Chasing Shadows || Draco Malfoy x OC

Year 4- Ch. 39

A week went by until Céline was pulled into an empty classroom after her classes were over. She looks up to a grumpy Draco with an unimpressed expression. 

"How long are you going to ignore me? It's getting rather infuriating?" He asked with his arms crossed tapping his foot impatiently.

Céline's eyebrows raised and she mimicked his pose. "I'm not sure. Have you realized what you did wrong?"

His gray eyes pierced into her steady green ones. He then rolled his eyes and sighed sharply. "Yes, I get it. I shouldn't have started a fight with your friends. And it was rude of me to insult his mother." He groaned.

"And?"

"And?" He repeated her question with a confused and annoyed expression.

"And?" She asked again, slower.

He stood there for a moment trying to figure out what else she wanted. Then he realized what it was and looked away, fully annoyed by the situation.  She stood there waiting.

"...I'm... sorry." He grumbled, so low she almost missed it. She watched him for a moment, her lip twitched in amusement, but she tried her best to look indifferent.

"Alright." She simply said. He looked at her with his eyes furrowed.

"Alright?" He asked

"Alright." She nodded, before walking toward the closed door.

"Wait... that's it?" He followed behind her out of the room. They walked side by side down the hall towards the Great Hall for dinner. "You weren't going to make me say it again?"

She shook her head, "No, because I'm sure you wouldn't give me more if I asked. So I'll take what I can get." His mouth was agape, because he was sure he probably would give her more if she had asked, but he wouldn't tell her that. She then stopped and faced him. He stopped with her with a slightly surprised look. "Though I will ask you to stop picking fights with them."

His face turned into his usual cool indifferent look again. "No promises."

She rolled her eyes and continued down the hallway with him. "Figures."

They walk into the Great Hall and head to their table. Céline was about to sit next to Tracey, before Draco grabbed her elbow. She looked at him confused.

"You don't sit there..." he said. Before letting go and sitting in his usual spot. She looked at him incredulously before looking at her two best friends who both look like they're trying to contain their laughter. She shook her head and sat down in her usual spot in between Daphne and Draco.

Céline heard Daphne tell Tracey that she owed her a galleon.

"I really thought Malfoy would've lasted longer. I was sure that Potter and Weasley would have given in first. I guess they're more stubborn than I thought." Tracey said quietly to her friend, before filling her plate with food.

Pansy entered the Great Hall and was heading to the seat she had been sitting in for the last week and a half, when she saw Céline sitting there again. She saw Draco with his elbow on the table and head leaning against it as he spoke with Celine with his usual smirk.

She frowned and cursed under her breath, before going around the table to her usual spot across from them.

They ate their dinner, everyone immediately noticing Draco's better mood. The last two weeks he had been a complete nightmare to everyone. His friends knew his chipper mood was because he was talking to Céline again.

When they were leaving the Great Hall, Céline heard her name called by a familiar voice. She turned to see Harry.

"Hey Céline, I need to talk to you." He said.

Draco opened to say something, but Céline nudged him and  gave him a stern look, warning him. So he closed his mouth with a sharp exhale. He then told his friends to go on without her. He didn't want to risk getting her upset with him again and then going another week being ignored by her. Céline overheard Tracey curse, that she lost the bet by an hour.

Once she was left alone she followed Harry to Ron and Hermione who were standing outside in the entrance hall.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" She asked once they stopped in front of the other two.

Hermione nudged Ron in his side roughly making him grunt a little.

"I er—" Ron started and he scratched the back of his neck, "I'm really sorry for what I said. I was really upset, but I should have never said that. I was being a git. I know you're a good friend. You're a great friend... sorry. Thanks for sticking up for mum." He looked at her nervously.

"I'm sorry too, Céline." Harry spoke up this time. "I was so stirred up by Malfoy, that I couldn't hold back." He fiddled with his robes.

She stared at them for a moment, "Thank you.. for apologizing. I really don't like not talking with you guys." She sighed in relief, now that she had all her friends talking with her again.

The trio also sighed in relief, glad that their friend had accepted their apology. Hermione smiled and went in to hug Céline.

"Finally we can all talk like normal again!" Hermione said. "I also noticed during dinner that you're speaking with Malfoy again." She raised her eyebrow at her friend.

"Ah, he also apologized to me right before dinner."

"Malfoy? Apologize? That's hard to believe." Ron looked at her in disbelief.

"I'm sure he was tired of getting the cold shoulder." Hermione shrugged.

They all talked a little more. Harry told her about the letters to his godfather, and other than that there wasn't much to update her with.

After a while she said goodnight to them and headed back to her common room. She saw Draco sitting on one of the couches. She noticed him reading the book that she had left in the train, the one she kept forgetting about getting it back from him. It was one of her favorite poem books.

He felt eyes on him so he looked up and saw Céline looking over at him. She walked over and sat down on the couch next to him.

"It's a pretty good book, isn't it?" She asked.

"It's alright." He said coolly.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Well if it's not to your liking, I would gladly take it back, since it's my favorite." She went to grab her book from his hand, only for him to grab her hand to stop her.

"I'm not done with it." He lied. He had read the book two times since he grabbed it from the train two weeks ago. She laughed and pulled back her hand, she knew fully well that he liked the book.

"What did Potter want?" He asked, not looking up from the book.

"Harry and Ron also happened to apologize to me." She shrugged looking at the fireplace.

"Did they also get a scolding from you?" He smirked.

"Not as bad, since they weren't the ones who started it." She eyed him. He was looking at her with a frown. "But Harry apologized for the same reasons as you. Ron... was for a different reason. All is forgiven though. I will say, they definitely had a better apology than you did." She chuckled

His eyes narrowed at her, "ha ha, you're hilarious." He said sarcastically. Which made her genuinely laugh. "How are you feeling now?" He asked after amoment.

"All better, the bruises are gone too thanks to the potions." She said as she lifted her sleeve to show her unmarked arm. He nodded in approval.

They sat there in a comfortable silence, while he read and she sat there watching the crackling fire. After a while she decided it was time to return to her dorm, so she told him goodnight and went up the stairs.