star shopping ✰ d.m.

CHAPTER EIGHT

The following day, Ron and Arabella were still angry with each other, though it was more of a reluctance to apologize than anything else. Ron had gotten into a disagreement with Harry as well, and the two of them weren't speaking to each other, either. Hermione, stuck in the middle of not one, but two feuds, was very annoyed with the lot of them.

Arabella went down to breakfast alone, looking forward to a nice meal, but was instead greeted by the sight of Ron sitting with Seamus and Dean. Not feeling like sharing her best friends with a brother whom she wanted nothing to do with at the moment, she angrily grabbed a piece of toast and stormed out of the Great Hall.

She later regretted not having more breakfast; Arabella usually ate more than the average person, one of the few things she and Ron actually had in common, so she become hungry again a lot earlier than usual. By the time lunch came around, she was practically ravenous and sat next to Ginny at the Gryffindor table as she quickly filled her plate with delicious food.

The last class of the day was Potions, and Arabella found herself looking forward to it despite how much she disliked Professor Snape. She had been by herself all day, since Seamus and Dean had, in her eyes, chosen Ron over her, and Hermione and Harry were sticking together, both too preoccupied to pay attention to Arabella. And so, she was left to look forward to an hour with Draco.

She set her bag down and sat down in the seat next to him with a huff.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"Is something not wrong?" she answered.

"Okay, what's going on?"

"It's just Ron. We've gotten into a fight."

"Don't you always fight with him?"

"Yes, but now we have friends who enjoy choosing sides." She shot a mean look in Seamus and Dean's direction. They saw it and exchanged confused glances.

"Oh," said Draco. He shot the two boys a look of contempt. "Say, what are you doing after class?"

"Oh, you know. Homework. The usual."

"Care to join me in the library?"

Arabella looked at him, a smile spreading across her face. "I'd love to."

At the end of class, Arabella hurried to the library, Draco following far, far behind so people wouldn't suspect they were going together. Upon arrival, she found their usual table in the very back and sat down to wait for him.

"You didn't invite me here to make me help you with your homework again, did you?" Arabella joked as Draco sat down beside her.

"No," Draco chuckled. "Unless..."

"Draco."

"All right, all right. So what's the deal with you and your brother, if you don't mind me asking?"

"The idiot was saying Harry put his name in the Goblet of Fire himself and wouldn't hear otherwise." Draco stayed quiet. "Oh, don't tell me you think that, too."

"Maybe he didn't do it himself, but I bet he got Dumbledore to do it for him."

"And why would Dumbledore break his own rule?"