(A/N: Sorry this is so late! I can't believe it's been almost five months since my last update! Time flies… More apologies later.)
Draco left Severus' office more confused than he had been when he entered. Not only had his dilemma remained unsolved, but Trysten's life had become a mystery to him as well. The similarities between their lives had only served to mystify him even more, as well as make him wonder about the other intricacies of Trysten's life.
"Do you mind if I walk with you?" A voice asked, startling and nearly making Draco lose control of his emotional mask. Looking over to see Trysten, Draco let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding.
"No, of course not," Draco murmured, the words out of his mouth before he could realize how kind they were. He cursed himself inwardly, but stopped when his words were rewarded with a brilliant smile from Trysten. She matched her pace to his, their steps echoing in the empty corridor. Draco glanced over at her, noticing her eyes were downcast slightly. He cleared his throat slightly, wanting to break the odd silence that had enveloped them. "You… have Divination this afternoon, correct?" Trysten had jumped at his words, as though she was unused to walking with company, but Draco pretended not to notice as she smiled at him gently.
"Yes, I do." She blushed, most likely remembering what had occurred at the last Divination session, as she unconsciously massaged her injured hand.
Draco's eyes flickered down to the movement and he frowned, ever so slightly. "Does it still bother you?" Trysten looked at him, eyes swimming with confusion. "Your hand," he specified.
"Oh," Trysten murmured, blushing. She glanced down at her hand, looking it over for a moment. "A bit. Not nearly so bad as before, but it still twinges a bit." Her gaze remained on the bandaging.
Meanwhile, Draco fought an inward battle. His instincts told him to say something comforting, but he found the thought very un-Malfoy-like. After a few moments of silence, he settled for a soft, "Mm." He inwardly cursed himself, but got over it quickly enough. The door to Divination loomed closely by, and Draco searched for something to say before they went through the door. He found the decision ripped from his hands, however, as Trysten stopped a few feet from the door and placed a hand on his upper arm to cease his movement as well. He stopped, his back to the door.
Trysten had been slightly disappointed by Draco's response to her answer, but didn't show it in the slightest. In fact, she scolded herself for feeling that way. As they walked, she sneaked glances at the blonde beside her, mind running over what had happened in Severus' office. 'He knows so much about me now…I wonder what he thinks of me now…' The door to Divination was but a few feet away when Trysten made an impulsive decision, reaching out and stopping Draco. She blushed slightly as her fingers made contact with his skin, a soft tingle erupting.
She gently cleared her throat and met his eyes for a split second, before looking downwards and speaking. "Draco, about what you heard in Sev's office today… I'm sorry you had to hear all that." She glanced up at him, only to find he was listening intently, face its usual blank state. "I interrupted your meeting with him, and I told you things you probably would've been better off not knowing." She sighed slightly, a self-depreciative smirk adorning her lips. "You know what they say, burden your friends and you'll soon have none left."
Draco tried not to let his surprise show when she referenced him as a friend. 'Are we friends?' He wondered. A small thought of 'Do I want it to be more?' slipped in before he could banish it properly. He looked at Trysten and realized she was expecting some sort of response. "It…It's fine, Trysten." He mentally kicked himself for using her first name, but made sure none of it showed. He recognized the insecurity in her eyes and smiled softly. "If your friends don't help you deal with your burdens, are they really your friends?" He smiled at her a moment longer before turning and walking into class, the smile effectively vanished from his face.
Trysten stood where Draco left her, his words ringing in her head with an unrealized truth. She took a step then stopped. 'Does that mean he considers me a friend?' She shook her head slightly, banishing the thought, and entered Divination, not noticing the pairs of green and grey eyes that followed her. She walked up to Firenze, smiling at him brightly.
"Are you up for the same thing again today?" Firenze asked gently.
"You know it," she responded happily.
"Alright," Firenze assented, smiling back at the girl. "It is all set up for you."
Harry Potter had just walked into Divination when two figures walking down the hallway caught his eye. He tucked into a corner just inside the classroom, observing them as they walked in silence. He was getting bored when they suddenly stopped. He leaned towards them, listening to the words they spoke. 'Friends? The girl and Malfoy are friends? Merlin, now I know she's Dark.' He ducked back inside as Malfoy walked by, but kept his narrowed eyes on the girl. He watched her as she entered the class and went to Firenze, but turned his eyes to Ron and Hermione while she discussed with the centaur. He walked over to them, sitting down surreptitiously. "Moonjade was walking with Malfoy. They seemed…. friendly," he told them, spitting out the word.
"Where is she?" Hermione asked, looking about the room.
"She's right-" Harry paused, looking at the now solitary Firenze. He scanned the room, getting frustrated. "Where did she go?"
(A/N: I realize this is inexcusably short, especially after the agonizingly long wait I've put you through, but life has been beyond stressful lately, not to mention I hit a sort of wall in this story. I shall be doing my best to update soon—I know I said that last time, but I mean it!—and hopefully I'll be starting another piece as well, for which inspiration hit me like a tidal wave. It'll be my version of the seventh Harry Potter book, though (hopefully) not nearly so long as the ones by JK. If you like my writing style, or simply need to read another story, I have also been writing two 'books' of my own creation (though I hardly have time to type them up any more—don't worry, there's much there already). They are at my website, along with this story. The website is: www. geocities .com/ marasheftu (without the spaces, o'course)
In summary, I AM continuing this story, but seem to run out of time consistently… Sorry for the lateness and length, again! I'll be trying to update weekly, or bi-weekly, and not setting a length minimum for myself. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope another will be up soon!)
