𝔖𝔢𝔠𝔬𝔫𝔡 ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔫𝔠𝔢 (18+ ℭ𝔬𝔪𝔭𝔩𝔢𝔱𝔢)

Prepare to Be Ill

     Warm afternoon air invigorated my senses as I jogged down the pebbled path. The pinching and tension in my neck and shoulders from a stressful first day of classes eased with each footfall.

     Lost in the Black Lake's ambiance, I watched a raven flutter its long black wings and caw noisily in a branch overhead.

     "Draco!"

     "Oof," I grunted as I crashed into Parkinson. She wrapped herself around me like an octopus. "What do you think you're doing?" My hands flew out to brace against a tree instead of tumbling to the dusty ground.

     "I wanted to run with you."

     "You aren't running, your blocking, and you could have killed me!" I peeled her limbs off my neck like they were burning me.

     "I knew you wouldn't fall; you're too muscled for that." Her lascivious gaze ran over me.

     Successfully untangling myself from her, I backed away and took several calming breaths. "Was there something you actually needed?"

     "I thought it would be good to get into better shape and knew you jogged."

     My feet moved in the direction of the castle. "How would—"

     "I saw you sneak off with your jogging clothes on," Pansy said as if I was a simpleton.

     Cocking my brow, I ran my eyes over her. She overindulged this last summer and added a few pounds, but I didn't want to get into that conversation with a female—ever. Instead, I went with, "I didn't know you could jog."

     "I'm athletic." She stated, sticking her chest out and smiling like a pageant queen.

     "Pans, I wasn't even aware you owned running shoes."

     "Hey!" She squealed and swatted my arm. "I own several pairs, and I'm fit; just look at me." She puffed her chest up again.

     "I did," I said without breaking my stride.

     "Draco, what is with you?"

     "Nothing's with me."

     "Don't you want to be friends anymore?"

     Sighing, I asked, "What do you mean?"

     "You avoid me like the plague, and if you talk to me, it's rude. Quite frankly, I did nothing to deserve this kind of treatment," Pansy pouted.

     Admittedly, she was right. She hadn't done anything wrong... yet. "Sorry Pans, I haven't been the same since my father went back to Azkaban." I hung my head, shaking it slowly.

     "Aww, Draco, I'm sorry. I didn't even think of all the horrible things you are still going through since my life is amazing."

     I felt my mouth involuntarily twitch into a smile. "You have no idea, but don't worry, I'll be okay."

     "How is Narcissa doing?"

     "She's... she..." I scrunched my brow unsure how to answer that or if I even wanted to.

     "You can tell me."

     I cleared my throat. "Mother's better now that Severus is recovering. It gave her some hope for the future." I glanced at Pansy and shuddered, thinking of all the deaths that occurred recently.

     "That is good news. Although, I'm still surprised that Granger would bother to help him in the first place."

     "You and me, both."

     "Why do you think she did it?"

     Shrugging, I said, "I don't know, maybe she's got a thing for older guys."

     "Eww, that's disgusting." She laughed. "But Granger is nasty, so I bet she wants his babies."

     Laughing, I admitted, "It's a huge step up from Weasel."

     "True, anything's better than that poverty-stricken family."

     For the first time in a long time, we laughed companionably. The main entrance to Hogwarts popped into view, and I felt the impending conversation with Potter start to weigh me down once again.

     "Draco, how are you doing?"

     Shaking my head, I said. "I don't want to talk about my feelings and shit, Pansy."

     "Boy's." She rolled her eyes. "If you don't talk to me, then who would you share your pain with?"

     "The point of sharing would be to process things, right?"

     She nodded.

     "I already know what I need to do." I sighed. "For starters, I'm making amends with people here at school."

     "Wait, is that why you asked us to be nice to the golden trio?"

     "I told you Potter's powerful and makes a formidable enemy, so we might as well stay safe by being on his good side. And he testified in my favor at my trial, so at the very least, I owe him a thank you."

     "Are you really going to be friends with them?" She wrinkled her nose.

     "I wouldn't go that far, but I am planning on talking to Potter tonight—if he shows up, that is." My stomach felt like a tsunami was taking place in there. "And Granger saved Severus, so I want to thank her for that... eventually."

     "You mean you already asked him to talk with you? When?"

     I chuckled as Potter's horrified expression in potions came to mind. "I asked him first thing this morning."

     "And he agreed?"

     "I didn't give him much of a choice."

     She giggled. "Now, that sounds like the Draco I know and love."

     Her words hung in the air, making me uncomfortable.

     "This is important to you, isn't it?" Pansy asked.

     Nodding, I replied, "I want to move on with my life. So yes, it's crucial to me."

     "Then it's important to me too. You let me know what you need to make this easier, and I will do it."

     I wondered what she thought I was going to give her for this bit of kindness and knew it wouldn't take long to find out. "Thanks, Pans. What I want is space to do what I need to without any drama."

     "You'll get none from me, I promise. When are you meeting Potter?"

     "I asked him to meet me after dinner, but I don't know if he'll actually meet me."

     "Well, he'd be a fool not to. Dinner is in an hour, so we better get cleaned up, and then you can get this nasty business over with."

     "Let's hope he's not a fool then," I said as I pushed open the door and made my way to the showers.