Of Finches & Firsts

The Snake Pit

Ellie woke up with a case of the nerves the next morning of the weekend trip to Hogsmeade. Usually she'd be over the moon about it, looking forward to trying the sweets at Honeydukes with Mauve and friends, but today she would be hanging out with someone different.

Today she would be hanging out with Draco Malfoy.

It was all she could think about last night and it would have almost kept her up if it wasn't for the fact that she was a rather big fan of sleep and could sleep through almost anything. Now however, as she proceeded to go through her things, she really wish she had stayed up to at least plan her outfit.

"What's got you so jittery?" Mauve had asked her as she was getting ready. "I've never seen you go through your clothes like that. Your side of the room looks like a tornado went through it."

Of course, when Ellie confessed to her about her plans with Draco, Mauve wasn't all too pleased. Still, she acted as supportive as she could, even helping her pick out an outfit for the day.

Taking one last look at herself in the mirror, Ellie decided that her simple choice of jeans and a knitted cream sweater would do. Mauve even helped with her hair, coming up with a half up half down style before finishing it off with a delicate white ribbon tied to it.

As they all gathered outside, waiting for the professors to announce their departure, Ellie spotted Draco almost immediately, grouped up with his usual choice of company. She was unsure whether to approach him, the thought of her initiating a confrontation making her anxious.

"What if he changed his mind?" she pointed out to Mauve, who responded with a roll of her eyes.

"Then I was right and he's an idiot. Come on, just walk up to him and say 'hey'. You can do this. I'm rooting for you."

"No you're not, you hate him & you hate that I'm doing this," Ellie corrected.

"Details, details. That's all besides the point, and the point is that you need to go up to him," she said as she pushed her towards Draco's direction.

Ellie stumbled, nearly tumbling right into Draco and his friends. She made sure to look back at Mauve, sending an upset look her way, however the dark haired girl just simply waved back with a smile.

Looking back towards the group that was now in front of her, she nervously cleared her throat and forced out a small smile.

"Umm...hi," she managed to say, feeling her face heat up from the silent stares she was receiving.

Draco's nose turned up, eyes practically glaring at her in disgust. "Can I help you?"

Oh no.

"You...you invited me to hang out with you yesterday. Remember? Back at the tower?" she tried to explain, but Draco's expression remained the same.

This was exactly what she feared.

"Me? Ask to hangout with you? You must be out of your right mind," he stated, looking down at her like she was the most pathetic thing he had ever laid his eyes on.

Perhaps, she was.

Ellie pressed her nails to the inside of her palm, trying to keep herself from outright running away. The embarrassment was too much.

"Oh. Ok," she said before turning away. Before she was even half a step away from them, however, she felt a hand turn her around and was now back to facing Draco.

This time, his expression was one of amusement.

"Oh come on Finch, take a joke will you. I'm just messing with you," he said, eyes glittering with mischief as he looked at his friends, who were snickering to themselves.