Hidden Feelings - A Draco Malfoy Love Story

Chapter Three

"Hey, Ron," I call out tentatively, walking through the aisle of seats to sit down next to him in a spot near the back.

He smiles shyly in response.

"Hey."

"Have you seen Hermione?"

He frowns. "I'm in a class before Hermione? Really?"

I laugh a little, looking up at the clock while getting a few things out of my bag. "We have five minutes. Even for someone who just met her, this doesn't seem right."

"Where did she go after breakfast?" he asks me.

"She said she had to go to the bathroom, but I hung out for a minute or two in the Great Hall anyway."

Hermione suddenly rushes into the room, her eyes scanning the room before landing on me, walking to our area of seats.

"Are you okay?" Ron asks, tilting his head slightly to the side.

"Of course," she responds, a confused smile on her face. "Why?"

"You're just...you know, you're never-oh, never mind."

Hermione sits down next to me, not seeming to care about his worrying. "Elizabeth, do you want to come to the library later with me? I thought we could work on Snape's essay."

I roll my eyes. "I am still upset about that. Who assigns an essay the first week of school?"

"Snape," Ron snorts.

"I know. Potions is the one subject I'd rather not write an essay for," Hermione sighs, pulling her textbook out of her bag.

"I would like to work on that with you. I'm not sure I really knew what was happening that entire class." I frown. "I felt so bad for that poor boy Snape kept picking on."

"Neville," Hermione tells me. "Snape's never been nice to him."

"'Never been nice?'" Ron scoffs. "He loathes Neville."

"But why?"

"No one knows," he responds. "Probably just thinks he's easy to pick on."

As Hermione and Ron continue to talk, veering off of the topic of Snape, I decide to look up.

I see the blond boy walking in. Our eyes meet for just a moment; he narrows them a little, and I quickly look away. What is his problem?

••••••••••

"Hermione?"

"Yes?"

"Who's that boy in Slytherin? With the blond hair?" I ask quietly, leaning forward. She narrows her eyes a little.

"Why? Did he do something to you?"

"Just tell me who he is and I'll explain," I sigh.

"Draco Malfoy. He's the biggest git you'll ever meet," she tells me, spitting out his name like it tasted bad to hold in her mouth. "I'm not trying to tell you who to be friends with, but...oh, Elizabeth, please stay away from him."

"I wasn't planning on trying to become friends with him, trust me." I set down my quill and rested my chin on my hand, my elbow on the table. "I ran into him in the hall yesterday. He said I shouldn't hang around you, Ron, and Harry. That he could...teach me everything."

"Wow," she mutters.

"He grabbed my arm, too," I continue, shifting my arms once again to feel the spot his fingers had dug into my skin. I had discovered bruises that morning; I must have been so scared that I didn't realize how much he was hurting me.