Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters.

Chapter Two

Millicent's News

Pansy got to platform 9 ¾ at exactly ten o'clock. After kissing her parents good-bye, she glanced around for Draco until she spotted him standing with his father, the tall Lucius Malfoy murmuring something in Draco's ear. When the young blonde noticed Pansy, he smiled slightly, left his father's side, and approached her. Pansy smiled back.

"Hey Parkinson. Come on, Crabbe and Goyle are saving our seats. Out of the way, Weasleys."

Draco shoved past two tall identical Weasley twins, and Pansy glanced back at them disapprovingly before entering the cabin with Draco. Crabbe and Goyle sat on opposite sides, fists clenched.

"Did anyone try to knick our seats?" Draco asked, plopping down beside Goyle.

Draco sneered, leaning back in his seat, arms crossed.

"Think we'll have many classes with Gryffindors this year?" he said.

Pansy smirked. "You know we will."

"Haven't even seen Potter yet," Draco noted. "Maybe I'll be lucky and it'll stay that way. Maybe his lousy Muggle family locked him in the closet for good this time."

Crabbe and Goyle laughed but Pansy rolled her eyes. "But you know you love to make fun of him."

Draco smiled. "Yeah, well I've got to get my kicks somehow."

Pansy had planned on keeping her long stay at the Manor a secret from Millicent. She knew that Millicent had a bit of a thing for Draco, and she didn't want to hurt her feelings. But Millicent had a habit of knowing peoples' business, and it wasn't soon before she found out about Pansy's summer whereabouts.

"So that's why you couldn't come to my summer home," Millicent said in a strangely calm voice, although her neck was twitching. "Why didn't you tell me? We could have all done something."

"I didn't think of it really," Pansy lied.

"Well I wonder why he didn't invite me?" Millicent said. "I guess he doesn't want to make things too obvious."

"What?"

Millicent laughed. "Oh please, Parkinson." She raised her eyebrows at Pansy knowingly. "Draco did write me all summer."

Pansy didn't really know how to respond—she hadn't been aware that they had been writing, and she felt a strange pain in the pit of her stomach that she didn't quite understand. Why did she care that Draco had been writing to Millicent? She didn't…did she?

Millicent said nothing else about the matter of Draco Malfoy until their first class—potions—where she tended to make a habit of waving to Draco frantically until he noticed her—his eyes were usually on Pansy.

"Hey Parkinson," Draco whispered halfway through the lesson. Pansy peered over from her cauldron (she had partnered with Millicent). "They're holding Quidditch tryouts today. Do you want to come watch me try out?"

"Okay," Pansy whispered. She turned to Millicent. "I have to get something from the cupboard."

"You do? We have everything right here…"

But Pansy ignored her and motioned for Draco to follow her.

"Okay," she said when they reached the other side of the room. "But I have to tell Millicent that I'm going because she's trying out, otherwise…"

"Yeah," Draco said, glancing at Millicent. "She's a little weird, isn't she?"

Pansy shrugged. "I just think she'd be jealous if I was going for you and not for her."

Draco smiled. "Well, then you're coming for both of us, aren't you?"

What Draco said might have been true, but when she was sitting in the stands between Crabbe and Goyle, she kept her eyes on Draco. However, Millicent flew first, trying out for Chaser, and she did well. Pansy gave Millicent the thumbs up as she landed and strode across the grassy field, but Millicent merely nodded at Pansy before running over and giving Draco a high-five, who smirked as he was called up first to try out for seeker. It looked to Pansy as if Seeker tryouts involved who could catch the snitch in the quickest time—if they could catch it at all. Draco managed to catch it in about ten minutes, what with the lack of the bothersome bludgers and other team members. She could have sworn that the other person who tried out for Seeker caught it in about half the time as Draco, but Draco seemed unbothered by this. She saw Marcus Flint smiling and talking with Draco and ignoring the other person, until he hung her head and walked off the field, cursing under his breath. Draco sauntered over to Pansy and the others, Millicent right at his heel.

"You made it?" Pansy asked.

"He did! Didn't he fly well?" Millicent boasted. Draco smiled slightly and nodded at Crabbe and Goyle to stand up and follow him out.

Pansy sighed and followed him, too.

"Congratulations then," she said as they entered the castle. He looked at her oddly but said nothing until they entered the common room and sat down by the fire, the other Slytherins clapping and patting him on the back for making Seeker.

"Something bothering you, Pansy?" Draco asked.

"No," Pansy said, avoiding his eyes. Draco looked at her for a moment before he was distracted by a flask shoved into his hands. A fifth year whispered something in his ear and Draco smiled, raised his flask to Pansy, and emptied it in one impressive gulp.

"It's finally happened!"

Millicent came bounding into the dorm at eleven o'clock at night, some weeks later, when Pansy had retreated early to bed after a long day of classes and studying. She lifted her head up groggily from her pillow and stared warily at Millicent, who wore a broad smile on her face.

"What's happened?" she asked. Millicent began to throw off her robes, taking her time to answer as if wanting to leave Pansy in suspense, but Pansy finally lost interest and was just about to sink back into sleep when Millicent's loud voice broke the silence.

"Draco kissed me."

Pansy's eyes were open at once. Her heart felt like it had been stabbed, and she frowned at the strange feeling.

"He did?"

"Yes!" Millicent beamed, sighing with joy. Pansy rolled over as not to face Millicent and closed her eyes. Are you two dating now? She wanted to ask. Is he…what does he kiss like? But Pansy kept her mouth shut. Why did she even want to know these things, and why did she feel so suddenly immensely jealous at the thought of Millicent and Draco together? Draco and she had been friends for about a year now—and the same with Millicent. Friends were bound to date each other.

So why did she feel so odd?