joelle | d.m

20 | acting out

November, 1994.

"Draco."

He looked up from his breakfast to see Astoria sitting in front of him. "Hey, Tori. You alright?"

"Hi," she greeted softly, clasping her hands together against her cheek as her elbows propped upon the table. "I have something to ask you."

He sat up straighter and put his fork down. He'd been sitting alone since Theodore and Blaise went to smoke quickly.

"Okay," Draco said indulgently. "What is it?"

"People were saying they saw you with Honrada last week," she mentioned, green eyes watching him carefully. "They said you were walking with her out of the Slytherin common room."

The date. "We had a late tutor session," he replied easily as he shrugged. "She had to take an extra shift that day, and we couldn't have the session at her work."

"Oh." Astoria nodded subtly. "So you didn't stop hooking up with me because of her?"

"I told you why I stopped the hookups."

"No, I know." She nodded yet again. "I guess I'm just being a bit silly. Whatever.  Alright, well, I have to go. I'll see you around."

He said bye to her and she was gone, leaving him alone with his breakfast.

When he finished breakfast, he went to his first class, which was Transfiguration. He had this class with the Gryffindors, meaning with Joey.

He didn't get the chance to congratulate her last weekend on capturing the golden egg because it was like she was ignoring him. Correction: not like. She was ignoring him. She never looked at him, let alone spoke to him.

It was actual torture.

_____

Joey opened the classroom door.

The professor stopped talking and the whole class turned to her. "Ah, Miss Honrada," McGonagall said sternly. "How nice of you to join us. Take your seat."

She went to her assigned seat in the back and sat down. She was fifteen minutes late because she had decided to lay down on the dock by the Black Lake during breakfast before classes and she lost track of time.

She took out the stuff she needed and began to write down notes as McGonagall spoke. As she did so, she ignored the striking eyes of a platinum-haired Slytherin on her.

"You're really late, Joey," Nayun whispered from her own assigned seat next to her. "Are you alright?"

"Fifteen minutes is hardly 'really' late." Joey underlined the date.

Nayun kept her voice just shy of a whisper. "You can talk to me—to Imani and Von too. About stuff other than the tournament as well. You know that."

"I do." Another nod.

Nayun let it go and focused on the lesson. But after a moment, she turned back to her friend. "Jo-Jo, can you and I talk later? During our free period?"

"We're talking now."

"I'd like to talk to you during our free period as well," her friend clarified.

"Okay." Joey shrugged and nodded at the same time.

"Great." Nayun smiled and dragged her attention back to her notes.

So when the time came, the two of them walked along the bridge outside of the castle. They had their jackets on and their book bags were in their dorm. Joey was silent, staring out at the scene around her. More snow had covered the area and it was nearly blinding.