A Harry Potter Fanfic

Chapter 34

------------ Chapter 34 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Detention with Pansy was...irritating.

Generally, Pansy is irritating. Why are you even surprised?

Good point, Draco. She made me write lines, again. It’s the third time this week! And at every opportunity she feels the necessity to tell me about all of the intimate moments you’ve shared with her.

Ah, you mean the ones she imagined?

After hearing the things she said, I sure hope it was only her imagination.

Of course it is! I told you, nothing ever happened between us. I mean, we were together for a short while...but what she had with me can’t even hold a candle to the way I feel about you.

You always say the sweetest things

Yeah, well, you know me. By the way, shouldn’t you be heading to class before you’re late...again?

What would I do without you?

Possibly be on time for classes? Love you

Love you more

Lies! Now go to class!

With a huge smile on my face I run down the stairs. This is really becoming a bad habit. But I can’t bring myself to change it. I get to talk/write to Draco every morning, while the both of us are free. I’m willing to accept the consequences of being late just to talk/write to him.

What I hadn’t factored in though was knocking into someone as I made a sharp right turn.

               “Damn it! Why can’t you kids watch where you’re going?” Nate’s disgruntled voice comes from below me.

               “I’m so sorry, Nate! I was rushing to class,” I explain, getting off him and brushing myself off.

He stands up and brushes himself off before giving me a quizzical look. “You realise it’s a Saturday, right? We don’t have classes on Saturdays, you know,” he explains as if I’m mentally retarded. But he has a point. I completely forgot it’s Saturday. That means I can go talk to Draco now!

               “Silly me. I’ll just be heading off then,” I call, almost jumping up and down in joy at my sudden discovery.

               “Where are you running off too? You knocked into me, and therefore you owe me,” Nate says seriously, grabbing onto my arm.

               “I’m sorry?” I offer again, slightly off balance.

               “Sorry doesn’t cut it, Deidre. How about you come with me to Hogsmeade? Let me buy you a butter beer and we’ll call it even, alright?” he suggests flirtatiously.

               “As friends, right?” I clarify quickly.

I could have sworn Nate’s face fell ever so slightly, but he recovered quickly. “Duh! You aren’t my type anyway,” he murmurs, pulling me along the corridor with him.

***

               “...and then Ginny Weasley walked in, red hair sopping wet! I swear, if she wasn’t so scary, everyone in the room would have died laughing!” Nate finishes his story with a chuckle. Apparently he doesn’t like her either. Who would have guessed we’d have something in common, right?

Nate’s a pretty cool guy. We’ve been sitting in the quaint little pub talking for a couple of hours. He used to have this huge crush on Ginny, but she turned him down. And I guess the sting made him open his eyes to who she really is.

               “Okay, so now it’s your turn,” Nate challenges, downing the remainder of his butter beer.

               “I don’t really have many stories to tell. This is only my second year at Hogwarts, remember?” I remind him.

               “Oh, yeah, you’re right. Sometimes it seems like you’re just a regular sixth year. How did you find out? About being a witch, I mean,” he clarifies, leaning in slightly.

               “Well, you know that Harry stayed with me, right? When he found out, my parents went ballistic! And I always kinda wished I was a witch too, it just seemed too amazing to happen to someone like me...and then the letter came. I was so sure my parent’s would say no and stuff, but they allowed me to attend. And yea, that’s it,” I conclude lamely. God, I need to learn how to tell stories.

               “Nothing weird ever happened? I mean, usually by eleven strange things start happening. Strange, that is, if you don’t know you are a witch,” Nate asks.

               “Nope, and Harry told me about all the strange things that happened to him...and nothing weird happened to me. That’s when I gave up hope that I would ever be a witch,” I confess quietly.

As Nate and I are talking, there seems to be a huge commotion going on outside. I watch as some Hogwarts students run down the cobbled streets, excitement clear on their faces.

Nate pays for our drinks and we walk out of the pub.

               “Let’s go find out what’s happening, shall we?” Nate suggests.

               “It’s Pansy. She’s having a shouting match down there,” a student calls towards us as he runs to where a huge group has crowded.

I break out into a huge smile and grab Nate’s arm, towing him behind me. I need to see this! I push through the crowd until I can see clearly and I stare open mouthed.

Pansy looks terrible, tears streaming down her face, her hair messy. And opposite her, my boyfriend, his cheeks blazing, looking more intimidating than before, and if possible even more achingly handsome.

               “Draco,” I whisper to myself, tears beginning to form.

               “It’s enough Pansy! You’re a professor now, start behaving like one!” Draco huffs.

               “That’s your Malfoy, isn’t he?” Nate asks, his voice cold.

I nod my head mutely, my eyes still transfixed on my boyfriend.

               “This isn’t your fight Draco! It’s between me and the girl!” Pansy shrieks.

               “The things you said to her, the things about us...it made this my fight!” Draco murmurs coldly.

And in that instant he finally feels my stare and turns to look at me. He breaks into a beautiful smile and takes a step towards me before pausing suddenly. I follow his eyes that rest on my hand grabbing onto Nate’s.

               “It’s not what you think,” I whisper.