Denying Draco

37 - I Am A Malfoy

'Oh, I forgot to ask you how detention went the other night,' Ginny said, turning to Poppy during breakfast in the Great Hall. 'Was Snape being his usual petty bastard self?'

'Actually...it wasn't so bad,' Poppy replied. 'He let me go early.'

'Oh no...you're doing that thing again,' Ginny murmured, and Hermione looked up from her book across the table at them.

'What thing?' Poppy asked, frowning.

'Your face,' Ginny giggled. 'Your little rosy cheeks turn bright red when you're hiding something embarrassing!'

'What is it with my cheeks?' Poppy blurted out, pressing her palms to her face.

'Oh god, Ginny's right, they do do that!' Hermione laughed. 'What is it this time?'

'Guys, come on, there isn't always some juicy story to tell, maybe I'm just feeling warm,' Poppy mumbled.

'Such a liar!' Ginny cried, whacking her in the back. 'Spill, Dumbledore!'

'I'm not hiding anything!' Poppy exclaimed.

Hermione gasped and lowered her head down as she murmured, 'you slept with him again, didn't you?'

It was Ginny's turn to gasp, but louder and more dramatic. 'You absolutely fucking did!'

'Girls, please, just listen to me for a second, alright?' Poppy sighed, looking up to the ceiling then back at them again as she nodded in surrender and shrugged, feeling defeated. 'So...yeah, I might of slept with him a little bit.'

Ginny howled with laughter as Hermione straightened up and gave her a stern look.

'May I ask what the hell is wrong with you?' Hermione said, firmly.

'It's not about what's wrong with her, Hermione,' Ginny cackled. 'Clearly, this whole situation is about something much bigger!'

A raspberry exploded from Poppy's mouth as she burst into laughter and together with Ginny, she clutched her stomach and howled as Hermione looked on. A slow smile spread onto Hermione's face and she caved, laughing along with the two girls.

'Come on, guys, stop,' Hermione giggled. 'I really don't want to think of him like that.'

'Tell us what happened, Poppy,' Ginny said, still grinning.

'Okay, okay, fine,' Poppy sighed, wiping the dampness from her eyes. 'So, I ended up following him up to the Astronomy tower that night and basically, things got heated...'

She told the girls the full story and Ginny was open-mouthed and flapping her face with her hand as Hermione crinkled up her face at the details.

'He actually used Evanesco on a condom?' Hermione asked, looking unimpressed.

'He honestly did,' Poppy chuckled.

'How romantic!' Ginny teased.

'Oh, guys, shhh...' Hermione gave them wide eyes and glanced up, the other two following her gaze as they all watched Draco pass by the table. The expression on his face was once again distressed and lost.

'Surely you must know what's going on with him?' Hermione asked. 'He constantly looks as though he's about to go throw himself from the Astronomy tower.'

'I wish I did know,' Poppy murmured, watching him leave the Great Hall. 'I'm going to go talk to him.'

She left the girls and hurried out of the Great Hall, glancing around the corridors until she spotted the blur of blonde hair disappear around a corner. She walked quickly down the corridor to follow him, spotting him on the staircase as she turned the corner and she hurried to keep up with him to avoid the stairs changing.