[Wattys '13 FINALIST] How Can I Love You When I Hate You So Much? (Draco Malfoy)

How Can I Love You When I Hate You So Much? (Draco Malfoy) Chapter 15

Chapter 15 Hogsmeade is a lot more dramatic than they tell you in the brochure...

I trudged down to the dungeons to do my, now thanks to Draco secret detention with Snape. I had done so well to avoid being alone with him since the Legimens incident, too. Fuck my life.

I knocked as softly as humanly possible on his office door, hoping to all hell he wouldn't be here.

"Come in." He grunted. I swore under my breath and stepped into the dark office. Different gross things sat floating in potion jars around the office, just like last time I was in here. I slid into a chair and huffed a sigh. Snape looked up at me, his face blank and expressionless.

"What's my punishment this time? Going to tell me the orphanage dog Annie didn't run away, you just kidnapped her for the sake of spite?" I said, my voice soft, but acidic.

"Despite any personal vendettas you may have against me, Hawthorne, I am still your teacher, and will be treated with respect!" He replied, his face twisted in anger.

"When you earn it." I spat, my hair turning bright red, and Snape's face returned to it's empty mask.

"As punishment for your continued misconduct, you will sort these flobberworms by size for the first-years Potions class." He waved at me dismissively. I breathed a heavy sigh and got to work. At least he wasn't bringing up my parents.

After a little over an hour of tense silence, Snape cleared his throat.

"If I had any idea you were so unhappy-" he started, and I gave a humorless laugh.

"You would have had some idea if you hadn't ditched me. 15 years, and you never even thought to look in on me?"

"I checked on you numerous times, Jez. You always seemed so happy and full of life. You had friends. I didn't want to take that away from you." I raised an eyebrow to him. He turned his back to me. "You're dismissed." He snapped, waving his hand. I sighed and walked out of the room

He checked up on me? But when? I thought back to all the adults that I could remember coming through that place, but Snape was not on that list.

He's just lying to get back on your good side, one side of me said.

I dunno. He seemed really sincere, another voice argued. I shook my head and walked toward the portrait to the common room.

Draco was sitting on the couch by the fire with Blaise, Crabbe and Goyle. He looked up when I entered, and I smiled at him. He didn't return it, though, just eyed me for a second before rolling his eyes and turning back to his conversation with Blaise. I huffed a sigh and conjured a water balloon to throw at his head. It hit the side of his head with a pop. I laughed and ran up the stairs to the girl's dorms.

Denae was the only one in the room when I entered. She smiled at me from her bed, setting her book to the side.

"An owl came here looking for you just a few moments ago. I put the letter on your bed." She said with a smile. I thanked her and walked to my bed, opening the note addressed to me in unfamiliar handwriting.

Meet me tonight, sane place as last time, midnight.

~DM

I sighed and fell back onto my bed.

I snuck out of my room at 11:30ish, and was at the Astronomy tower with ten minutes to spare. I had to hide from Filch twice on the way here, but managed to make it safely. Draco was waiting when I climbed the stairs.

"What the hell was that in the common room, Hawthorne?" He threw at me the minute I closed the door.

"You shouldn't take chances like that. What if I was Filch, or a teacher?" I threw back at him, ignoring his question.