| Like It's A Bad Thing | Draco Malfoy

Chapter Six: Bouncing Ferrets and the Worst Day of School

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I don’t have a sense of humor, but if you bleed, I will laugh at you…

- Thorn/Sherrilyn Kenyon

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After Quidditch practice, we all headed up to the Great Hall for breakfast. By the time we made it up there, three-quarters of the room was full and Draco, Crabbe and Goyle had already seated themselves. Luckily for us, Lukas found us a table.

He sat on my right, Anton on my left while Martin and Boris made themselves completely comfortable opposite of us. Everyone seemed happy and cheery – there was especially a lot of talk about Quidditch and Anton seemed to bring me up a lot. I was flattered and all, but the whole idea of me being the center of attention…

I wanted them to shut up and change the subject.

A strange sensation of someone watching us came over me.

Immediately, without thinking, I looked down at Malfoy’s end. I saw Crabbe and Goyle hunched over their plates, busily interested in their food. Blaise Zabini sat quietly beside them, chewing thoughtfully on his food and… Pansy and Draco were glaring at me openly. Surprise, surprise.

I wasn’t sure what they were trying to do, but it made me feel like I had a huge pimple on my face and I lowered my head. It was like they were trying to raid my self-esteem and lower it so I was self-conscious all the time.

It sucked.

“What is wrong, Sandra?” It was Anton’s voice.

He hooked a finger under my chin and turned my face to look at him before I could do it myself. I felt tempted to move away again, but since Lukas was beside me, I didn’t have much room to do so.

“Nothing,” I lied looking him straight in his eyes.

I almost lost myself in them without meaning to. I mean, not in a loving/doting way that many of the other girls who’d fallen for him had but…

It was just a feeling – an eerie feeling, an eerie aura that emitted from his eyes.

They were the same deep and sincere blue that I recalled from yesterday, but they were twice as familiar as they had been. They weren’t like other blue eyes from around the school. They were different – sort of. I knew I’ve seen them before; I just didn’t know where.

Anton smiled. “You are staring.”

“Oh, erm, sorry…” I flushed and faced my lap again. God, I feel stupid.

“Its fine,” he reassured and traced the brilliantly bright hibiscus in my hair with his fingers. “I was merely wondering if I dazzle you as much as you dazzle me.”

I heard Lukas snicker and elbowed him sharply in the ribs. With a grunt, he doubled over. Satisfied, I turned back to Anton who seemed to suppress a laugh.

“Sorry about that,” I apologized.

He shook his head. “You are very humble as well,” he said, never finishing his unending string of compliments that made me want to smack him. (It really was getting annoying). “You are very good in a lot of things. Quite talented in Quidditch and from what Lukas tells me, your best subject is…well, everything.”

“Not really,” I shrugged appreciatively and concealed my roll of eyes behind my bangs. “I just like reading books a lot. Call me a bookworm, if you want.”

“As I said, you are very smart. It brings you up into an intellectual level,” he leaned on the table, arms crossed, but never took his eyes off me. I pretended to be extra hungry and grew strangely attentive to my food as much as Crabbe and Goyle had been.