Hidden Feelings - A Draco Malfoy Love Story

Chapter Twenty-One

A/N Hey guys! I know it's a kind of short chapter but I wanted to get it out since I had time. Hope you're liking the story!!

I return to the dorm just before curfew, stepping into the room tentatively; sure enough, Hermione waits for me, standing as soon as she sees me. Despite her enthusiasm, she seems at a loss for words right away, watching me walk across the room to drop my bag on the chair by my desk.

"Are you okay?" she asks softly after a few moments of watching me silently getting ready to go to sleep.

"I don't know, Hermione, what do you think?" I regret the snappy response immediately, but I don't take it back.

"I'm sorry."

I don't respond, getting my pajamas ready to change into.

"Did you-did you put your name in?"

I turn around, an involuntary glare forming on my face. "Why would I put my name in?"

She bites her lip a little. "I-I'm sorry, I just-"

"Don't be sorry. I know I'm being rude," I sigh. "I just-I don't know how it happened. I didn't put my name in, I don't know how I could have. And now-now I have to participate, and I don't know what to...I don't know what to do."

"I understand. Well...no, I don't," she sighs. "I know why you're upset. Stressed. This has got to be terrifying."

"How bad will it be?" I ask her, setting down the clothing and sitting down on my bed. She moves on her bed so she's facing me, and slowly, she holds up a book.

"I got this from the library as soon as we were dismissed. It has the entire history of the Triwizard Tournament, including a lot of the early ones."

I let out a small breath, both feeling calmed and more stressed by the fact that I could get an idea of what was going to happen.

"I already read through some. I mean, not all of them were life threatening, but..." she trails off, lowering her eyes. "I'm hoping it helps."

"Thank you, Hermione," I say, holding out my hand. She places the book in it, a weak smile on her face. "I'll lend it to Harry, too, if that's okay."

"Of course."

"Speaking of, he wanted to talk to me. I kind of stalled coming back here, but I figured he'd be waiting in the common room," I say, wrapping my arms around the book to pull it to my chest. "Did you see him?"

"No. I've been up here for almost an hour, though," she responds.

"I'm going to look for him downstairs. I'll see you in a little bit," I tell her, and she nods. I stand, taking the book with me to the door. I touch my hand to the doorknob, a sudden thought making me stop and turn my head back.

I clear my throat slightly. "Hermione?"

She stands up as she turns to me. "Yes?"

I can't help but have my eyes flicker down to the ring on my hand, my lips parting for just a moment. "Um...never mind. I'll see you later."

I leave the room before she can stop me.

••••••••••

Flash.

"You're quite a beautiful one, you know that?" Rita Skeeter comments, lowering the camera from her face. I don't respond, only looking down a little as my face heats up. After looking at the picture, she nods a little. I almost ask her if I can see it but the camera quickly disappears in her bad, a notepad and quill replacing it in her hands.

"Mind if I use a quick quotes quill? Perfect," she giggles, not even letting me nod.

"Quick quotes?" I echo, already overwhelmed by the whole interview process.

"Oh, nothing to worry about. Just copies down whatever you and I say," she explains, smiling in an all but comforting way. "So, one of the two youngest champions in the world. Tell me, Elizabeth, how old are you?"

"Fourteen," I respond warily. She asks that like she hasn't heard it thousands of times.

"Fourteen," she exhales, a bit of an awed grin on her makeup-covered face. "And you're new to Hogwarts, aren't you?"

"Well...newer than most?" I guess. "I transferred last year."

"May I ask from where?"

"Beauxbatons."

"Oh, and what might have happened there?" she asks, her smile only growing.

I feel myself frowning. "What do you mean?"

"Why'd you move?" she elaborates. "Drama going on at Beauxbatons? Is it not really as classy and beautiful as it seems?"

"It wasn't my choice to move," I defend, my eyes narrowing. "I was thirteen. Did you get to decide where you moved at that age?"

She seems slightly taken aback by my tone, but quickly recovers, raising an eyebrow. "You're a sassy one, aren't you? So if it wasn't some problem with you, what was it?"

I fell right into her trap.

"My parents got divorced," I explain, my voice coming out a lot quieter than when I snapped at her. "My mom got a job at the ministry and we moved here."

"Oh, what a shame," she coos, pursing her lips in an attempt to look remorseful before continuing. "Care to share why they divorced?"

"I wouldn't care to, if you don't mind," I tell her, my eyes hardening more as I stare at her.

"Shame," she repeats. "Well, how did you take this?"

"Why are you so interested in my family life?"

"Why wouldn't I be? I'm supposed to find out the lives of the champions. Their likes, dislikes, fears," she explains. "Everyone loves a good family drama. Scratch that last part out."

The pen moves sharply across the paper before waiting to continue.

"If you won't answer that, answer me two more things," she requests. "Who do you think put your name in?"

My stomach twists as it always does when the mystery is mentioned. However, she doesn't ask why I put my name in, or if; but who put it in.

"I don't know. There's not much more to it," I say softly. She smiles.

"You want to know badly, though, don't you?"

I nod a little.

"And my last question. Someone put your name in, but that didn't guarantee you being picked," she says. "Why did the goblet pick you?"

I don't know how to answer the question.

Why did it pick me?

A random fourteen-year-old girl's name is put into the goblet of fire, perhaps the only impressive fact being that she's friends with Harry Potter; and the goblet goes out of its way, against the rules to pick her for the tournament.

Why?