L O Y A L; [d.m.]

| P A R C H M E N T P A P E R |

~ Kat Turnwell~

"Why did you pick Malfoy?" Hermonie asks for the fifth time. We were sitting in the Great Hall during our free period. Both Ron and Harry are staring at me, searching for an answer. I know Hermonie is hurt that I didn't chose her, but it's not like I had a choice.

"Dumbledore asked me to befriend Draco this year. I dunno," I rummage through my bag avoiding eye contact. I hated lying to my friends.

"It's because he's a Death Eater, isn't it?" Harry asked accusingly.

"No!" I say too quickly, "Granddad just wants to make sure that doesn't happen, I guess." I pull on some parchment paper that's stuck under a couple of books, but rip the papers instead. "Fuck."

The trio look at me as I huff and lay my head down on the cold wooden table. I look at my grandfather's chair wondering how in the hell am I going to accomplish his task for me.

"I've got some spare parchment, Kat. Here," Hermoine nudges  my arm. "You need it more than I do."

"Thanks. I was planning on going to Diagon Alley this weekend with Granddad to grab some more. I'll pick some up for you," I smile to Hermoine as I begin to write my potions essay.

"I just don't like that you'll be spending time with Malfoy," Ron said, a sour grin on his face as he looks over at the Slytherin table. "Makes my skin crawl."

I look over and see Draco staring at me. I smile at him softly and wave hoping to bridge a friendship between us. Always play the nice girl Kat. That's what you're good at.

"Well good thing it's only for school. I'll be okay though. I can handle him," I say turning back to my friends.

Harry reaches over and grabs my hand that's holding the parchment paper. "Please let me if he does....anything."

"Harry..."

"I just don't trust him, alright?"

"Yeah, I'll let you know," I lie.

It was night by the time I got back to the common room and I had sent an owl to Draco to tell him that he needed to meet me in the Hufflepuff common room for the essay. My hair was still wet from my shower when Susan Bones opened the door with Draco following behind her.

"He says he's here to write an essay with you?" She asks quizzically, almost as if she were accusing me of messing around Draco.

"Yeah, thanks Susan," I smile as she walks off to her dorm room. I slide down off the couch to sit on the floor in front of the low fire. Draco sits next to me cross legged as our backs rest on the couch.

I bring my legs to my chest as I reach for my essay. "I wrote it already. You can copy it if you want. Just change stuff around." I hand him my paper and as he grabs the paper, his cold hand graze my warm one.

It was like fire and ice.

It burned.

It hurt.

In the good way.

I liked it.

"I- uh, forgot to bring parchment," Draco cooes. He looks at my hand that his thumb is touching.

"Do you need a quill too?" I look in my bag for the extra parchment paper that Hermoine gave me earlier today.

"Please."

It was quiet except for the scratching of the quill and the crack of fire.

"Katrina?" I turn to Draco and see him squinting at my writing. "What's this word?" He points to my scribbling.