𝐃𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐫 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥? 〚𝚍𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚏𝚘𝚢 〛

Chapter 11

A month had passed since that night, leading me to the beginning of December. The snow had fallen, laying a blanket of white onto Hogwarts. Students tended to stay inside, wrapped in a warm blanket and drinking hot cocoa. 

Of course, this did not apply to the quidditch players, especially not with Urquhart as a captain. We were dragged outside four times a week, no matter the weather. The first practice, there was an undeniable tension in the air as the boys sneered down at me. Nearly knocking down a fellow chaser with the strength of a pass and twirling in midair was enough to put an end to that. 

No one took me for granted when we won the match against Hufflepuff. Charles was grinning so much I thought he was going to hug me. Although I gritted my teeth a few times when the Slytherins pulled a dirty move, I had imagined it would be much worse. It seems the rest of the school was happy with this small improvement. 

One evening, I sat with Luna and Ginny and the next one, I sat with Charles and the rest of the quidditch team, leaving with Draco for another practice at the end of dinner. We mutually agreed to ignore our first practice, barely speaking to each other if it weren't for his occasional comment or critique. 

I looked out the window, gently pushing my feet against the cold ground and forcing myself to get up. My bed was so much warmer than the surrounding air. I shivered, watching the sun reflect off of the snow. 

It was a weekend, and I intended to enjoy it. 

After having dressed in a black hoodie and pulled on my warm hiking boots, I slipped out of my room, careful not to awaken either of the two girls. 

The common room was nearly empty, but I noticed a silver head surrounded by a few others. They seemed to be having an argument. He stood and turned towards me, his friends snickering. 

I glanced at him, he seemed apprehensive. I gently picked up a green apple from a basket on the table, watching them from the corner of my eye.

"Drop that, muggle. Those apples have been washed."

I examined the apple carefully, trying to determine at what game Draco was playing.

"Too pure for a muggle, am I right?" I mused.

I bit the apple.

"Hm. You're right," I say, looking past Draco, to the group around him. "Too bitter for my taste."

I slammed the apple on the table and walked out of the common room without another word. 

To say that I wasn't frustrated would be a lie. I thought I'd put an end to all this nonsense. 

Distracted, I ran into something.

"Hey, watch it!" complained a boy.

The something was actually Harry Potter, the-boy-who-lived.

"Apologies, I was distracted."

He sighed, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.  "So was I. I had a private lesson with professor Dumbledore."

He tapped a piece of parchment with the tip of his wand and folded it shut. "Rose Collins, right?"

I nodded, distracted.

"Is that a magic map?" I asked, gesturing towards the piece of parchman.

He chuckled awkwardly. "You're the first one to figure that out so easily."

"You admit it," I notice.

He ran a hand through his hair. "Ginny trusts you, and so does Hermione. I guess it wouldn't be a mistake to tell you."