Pawns | A Draco Malfoy Love Story

"I Trust Bella!"

After the encounter with Ron, I stayed in the library for most of the afternoon trying to find a few books to take out for some pleasure reading.

I curled up with one of them in a chair next to a large bay window. It probably wasn't the best choice of location because there was a small draft and every time I sniffled Madam Pince gave me a very dirty look.

I packed up after her fifth scowl and made my way back to the common room. By now, the team should have been done practise and be almost heading for some food.

As I approached the Fat Lady, I felt a rough hand on my shoulder pull me back.

"You little bitch!"

"Woah!" I said, startled, not sure who I was even talking to yet. I turned around and Ginny was smiling but looked a little manic.

"Making moves on my brother are we?"

"Oh my God," I sighed, slapping my hand to my forehead as I turned away to go through the portrait hole. "What a little rat, he said he wouldn't tell anyone."

"Tell anyone what?" said a curious Hermione who looked over at us from the couch.

"Bella's got a crush on Ron. Sorry 'Mione," she said, patting me on the back and plopping down next to Hermione who now stood up.

"What?" she asked, bewildered. "No she doesn't."

"Oh yes she does, the whole team knows about it too."

"Murder me, someone, please," I begged to the walls.

The rest of the team started to file in. I spotted Ron in the crowd and his eyes bulged out of his head at the sight of me and his cheeks flushed red. He ducked his head down and moved faster, shoving people out of the way as he took the stairs to the dorms two steps at a time.

At the back of the crowd was Harry. He was smiling broadly amongst the chattering team but he tried to hide it when he spotted me. He substituted his smiles for a mock angry face.

"How could you?" he said, stopping in front of me. "My best friend?"

"Oh shut up," I said, punching him in the arm, "all of you!" I corrected myself, looking to Ginny and to the rest of the giggling team.

"I don't get it," said Hermione. "What's the joke?"

"Ron left practise for bit and when he came back he was acting all weird, like he forgot how to be a human. It was rather strange," said Ginny.

"So I asked him what's up," continued Harry, "and he wouldn't meet my eyes which was also weird. And then it only took like 15 seconds before he freaked out and spluttered all about how you apparently made a pass at him," he said, turning to me.

"Wow. The moron," I interjected.

"He was screaming it too," added Ginny. "It was really funny," she laughed, pointing at me as if I needed further humiliation.

I sighed and rolled my eyes, glaring at the direction of the dormitories. Part of me hoped Ron would come back down so I could smack the freckles off of his face.

"Poor Harry," Ginny continued, now laughing at him for momentarily believing that I actually did have a crush on Ron. "You looked scared for a sec back there."

"I wasn't scared!" he said indignantly. "I trust Bella!"

"Well what did you say to Ron?" Hermione asked me. "Why did he think that?"

"I told him he didn't need to stay with Lavender if he wasn't really feeling the relationship anymore," I explained.

I was about to reveal that I had Hermione's best interest in mind when telling him that he "had other options," but I didn't want to embarrass her so I stopped there.