"Did you hear? Ginny and Dean broke up!" Astoria whispered to Lucille next to me in Charms class. I wasn't exactly paying attention.
Our tiny little Charms master was bobbing his way toward us. Lucille and Astoria quickly tried to look busy.
"Now, now, girls," squeaked Professor Flitwick reproachfully. "A little less talk, a little more action . . . Let me see you try. . . ."
Together we raised our wands, concentrating with all our might, and pointed them at our flasks. Astoria vinegar turned to ice; Lucille's flask exploded. Mine turned a shade of dark black.
"Yes . . . for homework," said Professor Flitwick, reemerging from under the table and pulling shards of glass out of the top of his hat, "practice."
After class I wandered around the castle for my free period. I had piles of homework and missing assignments to do but I didn't feel like doing them. I'd lost interest in most of my classes by now. Besides, none of them were going to help me kill Dumbledore.
I went to breakfast the next morning and sat down quietly next to Astoria as usual.
That's when I saw her.
Katie Bell. She was back.
Looking healthy as ever, Katie Bell was surrounded by her jubilant friends. "I'm really well!" she said happily. "They let me out of St. Mungos on Monday, I had a couple of days at home with Mum and Dad and then came back here this morning. Leanne was just telling me about McLaggen and the last match, Harry..."
Harry immediately rushed to talk with her. I panicked. My chest tightened and my breath quicken. Did she know? Did she remember me?
"Raelyn, are you okay? You look really pale." Astoria said reaching to feel my forehead.
"Fine," I said swiftly swatting her hand away. She frowned at my rude actions. But I didn't have time to apologize. My mind was in over drive. What if she knew? Had Draco seen her -
Draco, where was Draco?
As if my thoughts had summoned him, he walked into the Great Hall. He stopped and stared at Katie Bell. He glanced at my direction. We made swift eye contact. We were both thinking the same thing.
Katie's eyes shift. She went ashen. Harry turned, and followed her gaze to Draco, staring at her. Katie backs away, retreating to the other girls. Harry watches her go, then looks back.
Draco fled.
I immediately stood up and followed him.
"Wait, where are you going?" My friends asked. I ignored them and quickly left the Great Hall. I hastily followed Draco down the hall and into the bathroom.
He went to the sink, and turned on the water, dipping his hands in and splashing the water over his face. He shuddered and shook his head, clutching either side of the sink, bowing his head, and letting out the softest of whimpers.
He steadied himself against the sink. Then, with a great, heaving shudder begins to...cry.
Draco was crying.
Tears streaming down his pale face into the grimy basin.
"Draco?" I said gently. I place a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't..." His whole body was shaking. "I can't do it...I can't...she knows..."
I didn't say anything and instead held him. He cried into my shoulder. "He's going to kill us...I'm sorry..."
"Don't be. It's not your fault." I said, running my knuckles down the back of his neck, to soothe him. "We're going to figure this out, together."
"No," He pulled away and we stood face to face. His icy eyes were watery. "you don't need to get hurt anymore."
