Riddle Me This

Chapter 20

Catherine's POV

Nothing could have prepared me for what Hermione told me a month or so later.

"He WHAT!" I screeched, collecting the attention of everyone in the corridor.

"Quiet down Cat." Hermione said. I shook my head.

"No. You just told me that Draco's dad ordered for Buckbeak's death, and they're actually following through with it. I'm not gonna sit back and take it Hermione." I clenched my fists and teeth. Hermione looked a little nervous.

I had told her what happened after I had left her and Ron at the Shrieking Shack, and in the common room. But I may have also told her that I think I was falling for Draco. I mean, I dream about kissing him. That's I lie. I dream about snogging him absolutely senseless in the middle of potions class with Snape watching. Daydream about having a house and kids. And though she looked at me like I had lost my head, after I explained what I liked about him, meaning almost everything but him being a prat and belittling people, she said she understood, and would support me if Draco and I got together, but if he hurt me, she was cursing him.

"What are you going to do?" She asked.

"Talk to Draco and probably curse or jynx some brains and sense into that thing he calls a head!" I said. Hermione chewed her lip.

"If you can't?" She seemed hesitant. I turned to her.

"Them I'm going to stand by Hagrid and support him in his time of need, and hex Mr.Malfoy at my earliest convenience." Hermione nodded. And at that time, Draco rounded the corner and leaned against the wall, waiting for Hermione to pass me off. Since the Shrieking Shack incident, Draco has made sure he always had his eyes on me, and if he couldn't, someone else could. He actually hexed Crabbe for looking away from me while he had gone off to the loo during class once.

"Cat, there you are." He said as he turned, sneering, but nodding his head in acknowledgement to Hermoine. I put up a smile and looped my arm around his, as I tended to do sometimes. Mostly when I was feeling very emotional. This caused him to frown and turn to Hermione as if to ask 'what happened?', but Hermione just glared at him. Before Draco could ask anything verbally, I pulled him away and into an alcove of a slightly deserted hallway.

"You just had to." I asked as I pushed him in.

"Had to what?" Draco asked, obviously confused.

"Buckbeak." I snapped out. "You had to be all high and bloody mighty and ignore everything Hagrid had said and get yourself attacked! And now, because of your arrogant strutting, an innocent creature, which was only acting within instinct, is going to be killed." Tears started to form in the corners of my eyes.

"That bloody bird attacked me." Draco argued. I pushed him and his back hit the wall, and I took the chance to get in his face, pressing my finger against his chest.

"Because you ignored everything Hagrid said! Two simple instructions. Bow before approaching, and don't insult him! You aren't above everyone, Draco! Hagrid, as much as you hate it, is a teacher. And he's a bloody good one at that. His class has been one of my favorite classes this year. And you had to ruin a good thing because you're all bent out of shape for absolutely no bloody reason other than you're a complete prat!" And the tears began to roll. "He's a perfectly fine hippogriff. Didn't just go attack anyone. I followed the damn instructions, and Buckbeak bloody well loved me. I personally got to see the softer side of a hippogriff." I looked away from Draco, unable to keep looking at him.

"Cat-" I held up my hand.

"You've done enough Draco. Let's just head to class." And I waited for Draco to head out of the alcove, and followed closely behind him, but not beside. I wasn't going to forgive him for this one so easily.

And he bloody well tried to get me too. He offered to get me whatever I wanted from Honeydukes and Zonko's, offered to carry my books for a change, said that he didn't need my grandmother's sweet pies anymore, and offered to help me with Charms with nothing in return. And Pansy was looking a little smug about it.

"Think you could ask him to rub your feet?" She asked as Draco sat on the floor next to me so that Daphne, Pansy, and I could sit on the sofa in the common room. I saw Draco flinch and I shrugged.

"I probably could, but I won't." I flipped the page of the potions textbook I was studying.

"Oh come on, it'd be a nice treat after all the stuff he's put you through this year." Pansy urged. I hummed before blushing a little.

"A birthday present would be nice." I said. Their eyes all snapped to me.

"Birthday?" Draco asked. I nodded.

"April 15th." I said.

"That's tomorrow! Wait, how come I never knew your birthday before?" He asked. I shrugged.

"Because we never talked about it. We only ever talked about yours, or the others because Merlin forbid anyone in Slytherin house is humble about anything." I said with a simple shrug. "Only ones who know are Daphne and Hermione, and that's because they asked me first year."

"Granger and I already have her gifts." Daphne said as she answered a question on her Transfiguration homework.

"Bloody hell." Draco groaned, leaning his head back, resting it against my leg. "What am I supposed to get you?" I shrugged.

"I'll let you ponder around with that." I smirked and continued my studying. The next day, Daphne gave me a basket of fruit for Sevy that had a stasis charm on it so the fruit wouldn't go bad, and Hermione gave me a book called 'How to Care for Your Chiroptera'. Harry gave me a hug and wished me a happy birthday. Pansy gave me a bag of pepper imps, with strict instructions to use them when I was being harassed. Blaise kissed me on the cheek and winked at me, which seemed to annoy Draco.

"You didn't get her anything, did you Draco." Pansy asked as we sat in the common room on my birthday after dinner.

"Well what do you expect me to do last minute?" Draco asked as he crossed his arms and slumped in the chair he was in.

"Improvise." Blaise said with a small smirk. "I did." Draco blushed.

"Well I'm not going to bloody well kiss her if it won't mean anything." Draco said. That hurt, but I didn't want Draco to kiss me unless he meant it anyways, so I guess I'll live. Pansy rolled her eyes.

"You don't need to bloody well kiss her. But giving her something would have been better than nothing." She said.

"I don't even know what she likes!" Draco said as he motioned to me.

"Practical things." Daphne said with a shrug. "She can keep the basket I gave her to always have fruit for Sevy, Granger gave her a book to help her take care of Sevy, and Pansy gave her something to help her defend herself should she end up alone again."

"I don't think a kiss is practical." I said. "Nor is the hug Harry gave me."

"Servant for a day." Goyle suggested with a shrug.

"Isn't he already?" I asked. "He's been trying to get back on my good side for weeks."

"Have I yet?" Draco asked. I shook my head and he groaned. "I don't know what else I can do at this point. Or what I would have bloody well gotten you. I was in Gladrags for an hour trying to find something not atrocious. Honeydukes for something that wouldn't be too bloody common, Zonkos was hell, and nowhere else was useful either."

"Draco, you're whining." I said. He sat up fully in his chair.

"Am not." He said. I smiled.

"Are too."

"Are not."

"Are too."

"Are not."

"Whatever you say Draco, but I'm still right." I closed my eyes and hummed as I snuggled into the couch more. I heard movement, but didn't open my eyes until I felt a shadow over me, I opened my eyes and Draco was right there, in my face. My breath hitched slightly as we just stared at each other.

"I'm not whining. And I'm sorry I didn't get you a gift this year, but I will next year." He said. I nodded slowly and he straightened up and returned to his seat. I just sat there, dazed for a second before quickly snapping out of it and joining into the new conversation.