Prisoner 16.7

P1C18: Breakfast

Callan's alarm seemed to know exactly what he wanted, as it woke him up earlier than the day before. Immediately, he hurried to get dressed and ran down a few stairs before he reached the Ravenclaw knocker. As if they had planned it out, Luna walked out right at that moment and they walked towards the great hall.

"Do you know what I've always wondered about?" Luna asked. "What is it?" Callan replied. "If the food is different at each table." She admitted. "Why would it be?" Callan asked her. "Variety, maybe." She answered. Callan shrugged. "I doubt it." He said as they entered the great hall.

"Okay, Draco, here he comes. Remember what you practiced!" Pansy encouraged. "You can do it." Daphne said, giving him a lazy thumbs up. Draco nodded, breathing in and out as deeply as he could.

Callan, instead of turning to the left to the Slytherin table, turned to the completely opposite direction and continued to walk until he sat down at the Ravenclaw table, which was on the opposite side of the hall. A few Ravenclaws looked up and stared at him in confusion, either because he usually sat at Slytherin, he had a grey tie rather than coloured, they had never seen him in the Ravenclaw dormitories or because he just sat down with Loony Lovegood, the designated crazy of Ravenclaw.

Over at the Slytherin table, Draco and his gang sat speechless. "Did he just go to a different table?" Goyle asked. "Oh god, I really messed up. He doesn't even want to eat breakfast with his friends anymore! I didn't know it would make him that mad!" Draco spiralled.

Pansy patted his back awkwardly, "He walked in with that weird girl from Ravenclaw, maybe he's just friends with her and wants to eat with her? Go over there and apologize." Daphne nodded in agreement. "Pansy's right, Draco. You should apologize now before it's too late."

Draco put his head in his hands, rubbing his face slowly but violently. "Draco, your stretching your face." Blaise pointed out. Draco stopped his face stretching and simply rested his forehead on the table. "Seriously, just walk over there and apologize." Blaise told him. "I can't!" Draco complained. "You literally can." Theo pointed out.

"I can't walk all the way over there!" It's embarrassing! And what if he doesn't accept my apology?" Draco asked, his head still on the table. "Draco, It's a stupid ass fight. Of course, he'll forgive you." Pansy pointed out. Draco shrunk down in his seat.

"Draco, don't be a child." Blaise snorted. "If you're scared of going over there alone we can come with." Theo offered. Draco nodded, though he quickly changed his mind. "No, I have to do this alone." He said, breathing in and out as he repeated stood up and sat back down. Just then, Callan and the Ravenclaw Weirdo left together. Draco stared at them as they left, slightly shocked. "Well, It's too late now!" He groaned.

"Won't you see him in class? Hearing to you moan about something so trivial is making my head hurt." A Slytherin who sat across from Draco groaned, rubbing his head. "For your information, I won't see him in class. He's not a student here yet, he's just getting to know the ropes with special lessons from Dumbledore until next year." Draco replied angrily, an air of aristocracy surrounding him in an instant.

The Slytherin dropped his fork. "Special lessons?"

"Yes, he's cooped up all day in that old coot's office and-" Draco paused. Something he was saying... didn't sound right.

He stared at the Slytherin as his face paled considerably, and he seemed to lose his appetite. "Merlin, you've got to tell someone- you have to stop Dumbledore!" The Slytherin complained to him. "Wait- No- That's- It's-" Before Draco could explain, the Slytherin stood and ran away. "Wait!" Draco yelled after him, but he was far gone.

"I've fucked up. It's worse. This is bad. How is he supposed to forgive me now?" Draco moaned again, head in his hands. "Draco, just clarify what you meant the next time you see Marcello." Pansy told him, patting his back. "Marcello? Is that his name? If he spreads any rumours I'll hang him and then hang myself." Draco told his friends confidently.

"Draco, don't be so dramatic." Theo grimaced, though it didn't stop him from getting up and also patting Draco's back. "His name's Marcello Sunet, you haven't heard of him?" Pansy asked. "No." Draco replied honestly. "Slytherin's Sun? Angel-faced half-blood? We're quite lucky to have him in our year, let alone our house. He's quite popular these days with the ladies, though everyone knows he's gay." Pansy told him, not hiding her shock in the fact that Draco didn't know who he was.

"I don't care, I just pray to Diana he doesn't spread rumours." Draco said as he finally lifted his face from his hands. "Hecate." Pansy corrected icily. "Diana." Draco told her with disdain.

"Hello, Callan. Welcome back to my office." Dumbledore greeted as the boy walked in. "Good morning." Callan greeted. Dumbledore smiled, noting with great happiness that Callan was finally regaining the health that he should always have had. "Something bothering you?" Dumbledore asked as Callan sat down at the makeshift desk that was his.

Callan nodded. "I got upset at my friend for something dumb." Dumbledore gave him a knowing look, his eyes twinkling. "Why don't you just apologize to him? When I wrong my friends I get them chocolates and a sincere apology." Dumbledore said wisely. "I think he might be mad at me." Callan replied.

"Ah, you're giving him time to cool off?" Dumbledore asked, only getting a nod in reply. "I see. That's why you were sitting with Miss Lovegood at the Ravenclaw table this morning?" Dumbledore asked. Callan nodded again. "Assuming Lovegood is Luna, yes. She's my friend." Callan told him. Dumbledore nodded.

"I'm glad you have friends in different houses, and not just in one. There's no guarantee which house you'll be placed in." Callan nodded in agreement. "How is your sister, by the way? I hear you reunited with her on the train." The old, grandfather-like, wise headmaster asked.

"I haven't spoken to her since." Callan replied. Dumbledore nodded. "Will you speak to her soon?"

"Dinner, probably." Callan replied with a nod. "Right then, nice chatting with you but we really ought to get back to your learning. You'll do your N.E.W.T.s today and then you'll have a week off to explore the castle before you get your wand back and we'll do the practical O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s. Then you have another week off until your exam results come in, and we figure out what to do from there." Dumbledore explained, eyed twinkling. Callan gave him a smile back.