Although Prudence knew that the words coming from her Head Master's mouth were very important, she just could not pay attention. He and her Head of House were apparently very worried about her curse and the trials she may have to over come by being in her particular house. They had come up with some theories that they wanted to try out in order to lift the curse and hoped that she would be open to trying them out. She smiled and nodded, doing her best to seem interested...she was thankful for their concern, but Draco's show of concern had her more preoccupied.
She kept replaying over in her mind what had just happened in class, the way he asked her so suddenly, like he truly cared... Again, it made her ashamed for giving him the cold shoulder. He just had this sort of power of her that made her tongue tied and nervous...
Merlin's Beard! It just occurred to her that the entire time she sat beside him doing her best to sort her torrid thoughts, that she didn't remember once that he more than likely treated her good friend Hermione poorly. How could that dire information just escape her? Actually! Was it him that uttered the 'M' word yesterday when her curse knocked her down? And was he speaking about Hermione when he said it? He did just pass her in the hall whilst she spoke to the muggleborn...He sure was muddling up her normally level headed logic...
And now she felt even more guilty for having feelings for him...
But now she had to tell him about the curse.
"Did you have a good morning?" Daphne asked as she sat down beside Pru in the Great Hall for some lunch. She then popped an orange slice in her mouth and took a swig of juice, but as she set her goblet down she could see the creases of worry in Pru's brow, "What's wrong?"
"He knows about the curse," Pru whispered to her in a nervous tone.
"What? How?" Daphne knew Pru was hesitant the night before to tell him, so she was surprised that it happened already.
"Well...he asked me, so I told him."
"You told him!" Daphne all but screamed.
"Shh! No, not everything! I just told him I was cursed, not how."
Millie heard Daphne's shrill from where her and Prudence sat just a little ways down the table. So Millie took it upon herself to perk her ears and do her best to listen even closer. A smug smile graced her lips when she heard Pru's not so quiet response...so she was cursed. This was exactly the type of information Pansy has been searching for.
Draco sat in the common room completely alone. He had skipped his last class because he just didn't feel right continuing on with his normal routine with such an odd predicament resting uneasily on his shoulders.
She was cursed. It was boggling his mind trying to figure out why he still had a very strong feeling that it still had something to do with him. This curse made her fall and lose her breath? What triggered it? And at that exact moment she entered the room?
And how could this girl that he barely know at all already be the only thing he can think about...
Pansy was ecstatic! Millie's new information was exactly what she needed in order to try and eliminate the dumb girl that her Draco had been fawning all over. Prudence was cursed, and it made her keel over. Pansy kept thinking up all the morbid possibilities she could make come true if she only knew more.
"Well did you hear anything else? How can I make her collapse again!"
"No, that's all I could hear, they were whispering. You're lucky I even heard that much," Millie huffed.
Pansy glared at her loyal bodyguard not appreciating the attitude, "Well, we have to find out."
Prudence found herself sitting on a stone bench in a deserted torch lit hall. She needed a moment to wrap her head around everything she's had to deal with...
She began her day hating Draco, then liking Draco, and then feeling very guilty for doing so! Why did he have to be a Purist...?
Her heart was screaming one thing while her brain screamed back an equally valid argument...
"Prudence?"
Pru jerked up out of her reverie to see Harry Potter walking toward her with a sheepish grin on his face. "Harry, hello," she said lightly.
He took a seat beside her nonchalantly as she smirked at his brown fitted Quittich pads, and the sleek broom he held in his hand.
"So how is Hogwarts so far?" he asked properly.
She had to laugh, "You do know I was sorted into Slythrin...and I bunk with Pansy Parkinson?"
"I thought you said they weren't so bad?" he chided her playfully.
Pru looked down at her feet remembering when she said that, before all the drama, "I guess I'm just trying to get use to it."
"Well at least all the rumors going around aren't bad ones..." He said with a shrug.
Pru looked at him a bit shocked, "What rumors?"
Harry wanted to laugh at how cute she looked when she was thrown off guard, "Well you're the first person to get sick from house elf food.."
That one Pru felt a bit bad about, but it was better than the truth.
"...and you punched Pansy! That's brilliant..."
Yeah, she knew people would find out about that one quickly, she was glad nobody had inquired about the incident to her...
"...Then there's the panty show in McGonagall's this morning..."
Prudence immediately covered her face in shock and embarrassment, she knew that her skirt got caught on the edge of someones satchel buckle, but she thought she caught it in time! How humiliating! She could hear Harry chuckling as she kept her face covered.
"Don't worry, I don't think anyone minded...so I've heard!" He added quickly.
Pru dropped her hands dramtically and sighed while shaking her head,"I'm a mess," she laughed. She took a peek at the smiling, and trying very hard to not laugh anymore, wizard beside her. He was quite adorable with emerald green eyes that crinkled when he smiled.
Why didn't she feel a spark with him?
He stood then, and clapped his hand gently on her shoulder. He wished that he could stay and talk to her all evening, but he promised Ron they wouldn't toss the quaffle around a bit. She was so lovely to speak to and smart and funny...He honestly didn't have time for crushes though. If he did than she would definitely be worth chasing...
Pru looked up at him to smile as he told her, "Just try to watch where you're walking when you wear see-through undergarments..."
"Harry!" She exclaimed in shock at his outspokenness.
He only gave her a wide cheeky grin in return, "Evening Pru."
"Evening Harry."
Draco had been walking around for about a half hour with no particular destination. He hated to admit it to himself, but his aimless wandering had a purpose, he was looking for her. The longer he walked though, the more foolish he felt...she was doing that to him a lot lately.
Before he could even hear the chiming of her laugh he could feel the tingling than ran the length of his spine when he knew she was near. The feeling was followed by hearing her exclaim "Harry!" in a happy voice...
A monster name Jealously roared in his chest.
He stopped right before the junction of the hallway, in a dark shadow, just in time to watch Potter flit by with a lazy smile on his stupid face.
Draco felt the rumble of rage inside his chest at the thought of Potty making her laugh and then walking away so contented. He had the beginnings of acidic remarks on his tongue but he held back.
When Draco turned the corner to see her sitting on a bench looking into the air with a distant look in her eye and a small smile on her face he had to gulp a breath of air.
Every time.
Every time he saw her it was like the very first. She took his breath away. He was happy to see her school robe discarded and her beautiful long legs on display. A wave of nerves rolled through his insides but he beat them away brutally, he could not be nervous. It was ridiculous to feel so anxious around her...
"Hey Pru."
This time she looked up to see the man that was taking up all the space in her brain. Her heart tensed up and she felt her body get a few degrees warmer.
"Hello Draco."
He didn't like that his presence made her smile fade and her brow crease up.
Pru took in a steady breath, here she is, faced with the fear of telling him the whole truth once again. She couldn't be positive, but by the relieved look on his face it seemed as if maybe he had been searching for her. His face looked torn, and almost nervous, but in an adorable way... His tie was pulled loose around his neck and the top few buttons were undone. She felt a blush creep onto her cheeks when she noticed the peek of porcelain skin underneath.
He took a tentative step toward her, so Pru scooched over slightly as an invitation for him to sit down.
So he sat, and neither spoke for a moment, each of them wondering what they should say. It seemed neither of them knew how to start the conversation...
Finally Pru summoned some courage and batted down some swirling butterflies, "I suppose...that you would like to know about my curse..."
Draco looked up into her bright ember eyes, she always surprised him with the courage he wished he possessed, "Well it's not like I've been thinking about it all day or anything..." He watched her smile bloom again at his candor and then she looked down in a moment of bashfulness. Draco pounced on the opportunity to memorize every line of her face at such a close proximity.
Her flawless and smooth tan skin looked entirely too enticing. With her bounty of dark hair pulled back into a bun he was able to see the delicate curve of her neck and the angle of her perfect gentle jaw. He could see in detail the shine of gloss over her pouty lips and the curl of her long lashes. Then she began to speak softly.
"Do you know that word...that...some people call muggleborns?"
He noticed that she purposely didn't look up at him as she spoke and he felt her wall that she was keeping up toward him. He knew that when she spoke some people, that she was talking about him...
She meant Mudblood, and by the way she seemed so torn even speaking it he knew that she highly disapproved.
"You mean Mud-"
"No! Don't say it!"
Draco wasn't sure what to react to first, the fact that her soft tiny hand had clapped firmly over his mouth and the feel of her skin on his made him feel a pure jolt of energy?Or that her eyes enlarged so big with fear it was gut wrenching?
Pru let her hand fall as she continued to stare into his eyes a bit shaken. The fear had over taken her and she physically put her hand over his mouth. His lips were cool and felt smooth beneath the palm of her hand. His skin was slightly rough where he had shaven and these were the minute details she memorized in a instant. The contact had made her knees feel weak so she was thankful that she was already sitting down.
She felt silly immediately as his eyes widened in surprise at her like he thought she were a crazy person, "I'm sorry...it's just...please don't say that word." And then she were back to looking down at her shoes, her heart beating so loud she hoped he couldn't hear it.
And then it all clicked into place for Draco.
He fully realized all the turmoil she had been dealing with. The word was taboo to her. It was her curse. And he's the one who said it when she entered the common room! He was responsible for it, that's why she didn't speak to him, why she was so mad at him! It was now utterly obvious she was strictly again Purism...anoter reason she should hate him...
Why was she still even making the effort to be nice to him? Dear Merlin, and she apologized to him that morning!
She was so poised, so mature...so much better than him.
"That's your curse," he stated bluntly.
He watched her fidget with the hem of her skirt, "Yes."
Pru wanted yo know what he was thinking, why he wouldn't say anything else...
"I'm sorry," he finally said quietly, but she laughed it off gently.
"Oh don't be, it's so stu-"
But he cut her off, "Prudence, I'm serious, I'm sorry. It was me who said it yesterday as you entered the common room."
She fell silent, any traces of a smile now gone. There was no debating that yesterday's incident was inadvertently his fault, "You didn't know Draco."
"But I shouldn't have said it all should I have?" Draco felt vulnerable for the first time in a long time. He knew his question carried deep roots, but he couldn't hold back the things that spilled out of his mouth sometimes when she was near him.
Pru didn't understand what he was asking her. Was he asking if he should stop saying it all together? But before her brain could rationalize any more her mouth spoke up, "No, you shouldn't."
Draco continued to stare at her openly as she still kept her gaze down. Her jaw was set firmly and he couldn't help but wonder what was raging inside her head. Did she still dislike him? Did she like him and want him to change?
It all seemed so stupid to him now, the whole mudblood, pureblood thing. She was above it, and it made him want to be above it as well. He's not even sure if he's ever really called anyone else that name beside Granger, and he only did that because he needed something to goad her with-she was so damn smart!
"Then I won't say it," he said casually.
That finally made her look up at him, "What?"
"I won't say it anymore."
Pru stared at him, into those deep gray eyes. She was confused, Daph said he was the biggest Purist in the school, but he wasn't acting like it.
"But you're a Purist." The moment it left her mouth she wished she could swallow it back down, "I'm so sorry," she said quickly as her eyes filled with shock and embarrassment, "I didn't mean to-" She was so ashamed of her big mouth and she felt terrible for calling him that especially with the look of hard anger in his eyes. He was being so nice to her and she just went and ruined it.
She stood up chastely shaking her head at her own stupidity, "I'm sorry Draco, I have to go."
Draco let her go with out saying a word. He knew that that's what she thought of him, and why shouldn't she? But hearing her say it out loud, so scared, it felt like he was punched in the gut. His entire life he was raised to be a Purist, to believe that the future of wizard kind rested solely on keeping their lineage pure. Those that were born from muggles didn't deserve to have magical abilities...it's all he ever really knew...
The way she said it though, you're a Purist...like it was a dirty word in her mouth that she needed to spit. Then she felt so bad for actually calling him what he was that she fled. He's never met a girl like her.
Blaise had never witnessed Draco look the way he did when he entered the common room. He looked confused, hurt, possibly even vulnerable...it was quite odd
"Knickers in a twist?"
Draco plopped on to sofa and leaned his head back with a groan, "This girl is making me crazy..."
Blaise had to snicker, "Is it love then?"
"Oh fuck off."
"Hey, it was bound to happen sooner or later..."
Draco wished that he would just shut his mouth. No, this wasn't love, it was just a stupid infatuation because the broad was so bloody gorgeous to look at.
Blaise may have seemed as if he were jesting, but he were quite serious, Draco was falling for this girl and he barely knew her.
"So did you find out about her curse then?"
Draco leapt from the sofa to stare at his mate wildly, "What the bloody hell? How did you find out?"
"That bint Pansy-"
"Pansy knows!" Draco didn't like that, not at all. He had sudden images of what would happen to Pru is somebody just screamed the word in her face over and over again...what would happen to her?
"Well the rumor is that she is cursed, but nobody knows how..."
Blaise was alarmed with Draco's maddened eyes, this was serious.
"You know?" Blaise asked with hushed astonishment.
"I do."
"AND?"
"It's best I don't say..."
Blaise was disappointed but accepted it none the less, "Well keep the lid tight mate, who knows what will happen is Pansy finds out."
"Find out what?" Pansy sneered from the doorway. From the confidence she exuded it her tone it sounded as if she might already know... She walked in the room with Millie, and the two of them took a seat across from the boys looking smug.
"Just go slither back into your hole Pansy," Draco grumbled while looking away from her malicious smile.
She glared at the boy that she loved and hated both equally, "Oh, you don't want me to use your girlfriends curse against her?"
"You have no idea what your even talking about hag."
She only wiggled her eyebrows mockingly, which scared him because he was scared for Pru.
A/N - Can I get a review? Anything, you hate it, you love it, I don't care-Something! lol, I'll love you to the moon and back.