Chronophobia | Draco Malfoy

IV ~ Truth and Rejection

Katherine woke up with every girl in the dormitory staring over her. She leapt about a metre into the air, causing all of them to break out in laughter.
She glared indignantly. "What are you lot doing?!"
"Waiting," Mae admitted.
Rhianna tossed a sheet of dark hair over her shoulder. "Waiting for an explanation, Kathy. So you'd better just tell us the truth."
"Always so forward," Katherine murmured. "Fine. I'll tell you, then all of you get out of my hair and go have breakfast. Okay, it all started the night of the Yule Ball. I was with Dean, because, y'know, I have no friends. Anyway, then he basically ruined the whole night. He didn't escort me from my room, he didn't hold my hand, he didn't dance well, he didn't tell me I looked beautiful, he didn't kiss my hand, he didn't do anything. I literally ran off in tears, my dream night ruined, and then I found the room of requirement. I went in and for some reason, Draco was just sitting there in an armchair."
"Aww," Alissa smiled, "what happened next?!"
Katherine took a deep breath. "I don't actually know entirely. We just found a bottle of Firewhisky and went 'what the hell' and just drank it together because you never drink alone. We got quite drunk by the end of it, and somehow I ended up on his armchair."
"With him?!" Rhianna asked incredulously.
Katherine nodded and heaved a sigh. "Yes. We agreed that we were both extremely good kissers and so we agreed to start a non-emotional relationship. It is purely physical and I have no feelings for the little twat."
Sienna breathed deeply. "This is insane. Draco Malfoy, the dick that has called Mae and I a Mudblood too many times to count . . . you're in a relationship with that Draco Malfoy? And you never even told us?"
"Sienna," Callista said softly–
"Don't 'Sienna' me, Calli!" she said angrily. "I bet Kath is still lying! How do we even know that they aren't in love? How do we know they haven't already done something horrible with all Malfoy's death eater friends? What if they've had sex?"
"We haven't," Katherine cut in sharply, then her features softened. "You just have to trust me, Sienna. Please just trust me."
Sienna laughed harshly. "How can I trust you, now that you do this? I did trust you, Katherine, I trusted all of us with my everything. But now? I don't even know who you are. I don't think I can trust you after this."
"Sienna," Mae said calmly, hand on her friend's shoulder. "It's okay. Love conquers all. And I love you and you love Kat, so just let her have it."
Sienna glared down at Katherine. "I won't hex her, thanks to you Mae. But I'm not going to talk to her at all anymore because this is a major trust violation."
"Anything else you'd like to add?" Rhianna asked cooly.
Sienna clenched her teeth. "Yeah! Stay away from me!"
"In the dorm you share," Rhianna laughed. "Well that's why you aren't in Ravenclaw. And now that you're running away, I don't even know if you're Gryffindor."
Katherine gently put her hand on Rhianna's arm. "Thanks, Rhi. But it's fine. Just let her go, she doesn't want to hear it."
Callista smiled sadly at Katherine. "You know you can trust us with anything."
"I know," Katherine replied miserably. "I've always known. I just . . . could never bring myself to tell you. I've tried to, so many times, but I always felt too afraid that you guys wouldn't accept me, that I'd be rejected. Some Gryffindor, huh?"
Alissa hugged Katherine fiercely. "I sleep and eat all day. I'm basically a half koala half sloth. I don't care about you guys judging me because I know you won't."
"We might," Callista said seriously, then shook her head laughing.
Mae smiled softly. "Don't worry, Kat. We won't leave you. Ever."
Katherine hugged her friends, needing the feeling of their arms encircling her.
"Okay," she sniffed. "Let's go to class."
"Defense Against the Dark Arts, whoooo!" Rhianna cheered.
Sighing audibly, the rest of the girls picked up their bags and trudged to Snape's class, their feet dragging more and more with every step.
"Ah," Snape droned. "Wood, Bane, Walker, Blu and Ward. You're all late. So that would be, hmm. Adding you all up . . . fifty points from Gryffindor. Take your seats."
All five girls lunged for the two spare seats beside the other, and Alissa and Callista managed to get them. Mae decided to sit beside Sienna, because if Katherine did, war would surely break out. That left Katherine next to . . . oh.
"Nooo," Katherine complained loudly. "Sir, please don't put me next to him."
Snape's eyes glittered maliciously. "Take your seat, Miss Wood."
Groaning so everyone could hear her, Katherine took a seat beside him. She roughly pulled out her text booking, slamming it down on the desk.
Then she smiled and whispered, "Hello, twatface."
"Morning, gorgeous," Draco replied with a smile.
And Katherine could feel Sienna's grey eyes burning into her back the whole lesson.