Putting Trust into the Wrong Man

Chapter 13: Thanksgiving

Poppy had been spending most of her time with Luna and Hermione the past couple weeks, teaching them all about the Muggle world.

"But what's the point of a dishwasher if the dishes can clean themselves?" Luna asked the afternoon before Thanksgiving Day.

"See, in the Muggle world we can't really use magic. People would totally flip out," Poppy laughed lightly imagining her friends walking into the kitchen and seeing dishes scrubbing themselves and putting themselves back in their places.

Luna kept asking loads of questions until a voice interrupted,

"Poppy, could I talk to you?" Draco kept his eyes low towards the ground and didn't dare look up at his audience.

Poppy hadn't talked to Draco since the dance, she was completely embarrassed about what went down that night. She sobbed into his arms without saying a word, what could she say? It's not like she could tell him she was eavesdropping on he and Harry's conversation nor ask him what actually happened at the time of her mothers death.

"I, um, sure," Luna and Hermione looked wildly at her, but Poppy grabbed her bag and stood up walking next to Draco going to their spot.

They descended the stairs into the dungeons and Draco shut the door behind them in the potions classroom.

"Poppy, you cant avoid me forever, I'm here, you know that don't you?" Draco looked at her for the first time in what felt like months.

His face was paler, he hadn't been out in the sun for probably days. He looked thinner too, Poppy realized any time she was in the Great Hall she never saw Draco, perhaps he couldn't eat either, but why?

"I know, I just" Poppy trailed off not knowing what to say, what was the right thing to say?

Draco sat down next to her and put his hand in hers, looking intently at her, waiting for her to say something.

"I'm just embarrassed from the dance, I completely ruined your night and I'm never that emotional. I'm not one of those emo girls," Poppy spitted out quickly, she didnt want Draco seeing her as weak.

Draco squeezed her hand and kissed her cheek making Poppy blush a bit, she longed for Draco's touch again.

"You don't have to be strong for me, Poppy," Draco whispered in her ear and Poppy kissed his cheek back.

"My father is coming tomorrow for the thanksgiving meal," Poppy blurted out, Draco had to know in the case they ran into each other.

Draco stopped his actions immediately and sat back to look at the girl sitting in front of him.

"Your father? Well that's nice, you must miss him," Draco was trying to make polite conversation, but Poppy could tell he felt awkward about it.

"I do, which is why I wanted to tell you. Draco, what exactly are we? I mean I know we're not dating or anything but in case my father asks, what should I..."

"We're friends, house-friends, we study together sometimes and sit next to each other during meals but not in a date way. Ya know, friends." Draco stiffened and went into a panic mode, Poppy knew hed soon stand up and start pacing.

Do you kiss your friends on the cheek? Were just friends?

Poppy's face fell at this realization.

"Right, just friends," she trailed off and felt the need to run out of the room, maybe hit something, she knew she had to get out, "I, um, Im going to go study for Herbology, I'll see ya later."

Before Draco could intervene, Poppy grabbed her bag and ran out of the classroom and up into her dormitory.

How could they just be friends? Why does Draco seem afraid of seeing Severus?

Thousands of questions ran through Poppys head, none of which she could answer. Constant thoughts of the Halloween dance raced through her mind and she could barely sleep. Before she knew it, it was 8am and time for her to get up and get breakfast.

She threw on her dark green robes and went down to the Great Hall. She saw Hermione and Luna sitting and eating together at the Ravenclaw table and spotted Harry and Ron laughing with the twins at Gryffindor.

She reached her table and saw Draco, he looked up and immediately back down to his oatmeal. Poppy sat at the other end of the table with Blaise and Adrian. Draco looked up and seemed angry. Without taking another look, he stood up and left the Great Hall with Crabbe and Goyle.

Poppy couldn't be bothered her father was coming on the Hogwarts Express and she couldn't wait to see him. His train was coming in at noon, Poppy figured she should get ready to go meet him at the Hogsmeade station.

It was a brisk morning with a cold front, Poppy pulled her robes closer to her chest as she walked the trail to Hogsmeade. Her watch read 11:58am, two more minutes until she felt the embrace of her father for the first time in months.

The horn blew, the train was coming. Poppy looked up and among the gathering crowd came the bright red train coming into the station. Dozens of passengers stepped off onto the platform while Poppy kept scanning, waiting to see the black long hair of her fathers.

"Dad!" She shouted as she spotted him stepping off the express. She ran through the crowd and embraced her father not believing he was actually there.

"Poppy Willow, how are you, you haven't been writing as much as you promised," Severus smiled as he kept his arm around his daughter while carrying his briefcase.

"Right, sorry about that, I've just been so busy with classes and..." she trailed off, about to say Draco but remembered they were just friends.

"And?" Severus looked down at Poppy's face, not sure what her answer would be.

"And making new friends, I'm really starting to feel at home, dad," Poppy smiled as they continued walking.

They made it back to the entrance of Hogwarts where Severus was greeted by Minerva McGonagall.

"Severus, how nice to see you roaming these halls again," she smiled lightly and gave him a hug.

They went off to Minerva's office and Poppy met with Hermione and Luna in the library.

"I can't wait for dinner and all the food, it'll all be so delicious!" Hermione and Luna were talking about all different kinds of food they eat on thanksgiving, Poppy never heard of half of them. Her family always had cousins and friends over for meals, but it was always quiet.

"Attention students, please go down to the Great Hall for the Thanksgiving Feast to begin," Headmistress McGonagalls voice blared throughout the halls.

The three girls stood up excitedly and headed towards the flooded hallways. They found their way into the Great Hall and went to their house tables.

Poppy found a seat next to Tracey Davis, a girl from her charms class. Poppy looked up to the platform of teachers sitting waiting for McGonagall to announce they could start their meal. She looked slightly to the right and found her father sitting at the end, next to Professor Slughorn catching up on the school year.

McGonagall gave her speech and allowed everyone to start their dinners, the conversations ceased at once as everyone piled food onto their plates and dug right in. Poppy was full after two whole plates towering with food, but dessert hadnt even been served yet.

Next thing she knew, cookies, puddings, desserts of all kinds appeared on the long table and she couldnt help herself but to grab a little bit of each. She looked down the row of her table and found Draco sitting with his usual crowd, but not eating much on his plate.

Draco looked up and down the row and they locked eyes, he mouthed 'potions,' 10 minutes to which Poppy nodded. Once everyone was done their meals, they both stood up and left the Great Hall walking side by side down the stairs to their meeting spot.

"Draco, I cant keep going back and forth. I cant watch you suffer in silence and you shouldnt have to, please just tell me the truth," Poppy spat out as soon as he shut the door, not even bothering to sit down. She got closer to him, "please," she whispered.

Before Draco could answer, the door opened and Severus walked in, "And what is this?"