Author's Note: I am really trying to move into the plot more so I'm very sorry if it's another filler chapter (I don't always plan these chapters…obviously). Also thank you for the faves, follows and reviews, I really appreciate people still reading this! So please keep them coming!
~Of Silver & Gold~
Chapter 47: Fate Against Us
"I cannot believe that woman" Angel said angrily as she stomped down the hallway.
Her hair billowed as she walked briskly, her gaze looked like she was out for a kill and the way her nails dug into her books showed she was not to be messed with. People around her began to part the hall trying to avoid getting a tongue-lashing. The only person brave enough to follow was Luna Lovegood. The blonde's steps were quick trying to follow the hot headed brunette. As she caught up she tried to calm her down.
Lightly placing her hands on the tight grip that she had, she stopped her for a second and moved her to the side so others could pass. It was clear from her red cheeks that she was really getting in a tizzy. Sighing, she pulled the book away and placed it on the balcony so they could talk.
"She's not worth detention you know" she said softly.
"I know Luna…but how can she say those things. No wands, just reading, and the things she said about Professor Lupin…the woman can't be trusted"
Luna nodded and walked alongside her. Thankfully in their talks both had slowed down. They trailed away from the buildings and towards the grounds.
Angel appreciated Luna in all her weirdness. Despite the large knot of blonde hair at the top of her head and her large radish earrings she was fond of the girl. At the top of her head were sunglasses shaped like hands and she looked as loopy as ever. The girl had a big heart, a quality that Angel always admired in people. The most important thing that she liked about Luna is that she didn't demand attention, or ask for anything in return. She waited for Angel to get her demons out and then simply talked about something that didn't even sound relevant but that later sounded like perfect sense. The girl was eccentric but lovable.
The thing that Angel hated the most was the fact that people laughed at the blonde. When she saw the girl walking alone they laughed and even pointed; she never knew whether Luna was clueless of the looks or actually ignoring them, they never fazed her. Yet when they walked together she was protected.
Luna on the other hand enjoyed Angel's company very much. The girl seemed so hard on the outside; no wand was needed to hurt people when the girl had a sharp tongue. It broke people; it made people insecure but most importantly people listened. The power that the shorter girl had was astounding to Luna but it was the vulnerability she held inside that made Luna want Angel to be a fixture of her life. The girl was so loyal on the inside; those moments when they walked down the hall and someone sniggered or dared to say the comments aloud, one swift look or a warning and Luna was left alone.
Luna Lovegood was not stupid; she knew that people often times laughed at her. People thought her stupid but she had more layers than that. She was in Ravenclaw for a reason: she was astute. From the moment she saw a person, she could tell what they were. And to Luna, Angel looked like her best friend.
"Look at least we won't have her till Wednesday" Luna commented hoping to console Angel.
The other girl sighed.
"I guess.." she trailed off.
"Have you talked to Harry yet?" Luna asked hoping to change the subject to something.
Angel frowned and shook her head. Honestly in all her anger she had forgotten to really try and meet Harry. The last time they had talked had been shortly before the school year had ended and it had mostly been a somber one. She didn't like to think about it now. Still the idea of not talking to him or seeing how she was made her think she was a bad girlfriend.
"No, honestly the fifth years have been busy and well-"
"I get it" Luna said nodding, "you know after you left the compartment...after the whole Ginny thing" she winced, "Harry was talking about how little people believe him about He Who Must Not Be Named coming back. It's so sad"
Angel made a noise of agreement. But said nothing. How could she say anything? It was awkward to accept the thought that He Who Must Not Be Named had come back and the repercussions that came with it. But speaking of the Devil, it seemed that the direction of their wandering, lead them towards the fifth years getting out of their Care of Magical Creatures.
Her eyes immediately landed on Harry and she found herself gripping her books tighter and smiling shyly. She tried to act casual but the moment he saw her, his own smile took over and she couldn't help but notice he looked tired. His eyes were still bright and she felt herself smile a bit more sincerely. Luna looked between the pairs before grabbing Angel's wrist and walking towards Harry. Angel's eyes widened and she looked confused at Luna's brash nature. When they were around two feet away Luna let go and walked directly towards Harry and smiled brightly.
"I believe He Who Must Not Be Named is back and I believe you fought him and escaped from him"
"Er-right" Harry said unsure about what was going on.
His green eyes landed on Angel who looked mortified at Luna's comment. As if that was the first thing Harry needed to hear. But her attention was briefly taken away from Harry as she noticed that Lavender and Parvati were laughing openly at Luna. Once her eyes locked on them she glared her gaze ice cold. No one was about to laugh at her friend.
"You can laugh" Luna continued her voice rising.
It was then Angel realized that Luna actually thought that they were laughing at what she said; that they didn't believe Harry. "but people believe there were no such things as Blibbering Humdinger or the Crumple-horned Snorkack!"
"Luna..." Angel said softly grabbing the girl's hands in hopes of pulling her away.
"Well they were right, weren't they?" Hermione said impatiently her voice full of annoyance.
Even if there weren't real, Hermione had no right and Angel found herself doing something she hated: picking a fight. A look usually sufficed but with everyone laughing at poor Luna and no one doing anything she was forced to do something. Especially with Granger's comment now more people were laughing, even Harry seemed to be keeping back laughter.
"Watch your mouth Granger" she snarled, "leave her alone. And you!" She pointed towards the other girls laughing, "I wouldn't laugh at others considering your pathetic attempts of fitting in."
Luna giggled as the girls stopped talking and looked embarrassed and angry.
"Or so now you're a good guy hm?" Ron interrupted, "What's your deal Malfoy?"
"It's none of your-"
"Angel!"
Her head immediately turned to see her brother looking confused at the scene before him. The idea of her talking to the Gryffindors without him seemed off. It was obviously Lovegood's fault. He didn't particularly like the girl, but he let the friendship be.
"We're going" he said firmly.
She nodded, already dreading the thought of having to explain what happened. Her eyes briefly hit Harry and she murmured "See you later by the lake Luna." Harry got the hint and Luna smiled brightly before bouncing off to another direction as Angel took hers.
As she reached Draco's side he put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. She immediately noticed that he was getting taller and definitely leaving her behind. She could feel him trying to use his height to intimidate her into telling him what was going on.
"What was that?"
"They were making fun of Luna" she said sincerely, "And I hate it."
"Why do you care what they say about Loony anyway?"
"Don't call her that" she said nudging his side, "she's a nice person and when you guys are busy she keeps me company. She's nice despite her…eccentricities"
"You make the weirdest people your friends" he teased.
Glaring he merely bopped her head against his in a comforting manner earning small smile formed before the rest of the gang joined them.
….
.
The night air was chilly and the moon shined bright overhead. The Black Lake glittered as it did every year and it was as beautiful as ever. The squid seemed to slowly go into slumber as the moon rose higher and the winds began to pick up. The scene was definitely one of the most beautiful sights in all of the grounds.
And...he wasn't here.
Angel had forced herself to do all her homework early, and on the first day so she could have no excuses as to why she couldn't meet Harry at the lake. She now had Luna vouch for her and her brother had let her go. She ignored the look that she had gotten from Pansy. Just because the girls were friends again didn't mean she would be asking for favors. She had arrived right at nine o'clock. Perfect timing. She had expected him to be there. So she waited patiently.
He didn't show up.
Those were the first thoughts that popped into Angel's head as she found herself waiting till eleven at the lake. Her shoulder sagged as she sat at the roots of the biggest tree by the lake: their tree. Had he forgotten? A bitter taste filled her mouth and she found herself wrapping her jumpter tighter around her. Just what they do in that the universe did not allow them to even talk together. Getting up she slowly walked towards the grounds. Thankfully prefect patrol wasn't till midnight thus she was clear. The disappointment was clear but she wouldn't let her spirits damper. This was only one time, surely this wouldn't happen again.
….
Angel shuffled awkwardly at the Quidditch fields. Why had Draco told her to try out? Surely this was a joke; yet there she was in a pair of pants and a large sweater waiting for tryouts. The whole summer she had found herself practicing her flying. Draco had told her that in her small short stature she would be a good chaser. It had taken her much longer than she cared to admit, to pick up the proper speed to really be an asset. This had made her confident enough to tryout. Even if she got second string it was better than nothing.
There were so many people; the Slytherin team hadn't had a girl and she couldn't help but feel even more nervous. She would hate to be given the position simply because of Draco, but she knew they would be brutal enough to not do that. This year they needed to win. Gripping the broom tightly she leaned against it wondering if it was too late to change her mind.
"Don't even think about leaving"
Turning around she found Luna standing behind her grinning. She wore a bright blue dress and a yellow cardigan that made her stand out especially with her hair in two buns. It was odd, yet so fitting.
"How did you know?" Angel asked fighting back a smile.
"You were muttering things while you were writing at the library" Luna breathed out and giggled.
"Oh." She looked embarrassed.
"I'll be looking at the stands! Good luck!"
As the blonde rushed off Angel forced herself to calm her nerves and try to do this for herself. She had wanted to tell Harry about this, but once more he hadn't answered her owl. She had asked him to meet after all the tryouts ended and he had agreed. Now to only come to him with good news. People began to gather as the Graham Montague, the newest captain began to speak.
"So as you probably heard Warrington broke his leg during the summer and we need a good chaser and two good beaters to really take down the other teams. Now our tryouts are a bit…eccentric" he said looking directly at Angel, "we don't take girls mate, sorry about it"
Angel looked affronted and was about to protest, that is until Draco put a hand on Graham's shoulder and whispered something to him. It seemed to change his mind and they both nodded.
"Fine, you can at least try out. But if you can't even make it through basic training, you won't be able to even get on the team. That goes through all of you. Our tryouts aren't a walk in the park. First thing, give us four laps around the quidditch field!"
As he blew the whistle they all took off. This is how she found herself doing this afternoon. Her hair began to bother her and during her running she'd managed to give herself a high ponytail. It was messy and imperfect but the thought of having it stick to her back and her forehead, it was totally worth it. She realized that they were judging her harsher, even with pudgier people running they paid more attention at them and basically forgot that she was there too.
They taunted the others, even the faster ones and it seemed that she got nothing but sneers. Draco looked at her run though and he would signal her when to pick up her pace and when not to. As she finished the fourth lap she found herself ending up in fourth place. She placed her hands on her knees and took deep breaths. This sweater was doing nothing for her but making her feel overheated.
"Okay! Nice warm up right?" Graham taunted. "Now who is going to go for Chaser?"
She raised her hand up proudly along with three others boys. 'Shit.' She thought. They were tall and lanky: but they were thin. This was another thing that worked in their favor, their thinness. But she knew that tall was a hindering affect and she could try.
"Alright, hit the sky, and try not to be targets"
Angel seemed a bit confused but nodded. The first thing she did before hitting the skies was taking off her sweater and throwing it in the stands. She was not about to overheat. Yet she found herself grinning brightly as Luna gripped it and waved it around in support.
Yet even the fall chill would not help the heat she was feeling. Mounting her broom she kicked off the ground and immediately took to the skies. She knew the chaser position was simple: grab the quaffle and attempt to get points through shooting them in the goals. Yet as the Bludgers began to get thrown their way she found herself being a joke.
"Start dodging!"
She grunted as one hit her side and that's when she knew this was even harder than before. Draco had never told her about this; but there she was, gripping her broom tightly and avoided the bludgers coming her way. They hadn't even given them protective gear and yet they were dodging. When one was coming directly to her head she managed to dive only for it to hit the other boy. He was knocked off his broom and feel; she covered her mouth in surprise as he fell without any gear. But a few inches from the ground they managed to slow him down and slowly drop him back down. She sighed in relief that is until she felt one of them hit her right in the stomach. A gasp was emitted and tears sprung from her eyes as she felt it knock the air off of her. She accidentally pulled her broom upwards and she pulled herself up. She lowered her body against the broom and took a few deep breaths. Maybe this wasn't for her.
Draco wasn't doing anything to protect her and at first she had felt bitter. But she remembered telling him to treat her like he would anyone else. He wouldn't protect her now or make her a special case. He had already allowed her to even participate in the tryouts. The best she could do was to try and stay afloat. Taking a deep breath she dove once more and found herself glaring as Graham kept throwing the bludgers in their direction. She ignored the way most of them came her way and instead concentrated on the direction that the bat was moving. If it was swung one direction she already knew to expect it to come her way. Along the way two other boys fell and only one boy remained.
"Alright that's enough, I got bored of watching you squirm"
Lowering down she ignored the red marks on her skin. The bludgers that hit had been on her shoulder, her side and her stomach. She winced as she stood in front of them.
"Now we have an alum here to help up be keepers. Your goal is to at least score once. Do you think you can do that?" he slowed his tone purposely so Angel would understand, as if she was slow.
Glaring she found herself gripping her broom tighter. Signaling them to go up she gripped the quaffle tightly against her body and began to fly in. The eighteen-year-old boy was big, all brawn and he didn't look too happy to have a girl to practice with. She had no clue how they had already graduated yet they came back to simply do this.
Gripping the quaffle tightly she noticed her options and thought carefully. If she went for it without a second thought, she knew surely that it would hurt her in the end. As she flew from side to side she pondered all the positions. Anytime her eyes stayed too long on one side of the goals the keeper moved. While she pondered her options it seemed the other boy just went for it. She saw him pick up speed and throw the quaffle as quickly as he could only to have it shot back and hit his face. She winced seeing the way the boy's nose started to bleed and he slowly descended back to the grounds. He'd given up. She gripped her broom tighter and wondered if she should do the same. They weren't going to choose her anyway. A knock on her head caught her attention and she winced turning to face the ground.
"Are you gonna go for it princess or not?" Graham yelled from below.
Glaring she gripped the quaffle tightly and began to fly. She changed direction throughout her flight wanting to make it seem that she had a plan: she didn't. Her only hope was for him to think she was confident in her movements. Her eyes locked on the middle target: perfect, and the alum caught her gaze. As she lowered her body he quickly moved towards the goal only to have her turn last minute and throw the quaffle. It was a weak throw, her body hadn't gone to the full extent and she found herself watching the quaffle barely go in the goal. It didn't shoot through, but it barely hit the rim and went to the other side.
She cried out in glee; while it wasn't spectacular or admirable she had at least made some point. Flying down she found herself landing as graceful as she could and looked at Graham proudly. He looked to have turn red and embarrassed at her success.
"That was shit" he said annoyed, "it was dumb luck that you made it in and you know it. You think with that you'll make it in?"
"Perhaps" she answered back in all honesty, "but you know what? You're right. A girl like me shouldn't be on the team." Throwing the spare broom she was lended, she crossed her arms. "You can take your pick in either the Thomas and his broken nose, or the others that fell from the bludger. Because I changed my mind, I shouldn't be on this team."
Turning around she began to walk away only to hear him again.
"What are you-Are you crazy?!" He exclaimed annoyed at everything.
"You heard me, I changed my mind. I don't want to be part of a stupid team with a person like you bossing me around" she threw the quaffle to his face and grabbed her sweater. "I'll see you later Drake. Come on Luna we're leaving!"
"Angel wait!"
As she turned away she decided to keep her tears at bay. Luna quickly ran to catch up to her. She ignored the way Draco had called her and instead headed towards the castle. Luna managed to catch up and grabbed her wrist hoping to stop her.
"I thought you made it in?" Luna asked confused.
Angel wiped her tears of frustration and shrugged. She didn't want to get the position only because there were no other options, and even then the way the captain talked to her made her rethink everything.
"Just because I'm a girl, doesn't mean that I can't be on that team." She explained, "but to constantly be called princess, or calling me weak is not about to make me want to continue to do that. My dignity is more important than joining that team."
Luna nodded and hugged her friend, who was reluctantly to be pulled into one. Still she wrapped her arms around the blonde and she stayed still as the blonde patted her head and told her she did the right thing.
"If you were in Ravenclaw you would have gotten the position without a second guess. You're too good for them"
"They'll have to beg me to be on it." She replied.
Luna shook her head and they went off changing the conversation to something else.
…
Harry Potter hated Dolores Umbridge. Her class had been the moment he realized that something was very wrong in the castle. For one thing they had been forced to read the book and from then on people began to ask questions as to why they were doing this. He knew the moment he had mentioned Cedric and Voldemort that things would have gone wrong and they had: detention. The first night hadn't been so bad. That is until the punishment was given: lines. The way the quill dug into his skin as he wrote on the parchment was painful. He had uttered a few cries here and there but nothing that would bring her must enjoyment. The worst part about it was that it stayed red as it healed and slowly as he was forced to keep going. 'I must not tell lies' over and over again until he found himself wishing he could just leave.
He was allowed to leave after midnight; his walk back to his dorm reminded him of how he had left Angel waiting and he covered his face to drown out his noise of frustration. How could he have gotten detention?! The idea of her waiting for him had forced him to run towards the lake. They were supposed to meet at nine, and even though he knew that she couldn't possibly still be there, he had to just go. As he reached their tree as he guessed she wasn't there. Yet her footprints were evidence of her waiting there and he felt like such an ass. After that he had gone to the dorm only to practice the Vanishing Spell for homework. Everything was slowly piling up in his life: his friends were too busy or him, OWLs coming soon, homework, detention, and the missed changes with Angel. This was all too much.
Now Friday he was forced to miss Quidditch tryouts. Angelina had been furious that her second in command wasn't able to attend. But detention was detention and he wasn't going to be able to get out of it. Dolores Umbridge once more had given him the lines to do and each time he felt it increasing in pain. This time around he refused to make a noise of pain even though the red took longer to disappear and it slowly was cutting into his skin.
He slowly ignored the pain, he refused to give her the pleasure of knowing she got to him. So there he was, no friends in sight, no girlfriend to talk to, alone. This was an awful year.
…..
One Week Later…
Harry was clearly too busy for her and she tried not to be put out. She reminded herself that since he was a fifth year, he had more responsibilities and more weight on his shoulders. So she made the most of it; Luna had asked her to join the choir and she had much to the blonde's glee. She also got ahead in her homework trying to find time to be busy. One thing that she did avoid all week was -
"Will you just stop being prideful and just accept the position?!" Draco called out .
Her brother. Immediately closing the book she was reading she got up only for him to follow her. She had grown tired of his conversation; of how he used every single excuse as to why she should simply suck it up and take the position. But she refused each and every time. Additionally he would constantly keep asking if she was crazy. And yes, maybe she was, but she was not about to go to Graham and ask to be given the position.
"Will you stop avoiding me?" he said grabbing her arm and tugging her back to position. She tugged her arm but no use; he was not about to let go. "Angel!"
"No!" she replied, "I'm not letting Graham get his way after being a twat to me. Forget it."
"You wanted to be on the team that's why you went there right?" He asked incredulous.
As she tugged away he once more pulled her closer and she grunted.
"Will you stop it? I'm not running away! Now stop manhandling me." She huffed but was thankfully let go. "I did want to be on the team, but I don't want to be seen as less for being a girl. I was the best person trying out. I let him hit me multiple times with a bludger and worse, at the end he said it was dumb luck! So no, I'm not letting a person like him lead me."
"We need you" he pleaded.
Looking at him coldly she lifted her chin and took a deep breath.
"If he wants me on the team, he can beg for me himself" she smirked. "Now stop doing his dirty work. It's been a week and you're killing me here. Now go do your homework and leave me alone."
"If he does ask you, will you be joining the team?"
"Hm,..yes" she said amused.
He smiled brightly and kissed her cheek loudly before promising to tell Montague to do that.
As she was finally left alone, she quickly climbed the stairs and headed for her dorm. All her roommates thankfully had boyfriends and were nowhere to be seen. Throwing herself on the bed she let out a loud groan. Everything hurt. Her body hurt from the bruises that she got seven days ago; still sore no matter how many warm showers and ointment were put on. Her brain hurt as well; her anxiety over the possibilities drove her nuts. Should she join the Quidditch team? Should they have them grovel? Both? Maybe? Ugh.
And lastly and most importantly her heart hurt; Harry hadn't bothered sending her anything to excuse why he stood her up. She covered her head with a pillow and wondered just what was going on. He stood her up twice. TWICE! And she didn't know how much of her pride could continue to allow her heart to make excuses. It was so unlike him and she had even made a list to see what was causing him to be in such a state. The logical part of her had listed items like OWLs, Quidditch duties, homework, her uncle, Draco, his friends. All these things had circulated on her list. But the one negative that stood there taunting her was that he grew bored of her.
She looked over at her cat that seemed to nap as if there was nothing troubling Angel whatsoever. Bad cat. She considered bothering the familiar enough to do something but that seemed cruel.
No. Instead she lay down and considered what to do next? Part of her was embarrassed for caring so much about being ignored by a boy. Yes she did care about him deeply and loved him greatly. And yes he made her feel special and made her want to be a better person. But at the same time the idea that she felt offended so quickly after being neglected made her wonder if she was simply clingy or insecure. There were times when she had wondered if was going to simply get over her and she would be left alone. It was pathetic. It truly was, but after trying to find who she was, it seemed her life was somehow tied to Harry Potter.
From him came her real father, knowledge of who she was, and truly trying to get out of the shadow that her brother had inadvertently put over her. She had to admit that she had changed, not just because she was fourteen, but rather the idea that she sacrificed for wanting nothing in return.
Her head hurt. Rubbing her temple she decided that she should just let it go. Things happened for a reason and she wasn't going to force anything if it wasn't meant to be. Good things came for those who waited so she could. Harry had a reason; he always did. And she would be patient. Smiling softly to herself she dozed off after a long day.
…
Today she decided to dress for herself. It was a beautiful Sunday morning and she would take advantage of it by wearing a dress. Her plans were simple today: try to just relax and try to weasel her way into Draco's day. He was so busy with everything that it was clear he wouldn't be able to be near her as usual. The trouble with having older friends she supposed. Her hair was up in a high ponytail and her dress was a classic sundress, a lace sundress with a cardigan over it. As she walked down the halls heading to breakfast she heard someone stop her.
"Malfoy, I wanted a word with you"
She turned letting her dress sway in order to make her look completely innocent and surprised by his voice. There stood Graham in his 5'10 glory looking sheepish. He was one of those boys that had lanky work well for him. His hair was a light brown color and his eyes were grey. He had his hands in the pockets of his black that he wore with a black jumper. He had looked so nice during tryouts, now she knew how much of a prat he could really be.
"May I help you?" she asked her voice light.
"Don't make this painful Malfoy" He sneered.
She smiled brighter at his comment and signaled him to come her way. "We can talk as we walk towards breakfast Montague. Come" she patted her knee.
He glared but did as she asked and they both walked down the long hallway. The silence was awkward but she would keep this up until he finally admitted what he wanted.
"Damn it will you just join the team?!" He exclaimed.
She grinned at the sixth year that looked extremely annoyed over doing this. She hummed and pretended to think about it. He was smart enough not to hurry her; he knew this was some form of punishment.
"Why do you want me?" she asked.
His cheeks began to turn red in annoyance.
"Because you're not a shitty player and we need a chaser. Now I'm not going to ask again Malfoy."
"Even if I'm a girl?" she raised her brow.
"Damn it, can you just say yes or no?"
As they reached the end of the hall and the great hall doors stayed close she signaled for him to open. He rolled his eyes but dramatically opened the door earning a Cheshire grin from Angel.
"Fine, I accept."
He sighed in relief and she looked excited. They chatted briefly about the details at the door and she found herself excited at getting something out of merit and not because of her name.
….
He was so tired. He had barely finished the essay due yesterday and he knew he was already really behind. Everything was slowly becoming hazy and he knew he wasn't the only one. Hermione would oftentimes pass out at the weirdest times. It had been three nights in a row that he found her passed out in the common room. Ron was weirdly exhausted but okay for the most part. He wasn't quite sure how Ron was surviving if he was honest. But as he wore a long sleeve shirt that covered the deep cut on his hand he found himself wanting to just go back to sleep.
When the doors opened he looked tiredly towards the noise only to see Angel. He looked tiredly as she had the door open for her by Montague: the new Slytherin Quidditch captain. He seemed to be making a grand gesture and she looked amused. He knew the tilted smile and her glittering eyes. As she clapped her hands and they chatted he wonder what was going on.
"Oh good she changed her mind"
Turning around in surprise he saw Luna smiling at the scene. Before he could ask what she was doing so close she told him:
"Don't worry it's good! You should really talk to her. She misses you"
He looked awkwardly as she said that and then began to chat to Ron and Ginny hoping to distract them. There was no need with Hermione as she was studying at the breakfast table. Harry waited to see when Montague would leave and as he did he saw Angel look at him and smile. Grabbing a few items of food he immediately got up and walked out.
She casually handed Pansy a book and walked off with whatever explanation she had. He tried to pick up his pace to finally talk to her. As soon as they were both out neither of them said a thing. They kept their distance until they knew no many people stood and he immediately was engulfed in a hug.
He huffed in surprised but immediately reciprocated as the young girl held tightly. He smiled and pressed his cheek against the top of her head. It seemed she had not gotten any taller during the summer, but she had missed him: thank Merlin. He didn't know what he would do if she had been indifferent over their missed changes.
"I-"
A swing of her satchel made him wince. He should have known that some hitting would occur. He knew he was too trusting to think she wasn't angry with him. She was always angry. But as he saw her he saw that in her bright brown eyes there was some relief that he was okay and that everything was okay with them. He gave her a lopsided smile and she found herself smiling back.
"You've stood me up twice this week Harry James Potter" she warned.
He lifted his hand to rub his neck nervously and looked sheepish. It was this moment he realized that he had really neglected to tell her what was going on. In all his misery he had forgotten that unlike his friends, she hadn't abandoned him but rather waited for it to be okay to talk. He was a prick and he kind of needed to fix that. As he lowered his hand the anger in her face vanish for a brief second before a second round of fury began. The light dusty pink in her cheeks began to turn red, and the spark in her eye began to turn to fire.
"Who did that to you?!" she sneered angrily taking his wrist to examine the cut.
He had honestly forgotten about that deep wound that had been done by Professor Umbridge. With everything going on and not really having anyone to talk to, he had let it slip his mind. He was just so behind homework, behind everything he just wanted to sleep.
"It's not as bad as it looks I swear-ahh!"
He hissed immediately after he said this phrase as Angel pressed her nail against the wound making him jump and pull his hand away.
"Damn it Harry, why are you lying to me?" she asked angrily. "Now will you just tell me who-"
"Umbridge did it. I got detention and she made me do lines. Except …there's no ink just a quill that cuts in my skin every time I write" he finally admitted it.
"Did you tell Dumbledore?" she asked immediately worry written on her face .
"Look he's not…can we talk somewhere else?" he asked.
"Where?"
"Come on"
He grabbed her had and they were off walking towards a more secluded area. He took her back to the quidditch fields and hid under the stands like the first time they had real time alone. They both took their positions and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders pulling her close. He closed his eyes for a moment to just try and relax but as she nudged his side, he knew it would be impossible to do so until she knew exactly what was happening.
"Harry…"
"I got detention" he said frustrated at how it had been his fault. "And I know I shouldn't have pushed but she said that Cedric's death was a mere accident and denied Voldemort being back and well…she doesn't belong here"
She nodded and tried hard not to flinch at the mention of Lord Voldemort, but only listen as Harry vented. She heard him talk about Dumbledore and how he had cut all forms of communication with Harry making him feel alone. She heard him angrily talk about his muggle family and how they treated him even when he saved their son. He talked about the court date he had and his fear of losing his wand. She didn't say a thing yet knowing that he had more to say. Instead she stared at the hand that seemed to have the cut. 'I must not tell lies.' That sickening witch. She hated Umbridge even more.
"She put me in detention and well you got the rest of it. And there's…I'm so tired" he said exhaustion pouring from him. "With Snape's essays, the spells from Transfiguration, and other homework and OWLs I just can't sleep. I just.." he leaned his head against the stairs they sat behind and closed his eyes.
"That's not just it, is it?" she asked already knowing the answer.
"No one believes me about Voldemort. People are actually avoiding me or hating me in school and I was at first okay, but now people that were once my friends don't even think about it."
He rubbed his eyes ignoring the stinging pain. He was not about to cry again in front of her. Once was enough. Angel frowned and curled her body against him. She could tell he was just tired and then some, but there was nothing he could do to make people change their mind. Instead she began to try and make him relax.
"I missed you Harry," she said kissing his cheek.
Despite how tired he was he found himself smiling softly.
"I miss you so much that I'm forgiving you for forgetting about me and I don't forgive recently" she hummed and kissed him again.
He laughed softly and pulled her closer.
"I miss you so much that I'll help you with your homework"
That got his attention.
"What?"
"Well…I have a brother who already did his homework. So…how about it?"
"I love you"
Laughter erupted from Angel and he couldn't help but join in. The year had started awful and it still wasn't the best, but they at least had some time together. Harry smiled as he had this little time to just unwind. Based on how the year had started it wasn't going to be any easier but they had one another.