at him, then glanced at the clock just behind where he stood.
"I'll see him in the common room later" I shrugged it off. "I doubt he'll be walking about the grounds for much longer. It's already past seven."
"What?" George asked, turning to look behind him. He frowned at the clock for a moment before letting out a sigh. "Damn, I said I wouldn't be late."
"Late?" I repeated, a little confused. This was news to me.
"I was supposed to meet Fred and Lee about ten minutes ago in our room."
"To do what?" I asked, still slightly confused but really more so curious.
"We were planning on discussing some of the new prototypes we've assembled for the shop" George explained.
"Well then you should probably go."
"Yeah" he sighed again. George looked at me for a second before leaning down to kiss me lightly. "And just when I got you alone again too."
"You do realize Lev is still in the room" I reminded him, just as my puppy barked. George gave me a small smile and shrugged.
"I guess there is always going to be something in my way" he mumbled. Leaning down to give me a quick kiss George headed towards the door looking in a bit of a hurry. My guess was the other two had warned him at least more than once about being late, or something of the sort.
I waved to him as he left. Turning back to my puppy I crouched down to pat his head. Lev barked happily at me. Reaching over to the cabinet to grab a piece of chocolate. I handed it to him before sitting back down with my book. I had stopped at a somewhat awkward section, thanks to the interruption of two overly sensetive boys. But even after picking up the book once more I couldn't focus. It was annoying really. Draco was acting like a child, and he even did so in front of George. Either he was trying to prove some kind of point or he really could not care less what George thought of him. It was probably the latter.
I let out a groan. At this point I wasn't even reading. The same pages looked back at me as they had been for the past several minutes. This was stupid. I put the book back down on the desk, deciding to finish it at a time where I could actually understand what it was saying. For now I needed to have a talk with the idiot. Stopping by Lev for a second to say goodbye, I kissed the top of his head before heading out of the room.
I entered the common room; luckily it wasn't far from the room. Scanning the area for the students inside I didn't see Draco. With a small sigh I moved to the stairs, in the direction of his room. There was no need to wander around aimlessly. Without bothering to knock I entered the room; if they needed their privacy the boys locked the room. But Draco wasn't there either. With another sigh I moved to sit on his bed. It was annoying but I would have to wait until he returned to lecture him.
"Um, Katerina?" Theo asked, glancing up from his work. He looked more confused than anything. "Why are you here?"
"Because Draco is an idiot and I need to remind him of that" I answered, moving around a little on the bed, trying to make myself more comfortable.
"So why aren't you, you know, with him?" Blaise called out from his own bed. I gave him a look.
"Because I don't know where he is and I'm not about to wander the grounds looking for him, obviously."
"Obviously" Theo repeated with a smile. Blaise rolled his eyes and went back to looking through what seemed to be his Hogsmeade purchases.
The two kept to themselves mostly, saying few words to one another or, occasionally, to me. Otherwise the boys ignored me; I appreciated that. Some people felt the need to constantly speak, usually because they felt it was rude to stay quiet or because they liked hearing themselves talk. Hermione was the former, Daphne was the latter. Being around those kinds of people was alright but I did appreciate those who didn't particularly care as I was the same. After a while, Draco finally arrived. When he stepped in there was a slight pause in his walk, confused to see me there. But soon enough he frowned in my direction, his pace picking up again.
"Would you two give us a minute?" I asked, standing up and taking a few steps away from the bed, towards him.
"Can't you two go snog behind the boathouse like everyone else?" Blaise grumbled, standing up as well.
"We'll be in the common room," Theo sighed walking out the door, a book in hand. Draco waited until he and Blaise were out of the room to speak.
"What?" he frowned at me still, closing the door behind him.
"Were you under the impression that I would just let you walk away from me and end things there?"
"I was hoping that, for once in you life, you would leave me alone" Draco's voiced raised his voice a little as he took a few steps closer.
"Deedee, stop it" I scolded, my voice serious. Draco gave me a look but otherwise stayed quiet. He was a lot closer to me now. I reached out for his hand and pulled him to where I had been sitting. I waited until we were both comfortably sat in his bed before letting out a sigh. "Are you really that upset by me dating George?"
"Why, in Merlin's name, did you think that would be a good idea?" Draco exclaimed, answering my question immediately. "He's not good enough for you! Not even close! Do you think that git is going to be worth anything in life? Give you anything you want? Do you really want to end up like the lot of them, those Weasleys? Because that's where you're headed!"
"What is with you and Daphne" I replied with a small smile. "Just because we're dating doesn't mean we're getting married. It's been, what, a few months and already you two have us living together. And besides, I won't need any of his money, I'll have more than enough on my own."
"Do you seriously think your father will give anything to him?" Draco scoffed.
"I didn't mean his, but I suppose you could include that as well. Besides, who else would he be giving it to? I doubt he'd disown his daughter, he already disowned his son" I added the last part in a smaller voice. Draco let out a sigh and slid closer to me on the bed.
"How do you always get me to feel bad about being right?" he grumbled, putting a hand on my head.
"That's your conscience, letting you know you're being a jerk."
"Doesn't mean I'm not right" Draco muttered. I smiled a little and hugged his waist. He turned to look at me for a second before returning his gaze to the front.
"Even if you are right it's my life, so it's my decision who I date."
"You make stupid decisions."
"Well," I began, smiling at how sure he sounded of his statement, "regardless of that you need to support me, even in what you consider to be a stupid decision. You're my best friend, you love me, don't you?"
"Of course I do" he mumbled, moving his hand from my head to my shoulder, placing his arm around me. "Do you think I would put up with you otherwise?"
"I love you too" I smiled at him. For a moment I was about to pull away from him but Draco moved first. He leaned closer to me, moving me to his shoulder and placing his head against mine.
"Just shut up" he sighed. "I just think you deserve better than... him."
"That's sweet" I smiled, moving to kiss his cheek. Draco pet my head lightly.
"You know I'm never going to be nice to him."
"I know."
"He's a disgrace, you—"
"I get it" I interrupted, pulling back enough to give him a look. Draco shrugged at me in reply, making me smile a little. I returned my head to his shoulder. "I know exactly how you feel so you can stop repeating yourself. I know how you feel just like you know how I feel. It really is just counterintuitive to repeatedly remind each other of the fact."
"Yeah, yeah" he replied, sounding like even if he had heard what I said he wasn't listening. I sighed at him.
From the beginning I knew he wouldn't be very accepting of my decision, and I doubted that he ever would be, but it was still my decision. Maybe he was being overprotective of our relationship, that same kind of territorial behaviour he had explained George felt. It made sense if it really was such a common human reaction. But it was still stupid. No matter who I was with or what I was doing I would always love Draco. George is my boyfriend but Draco is, has, and always will be my best friend. He may be an idiot but he was my idiot and that is how it would always be.
"Should we tell the boys we're done with our argument?" I asked, suddenly remembering they were still waiting for us.
"Probably" he replied apathetically, letting go of my shoulder. He let it fall onto the bed, just behind where I sat.
"We fight a lot, don't we" I noted, looking up at him from my place on his shoulder.
"I keep trying to get rid of you but you just won't leave me alone" Draco smirked down at me. I rolled my eyes in response.
"But, you know, I do feel kind of bad about always kicking them out of their room whenever we do this. I think we should get them something."
"Do whatever you want, it's not like I have a say in it anyway."
"So it's settled" I patted his cheek. Draco rolled his eyes at me. I smiled and leaned against him a little more, resting against his arm. He was actually surprisingly comfortable to be against.
"You know, I don't think I will ever meet anymore who causes me to get as many headaches as you do."
"Trust me, I know how you feel."
"I really wish you were less aggravating though" he mumbled after a moment.
"I love you too" I mumbled back, copying his tone . Draco turned to look at me and gave me a slight smirk. I smiled back.
"Still think it's not cheating?" a voice said. Both of us turned to look towards the door to find Blaise and Theo looking in from a slightly ajar door.
"No, I still believe one would need to be conscious of the fact for it to be so" he answered, making Blaise roll his eyes.
"So are you two eloping, or what?" Blaise asked, turning back to us.
"Shut up" Draco gave him a look, leaning slightly away from me.
"Where did you learn that word?" Theo asked Blaise curiously, apparently not having expected him to know what it meant.
"Elope? Daphne brought it up once" Blaise answered, making Theo give him a nod of understanding. He put a hand on his chest and batted his eyes in a very sarcastic manner. "'To run away in secret together in order to get married'. She explained it to me since obviously, when she said it was something Malfoy wanted to do with Volkov, I had thought she meant something else."
"What did you think it meant?" I asked curiously. Blaise smirked at me.
"I said shut up" Draco called out before he could answer me and threw his pillow at them. Blaise closed the door in time to miss the hit, but it opened soon after.
"It doesn't matter" Blaise shrugged at me, ignoring what Draco had done and the look he was receiving from him.
"So you're done for today?" Theodore asked, still standing against the doorframe.
"I'd say so" I nodded at him. He nodded in return and stepped into the room. "By the way, I do understand it's an inconvenience to have you constantly leaving your room for our sake, so we were thinking of getting you two something for the trouble."
"You were thinking that," Draco corrected but we all chose to ignore him.
"Is there anything in particular you two would want?" I asked.
"I'd be interested in a copy of that book you were telling me about at Tomes and Scrolls. Seeing as you're more aware of the author's progress with it that would be more convenient" Theo shrugged.
"I'll think about it and let you know" Blaise called out before falling back onto his bed.
"I already bought you sweets, I'm not paying for their things too" Draco informed me. I paused for a second, turning to look at him.
"You seem grumpy; are you tired?" I asked. Draco rolled his eyes at me.
"I'm fine."
"Are you sure?" I insisted. "I think maybe you're tired."
"I said I'm fine" he insisted too.
"Why don't you hug him until he falls asleep?" Blaise suggested from his bed. Draco shot him a cautioning look.
"Would that help?" I asked him. Draco turned to give me a look too.
"No, now get out."
"Why?" I protested, not seeing a reason why I should leave.
"Because my headache is getting worse and I know you're to blame" he said with a look.
"You are so sensitive sometimes" I grumbled. Draco frowned at me but I raised my hands before he could speak. "Fine, fine, you baby, I'll leave."
"Do you have to? Things are usually more interesting when you're here" Blaise smirked in our direction. I smiled at him but stood up.
"I should take Lev for a walk before it gets too late anyway. He'll get annoyed if he's made to stay in the dungeon all day" I shrugged. I bent down and kissed Draco's cheek before turning to the others. "I'll see you guys later."
"Good night" Theo mumbled as the other two just waved goodbye.
"You sure you don't want to sleep with her, Malfoy?" Blaise asked as I exited the room. I didn't see it but I heard Draco throw something much heavier than a pillow at him. He was bothered so easily. He really was overly sensitive.
.
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Hey, it's been a while... My bad.
I forgot to mention last time, writing some sort of "update soon" review in no way upsets me but it will literally do nothing to make me update any faster. Chances are I'm working on it or held up by something going on in my life. I'm in college and that shit's hard bro. If it's been like 2 months and I still haven't given a reason as to why I'm so late then by all means spam me cus I know how annoying waiting can be. Just know it might not actually help any…
Anyway :)
Super long chapter again because I can never find a good stopping point.
Also I realized I've never said this before but please never give a dog chocolate. It's actually really bad for them, like really bad for them. But I got into the habit of writing it in the story before I realized some people might not know that so just don't do it alright. Sweet :)
Kay, for those going back to school, like me, hope it doesn't completely suck
But I'll see you next time (◠‿◠✿)/