Winging It (Interactive Love Story)

5. Now We're Only Falling Apart

The corridors were reasonably deserted, which made eavesdropping a breeze. Careful not to be seen, Harry stuck his head around the corner of the wall, attempting to overhear the Slytherins' conversation. A little voice in his head told him it was a terrible idea, a suicide mission, but there was no going back now.

"About that," Pansy began, her arms crossed. The guys detected her brief pause and glanced into her direction. "Have you guys noticed Draco's been acting kind of strange around Potter lately? Even more so than usual, I mean."

"What do you mean?"

"What are you talking about?"

The noirette heaved a sigh at the simultaneous questions from Theo and Blaise. "You know how Draco acts whenever Potter's around. Usually, it's just a snarky comment or an insult of some sort. But lately, I've noticed a shift in his behavior. Instead of humiliating Potter, he's been trying to impress him."

For a moment, Harry didn't understand. Impress him? What did she mean by that?

"What? That's ridiculous," Blaise said incredulously, making Pansy grimace. "Why would he want to impress Potter? You know they hate each other's guts. It doesn't make any sense."

Theo was skeptical about Pansy's speculation, too. "I agree with Blaise. Draco has never been fond of Potter, and vice versa, so what makes you think all of the sudden he's changed his mind?"

"Well I never said that!" Pansy snarled. "All I'm saying is, there might be something going on with him. Why else would he act so weird around Potter?"

"Okay, you've definitely lost your mind," Theo noted, receiving an elbow in the guts from Pansy. As the discussion progressed, Harry only got more confused. Malfoy was behaving strangely around him? Since when? He had never noticed this happening. Of course, he was never known for being particularly observant of others...

"Speaking of which..." Pansy's hand came down on Theo's shoulder from behind. He turned around to see a stern glare on her face. In a low, menacing voice, she spoke, "Looks like we've got some company. Show yourself, coward!"

After a few tense seconds, a figure appeared from around the corner. Hair as dark as the night, eyes that gleamed like emeralds, wanky, round glasses—

"Eavesdropping again? You just never learn, do you Potter?" Blaise remarked, to which the other two Slytherins snickered.

"And you're all alone," Pansy observed. "Where are your friends? Have they decided to ditch you for someone less self-obsessed?"

"I'm not self-obsessed," Harry muttered, his fists clenched. "And I would appreciate it if you stopped wasting my time. Now, if you'll excuse me..."

He tried to cut the conversation off short, but the Slytherins wouldn't let him go. Theo stormed over and grabbed his arm. "What's the rush?" he taunted with a smug smirk. "Have somewhere important to go?"

"Don't touch me," Harry demanded. He was shaking with helpless anger at this point. "And as a matter of fact, I do."

"...What is going on here?"

Forced to acknowledge his existence at last, Malfoy observed the scene for a moment, then groaned.

"What do you want, Potter? Must you ruin everything?"

Harry immediately snapped back, on the defensive. "Your face ruined my day, so we'll call it even."

Malfoy saw red rage at Harry's insult. He was about to draw his wand when Blaise grabbed his shoulder. A crowd was starting to gather around them, and he could hear the words Potter and rivals being murmured. Harry took note of the increased interest and glared at the blonde Slytherin, who showed no signs of regaining his composure.