𝙛𝙤𝙤𝙡𝙨 (𝖽𝗋𝖺𝖼𝗈 𝗆𝖺𝗅𝖿𝗈𝗒 𝗑 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽𝖾𝗋)

chapter thirty-six

The next day, my trunk packed and homework done, Harry and I left Hogwarts with Ron to go to the Burrow. As excited as I was, I couldn't stop thinking about Draco and Snape's conversation from last night. Apparently, neither could Harry.

The three of us were in the kitchen, cutting vegetables for Mrs Weasley. I were siting quietly, lost in thought, while Harry was telling Ron everything about last night.

"Are you sure Snape was offering to help Draco?" Ron asked for the third time.

"Yes!" Harry answered, obviously irritated.

"But why?"

"Because they're Death Eaters, why else?"

"We don't know that, Harry," I interjected.

My brother sighed. "There's so much evidence for it!"

"That doesn't prove anything," I said.

"He brought you up, Y/n! Why are you so quick to defend him?"

"I don't want to talk about this right now."

Harry opened his mouth to argue, but he decided against it and went back to peeling his potato in silence.

Slightly surprised by his good reaction, I paused for a moment, letting the knife in my hand simply rest. Harry has changed, I thought to myself. A smile unconsciously grew on my lips until Ron asked me what was on my mind.

I shook my head, clearing my thoughts, and returned to cutting the carrots on the table.

"So," Harry said, "Y/n. Tell us about you and Malfoy."

I couldn't stop myself from laughing. "What about him?"

"The Christmas party."

"Oh," I said, heat rising to my cheeks as I recalled the events of that night. "Um, what are you talking about?" I laughed cautiously.

"I'm asking the same thing," Ron added. "What are you saying? Why would Y/n have anything to do with Malfoy and that party?"

Harry chuckled darkly. "Oh, Ron, if only you had seen the two of them. I told you about what happened, right? Filch dragged Malfoy into the party?"

"Yes, what about it?"

"Slughorn thought that Malfoy was late or something, so Y/n said that he was her date."

"What?" Ron turned to me, trying to hold back his laughter. "You're joking." Nobody answered, so Ron looked at us, eyes widening with surprise. "You're being serious?"

"I am," Harry said.

"Why?"

"That's what we were asking, Ron." Harry faced me. "So, Y/n, would you like to explain?"

I faked a cough, stalling. "I, um." I couldn't conjure up a lie quick enough. "Well, you see," I paused again, stuck between whether or not I should lie, "okay." I gave in. "Draco—er, Malfoy—and I have been getting closer recently—"

"You're dating Malfoy?"

"No!" I said quickly. "We're not dating. But, um, we're not exactly just friends, either."

"Oh, Merlin," Rom said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Y/n, are you sure he's—"

"Is he a Death Eater?" Harry said a bit too loudly. Ms Weasley heard his voice, but not his words, and called down to ask if the vegetables were cut.

The three of us looked down and realised that we had all stopped preparing the vegetables in the excitement of Harry's question. At the same time, almost as if we all thought the same thing, we grabbed our tools and continued working.