Hateful Love

Chapter Twenty-Two

NOTE: I do not own any of the ideas or characters expressed in this story (except Cassie Jackson). All of these belong to J.K. Rowling.

~*~

Cassie P.O.V.

Time has never moved so slowly.

I lean back and rest my head against the wall behind me as Katherine and Cho argue over which shirt is on sale. The two of them practically forced me to come back-to-school shopping with them; Katherine is convinced it will take my mind off Draco.

There isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t think of him. My mind invents the most terrible scenarios that could be happening to him, and a few have actually made me sick. I’m grateful that Katherine and Cho care so much, but…there’s nothing they can do to help.

“The tag clearly says 15 percent off, Cho,” Katherine snaps, thrusting the sleeve of the silky blue shirt under Cho’s nose. “I think you should get your eyes checked.”

“I know that’s what it says,” Cho seethes, snatching the shirt out of Katherine’s grasp. “But it was on the regular priced rack, and this shirt—“ she holds up a peach colored blouse, “—was on the clearance rack.”

Katherine lets out a frustrated sigh and points to me, saying, “Well, maybe you should ask Cassie, because it’s obvious you can’t accept the fact that I’m right.”

The both turn to me, but quickly realize I haven’t been paying attention to anything they’ve been arguing about. I turn my gaze over to them and bite my lip apologetically. “Sorry…what’s going on?”

“Forget it,” Cho snaps, then softens her tone. Looking at me seriously, she asks gently, “Are you okay?”

Of course not, I think dryly. It’s been three months since I last saw Draco, and I’ve been worried sick about him the entire time. I’ve barely been eating, and this shopping trip is the first time I’ve left the house in weeks. I’ve just spent my summer laying about my room, wasting away with so much worry. My eyes have dulled, and I have dark circles that I’m pretty sure won’t ever fade. I haven’t taken the time to fix my hair or apply makeup in months—it’s safe to say I look like hell.

I smile weakly at the two of them and reply, “I’m fine.”

It’s clear neither of them believe me. Katherine’s gaze is suspicious, and she steps closer to me. “Cassie, you have to stop worrying about Draco. He’s going to be okay.”

They both know Draco’s a Death Eater now; the entire wizarding world does. The Daily Prophet has done numerous stories on how the Malfoys are sliding downhill, that their involvement with the Dark Arts is causing them to lose everything. I admitted to Katherine and Cho that I knew before-hand, and they were furious at first—not that I can blame them. I suppose they must have gotten over it somehow, because they still speak with me and are taking me shopping.

I let out a long sigh, earning a curious glance from an old witch a few rows down. I wait until she looks away before saying quietly, “I can’t not worry about him, you know that. I have no idea what’s going on with him; the only information I can get is from the fucking Daily Prophet.”

There’s silence for a moment before Cho says half-heartedly, “Well…on the bright side, you’ll be seeing him in a week.”

An unfamiliar feeling of happiness wells up inside of me, and even a bit of excitement. The first of September is exactly one week away.

But the good feelings evaporate almost as soon as they come. I stuff my hands into the pockets of my jeans and say, “I’m not sure if he’ll be coming back to Hogwarts.”