Chapter 2

October 26

"Glad to see you're still in one piece. " I said sitting next to Masie in our Charms class.

She removed her hand from her face only for it to get tangled in her hair. "Didn't sleep a wink last night." She stumbled to get her books out just as the professor took his position to start the class. Crabbe gave me a puzzling look from the other side of the class, where I usually sit, but I just ignored him.

"New seat, eh Mister Malfoy?" Said professor Flitwick. "Why did you switch?"

"I couldn't see you." I toyed. The classroom murmured with chuckles.

The professor shushed them "That's detention for you Malfoy." He faced Masie "Ma'am, if he's of any trouble to you just let me know."

She nodded her head calmly but I could see that she was dying to laugh as well.

The class went on. Masie asked me once in a while what some words meant, while the professor glared in our direction.

"I thought last night of what we're going to do." An eraser flung towards my seat. Final warning. I wrote it down in a piece of paper.

'I will have to have a meeting with my father, but that will have to wait until holiday. Until that you have to stay near me, if they see you alone they can and will hurt you. They're afraid of my father, so if I'm around they won't even look at you.'

I passed the note to her under the seat, and yet the professor still saw us.

"Miss Peterson. What is that in your hands?"

Her head shot up "It… it's a note…sir…" The classroom oooed and laughed quietly.

"Well then, read it for us why don't you."

She gripped the paper and I could see her shake a little. Her mouth twitched at the corners. "I can't.

"Do it."

She looked down to her feet and turned red, then brokenly read out:

"Do you think if Flitwick passed by the quiddich fields they'd mistake him for a quaffle?" She started laughing halfway through, and soon after the classroom was loud.

I looked at her, baffled by what just came out of her mouth. She winked at me and hid the note inside her robes. I couldn't help but laugh.

I looked forward to detention with her.

~~O~~

After lunch we went out of the buildings and into the fields. I snatched a pair of apples from the hall and we laid on the side of the hill.

"I still can't believe you did that!" I said and threw one of the apples at her. "What were you thinking?"

"He would have asked what we were talking about. And then they would have found out so…" She bit into her apple "that's how you evade bullies."

"These aren't bullies though."

She looked into oblivion. "Same difference."

We sat there in silence while she read another one of her basic wizardry books. The day was cloudy and grey, my favorite kind of weather. And yeah, I know that sounds really cheesy but I really couldn't care less. No bugs or birds bothering, no sticky sweat and everything was so quiet. It could rain at any moment. I could already see the stains on our robes from laying on the damp grass.

"I… found out what a mudblood is…" she said softly, not looking away from the book on her lap. I didn't answer. "One of the kids from my house saw you drop me off yesterday and told me… About your family. And about… how you hate people like me. He said I should be afraid of you."

"You should."

"I'm afraid of them more. So I have to learn to live with this until December. Hopefully after that I won't bother you anymore."

We were both quiet for a while.

I hadn't thought about it. Mudbloods are what I hate most in this world, and here I was sitting next to one, laughing with one, protecting one. I've gone insane. I guess that's pride. Anything to show these maggots not to mess with me. It's too late now. I've dug my own grave.

"Who do you think is going to be chosen?" she broke the dead air like nothing had happened, like we hadn't said anything.

We kept the conversation light, I couldn't help feeling awkward about all of it. But I noticed something as we made our way back to the classrooms. She had known this all day, but not once did I see fear in her eyes. Only after she told me is when I was able to see it.

~~O~~

Next class I took was with the Gryffindor's, so Masie was on her own. But it was fine, I told her to stay in the classroom until I went to get her, just in case they waited for her. And, as per usual, my hunch was correct.

"Afternoon, Malfoy." Goon #1 said with a thick cockney accent. He and two others were leaning against the wall near the door to the classroom.

"Sneaked out of class again, I see. Shouldn't be surprised there." I fixed my tie slightly "But just what are you doing in this hallway? I'd be hiding from the professors at all cost if I were you. Risking detention for your "noble cause"?"

"Draco Malfoy." The tallest of the lot approached me, quite literally looking down at me. The kid was a giant. "Don't you think you're better than us. You were once a part of the PBE, you even begged your daddy to be a part of us."

"And every summer you beg my 'daddy' to tell me to come back. You want me in the group, that's more than obvious. And it's not for me, is it?"

The classroom filed out between us, causing the goons to take a step back. They disappeared into the crowd of kids laughing and heading to their next classes. The school day was over for them, but not for us.

After the hallway calmed, Miss Mud popped her head out the door shyly, scanning everywhere except where I was. Her hands were shaking, almost unnoticeably, as she clasped onto her robes for support. She looked absolutely frightened.

"Would you hurry up?" I broke the silence and she nearly jumped. She looked in my direction and took what seemed as a breath of relief.

She said nothing as I turned and started walking. I could hear the pitter patter of her feet as she struggled to keep up with me. Her steps slowed down and I glanced in her general direction. Masie was looking back from where we came from, still clutching her robes.

"Are you really that scared?" I blurted out without thinking.

"I couldn't pay attention in class." I don't think she even heard herself speak. She was so out of it, nearly tripping on her own feet.

"You see the seriousness in this now."

She changed the subject. "Do you call me Miss Mud because I'm a mudblood?" Her mood changed completely.

"No." I almost yelled out. "Its cause of your hair."

"My hair?" Masie grabbed an unkempt curl and straightened it out. "What's wrong with it?"

"Nothing." We continued to walk "I just thought it looked like mud when I first saw it. The colour, I mean."

I heard her giggle behind me and ignored it. "Don't patronize me."

She peeked her head next to me.

"Call me Miss Mud whenever you want."

~~O~~

Five pages of parchment. Topic, respect. That was our punishment

"I don't think I've ever written that much bullcrap in my life." She laughed as we walked down the hallways towards Hufflepuff House. She was slower than me so she was a two or three feet behind.

"Shut up! The professor will hear you and then they'll actually read the essay. Then I'll be screwed."

She giggled. "What are you gonna do, eh? Tell your daddy about it?"

I abruptly turned around. She bumped into me and receded a couple of feet back.

"Yes." I said dryly. "I will tell my father. You've heard of what people say of me, about how I hate mudbloods. My father is worse. Can't you imagine what he'd do to you?" I stepped closer to her. "You might be good at hiding it, but I can tell you're scared. Look at you, every step I take towards you, you take another one back." Her back hit the wall and I slammed my arm on it next to her head. "You're terrified. Why are you being so friendly with me? You're in danger every time you open your mouth to talk to me."

I looked down at Masie. She was uneasy, her hands clasping at the wall behind her. She swallowed hard and stood up straight.

"Yes." She looked me straight in the eyes. "Yes I am afraid of you. I'm afraid of you and what your father might do. And I'm afraid of them, but it's different with them. If they target me, nobody is going to do anything. You saw how they ignored me while I was on the floor. I'm targeted and they all know it. They'll avoid me and I'll be alone, then I am 'deadmeat', as you said. Yeah Draco Malfoy, I am scared of you, and I am also scared of them, but if I stick around with you, at least I won't be on my own."

She pushed me back with one hand and headed towards the door to her common room. She turned around before she entered and smiled.

"Good night, Draco." The door shut behind her.

Chapter 2 / END