The Exchange

7》The Trust Issue

"Haley!"

The Slytherin didn't turn around at the sound of the voice. She knew that voice perfectly well. She slowed her pace to let the boy catch up.

Draco Malfoy jogged up to walk side by side with the girl.

"You hurried off after dinner, last night. Is there anything wrong?"

Haley simply shook her head. She had spent the evening doing her homework in her room. And after she had finished, she just sat on her bed wondering who she should trust. Ethan didn't seem like a bad guy. And he did have a point about Draco seeming to have a darker side. She had seen it herself whenever she as Harry quarreled with the blonde. But she didn't know Ethan enough to thoroughly trust the boy. Because of this, she kept going back and forth between the two boys until exhaustion finally took over sending her into a dreamless state.

"Are you sure?" Draco asked, looking a little concerned.

"I'm fine, Malfoy."

Draco cocked an eyebrow in hearing his family name used in such a distant tone. Not at all at how the girl had playfully said it just yesterday. He sighed.
"Look, I saw you with Maxwell last night. What did he say to you?"

Haley gave the boy a cross expression.
"I don't think that's any of your business, Malfoy."

Draco flinched slightly at how cold she sounded.
"Ethan Maxwell isn't one to be trusted-"

"What? And you are?" Haley stopped in her tracks.
"I think I can judge for myself who I can and can't trust."

"Are you saying you don't trust me?" Draco crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes searching Haley's for her answer.

"Just stop it, okay? I don't want to argue with you." Haley looked highly irritated.

"Okay, fine. But why are you being so cross with me, suddenly?"

"I don't know. I just...ugh..." The girl massaged her temple. "I think I woke up on the wrong side of the bed. I need to go to the bathroom. Excuse me." She pushed past the speechless blonde and hurried towards the nearest restroom.

After finishing her business, she turned around to flush and noticed something. The blood drained from her cheeks as she quickly finished up in the bathroom and started at a dead sprint towards the hospital wing.

"Madame Pomfrey! I'm bleeding!" Haley yelled as she burst through the door.

The woman hurried around the corner towards the girl.
"No need to worry, I can patch it up, no problem."

"But-but... I'm bleeding... down there." Haley implied.

Realization struck the elderly woman before she burst into a fit of giggles.

"Madame Pomfrey, this is no laughing matter! What's wrong with me? I'm scared!"

"Oh, my dear, dear, Harry. You've been in this wing many times for many different reasons. I never thought you'd come here for this." The woman said through her chuckling.

Haley responded with a confused look.
"What? What is it?"

"Harry, dear. You do know about a woman's menstrual cycle, don't you?"