Malicia
Chapter 18
Once again she chose the most conservative clothing she could find. Her black pants and a large, mens shirt that used to belong to her father being the choice of the day. Ginny's little trick had helped – Melissa knew how she felt. But what the hell was she meant to do with that?
What was she going to do about Viktor? They'd only been dating around two months. Granted it seemed like forever, but it also seemed wrong. They hadn't even told anyone, he didn't know anything about her! He thought she was the sweet and innocent daughter of muggles who had come to Hogwarts because her parents had died. Evan on the other hand knew her. In fact, there was nothing that he didn't know, which was a rather frightening thought really…
"Liss? Are you ready to go?" Ginny asked from the doorway.
"No," Melissa replied, looking in the mirror one last time and pulling a strand of hair back over to sit where it should.
"Are you going to come?"
"Yes," she whispered, her voice raspy.
They walked down to the Common Room together, to find Blaise, Draco, Pansy, Theo and Dean waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs.
"So here's the deal Simmons," Blaise said, kissing her cheek.
"We're going to be at the Three Broomsticks, across from Evan's," Draco added.
"If it turns bad, come in and get us, okay?" Pansy said.
"And if it turns out good…" Dean said, looking over at Ginny who grinned and spoke up.
"Then don't come and get us. Either way – "
"We have nothing better to do than wait around for you and your little friend to make…well, friends," Theo finished.
"Aw thanks you guys!" Melissa said, sighing and hugging them each in turn. "Us Slytherins so don't suck as much as the rest of the school thinks,"
"Hey, we protect our own," Blaise replied. Ginny raised her eyebrows at him. "Okay, we protect our own, and also the ones we've adopted. Whatever. Can we go now? I'm hungry,"
"You're always hungry," Draco replied, but they set off nonetheless.
When they arrived in the Great Hall, it was, mercifully empty. Other than a few strays here and there, and some of the Slytherin house, there was no one in sight. And no one who could rat Ginny and Melissa out to Harry, Ron and Hermione, which they were all eternally grateful for.
"Have you even told Evan you're coming?" Pansy asked.
"Nope," Melissa replied. "I don't even know if I have the courage to show up,"
"You have to!" Blaise protested. "We've done all this meticulous planning!"
Ginny elbowed him and grinned.
"No seriously, there are so many things that could go wrong here," Theo said, taking a bite of his toast.
"Honestly, you're as bad as Ron and Harry," Melissa replied, disgusted. "Anyway, like what?"
"What if he's not there?" Draco asked.
"I leave, come to the Three Broomsticks, cry a lot, and you guys help me get over it,"
"And if he slams the door in your face?" Pansy asked.
"I leave, come to the Three Broomsticks, cry a lot, and you guys help me get over it," she said again, smiling.
"And if he's with someone else?" Ginny asked.
"I…I don't know," Melissa replied, honestly. A dark shadow passed over her face.
"I have a plan. Liss, give me your phone," Pansy said, holding out her hand. Melissa put her phone into it, and Pansy opened it, hid the ID and dialed the number.
"Pansy what are you doing!" Melissa hissed.
"Shh! Hey, Evan? Yeah it's Pansy…what are you doing today? No I thought I'd come and see that gorgeous apartment of yours…yes it means you have to clean…so you don't have any plans? Awesome…nah that's okay, I'm gunna have a drink with Blaise and Draco, so I'll probably be there around 11 ok? No, she's moping around the castle somewhere…yeah I'll tell her…ok I won't tell her…whatever, shut up. Don't screw my friend over ok? Yeah I know! Look, I don't really have time for this, I'll see you soon ok? Yeah, bye!"
She hung up and grinned.
"What?" Melissa prompted.
"He said to say hi, and that he misses you. Then he said not to say hi and that he misses you. Then he said to say it again, and then he changed his mind again. He has no plans with some other chick, at least not from 11 onwards, and he will be expecting me on the dot. Only funny thing, I'm not going to show up…"
"I am," Melissa finished.
"Precisely," Pansy replied, handing her back the phone.
"Oh Gods!" Melissa moaned, putting her head in her hands. The other Slytherins exchanged worried glances over her head.
None of them could even begin to imagine what was going to happen today.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When Melissa left the Slytherins at their table in the Three Broomsticks, they were quiet. Conversational, yes, but quiet all the same. As soon as the door closed behind her however, they broke into uncontrollable speech.
"15 Sickles says he rejects her,"
"A Galleon says he's there with another girl,"
"2 Galleons says that he doesn't even let her speak,"
"3 Galleons says she doesn't even make it there,"
"HEY!" Ginny yelled. "This is my best friend we're talking about here! So 5 Galleons says that they get together and she boots Viktor!"
They all pooled their money into the middle of the table, and waited patiently, over round after round of Butterbeer, and every now and then a fire whiskey.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Ok, here goes…I can do this…I've known this guy forever…there's no trouble, he'll let me in…surely he can't hate me that much…"
She knocked on the door, her breathing shallow, her heart pumping. She had a little vial in her pocket that she was hoping she wouldn't have to use, but if worst came to worst…
"Coming Pansy! Hang…on," he whispered this last word as he opened the door.
"Hey Ev," she said quietly. "Can I come in?"
He looked at her for a moment, before promptly slamming the door in her face.
"God damn you let me in!" she yelled.
The door opened again slightly.
"What do you want Simmons? Come to ruin my life even more?"
"No. I've come to try and fix it,"
"That's what you said last time,"
She was ready for him this time, and when he made to slam the door, she stuck her foot out and pushed her hands against the door with all her strength.
"I am here to apologize! Now, if you don't accept that apology after listening to everything I have to say and watching me grovel, then fine, that's your choice! But at least let me get it out first," she hissed.
"You've changed," he said quietly.
"I've grown up. I know what I want, and I intend to get it,"
"Always were selfish weren't you? Maybe I don't need you coming in here trying to fix things! Maybe I need things to stay the way they are!"
"And maybe you're lying to me. Maybe you need me as much as I need you," she whispered. "And I really think you need to let me in,"
"Hows Vicky?" he asked, sneering.
"I wouldn't know. I haven't spoken to him for a while,"
He stood back to let her in, and she looked around. The photo of the two of them was still there. That was a good sign.
"I couldn't even think about getting rid of it," he said, as if reading her mind.
"I don't think I'd still be standing here if you had," she replied, turning around to look at him.
"Here, sit down. And then tell me what you've got to say, because I've got visitors coming,"
"Pansy?" she asked, smiling.
"Yeah how did – she's not coming is she?"
"No. She set you up to make sure you were here when I came. Right now, her and the rest of my friends are across the road, drinking lots of Butterbeer and probably betting on the outcome of this discussion,"
"Discussion? I can see this turning into a full on argument,"
"Well, I hope not, because I have something pretty important to say," she replied, looking down at her hands.
"Oh really? What's that?"
"I – I…oh God I really don't know how to do this,"
"You're just the same selfish girl you always were," he said, standing up to signal her out.
"I am NOT selfish!" she cried indignantly.
"When you came here the other week, was it for me? Or was it for you? You knew what you wanted, what you didn't consider was what it might do to me in the process! You're a selfish little princess,"
"Yeah well this selfish little princess loves you!" she screamed.
He stared at her in shock for a minute, before she fell back down onto his couch and tucked her legs under her.
"I did not just say that…I did not just say that…I did not just say that…oh my God I just said that…"
"Yeah, you did," Evan replied, sitting down next to her, still shocked. "And you should probably explain now,"
"Evan I…I'm still with Viktor," she replied.
"Yeah well sadly that doesn't change what you just said!" he whispered angrily.
"I have spent so long analyzing this…trying to work out what to say and how to tell you…and it just slipped out. I wasn't even sure if I was going to tell you. I couldn't bear to think of what you might say,"
"Generally the reply is I love you too,"
"And is that the reply in this case?" she asked, looking into his eyes.
"Explain this whole thing to me Liss, because I'm confused," he replied, turning away from her gaze.
"Ugh…I honestly don't know what happened. I mean, this is me right? I don't feel a whole lot of guilt very often. I don't usually do things to make me feel guilty. Being with you never made me feel guilty. Oh Gods…"
"Liss,"
"Ok, ok. After I left here the other week, I couldn't think straight. My lessons with Dumbledore were affected, my grades sucked. I mean come on, I failed a Potions test. I don't fail anything, let alone Potions! I'm like one of the best in my year! But I failed Potions, because all I did on my written test was a picture of your bloody eyes!"
"My eyes?" Evan asked, smiling.
"Your eyes always stuck in my head. Anyway, and then in the practical I put in the wrong ingredient entirely and practically blew up the bloody classroom! So that's when I started to wonder why it was affecting me so much. Then I moved into the Slytherin Rooms with Ginny, and Malfoy, Pansy, Blaise and the others started trying to help me – "
"You told them!"
"Not in so many words," she replied meekly.
"Melissa,"
"Don't call me Melissa!" she yelled. He never called her Melissa. Never. She wasn't about to let him start now. "Look, when I got back, there were a whole bunch of people in my room, stressing out because I'd been gone so long. I told Ginny, because she's my best mate. Well, female mate. And then Malfoy and Pansy guessed and…look my house can keep a secret!" she exclaimed indignantly.
"Whatever,"
"So then Ginny came up with this little spiffy thing this morning, and well…I don't know. I may as well just bloody show it to you!"
-MELISSA'A MEMORY-
"I'm going to hypnotize you and then try word association. You'll be aware of what you're saying, but you'll have no control over it at all. It might help you work out where you stand, okay…Hypnotiem!"
-
"Malfoy,"
"Blonde,"
"Blaise,"
"Hot!"
Ginny chuckled. "Ron,"
"Retarded,"
"Viktor,"
"Quidditch,"
"Evan,"
"Love,"
-
"I think you have your answer now,"
-END MEMORY-
"Now do you understand what I'm trying to tell you? I mean, I associated my boyfriend with a sport, but I associate you with love? Logic couldn't have put it any better,"
"You believe you're in love with me because of a game?" he asked, slightly disbelieving.
"No, Ev. I'm in love with you because you've always been there for me. There's nothing about me that you don't know, but even through all my bad points, you've never left. Minus the time you were at Durmstrang, of course. You've been with me through the good, the bad, the messy…everything! And you've never stopped trusting me! You never stopped telling me things,"
"So you love me because you have me whipped?"
"No! Why won't you understand! You're not afraid to talk to me. You don't care how I look. You treat me like an equal. You're always soft with me, your touch is gentle when I need that, and rough when that's what I want. You know me inside out. You know what I need before I know. When I lost faith, you gave it back. If you don't understand, I can't make it any clearer. I'm sorry I wasted your time,"
She turned away from him, and she was at the door before he ran after her and grabbed her arm.
"You know, I've had a lot of girls tell me that they love me before,"
Melissa moaned. "How to make me feel better Evan,"
"Shut up and listen to me. So many girls have told me that they're in love with me. Usually when I'm taken. And every time I ask them why, it's always because of how I look or some shit like that. No one's ever paid attention to how I feel about them. No one's ever really noticed my touch or how I speak,"
"Your point being?"
"My point is, that you noticed all of these things…you even asked me in a roundabout way how I felt about you,"
"Evan, now you're the one not making sense,"
"How much will my feelings alter your relationship with Viktor?"
"Not at all," she replied. Hs face fell. "You didn't let me finish," she said, smiling.
"Okay…"
"If you tell you love me, then I'll be breaking it off with Viktor. And if you tell me to leave…well I'll still be breaking it off with him,"
"But why?" he asked, confused.
"I'm a bitch, Evan. But I'm not a "two guy" kind of girl. I could never survive in a relationship, knowing that the guy I was with wasn't the one I'm in love with,"
Evan looked at her for a minute, then kissed her chastely on the lips.
She smiled shyly.
"Do I have my answer?" she asked.
"You have your answer," he replied, pulling her into a hug. "I love you. So much,"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blaise, Draco, Pansy, Theo and Dean were soon joined by Crabbe, Goyle, Tempe, Mel and Del, and they were all waiting anxiously for Melissa to join them.
"Well, he can't have been there with another girl, or slammed the door in her face, or not let her speak, because she would have been back by now," Draco said, taking a drink.
"If I didn't know better I'd say you worried about her," Ginny replied, smirking.
"You've been around us way too long Weasley, you're losing your innocence," Blaise said.
"Oh my innocence is still intact," Ginny replied. Blaise choked on his Butterbeer, and Draco tried not to laugh.
"You never answered her question Draco," Pansy said, smiling.
"I wasn't aware there was one," Draco replied, taking another large gulp of his drink.
Before any of them had a chance to attack him about it, Melissa walked in the door, looking completely miserable.
"Oh Liss," Ginny said, pushing out her chair to go to her.
Melissa just shook her head and held her hand out. "No. Really I'm fine,"
"Hey, Liss it's ok. He's just a little ponce anyway, forget about him," Pansy said.
"Gee thanks guys. I appreciate it," Evan said, coming in from behind Melissa and putting his arms around her.
They all gaped at them for a minute, before applauding loudly.
"Yay!" Ginny called out, pouncing on the both of them.
"Thanks Gin," Melissa replied, hugging her friend, and trying to maintain her balance at the same time.
"Simmons, I hate you. That was so not funny," Malfoy drawled, looking angry.
"Oh come off it Draco. You love me!"
"Yeah, yeah. Prove it," Draco replied, pouting. They all looked at him for a minute, before laughing at his expression.
"Never thought I'd see a Malfoy pout,"
A/N: They're finally together! It was a bit lame but whatever, I dont care. Anyway, this is going to be on a bit of a hiatus for a while, as is Sweet Vengeance, while I catch up on everything I SHOULD have done a long time ago. Give me a few weeks (hopefully no longer) and it should be all good. Thanks much to:
- sparklystar488
- werecool
- dracoissexe
You guys rock my socks! Much love to everyone xxx