So… life has been kind of a lot. But with a pandemic going on and nearly everything around me shutting down, guess what I finally had time to do. This! Enjoy ~
. . .
"Would you let go of me!"
I huffed, trying to get away from Graham's grip, but the Slytherin captain wouldn't give.
"Leave Malfoy to it. He needs to let it out," Graham responded calmly, watching them from our vantage point.
We were too far to hear what words Draco was saying, but I could already make out the third verse of insults towards Gryffindor starting up. We'd lost and, of course, he couldn't gracefully accept that. If I didn't go stop him now, he would keep going, making sure his words got progressively worse as he thought of more to say. At the very least he'd get himself in detention, and with how that toad of a woman was running things, I didn't want him getting himself hurt.
"I told you I would be on the team for this match only. Well, the match is over. As far as I'm concerned, that means I don't have to listen to you anymore," I growled, still trying to wrangle my arm away from his. Getting even more annoyed, I was starting to strongly consider grabbing my wand.
"Did you ever?" Miles piped up with a smirk, but I chose to ignore him.
"Look, I know Draco. The things he says… He's going to get himself in real trouble. And you know what else, I also know Fred and George. They may be Gryffindors but they don't exactly fit the stereotype," I struggled to pull away from him once again, seeing the latter were already being held back themselves, by Potter and some of the girls on their team. "Would you just let me go and stop them! Unlike you, I actually could."
"It's not about whether I could but whether I want to, and I don't," Graham shrugged, tugging at my arm to pull me even farther back. I narrowed my eyes up to him, but his attention was now directed elsewhere. A few paces back, Crabbe was being berated by Madam Hooch, keeping her attention from the uproar. Turning back, Montague gave me a smirk. "I thought he gave a good shot."
From afar, I heard Draco let out a laugh. In that moment I caught his eyes. He didn't show any recognition at my look but started to walk back. I let out a sigh of relief, and once more pulled away from my former captain's grip. Having noticed Draco was on his way back too, Graham let me have my arm without another word. But even as he returned, Draco couldn't help but continue the, what I assumed were a barrage, of insults.
"—Potter," Draco leered, having gotten close enough that his dulcet tones reached us, "and Weasley's pigsty reminds you of it—"
Somehow it seemed those were the words to set them off. Potter, who had been holding George back until now, let go of his grip, and the two sprung towards Draco. Realizing what was about to happen, I lunged forward too, but was caught before I could make it far. Cassius dragged me back towards the team, leaving me to watch as the others made contact.
"What the hell are you doing? Let me go!" I kicked away from him but he held onto me without effort. Noting I wasn't slowing my struggle, Goyle came to stand in front of me. Now they were also blocking my view. "Let go of me!"
"Warrington, you got her?" Graham called, focusing his attention away from us. I wasn't even given the courtesy of being able to see what he was staring at, as the rest of the team started to slowly circle in.
"Yeah, I—would you stop! Are you inept?" Cassius snapped at me after answering his captain. He readjusted his grip on my waist and pulled me farther back, Goyle still watching the sides. "Do you not see how easily we grabbed you? As much as you bark you're fucking tiny, you can't go in there!"
"Besides, he got himself into it," Graham chuckled lightly, coming to stand closer to us, apparently done watching. I glowered at him but he simply smiled.
"Cassius, let go of me or I swear—"
"IMPEDIMENTA!"
"See, all better," Graham smiled, nodding his head at the scene.
Goyle stepped away far enough to let me see Crabbe laughing, now walking towards us. Madam Hooch was no longer lecturing him, instead, she was standing over the trio I had been worried about. The Gryffindors had been knocked off, standing back listening to Madam Hooch reprimand them. Draco was on the ground, and it looked like there was blood on him.
"I've never seen behaviour like it—back up to the castle, both of you, and straight to your Head of House's office! Go! Now!"
"Well, looks like Malfoy could use some of that wannabe-healing of yours right now," Miles smirked, looking as Draco sat himself up with the help of Madam Hooch.
"Funny!" I barked back angrily.
Once more, I pushed myself off of Cassius. Unlike before, he let me go easily. Not bothering to look back at the others laughing, I rushed over to Draco. Madam Hooch was still hovering over him, looking him over. Draco winced as she stood herself back up, separating from working on his nose. When I finally reached him, Madam Hooch was putting away her wand, speaking down to him reassuringly.
"... straightened, but you should still head up to the Hospital Wing, have Madam Pomfrey take a look at you."
"I'll escort him, Madam Hooch," I spoke up, kneeling down next to him. The referee nodded at me and turned away.
Concerned, I reached down to him. Draco wrapped his arm around my shoulder, using me as leverage as I stood both of us up. His movements were slow, but right now I was too worried to question if he was faking. His face was a little swollen, the area around his nose a little red, and I didn't even know if there were any other affected areas that I just wasn't seeing. That was enough to keep me quiet.
Neither of us said much as I pulled him away from the pitch. As we walked towards the castle, I caught eyes with Fred, looking like he was having an argument with the Chasers that had previously been holding him back. Not finding it the appropriate time for that conversation, I turned forward again. With his arm still around me, I pulled Draco up with me and into the castle. Silently we made the trek past the staircase, up a few floors, before I heard the light grumbling next to me.
"Just say it," Draco spoke softly. I frowned for a moment but continued to focus ahead. He sighed at me. "I know that look, you want to say something. So, say it."
"I'm not planning to lecture you, not right now," I answered in the same tone.
"That's a first," Draco grumbled.
"You're injured," I sighed at him. "Any discussion we need to have can be saved for later, alright?"
Draco seemed to agree, keeping quiet for the remainder of the climb. He leaned against me for support, and though all I saw were his facial injuries, I let him use me as a crutch. Eventually, we made it to the Hospital Wing. I couldn't be sure if she was expecting us, or just anticipated someone would be injured today, but Madam Pomfrey seemed ready to heal from the moment we walked in.
"Rough match?" Madam Pomfrey called to us, noting the uniforms. Draco scoffed, but winced at the facial movement.
"He was injured during today's match," I nodded at her, gesturing at Draco, who was for some reason hugging his stomach. "Some bumps and bruises, general surface-level damage from what I can tell, but it seems his face is what's most affected. Madam Hooch straightened his nose downstairs, but it still seems a little swollen."
"Sit him down," the nurse instructed, pointing to the appropriate bed.
Following the instructions, I guided Draco to the nearby bed. He graciously accepted his place as her newest patient and sat himself proper. Madam Pomfrey shuffled her way over to our chosen spot, moving me to the side as she closer inspected his face. Noting me still lingering, she turned up to me with a look, a look that displayed her impatience for me to leave. At that, I spoke up.
"Would you mind if I stayed and watched your work?" I asked as pleasantly as I could manage. At her hesitance, I continued with a smile. "I'm studying to become a healer, you see. I've interned at St. Mungo's Hospital, and dealt with patients personally."
"No, I don't think—"
"Please," Draco interrupted quietly. We both turned at his request. Madam Pomfrey hesitated once more but, after a frown, she let out a sigh.
"Oh, alright, just don't stand in the way, he'll need his rest."
"Thank you," I gave her a nod.
Madam Pomfrey moved swiftly with experience as she brought out a potion or two for Draco to use. Already having the brew ready, she gave one for him to drink, ignoring the sour face he made at the taste. Normally I might find her readiness odd, but with how many students there were at this school, and all of the stupid acts they took part in, it was no wonder she would be ready and fully stocked. Looking at his nose, the nurse caused Draco to wince. Instinctively I moved forward, but quickly pulled myself right. She knew what she was doing, there was no need for me to get involved. After a moment more, she seemed satisfied with the progress and stepped away, almost done with her work.
"Hem, hem," a shrill tone came from the hospital wing's entrance. I couldn't stop myself from making a face, recognizing the sound. Turning to the source, I found Umbridge standing by the threshold. Beside me, I saw Madam Pomfrey let out a frown, not very fond of being interrupted. And as such, she ignored her for the moment.
"You'll need your rest," the nurse spoke down to Draco. "The broken bones will heal, they just need—"
"Hem, hem," Umbridge obnoxiously coughed up again. At the sound, the nurse turned up. With an annoyed smile, she turned to the High Inquisitor. "A word, if I may."
"Of course," Madam Pomfrey resigned. She signaled for us to wait, as she stepped out.
Having been left alone, I took a seat beside Draco on the bed. He'd stayed quiet thus far, but his impatience was clear on his face. I was sure he'd take the special treatment as far as he could, but I doubted his goal had been to sit idly by in the Hospital Wing for as long as Madam Pomfrey wished. Still, he leaned against me, ready to be comforted as usual. With a smile I complied, running a hand through his hair.
"You should get some rest," I tapped Draco's head lightly after a moment passed. As he lifted his head from my shoulder, I scooted myself closer to him on the bed. Looking back at me, he scoffed.
"You're really not going to lecture me?" Draco asked, but sounded curious. I gave him a small smile.
"Really, now get some sleep," I patted his hand lightly. "I certainly would but, fortunately for you, I didn't hear what you said to them."
"Oh?" Draco mumbled softly, and I didn't miss the sound of relief in his tone.
"Honestly, I don't care what it was you said," I frowned down at my fingers knotted in his hair. "If you sent something his way and he acted in self-defence, then sure, I wouldn't have let you hear the end of it. But they were just words, and he reacts like this?"
I reached a hand towards his face. His nose was still bruised. The swelling would go away soon… Draco winced away from me, making me smile at him. It shouldn't hurt so much anymore, this was either just a reflex or he was being a baby. Pulling my hand back, he let out a sigh.
"I told you he was rubbish," Draco grumbled, making me give him another smile.
"I know you have, and honestly, I'm finding it difficult to defend him right now," I answered honestly. Draco gave me a smile in return. I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't admit how glad I was he was feeling better. "This doesn't mean you're off the hook either. I just don't want to get into a row while you're still injured."
"So I should drag this out as long as possible," Draco smirked a bit more.
"Like you weren't already planning to do that," I couldn't help but giggle.
With that I pulled myself further up on the bed, sitting directly next to him. Draco didn't seem to have a complaint as he closed the last of the distance between us, leaning his head against my shoulder. Letting out a small sigh, he settled himself in. Not a moment passed before he closed his eyes, looking as though he just needed me to set up as his pillow, before getting some proper sleep. I reached out to pet his hair, feeling as though I should let him have his rest. Though I was sure that he would stretch this out for as long as he was able, there was no doubt he really had been hurt. Whatever the words he had said were, looking at him now I didn't believe they could be deserving of such barbaric action.
"Why must you always be so hard-headed?" I grumbled softly, moving the fringe away from his face. "Careless, impulsive idiot. You're just as bad as the simpleton with his birch-tree."
"I'm a what, with which tree?" Draco's perfectly clear voice called out. Not as tired as I had thought.
"You're like the story of The Fool and the Birch-Tree," I smiled down at him. He kept a look of confusion on his face, making me roll my eyes. "Don't be like that, I know you know that story."
"I don't," he answered seriously. Draco sat up for a second to look at my expression more closely, before settling back onto my shoulder with a shake of his head. "Don't tell me, this is one of those stories you're convinced everyone knows, when really it's some old eastern myth you only learned about because your 'Buba' or whatever taught it to you as a child."
"No?" I mumbled, though it came off sounding like a question. Either way, I shook my head. "It doesn't matter. Essentially, it means you live your life riding on dumb luck and the intelligence and kindness of others who are willing to save you from your own stupidity."
"I thought you didn't want to argue with me," Draco grumbled, eyes still closed.
"I don't…" I began but stopped with a sigh. "Again, it doesn't matter. Just… take some time to rest. An hour or two of rest should do you some good, don't stretch this out longer than it has to."
"Because you don't want to miss dinner?" Draco chuckled lightly. I simply shrugged in response. That wasn't it, but I let him accept that as the answer. "If anything we'll just make the house-elves fetch us a few things. We can have dinner later, the two of us. Let me rest."
With that Draco leaned himself against my neck. I let out a sigh and resumed petting his head, just as we were. He was right, he needed the rest and we could worry about details later, but we would need to have a talk about this soon. And I would also need to have a talk with George… Not wanting to focus on that any more than I currently had to, I shook my head and reached for a nearby book. Looked to be a medical text of Madam Pomfrey's. It wasn't much, but it was something to do.
Madam Pomfrey didn't look too pleased when she returned. Either from us, or from Umbridge, I wasn't sure, but she seemed rather preoccupied from the moment she walked in. Half expecting she would immediately shush me out of the infirmary, I closed the book and kept an eye on her. But instead, she mumbled something under her breath, spun around, and made herself busy at the other end of the room. With that, I decided to ignore the issue altogether and continued on in my reading.
An hour or so passed, as far as I could tell, as we sat on the bed. Draco remained breathing delicately, settled up against my arm. Even Madam Pomfrey had stepped out, leaving no noise from her busywork to take up the room. It was quiet, peaceful, the perfect environment to let Draco get his rest. It was, at least, until a loud and obnoxious whistle erupted in the room.
"Malfoy!" a very loud Miles called, the rest of the Slytherin team trailing behind him. At the sight, and sound, I let out a groan and closed my book, knowing I wouldn't get a chance to finish. "And here we thought we'd find you writhing in pain."
"I had my nose broken," Draco scowled over to them. I turned down to him in surprise; just as before, he had been so quiet I thought he had been sleeping, but apparently he was wide awake.
"Still, you don't look like you're suffering to me," Cassius gave him a smirk before turning his expression up to me. "Volkov, is this what you do when you're feeling guilty, because—"
"Why should I feel guilty?" I frowned back, sitting myself up. With a sigh, Draco pulled himself off my shoulder, leaning himself up as well.
"It was your little boyfriend that did this, wasn't it?" he continued, making me frown some more.
"You do remember you have a boyfriend?" Adrian chimed in. At that, Draco finally spoke up.
"Would you shut up!" he yelled, running his hands through his hair before sitting up straight. "You're all giving me a headache. Why are you here?"
"Well, the team thought we should come and see how you were," Graham stepped up in between the rest of his team, "figured we should thank you and all."
"Thank him? For what?" I asked suspiciously. They looked between each other before smirking. In the motion, I noticed someone was missing. "And where's Vincent?"
"Crabbe's got lines," Miles answered in a jokey manner, making the others laugh.. "But wait until you hear what the Gryffindors got for beating your face in."
"Well?" Draco insisted, more invested now noting the tone. I gave them a careful look but listened, interested as well.
"McGonagall went up to her office with them to give them their punishment," Graham began with a smirk. "Apparently, she decided to give them detention for a week."
"What?" I leaned past Draco towards them with a frown. "A week of detention is not nearly enough punishment! They assaulted him, broke his nose and—"
"Volkov, and here I thought you were changing your house colours to red," Miles interrupted, but I chose to ignore him.
"That can't possibly be considered as enough punishment! Did you make an appeal on his behalf?" I continued, ignoring the mixture of smiles between them.
"Didn't have to," Cassius smirked, turning to the others. Miles took his turn to continue their unnecessarily long explanation.
"Apparently, there's another decree Umbridge just put through," he spoke slowly, smiling maleficently. "This one lets her override any professor's decided punishment if she doesn't agree, signed by the Minister of Magic himself..."
"And?" Draco called impatiently at the pause. Miles with a smile rubbed his hands together, then pointed to team captain for the dramatic reveal.
"Lifetime ban!" Graham smiled with crossed arms.
"Lifetime ban," Draco mirrored his smile, moving to the edge of his bed.
"Lifetime ban? From quidditch?" I asked from behind Draco's back.
"They can never play again, at least at Hogwarts, not that either of them could go pro," Graham chuckled just as those behind him did.
"Oh, and that other Weasley too; the twin," Adrian added the last bit, realizing Ronald was now part of the team too.
"Fred? But he didn't touch him," I frowned, trying to think if I was remembering that correctly. The girls had been holding onto him, but the look I saw on his face told me he was ready to join the other two, and I wasn't sure if they had been able to restrain him the whole time. Everything happened rather quickly, and my vision had been blocked for most of it.
"Well, he damn well wanted to. You sure ruffled them up," Graham laughed loudly.
"Still, I'm not sure that's a just punishment either. Seems too harsh—Oh, don't give me that look!" I frowned as Draco turned back to frown at me. "You're not completely blameless here, either, need I remind you. But I told you, we weren't going to argue now. All I'm saying is, you're lucky all they found was the goat's head."
"What goat?" Draco asked, turning completely, sounding more confused now. "Is this still about your stupid Russian stories?"
"It's not stupid!" I interjected. "And if you knew it, you'd understand why it's relevant."
"It is stupid, I don't have to know it to know that," Draco snapped back.
"You can't pass judgement on something you literally know nothing about!"
"I just did!"
"Awww, look at them and their lover's quarrel," Cassius cooed at us.
"Shut up," both Draco and I snapped, earning us a chuckle from the team.
"What's this noise?" Madam Pomfrey interrupted, returning to the infirmary. "He needs his rest, not this ruckus. Come now, out with the lot of you."
"We're going, just wanted to say congrats on a job well done," Graham smirked, as Goyle gave a careful look at the nurse.
"Maybe next time we can get them to break your legs instead. Might even get them expelled—I'm joking, of course," Miles added quickly, noting the look Madam Pomfrey shot towards him. She kept the expression as they scuttled out of the room. After a moment she turned from the door they had just exited from down to us. Seeing as that wasn't enough for us to understand what else she wanted, she stepped closer to us.
"You too," Madam Pomfrey spoke up, pointing to me.
"Why?" Draco protested on my behalf, but I shook my head.
"No, she's right, I should go. I told you, you need your rest, it's best if I go," I called, standing from the bed. As I straightened my robes out, just now realizing I was still wearing my uniform, I noticed Draco continue to frown. With a smile, I leaned down and kissed his forehead. "I'll come check up on you later. If anything you could take this as encouragement to get better, but for now get some rest."
"Yeah, yeah," Draco grumbled under his breath, but a small smile remained on his face.
Carefully stepping past an annoyed nurse, I exited the Hospital Wing and into the corridor. From there, I began to descend the stairs, but with a pause, I stayed holding onto the handrail. Turning behind me, I glanced back towards the tower stairs, but with a shake of my head, I continued on my way down. I would need to have a talk with George soon, but now wasn't the time.
Before I reached the dungeon I decided to turn back out towards the pitch. I had left my clothes in the changing room, and decided I should change back. Having begun to take off my uniform, I noted the pin on the outer layer of my robes, the one Draco had placed there. He seemed so proud of himself, which had probably not helped George's mood during the match. He seemed caught off guard throughout the whole thing, making me have second thoughts about what I had agreed to. But, it was far too late to regret that now. Finishing changing into my usual robes, I let out a sigh and returned to the castle.
By the time I had finished, it looked as though dinner was done. There were a few students still in the Great Hall, though they seemed to be finishing up as the rest had already emptied out. For a moment I lingered at the entrance. Still, I wasn't too hungry, so I chose to wait for Draco, as I was sure he wasn't joking when he mentioned we should have dinner later. If he was released tonight, then we could certainly have our own meal in the kitchen or dungeon. With that, I turned the rest of the way down the dungeon, eventually reaching the common room.
"Where is Draco?" Pansy spoke up almost as soon as I entered the area.
"He's still in the hospital—he's fine!" I quickly added, noting the panic on her face. "Madam Pomfrey just wanted to keep him on for some rest. He should be out by tonight, if not tomorrow. If anything this will just be another Buckbeak incident, and he'll just spend the next month faking an injury."
"Maybe they'll sentence someone else to death this time too," Blaise perked up. I shot him a look knowing just what he meant by that but, from beside me, Pansy let out a sigh.
"Good, that's good… Um, thanks…" Pansy mumbled, turning back. I looked behind me, sure she must have been talking to someone else, but no one was there.
"I'm sorry, do I have the wrong common room?" I asked, still confused at her words and tone. More in character, Pansy rolled her eyes at me. Seeming as though that information was all she was waiting for, Pansy turned away from the group and headed off to the stairs to our room. I stayed standing, still confused, until I heard a giggle a few steps away.
"She was just worried about him," Daphne called faintly, scooting a bit to the side from her seat on the couch. She patted the space next to her, inviting me to sit. Agreeing with a nod, I moved to the seat beside her, to which she continued. "It looked pretty bad, even from the stands; she just wanted to make sure he was alright."
"I'm surprised she didn't go up to visit him, if she was so worried," I mentioned, to which Blaise let out a laugh.
"What good would it have done when all Malfoy would've paid attention to is your coddling," Blaise continued to smirk. In turn, I frowned down.
"It's not that," Daphne lectured in a stern voice, kicking in Blaise's direction. Not being as tough as she tried, Blaise kept the smirk on his face, unaffected. Daphne let out a huff in his direction before turning back to me. "It's not, really. She wanted to go, but you know how Madam Pomfrey is. She kicks everyone out. We couldn't even be sure you had stayed there. We all saw you take him into the castle, but when you didn't return right away we thought you might have gone to see the Gryffindor."
"That or, due to your experience in medical rooms, she actually let you stay. You would hopefully know the proper etiquette for staying in a hospital room environment," Theo added next to Blaise, who rolled his eyes.
"Or, more likely, I just figured Malfoy begged for you to stay," Blaise chuckled, to which I frowned. He had asked, but I wouldn't call it begging.
"Either way," Daphne called loudly at the two, "I'm glad he's okay. It was hard to tell from the stands, we couldn't be sure if he was faking it or not, but it looked like it hurt."
"Even so, a lifetime ban from Quidditch... that probably wasn't any more pleasant," Theodore mumbled, making me turn to him.
"How do you already know about that?" I asked, curious. "The match let out only some hours ago. Did Montague just go around telling everyone he could find about the punishment?"
"I would. If anything, it made me favour Umbridge a bit more." Blaise commented unabashedly. At my obviously unapproving frown, he insisted. "I'm serious, caring about her students like that; I think it's rather sweet."
"And with your long month's history with her, I'm sure your opinion is of the highest caliber," I answered mockingly. Knowing exactly what I meant, Theo gave me a small smile. Noting Blaise's confused expression, I decided to ignore it and moved on.
Instead, we spent some more time talking about nothing in particular. I tried my best to avoid certain topics, like the match or George, but otherwise went along with whatever they suggested. Eventually, Theo decided to call it a night. Apparently, he was planning on getting up early tomorrow to work on restructuring his lessons, much like I was. Theodore had offered to work with me on it, but I declined. At the moment I wanted to stay in the area.
Subconsciously, I kept looking at the common room entrance, hoping to see Draco walk in. But I never did. Instead, Lev came to greet us from upstairs. Most likely Pansy and Millicent had ushered him out of the room. But greeting him more warmly than they did, I pet Lev's head, using his smiling furry face as a distraction. It wasn't just Draco, but George I had to think about. His actions tonight had been way out of line, and I needed to make that clear.
"So does this mean you're dumping the Gryffindor?" Blaise spoke up, as if reading my thoughts. I looked up to him for a moment, before turning back down to Lev.
"No, I'm not breaking up with George," I frowned down at my puppy. "But I will be having a talk with him soon."
"Ooh, a talk? You're sure you want to go that far, Volkov?" Blaise wiggled his fingers mockingly.
"Clearly, you've never had one of her talks," Daphne shifted in her seat next to me. I gave her a small smile in turn.
Hearing some shuffling near the entrance, I quickly turned to look at the source. As the Slytherin hurried up the stairs to his room, I quickly realized it wasn't Draco. I let out a sigh. It wouldn't do me any good to just sit around and do nothing. With that in mind, I leaned down to kiss Lev on the head before standing.
"I'm stepping out," I called out, watching as my puppy followed suit to stand by my feet.
"Going to visit Draco?" Daphne asked eagerly.
"No, he needs to rest, and Madam Pomfrey already let me stay for far longer than I believe she'd like," I frowned, still somewhat resentful she had tossed me out, albeit understanding. "No, I think I just need to step out for a minute."
I gave the two a small wave, not wanting to reveal any more information, and headed out. Noting the stillness of the corridor, I took the opportunity to step into the Room, beside the stairs. Once inside, Lev circled my feet a moment before moving to his food dish. Normally I preferred to provide him with fresher ingredients, but I didn't have many choices outside of home, and if he had any real complaints he knew where the kitchens were. Pulling a book off my shelf, I settled into my chair with some parchment. If I was going to spend the night worrying, I may as well use that time for something productive. Lev jumped onto my lap as I began taking notes.
A few moments passed before Lev stood, letting out a loud bark. He hopped off my lap and hurried towards the door, announcing someone else's entrance. I turned with a smile, expecting Draco had been released. Unfortunately, that's not who I found. As he turned to look down at Lev, I used the time to compose myself. By the time he looked back up, I had steadied my expression.
"I was hoping you'd be in here," George mumbled, with a careful look to Lev. "You weren't at dinner."
"I wasn't hungry..."
That was all I could think to say. We were quiet, for longer than I would have liked. Since the visit to the Hospital Wing, I had been thinking of a number of things, this talk being one of them. I knew it would have to have happened sooner or later, but I suppose I had hoped it would be a little later. But if I learned anything from past arguments, it was that delaying the inevitable only makes the wait longer, it doesn't resolve anything.
As he entered further into the room, I rose from my chair. George waited for me, arms crossed. At our feet, Lev's voice piped up again. Realizing the barking wasn't going to help either of us, I instructed him out. He huffed for a moment but, seeing I meant it, Lev followed suit and exited the room, most likely going to the kitchens now that he lay unsupervised. George stayed watching me, waiting. He was right, there was no good way to start this conversation, I simply needed to start it. Looking down for a moment, I turned back up to give him a look.
"You're going to have to apologize."
George scoffed at my demand, on his face a mixture of humor and annoyance.
"Alright, that's good, starting off with a joke," George chuckled with no humor. "Way to break the tension a bit."
"I'm not joking," I frowned up in return.
"You've got to be," he continued, taking a step forward. "I'm the one that needs to apologize to you?"
"Not to me, Draco."
"Now you're really joking," George interrupted, a bit more humor in his face.
"I'm not," I frowned once more, stepping closer to him as well.
"Then you've gone mad."
"You broke his nose!"
"He deserved it!" George raised his tone once more, making me take a step back. Realizing he had taken a tone harsher than he'd meant, George rubbed his neck before starting again. "Either way, I'm sure he's fine. Madam Pomfrey has done a lot more than a single broken nose."
"He's healed; that's not the point," I insisted.
"I thought that was the point," George contradicted, making me sigh. This wasn't going as well as I had hoped, but I couldn't say it wasn't what I expected.
"You broke his nose, George. You physically broke his nose," I repeated, not understanding just how I needed to say those words before he understood them. "You can't just go around resorting to muggle sparring anytime someone upsets you, with words of all things."
"Muggle sparring," George repeated with a tone. He shook his head before looking back down at me. "He's really rubbing off on you, isn't he."
"He's not rubbing anything on me!" I exclaimed, deciding on ignoring how that sounded. "It is a fact, that is how muggles spar. They have no other option but to resort to physical violence. I mean it not in regards to the Muggles themselves, but to the savage nature of the act."
"What about what he did? Better yet, what about what you did?" he turned down to lecture me.
"What did I do?" I demanded, returning his expression.
"You're telling me you suddenly got an urge to play Quidditch this morning?" George asked. It took me a moment to reply to him.
"Did you think me that bad?"
"Now you joke," George threw up his hands at me. "Don't twist my words. You know why I'm bringing it up."
"Why are you bringing it up?" I asked through feigned innocence. George rolled his eyes at me. "I wanted to join my team, it's not the most surprising thing in the world, is it?"
"If you'd really wanted to play then great, fantastic. Hell, I would've practiced with you. But that's not what this was about," he called pointedly. For the first time since he'd entered, George took a few steps deeper into the room, away from me. Looking as he faced the back wall, I began to run my fingers through my hair.
"I don't see what's so wrong with what I did," I argued softly, not believing myself.
"And that's the problem, isn't it," George turned back to face me. "Fine, let's go along with it; let's say you were just playing for fun. If that was it, then why didn't you tell me?"
"Because then it would've ruined it," I answered honestly, not being able to think of anything proper to say. George gave me a look, sure his point was made. "My team has done far worse than this. It was a strategy. I was supposed to be a distraction—"
"Yes, obviously it was going to be a distraction! If I'd hit you with a Bludger—" George cut himself off, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Tell me it wasn't your idea, at least."
"Graham," I shook my head to answer.
"Of course it was," George hissed with a frown. "Flint was an ass, but even he wouldn't try to pull shit like this."
Normally at this point, I would ask him to correct his language, but that didn't feel appropriate now. It wouldn't have benefited either of us. But besides that, I couldn't find what to say. Seemingly feeling the same way, George stopped his rant. Silence lingered thick in the air. A moment passed before George let out a jagged breath, turning down to me. He let out a smile, but it wasn't a happy one.
"You really don't see what's so wrong with what you've done, do you?"
"Gryffindor house gets granted points left and right, I was simply trying to give my team an advantage," I lied. George looked at me for a moment, not sure if that was the truth. But I couldn't tell him what the truth actually was. If he knew I had decided to join based solely on the fact that it would mean spending more time with Draco, then I wouldn't see the end to this discussion. "Why are we still talking about that? Are we just going to forget about what started this whole thing? You broke Draco's nose."
"This again?" George took a few steps closer to me. "You are being such a hypocrite."
"Excuse me?" I frowned, at not just his words but his tone.
"A hypocrite is someone—"
"I know what a hypocrite is! You know that's not what I meant," I huffed at the tone. "Why am I suddenly a hypocrite for being upset that you broke my best friend's nose!"
"Should I have poisoned him instead?" George asked jokingly. "Would you have helped with that, then? Or better yet, next time I'll suggest we throw him into the lake."
"That's not funny," I crossed my arms, irritated. "And all of those were well deserved."
"And you don't think this was? His well-rehearsed song, and that little badge you wore?" George called out, looking down at where the badge had laid earlier today. When I didn't answer, he went on. "Would those have hurt the surprise as well? And even without that, didn't you hear what he said before I beat his face in?"
"No, I didn't. But it doesn't matter. Of course, he would say something rude like that; he was upset. He'd just lost the match, what did you think would happen?" I spat out.
"By that logic, I was upset, so I was justified in breaking his nose!"
"Words and actions are completely different—"
"Would you just stop!" George interrupted once more, and I did. I paused for a moment, watching him. His shoulders were set, and his posture was stiff, clearly irritated. "Stop defending him as if there is anything redeemable in that brat. We always go through this. Every time that git does some shit like this, you get up in arms about defending him. I get that he's a friend, and you've known him for a long time, and all that other dribble. But just because you've been with someone for a long time, that doesn't mean you're right together."
"You just don't know him like I do is all," I insisted.
"Sure, I'm sure he's not an arrogant, muggle-hating cretin when I'm not around," George replied, clearly scornfully. "I bet he even supports house-elves' rights. Has he heard of Hermione's little organization yet? Bet he'd love to co-run that."
"I get your point—"
"No, you don't," George shook his head, "you don't get it. And that's what upsets me. You treat him like he's some puppy, your precious little pet. Like for some reason, it's your job to protect him, running around cleaning up after his messes."
"Yes, he can be difficult," I raised my voice, annoyed at the constant interruptions, "but what does that have to do with you breaking his nose."
"Kitty…" George began, but drifted off.
This time, his tone was different than that I'd heard before. It was usually loving, and playful. Now, it was still soft, but stern, tired, like lecturing a child. I'd always hated that tone. It was nauseating, being talked to that way. I wasn't a child, I could think for myself. He was acting like he was scolding, having come here to lecture me. George was the one who physically attacked not just any simple student but someone he knew I cared for, and over a few sour words. Interrupting me every other word, he was the one acting like a child.
"George—"
"I'm tired, Katerina," George interrupted me once more, but this time I was thrown.
"You're tired?" I repeated, confused at the change in tone. Instinctively I turned to the clock, but George shook his head.
"I'm sick and tired of having the same argument with you, over and over," George gave me a sigh.
"Then why do you keep bringing it up?" I asked. At that, George let out a laugh. It faded quickly, leaving nothing from him but a weary look.
"I don't know," George chuckled softly. "Maybe I'm hoping one of these times you will actually be willing to budge, for once in your life."
"I budge plenty," I argued. Instead of disagreeing like I was expecting he would, George paused to look at me. Placing his hands in his pockets, he turned to look down.
"You haven't noticed, have you?" George spoke quietly, looking back at me. "That every argument we've had up until now, you've gotten your way."
I didn't respond right away, choosing to stay quiet, thinking about what he was saying. I hadn't exactly been keeping score, but of course, I would try to get my way in any argument. That was the whole point of having an argument. But if he thought it significant enough to bring it up, could it really be that one-sided? I didn't have time to finish that thought before he resumed.
"Even if it hasn't always been exactly what you wanted, it was still your way," George continued, ignoring my pause. "And do you know why that is? It's because I let you."
"What does that mean?" I spoke up defensively. "You let me?"
"You think I want to spend an hour arguing with my girlfriend each time we have a disagreement on something?" he went on, rubbing his neck in annoyance. "Argue with you when I know, even if I showed you step by step how wrong you are, you would still find a way to justify yourself?"
"Do you really think me that rigid?"
"What do you think this is?" George exclaimed, stretching his arms out to the room.
Slowly putting his arms down, George stepped closer, until he stood directly in front of me. Closing what little distance there was between us, he leaned down and touched our foreheads. I tried to turn my head but George raised his hands to either side of my face, holding me in place. I frowned up, and he wasn't smiling back.
"I know you're not going to change your mind. I know that, for whatever idiotic reason, you really think you've done nothing wrong, that I'm the one being unreasonable. Hell, maybe you realize you are wrong, but you just don't want to admit it. Frankly, I don't care which it is," George sighed, pulling his head back, away from mine. "And… I know how much you hate being scolded, but right now you're acting like a child. But I'm not about to spend another hour of my time screaming into a room that might as well be empty."
"George—"
"Don't; don't George me," he interrupted. Slowly he took his hands from my face. Still, he looked at me for a moment. George raised his hand to move a strand of hair from my face and, at that, he let out a sigh. "I'm going to bed, it's late. I suggest you do the same."
"Really… George—"
But he didn't let me finish. Still holding the side of my face, George leaned in and kissed me. Not seeming as interested as he normally was with that, he pulled back with a dull look on his face, and turned to the threshold.
"Goodnight, Katerina."