The Heart Is Not Black or White

Chapter 35

As I guessed, we were in big trouble when we got to the Burrow. Mrs. Weasley was angry at us, of course, but not Harry. No, no one could ever possibly be mad at the boy who lived.

Life at the Burrow was somewhat different after bringing Harry here. The Weasley family diverted their attention to their newest guest, and it was maddening. It was like they forgot I was here.

One night all of us were sitting down to dinner and Mr. Weasley kept asking Harry about a muggle object called a rubber duck. Harry was stumbling over his explanation when Mrs. Weasley bustled in with a bundle of letters.

"Letters from school," Mrs. Weasley explained.

I opened mine eagerly. It said what it did last year, Platform 9 and 3/4, blah blah blah. What caught my attention was the list of books. All of them were written by Gilderoy Lockhart! Except for Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2, written by Miranda Goshawk.

Gilderoy Lockhart was this absolutely amazing defender of the dark arts and writer. I had read half his books already. It was shaping up to be a fantastic year if we were going to use his books!

Fred leaned over to look at my list. He exclaimed, "You've been told to get all of Lockhart's books, too! The new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher must be a fan -- bet it's a witch!"

Only Mrs. Weasley and Ginny agreed with me that Gilderoy Lockhart was a fantastic man. The other Weasleys did not appreciate him.

After dinner, the twins, Ron, Harry and I went up the hill behind their house to play Quidditch. I wish we hadn't stayed up so late because early the next morning Mrs. Weasley woke us up early. Well, she was supposed to. I went downstairs that morning to find the Burrow barren.

"Fred?" I called. "Hello? Anyone?"

Not a word.

I sighed. A piece of parchment on the kitchen table caught my eye. It was lying next to a flower pot, which held floo powder. It read:

Marissa,
We've already headed off to Diagon Alley. We're going to take of Ginny's pet and robes and then go to Flourish and Blott's at ten-o'clock. We'll meet you there.
Mrs. Weasley

Great. I had slept in and missed part of the Diagon Alley trip. It was nine forty-five already, so I would need to meet them soon. I skipped breakfast to put on day clothes. Then I stomped down the stairs, put my coat on, and prepared myself for the trip by Floo Powder.

I grabbed a handful off the ashy substance and stomped into the fireplace. I needed to get this over with as soon as possible.

"Diagon Alley," I stated clearly.

Then came the horrible feeling as if I was being flushed down a toilet. I was spinning and spinning, soot stinging my eyes and catching glimpses of the fireplaces in other houses.

Suddenly my butt thunked down on a floor -- very hard. I wiped the soot from my eyes. I was in Flourish and Blott's, the place we would be purchasing our textbooks.

"You're quite a sight."

Oh no. My stomach dropped. I could recognize that voice anywhere. I looked up to see blinding platinum hair and cold blue eyes. He was smirking. That smirk made me feel so vulnerable. I forgot about how much my tailbone was throbbing.

How convenient that Draco Malfoy should see me like this. My face got hot as I stood up and brushed myself off. I cleared my throat and replied weakly, "Shove off, Malfoy."

"Why are you being so rude, Marissa?" The way my name rolled off his tongue made me feel exposed. I had to break my eyes away from his. That grin was too teasingly patronizing.

"I just want to get my books and get out of here," I replied stronger. I moved past him, but still felt his gaze. My eyes searched the book store for the Weasley family.

I was on the balcony of the book shop, which surrounded the perimeter of the main room. On the ground floor, there was a massive crowd of witches and wizards trying to get to a man behind a table. It was Gilderoy Lockhart!

"Who are you looking for?" Draco pried.

"None of your business," I muttered, my gaze transfixed on the celebrity. I saw Mrs. Weasley fighting her way to the front of the crowd.

"I reckon you're here with the Weasel family?"

I spun around and glared at Draco. I could tell the intensity of my gaze scared him because he slightly stumbled back. I didn't typically scare people, so it was a strange feeling for me knowing that I caused that for someone. Not only that, it was strange to see fear in Draco's eyes. He was normally so put together, making me feel panicked. Even stranger, it made me want to protect him.

"Please don't call them that," I said softly, turning back around.

"Are you going to try to confess your love to Gilderoy's face?" I could tell he had put back on his mask from the tone of his voice. I was back to feeling vulnerable. Of course, I couldn't let him know that.

"Aren't you going to do the same to Harry Potter?" I simpered. "You don't think anyone actually believes you hate him, do you?"

I turned to see Draco's face turn tomato red. It was oh so satisfying to see him angry.

"Well, you- you-" he stammered. "You should- you better watch out this year!"

I giggled. His threat didn't scare me.

"Don't you worry Malfoy." It was my turn to smirk. "I'll be watching out for all the bludgers to send your way during the Quidditch matches."

"L'amare, we're in the same house. And.. I'm not even on the team yet."

Oh. Right. I needed some better insults.

"Whatever," I said, blushing, embarrassed. I dodged Draco and made my way past him. I was walking down the stairs to Mrs. Weasley when I felt a hand grip my arm. Once again it was Malfoy. His eyes were glistening with... no. That couldn't be tears.

"Seriously," he said gently. "Please watch out. For yourself... for me. I don't want you to-"

I wrenched my arm from his grip and broke my gaze from him. Draco forced a tiny piece of parchment into my hands and hurried up the stairs.

How was I so rattled yet so comfortable by his tenderness? Dazed, I got away from Draco Malfoy as quickly as possible. Yet I was slightly disappointed that our meeting ended so soon.