Always - Welcome to the Wizarding World

Part 19

I stormed back through the front doors of Hogwarts just as Professor McGonagall was closing them. I marched past her, forbidding myself to look back.

"Miss Snape, what were you doing out so late?" she called after me.

"Nothing, Professor, nothing at all!" I shouted, charging off down to the Dungeons. 

The corridors were almost pitch black, so I got out my wand and uttered "Lumos", illuminating the hallway. I was aware that it was late now, so I had to be quiet so as not to wake anyone. I whispered the password and entered the common room, tiptoeing through the empty chamber and walking up the steps to my dormitory. I pushed the door open to see Parkinson stood around the boiler, hanging one of her dresses over the railings near it. I scanned the room for her henchmen, but the Carrows were nowhere to be seen, nor was Zarah. I assumed she was in the washroom and I was praying that she would return soon. I hated being alone with Parkinson, I couldn't bear her. She usually made me so nervous, but now, her face was just fueling my anger. 

"Oh, Snape. Good evening, where have you been?" she asked me irritatingly.

"For a walk" I murmured, walking over to my bed and sitting down upon it, grabbing the nearest book to me. I had to distract myself from her grating voice.

"Just in your jacket? Must have been in a hurry" she said. I shrugged. "Got a partner for the Yule Ball yet?" she pried.

"No, why? Were you planning on asking me?" I mocked. She smirked at me.

"How very droll! No actually, I have a date" she informed me. "Want to know who it is?"

"I seriously don't care, Parkinson" . She chuckled at me; my temper was being seriously tried.

"Well, if you really don't care then I may as well tell you anyway! It's Draco". I threw my book down on my bed, my head spinning and face burning. She must have been lying.

"Nice try, Draco hates you" I hissed. She chortled again, her laugh piercing my ears.

"Oh, how wrong you are, Snape! He asked me this morning. Your friend Potter was there, just ask him if you don't believe me". My chest burned and I couldn't control my temper any more. I dived off my bed, grabbing her by her greasy brown hair and tackling her to the ground. I pinned her to the floor, my legs holding down her arms and I raised my fist back to punch her right in her smug, foul face. All of a sudden, the door swung open, revealing Zarah. She gasped, her eyes widening as she clocked Parkinson cowering beneath me.

"Radia! What the hell are you doing?" she asked me, utterly confused. I looked up at her, my face expressing astonishment at my own actions and I heard Parkinson laughing beneath me.

"Gosh, Snape. For someone who doesn't care, that was a strange reaction" she chuckled, gasping for breath. I glared at her and stood up, deciding she wasn't worth it. Parkinson pulled herself up, dusting off her disgusting grey pajamas. She waggled her finger at me and tutted. "What would your dear uncle say, hmm?" she jeered. I grabbed my blue pajamas and wash bag.

"Draco could do better" I snarled at her. I stormed out of the bedroom, heading for the toilets. 

I heard Zarah's swift footsteps behind me, trying to catch up. "Leave me alone, Zarah. I am seriously not in the mood" I barked. Zarah disregarded my words and grabbed my shoulder, shoving me into the toilet door.

"Listen to me, Ray. You have got to control yourself. Punching other girls does not go down well here!" she exclaimed. I wiped my hot cheeks and they felt wet. Tears? I didn't realize I had started crying again. Zarah let go of me and brushed off my shoulders from where she had pushed me. "What's the matter?" she asked, concerned about me once again. I burst into tears for what seemed like the thousandth time that night and crumpled down into the corner like a piece of paper. "Ray?"

"Why can't anything go right for me?" I wailed. Zarah sighed, looking down at me, seemingly uncertain of what she could do to help me. She then crouched next to me, pulling her knees up to her chest as I was.

"Come on, you can tell me. What is it that's happened?" she questioned. I wiped my eyes and tried hard to control my breathing so I could tell her everything as calmly as I could.

"Cedric knows about me; my feelings for him, I mean. He told me that he could never love me. I planned to hide away from everyone for a bit, just so I could calm down. But when Parkinson told me that Draco had asked her to the dance, that tipped me over the edge and I just went for her. I just went for her!" I wept. Zarah looked perplexed.

"Parkinson and Malfoy? That doesn't make any sense at all, he can't stand her. He's made that quite clear". I shrugged at her. "What is that boy playing at?" she spoke to herself. I stood up and opened the toilet door to get washed and changed whilst Zarah waited for me outside. I looked at myself in the bathroom mirror and I looked dreadful. My face was red and tear-stained, my black hair matted from my rough encounter with Pansy. My eyes were blood-shot and narrowed, not bright and wide as they usually were. Cedric had done this to me. Draco was right, he did let me down and now, I couldn't even tell him that he was right. I had told Draco to stay away from me. I was an idiot! Now, he didn't want anything to do with me. He even asked Parkinson to the dance, who he knows I despise and whom he despises himself! 

Oh my gosh, that was it! He had asked her to the dance to spite me? Would he really put himself through that just to get back at me? Perhaps. Whatever his little scheme was to make me angry, it was certainly working.

I went back to the dormitory with Zarah, Parkinson and the Carrows had long since gone to bed. As I tucked myself in and blew out the flickering candle next to my four-poster, I turned over to see Zarah lying face up on her bed, smiling to herself.

"I'm glad you realize how lucky you are, Zarah. To have Blaise, I mean" I said. She nodded, her white hair concealing her grey eyes. "At least you can appreciate love when you obtain it". Zarah rolled over to face me, her expression pitiful.

"I'm sorry about Cedric, Ray, but I knew from the moment that I saw you with him that he wasn't keen on you in the same way you were on him. I know I should have said something, but I didn't want to upset you. You're my friend" she explained. I shook my head.

"It isn't your fault he doesn't love me, Zar. It's his fault for making me believe that he did. And my fault for pursuing him so blindly. Not only that, but I pushed away a boy who was kind enough to try and save me from the sting of it all. I wish I had listened to him. I was so blinded by my feelings for Cedric that I refused to hear anything bad about him. But I understand now what I have to do" I confessed.

"And what is that?" Zarah asked me.

"Tell Cedric that I should leave his home for good. It's for the best, I know it" I said, pulling the curtains around my bed. Zarah said nothing to reply, but after a while of silent darkness, I could hear the rustling of her bed sheets as she turned over to face me.

"Ray? Merry Christmas".

"Oh, yes. Merry Christmas".