Chapter 7 CRUSH OF SIXTEEN (1)
The accident in Hogsmeade did not cause a turmoil in school, perhaps because the actual people involved refused to talk about it spontaneously. Even the most inquisitive person could not dig more out of it and the incident ended in Katie Bell being admitted in infirmary and Gryffindor Quidditch team having to substitute one of its Chaser.
The only difference noteworthy was that the Gryffindor trio were always trying to avoid him after that. However, it was not an easy task for Hermione Granger, as Draco spent more and more time in the library while she had to sit as far away from him as possible. Annoyed and amused, he watched her looking for a vacant seat everywhere with an armful of books. Finally, as he despised himself, he appropriated the seat in the most inner corner of the library for his exclusive use. When he arrogantly announced that nobody should approach his private seat, Hermione let out a sigh of relief.
The weather in November turned fine and clear. Though it was still freezing cold, at least it did not wind and snow endlessly.
Draco swallowed down the last bit of his breakfast. Having checked his schedule and made sure he only had Astronomy in the evening, he grabbed his bag and rose from the Slytherin table.
Glancing at Draco's plate, Blaise was astounded. "Library again, Draco? Since when have you become a Ravenclaw?"
"I'm not like you, who always leave the papers down to wire."
"But I remember you finished all this week's assignments yesterday -by the way they are a big help." Blaise stabbed at his pudding with a fork. "Look at the sunshine. The prince of Slytherin shouldn't lock himself in the dusty library in such a fine weather and girls will be pleased to see you by the lake-"
"Then you shall patrol the territory for me. I wish you could get your fourth girlfriend of this month."
"Come on, Draco. Even Crabbe and Goyle are in love, so don't waste the sweet youth of sixteen－"
"Crabbe and Goyle are in love?" Draco frozen and turned his head in horror. "How can they love anything other than food?"
"Haven't you noticed that they do not follow you around recently?"
"That's because the library is like an inferno to them, with unedible tombstones everywhere."
Blaise was choked with the pudding, and broke into a paroxysm of coughing while rubbing his chest.
"Don't be so mean! Well, yes, it is the fact."
"I can't be idling away my time like you are." Draco glanced at Crabbe and Goyle with a gratified smile, "Keep enjoying your youth of sixteen."
"But what's to become of pour Pansy? And there's a-"Blaise swallowed up the latter part of his sentence in Draco's warning glare. He shuddered and sprang to his feet.
"Please go on and have a good time in the library!" He bowed respectfully.
Draco stalked away, not aware of the lingering gaze of admiring onlookers.
"If I told him girls had most crush on him and Potter, what do you think his reaction would be?" Blaise elbowed Goyle and stroked his chin reflectively.
"what' er you sayin'?" Goyle raise his head, his mouth staffed with cake.
"Nothing, mate. What about another piece of black forest? Your youth was already stuffed to death anyway."
Keeping a haughty smile Draco entered the library. Then the corners of his mouth turning straight, he stood in a hidden corner sheltered by two bookshelves, pulled out his wand and rapped himself on the top of the head. He shuddered at the cold trickles seeming to be running down his body. Draco looked down at his body and then sneaked quickly into the Restricted Section of the library.
He had searched countless books in the Restricted Section over the month, yet he still could not gather enough useful information. With his wand he lifted Dark Magical Artifacts of the Twentieth Century off from the bookshelves rising right up to the ceiling. Rubbing his forehead, Draco hid in the shadow and opened it slowly.
Vanishing Cabinets were highly popular during the First Wizarding War; in the event of a Death Eater attack, one could simply disappear to the other cabinet until the danger had passed. Difficult to control as they were, and might have people transferred to the other side of Europe, yet during the dark age life was the first priority.
This was all Draco knew about Vanishing Cabinets. Though he had acquired some other Vanishing Cabinets from the wizarding family who had used them, they were all different from the one in Borgin and Burkes, merely like simplified replications. They could only transfer humans or objects randomly, and there were also no abstruse Runes on them.
Stop turning the pages, he reached into his pocket and took out a piece of parchment. Spreading it on his knees, he tried again to discern the twisted letters and once again regretted that he had not worked hard in the past five years-had he learned Runes, he would not merely see those letters as dancing spiders under Tarantellegra, and at least he would know which reference book to turn to to cipher them-He already compared them with all the Rune dictionaries he could lay his hands on, and only a third of them would match while their meaning was still erratic and illogical.
Having skimmed through the thick Dark Magical Artifacts of the Twentieth Century fruitlessly, Draco waved his wand and put it back in place. He ruffled his hair irritably-he had had enough of the haphazard search, but he simply could not think of any other way to analyze the spells on the broken Vanishing Cabinet, let alone mend it.
"You can ask Dumbledore for help." A small voice in his mind suggested. "You can turn to the Phoenix Order now, and he is sure to help you. Maybe it's only a matter of waving his wand to him."
Draco shook his head. He should not indulge himself in naïve disillusions. The reality was always cruel. After his father's arrest, Draco spent a whole summer holiday to finally face up to the reality. Since he could not follow the Dark Lord's commands to torture and kill people, he could not protect his family as a proper Death Eater. As for the Phoenix Order, he was merely a sixteen-year-old boy to them, average grades and not prominent enough among Death Eaters to get access to worthwhile news. Now he only had the Malfoy the surname-and the surname was tottering-what value did he own to Dumbledore? If he could not mend the Vanishing Cabinet, what terms could he offer to convince the Phoenix Order to watch out for his family? If he did not strengthen himself quickly enough, the Phoenix Order needed not to do anything. They might just stand there effortlessly and watch him struggle like a clown not even being able to touch a single hair of Dumbledore's beard and wiped way by the Dark Lord.
Draco hid his face in the arms, his trembling shoulders giving away his uneasiness and vulnerability. I need to stand firm, even though I am fighting alone. Draco thought in despair. He was already forced out of the shelter of the Dark, so he needed at least to find a standing point in the Light, otherwise what protection could he get?
A burst of joyful laughter rang outside, and before Ms. Pinch's shouted angrily, Draco was sure he heard some words like Quidditch and Weasley. Ah yes, today was the first Quidditch match of the season, Slytherin against Gryffindor. He vaguely remembered that he had asked for leave, but he did not anticipate he would totally forget about it. What Blaise wanted to inform him but was interrupted this morning must have been about this. It was a pity that even if he had heard it out, he would not have enough time to watch the match. Like the reckless and carefree life, Quidditch was already a distant memory to him. He looked up at the setting sun, stood up, and walked silently out of the library.