The Heart Is Not Black or White

Chapter 23

Final exams were ten weeks away. By this point in the year, there were two types of students: students who haven't even thought about exams yet, and students who's brains were full of nothing else. Tracey was one of the latter.

Every night, she stayed up after hours studying. She urged us to start studying, but I didn't have the motivation to study for anything except Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts. I had also gained an interesting study partner for Potions.

Yes, Draco was vile, but his interest in Potions was contagious. His excitement for the subject only magnified my own. In the field of Potions, we were an unbeatable team. During class, we would finish perfect potion after perfect potion. Even more note-worthy, we were getting along quite well. Normally I would have held a grudge for all the awful things he had said and done this year, but in my defense, he hadn't done anything horrible since the Quidditch match.

We were working on memorizing the recipe for a potion together in the common room when he asked me, "Were you the one who pulled Weasley off me during the Quidditch match?"

"E-Excuse me?" I stuttered. How would I get out of this? Only Fred and a few of the teachers were supposed to know about my ability. If Draco knew I had used the Manus Force to lift Ron off of him then my secret was out.

"Don't act like you don't know," he sneered. The kind, radiant Draco that studied for Potions with me was gone. "You have the Manus Force."

Malfoy then reached into his pocket and took out a piece of parchment. He unfolded it and waved it in my face. On it were notes about the Manus Force.

"Are those Tracey's notes?" I demanded.

"I found them on the ground in the library," he stated.

"Liar!" I snarled. "You took them from her and then you must have wiped it from her memory!"

"Do you honestly think I have enough time to spend on you and your pathetic little friends?" Malfoy asked.

"Well you sure like to taunt the Weasleys. And if you don't have time to spend on me, why do you study potions with me, huh?"

"Because you're the best in the class, other than me of course."

"Look, Malfoy," I sighed. "Just give the notes to me." I held my hand out.

"Fine," he huffed. He placed the parchment in my hand.

"Now tell me why you want me dead," I said.

"I don't want you dead."

That was one of the best compliments I had received from Draco Malfoy. It was a lie, but a compliment nonetheless.

"Then why did you hide this from Tracey and I? You obviously took it from her, then wiped it from her memory using the Obliviate spell. You knew I would die!" I exclaimed.

"Die? What do you mean, die?"

"I almost died because I didn't have these notes to warn me. Now answer my question."

"So you admit you have the Manus Force?"

"Answer my question."

"I told you I didn't take it from her or wipe her memory."

"Yea, right. This is war Malfoy. Do not mess with me." With that, I stormed back to my dormitory.

My mind was spinning. I sat down on my bed and looked at the piece of parchment. It was Tracey's handwriting. It had lots of important facts that I know now, but would have helped me earlier on. If I had known this information beforehand, I could have gone to a teacher or prepared myself. I may not have had to stand face to face with Death.

Why would Malfoy want me dead?