Black and White

29

I leave Snape's office halfway through dinner. When I sit down beside Draco, he just stares at me for a moment.

"Where have you been?" he asks.

Seeing Blaise and Pansy are clearly eavesdropping, I say, "I'll tell you later."

Later doesn't come, however, because as soon as we finish eating, Pansy grabs Draco's hand and runs off. The smirk she throws back at me tells me she's intent on snogging. I roll my eyes.

The next morning, however, when I sit beside my cousin at breakfast, something has changed. He's not halfway through his breakfast, but as soon as I sit down, he moves to leave.

"In a hurry?" I ask, confused.

"Just thought you'd rather be gossipping with Potter," Draco snaps, standing from his seat and grabbing his briefcase.

"Excuse me?" I question, standing to face him.

"Just stay out of my way," he sighs. "I know you've been telling your friends all about me, and I've had enough of it."

"Dra, what are you talking about?" I ask, grabbing his arm as he tries to walk away.

"Pansy told me," Draco answers, yanking his arm out of my grasp. "Don't kid yourself, Lucida. I found him spying on us on the train, and that same night you two were talking about me. He probably knows more about me than than the da*n Daily Prophet. You've seen what they've written about my family. So stay the h*ll away from me."

I stand in stunned silence as he storms off. To make things worse, it's Harry who comes to check on me first.

"Not now, Harry," I mutter, seeing Pansy is watching. As I walk away, she smirks at me and waves. Tears threaten to break free as I make my way to Potions with Professor Slughorn.

"Is that Amortentia?" Maisie asks as class begins.

"Why yes, yes it is, my dear," Slughorn smiles. "And who can tell me what is so special about Amortentia? Turley?"

"It's a love potion," Evelyn answers, wrinkling her nose. "It smells different to everyone. They smell whatever, or whoever, they're attracted to."

"Yes, very good, Turley, five points to Slytherin," he answers. "But remember, this potion does not create love itself. Though, it may cause infactuation. Miss Black, would you be so kind as to be our guinea pig? Step forward and tell us what it is that you smell."

Grimacing, I agree. Standing before the cauldron, I take in the scent. "Chocolate," I answer. "Chocolate, cherries, and... dungbombs?"

The girls in the class burst into giggles, eagerly stepping forward to see what they smell. But I draw away. I only know one person who smells like chocolate and dungbombs. Fred Weasley. But he's four years older than me!

However, he's also one of few people to genuinely care about my safety and happiness. And he did invite me to the Yule Ball. It's just, I always thought of him more as a brotherly figure.

Needless to say, I leave the class more confused about Amortentia than when I entered.

The following two months don't get much better. Draco leaves Slytherin House nearly every night, and refuses to talk or even sit with me. Pansy is in his head, and there's no way I can get her out if I can't get close to him.

I do finally tell Harry what's going on. He offers to talk to Draco for me, but I give him the honest truth. Draco wouldn't believe a word that came out of his mouth.

But then a new rumor spreads throughout the school. Katie Bell was cursed and nearly killed by a necklace she was supposed to deliver to Dumbledore. And she can't remember who cursed her.

"Draco," I call, running to block his way through the portrait the next afternoon. The Common Room has been abandoned as everyone has already left to go to dinner. "I know you don't want to talk to me, but please, tell me you didn't have anything to do with what happened to Katie Bell."

"I said to stay out of my way," Draco says, not quite meeting my eyes.

"Draco," I whisper, stunned.

"It's none of your business," he snaps, shoving me out of the way. "No one was supposed to get hurt." He leaves the Common Room, leaving me completely alone.

I pick myself up from the floor, telling myself he didn't mean to push me that hard, but an even bigger truth breaks through my thoughts. He did curse Katie.

Instincts tell me to talk to Harry, as he's probably the only one who would actually believe me, but then I'd be doing exactly what Draco and Pansy have already accused me of.

Retreating into my thoughts, I head to dinner, but as I have no friends at the Slytherin table, and sitting with my Gryffindor friends would only cause more drama, I sit at the Ravenclaw table with Luna.

She quickly provides the distraction I need, telling me all about wrackspurts and nargles. It's nice to spend time with someone who knows when not to ask hard questions, and is happy just simply being together.

The next morning, however, the day of the first Quiditch match, she's not acting quite like herself, and is walking away from the Great Hall before breakfast has even begun.

"Luna?" I ask, but she doesn't answer. She just keeps walking. I notice a weird package in her hands. "What's that?"

Still, no answer. Suspicious, I try to take it from her. We grapple for a moment, but I get it. Then I notice her eyes appear slightly glazed over, rather than bright and full of life.

I rip open the package to see a beautiful dagger encrusted with emeralds. I reach out to touch it, when Luna suddenly slams me back against a suit of armor.

The armor falls to the ground with a loud racket as Luna yells, in a voice not quite her own, "Don't touch it!"

She grabs the dagger, and is violently thrown back, then lifted into the air, her face twisted in a silent scream.

The hall fills with students, and the whispering starts immediately.

"Someone help her!" I shout desperately, as Luna falls back to the ground, unmoving. I can feel my breath quickening, my heart racing as I kneel down beside her.

Snape and Dumbledore push through the crowd, then, striding to us.

"Don't touch her," Snape warns, and I pull away.

"Is she..." I trail, not wanting to finish.

"She is alive, for now," Dumbledore assures, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder.

I nod, trying to control my breathing. I show them the package.

"She was carrying this, and wasn't acting like herself," I explain. "She wouldn't talk to me, and I got worried. I tried to take it, and she grabbed the knife, and then... That happened."

"The same reaction Miss Bell had when she touched the necklace," Dumbledore states as Snape inspects the dagger, using magic to pull it from Luna's hand and place it back in the packaging. "You should accompany her to the hospital wing, Miss Black," he suggests, putting the armor back together with his wand. "Severus, can you escort them? I will be investigating this package."

Snape nods, levitating Luna and beginning to walk towards the hospital wing. At Dumbledore's gesture, I follow. But as I walk away, I make eye contact with Draco, and he looks scared.