This is so late that I can't even begin to apologize! I am SO SO SO sorry about this! I hope the last chapter makes up for it.
Disclaimer: I own Ruth Kelly, Alison Roberts and Cathy Patel. They're mine.
4. Or perhaps in Slytherin you'll make your real friends; those cunning folk use any means to achieve their ends
"Cunning is the art of concealing our own defects and discovering other people's weaknesses."
-William Hazlitts
Cathy Patel sighed as the first-year girl next to her continued to rant about some Gryffindor boys that made fun of her at potions yesterday. The female voice came to a sudden halt, and Cathy turned to see what was that finally made her stop.
"What?" She asked the girl; Cathy had never been known about having tact, or a filter.
"I was going to say something mean about them, but I won't." The little girl answered.
"Oh please, we're all assholes here." Cathy said before eating the piece of bacon that was patiently waiting on her fork.
"Language Cathy." Blaize Zabini said. "She's twelve."
"Eleven and a half." The girl corrected. Cathy rolled her eyes but kept her mouth shut, not wanting to say something that would hurt the other girl.
"It's not worth being upset over those idiots." Pansy Parkinson contributed, picking on her toast with mild to no interest. "They're all stupid, aren't they Draco?"
"What?" Draco Malfoy looked up at them suddenly, much like he had just woken up. "Yes, they're all stupid." He said and Pansy smiled at him. Draco didn't notice the flirtarious turn to the smile, being too preoccupied trying not to doze off and faceplant on his eggs.
"Are you sure you're okay, mate? You look worse and worse everyday." Theodore Nott said, a rare tone of actual concern in his voice.
"I'm fine." Draco snapped, a little too insistently. He was not, in fact, fine. Cathy knew it, and so did Theodore and Blaise, and even Pansy had gotten her head off the clouds long enough to realize there was something wrong. The circles under his eyes were so bad that even covering them up with a spell Cathy had gotten from her Ravenclaw girlfriend did not make them entirely disappear. Alison used it on herself on the time in order not look like a zombie, as she put it. She had given it to her without a second thought, and even if Draco didn't show it, he was grateful for it.
"We're not stupid, you know." Blaise said, his tone bordering on hidden offense masked with indifference.
Draco's head snapped up. "I never said you were stupid." He narrowed his eyes at Blaize.
"Oh please!" Millicent Bullstrode participated in the conversation for the first time. "Ever since the new year started, you've been like a walking zombie. Do you even sleep at all?"
"I do sleep, Bullstrode." Draco snapped.
"Now, now." Cathy interfered before there could be an argument. "There is no need to get all snappy. What everyone here is stupidly failing to say is that we're your friends, Draco." She fixed her sapphire eyes on his icy blue ones with determination. "We care about you. We're here. Let us help." Draco looked away.
"Oh really? And what can you do? Suggest I go talk to your girlfriend who thinks she's a psychologist?" His voice was laced with bitterness, and Cathy had to stop herself from snapping at him for mocking Alison. Instead she took a controlled breath and let it out.
"Yeah, Alison may not be a psychologist yet, but she sure as hell is good at listening and giving advice, just as she is at keeping secrets. You don't want to talk to us, fine. Neither to her? Again, fine. But you need to do something Draco. This," Cathy gestured at his general appearance, "is not healthy." Picking up her bag, the black-haired girl stood up. "We'll be here when you decide to talk." She said, and with that she walked away from the Slytherin table. She could hear Pansy picking up a more lighthearted conversation.
Alison met up with her just outside the Great Hall Entrance, coming up behind her and linking their hands.
"What's wrong?" Ruth's concerned voice said as the Hufflepuff girl came to a stop next to her.
"Draco is being stupid." Cathy said. "Again." Ruth said something sympathetic, but Alison just squeezed her hand and gave her an apologetic smile.
"I like the rain, it's peaceful." The redhead said, jade eyes fixed on the window next to them where the rain was falling heavy.
"It would help clean up a murder." Cathy casually pointed out. It was no weirder than the conversations they usually had.
"You wouldn't need the rain to clean up a murder if you had used an icicle as the murder weapon." Alison retorted.
"What is wrong with the both of you?" Ruth asked. "Nevermind, forget I even asked." She quickly said when Alison opened her mouth to respond. Cathy laughed at the offended huff the Ravenclaw girl let out. Alison turned to glare at her, and Cathy pecked her cheek.
"Do you think we could prank Terry and Anthony for that trick they played on Ruth last week?" She asked with a grin.
"Thought you'd never ask." Alison said with a grin of her own. Ruth wasn't nearly as enthusiastic.
"Guys no." She shook her head for emphasis.
"We could turn their uniforms permanently pink." Cathy suggested.
"Guys no."
What do you guys think?
