Tainted

Chapter 11 - An Old Friend Returns

A week had passed since the first task of the tournament and all four champions made it through without too many injuries. There were a few cuts and scrapes but that’s to be expected if you’re going to put them up against dragons of all things! What is wrong with them? I just can’t believe they would do such a thing. They had to steal a golden egg from the dragon’s nest and just like any mother, they are extremely protective of their young.

The golden egg contains a clue as to what the second task is but they had to figure out what the clue is. The excitement hadn’t worn out the students as the tournament was still on-going but those badges did seem to be decreasing in numbers.

The tournament had a bit of an odd timetable. Traditionally the Yule ball is held after the first task and then the second and third task are held after that but that’s not the case this year. Instead the Yule ball was going to be held after the second task and then the third task will be after the Yule ball. They thought it would be better this way since the ball was a chance for the students to relax and have a bit of fun.

As for Severus, well, things are exactly as I had expected them to be if not worse. I still cry for no apparent reason in the middle of the night but there’s nothing I can do for that. I know I cry because I’ve had my heart broken but it’s still so random. I’ll wake up in the morning with tear stains on my face or I’ll be trying to sleep when suddenly all I want to do is cry and wallow. Yes, things could be better but I don’t complain because I know they could also be so much worse.

Getting your heart broken hurts like you wouldn’t believe. In one moment everything you did together or had planned to do is gone. It’s knowing you’ll never mean the same thing to them from here on out and having the dreams you both talked about vanish. I could cry and cry but they won’t bring me peace. I could go and revert back to my old ways but that won’t help either.

It’s always going to hurt when I think about the times we shared but no one else needs to know. They don’t need to know how torn I am. No one else needs to know if it still pains me to hear his name. So I put on this façade and hope they can’t see past the walls I put up, hope that when he looks me in the eye he won’t see just how much I’m hurting inside.

I’m on my way to meet with Albus. He had Dobby deliver an urgent note to me this morning, asking me to meet him in his office as soon as possible. I have no idea what’s going on. I’ve been trying to keep a better eye on harry but Ickinstein keeps getting in the way and with the second task being held in the day after tomorrow, I know he’s trying to prepare himself.

I was approaching the entrance of the Great hall when I noticed Luna and the trio walking out together. Luna and Hermione were carrying a few textbooks even though there were no classes today as it was Saturday. Being the meddling godmother I am when it comes to these kind things, I hid behind one of the columns and watched them discreetly. The trio walked ahead of Luna but I knew she didn’t mind. I was about to come out of my hiding place when I saw Malfoy and his two goons snickering at something.

I glared at him, knowing that he was up to something even if I didn’t know what it was yet. Without a warning Malfoy sped up his pace, separating himself from his goons and crashed into Luna as if she was never there at all. To say I was livid would be an understatement but it did make me feel happier when Harry turned around and began to help Luna gather her things.

Not wanting to ruin the mood or moment for them, I used a summoning charm to drag Malfoy to me discreetly.

“What?” He asked, annoyed that he had to speak with me but also clearly flustered over how he ended up in front of me.

“60 points from Slytherin. Bullying is not tolerated and if I catch you bullying another student you will have a week’s worth of detention with me, and trust me you do not want that.” I threatened with as much menace I could manage. Malfoy shook it off and dusted his robes.