In The Shadows [Book Two]

Chapter Seventeen:

[[A/N: hey! So this one is about 600+ more words longer than usual to make up for the last update being shorter.  Things are speeding up again, but don't worry; they'll slow down in another chapter or two! Also does this chapter seem kind of.. Blah, to anyone else? Like, is it just me or is this chapter for the dogs?]]

NJAG: Chapter Seventeen

"You messed up, you're so useless I don't even know why I bothered asking you for help!"

I lounged across the large chair in the Slytherin common room and listened to Draco scream at me for messing up.

Normally, I would have argued about my own usefulness but in this case he was right. He was so right.  But he would have mucked it all up too, Draco could barely do anything right and because of that had come crying to me for help.

Maybe if he spent less time screaming at me and more time corroborating with me, we'd already have another plan for killing Dumbledore.

"Merlin, I can't believe I trusted you to do something right for once, you're as useless as ever!"

I'm not sure why or how my mood changed so suddenly, what he said in that moment was something he had said at least fifty times in the last hour, but I went from rather uncaring to burning hot with fury and it took all I had to not curse him into oblivion.

"I'm useless?  The Dark Lord adores me because I'm useful.  If I wasn't, I would be dead.  You're an idiot Draco, you are weak!  You're too scared to even kill an old man, yet I've killed several already, that's why you came crawling to me for help like a sniveling little worm... Well don't do it again, next time you need help don't come to me."

I stormed away from him, this boy I'd loved for so long, suddenly realizing that love was a foolish notion for the naive.  It was an emotion that weakened you, and I had no desire to be weak.  I didn't want to have anything in common with Draco Malfoy except perhaps his last name, and not by marriage.

Glancing around the halls as I flew up from the dungeons, I noticed Harry with his two followers Granger and Weasley on the second floor and made sure to maneuver around them so we wouldn't run into each other.  Our eyes met just momentarily -Potter and Potter- before I glanced away. 

It would be wise to get on his good side again, I knew that, but I simply couldn't bring myself to do it.

***

The first Quidditch match of the year came around at the beginning of November.  I'd been avoiding both Harry and Draco for too long and so in hopes of fixing my mess I went to the Gryffindor vs Slytherin game.

Ron Weasley, despite his complete idiocy was actually rather good as a keeper, the best I had seen in my five years at Hogwarts.  I sat behind Neville, who unfortunately enough, sat beside Granger.

It didn't take long before all of Gryffindor was chanting the blood traitors name.  I was half thinking about cursing him so he'd muck up but I was a Gryffindor and as such really wanted our house to win the cup.  

Granger seemed irritated at something or other but clapped with everyone else and besides the angry sighs, seemed quite pleased with his performance.  Perhaps she hoped his endurance in his love life was just as strong; because it was easy to see the affection she held for him.

Weak.

All in all, Gryffindor won 190 to 0, Ron had blocked every attempt Slytherin made to get the quaffle through the hoops, and he was a hero.

What low standards Gryffinor kept.

But my night was made better when a sixth year girl whose name I didn't know came up out of nowhere and began snogging the newest Gryffindor hero while Granger ran off with tears in her eyes.