star shopping ✰ d.m.

CHAPTER TEN

Ron had later informed Arabella why Hagrid was looking for Harry. It turns out, their older brother, Charlie, had had to bring four dragons from Romania for the first task of the Triwizard Tournament. This worried Arabella greatly, thinking about Harry having to fight a full-grown dragon, and she could tell it worried Ron too, even though he insisted otherwise.

Arabella had been walking the halls with Seamus and Ron, only half-listening to Seamus going on about blowing things up. She heard someone clear their throat very loudly and turned to look in that direction. She caught Draco's eyes and he motioned for her to join him, despite having Crabbe, Goyle, and two other Slytherin boys surrounding him.

"I'll catch up to you guys later," Arabella dismissed herself, heading in the direction of Draco.

Confused, Ron and Seamus looked around but when they saw where she was headed, they understood. They exchanged disgruntled looks before continuing their walk.

"I thought we agreed-" Arabella started, looking at the other Slytherins and wondering why Draco suddenly didn't care about people seeing the two of them together.

"Don't worry," Draco said with a slightly cocky grin. "I've personally made sure no one's going to bother us or go running their mouths. Besides," he began to walk towards the courtyard, and Arabella and the others followed, "it's not like your friends don't already know."

Arabella suddenly felt guilty. "Yeah, I kind of told them a long time ago. Sorry."

"That's fine. I expected it. Quite naive of me to tell you not to, anyway."

"Ooh, tree," said Arabella, spotting one of the trees in the courtyard with no one surrounding it and also wanting to change the subject. She ran up to it and climbed up it, coming to rest in the middle of the branches. "Care to join me?" she asked Draco, smiling down at him.

Draco let out an amused chuckle and wondered how in the world she expected him to say no. He climbed into the tree and sat opposite her. The other boys exchanged looks and stayed on the ground, leaning against the tree with sour expressions.

"So how'd Parkinson take the news?" Arabella asked. "I don't think she likes me very much."

"Oh, don't mind her," Draco said. "She's just jealous."

"Yeah, because she fancies you, doesn't she?"

Draco chose not to answer. "What about your lot? Seeing as they're always glowering at me, I take it they don't approve."

Arabella sighed. "No, they don't. Ron absolutely hates it. My sister and Mione and Seamus and Dean don't seem to care as much, but they're awfully annoying about it. My older brothers don't know, and I plan to keep it that way. Fred and George would probably try to poison you or something and my other brothers... they'd tell my parents for sure. And it's them we've got to worry about, right? Our parents. They'd throw a fit."

Draco scoffed. "That's putting it lightly." Something seemed to catch his eye, and a malicious grin spread across his face. "Why so tense, Potter?" he called out. Arabella followed his gaze and saw Harry walking across the courtyard, trying his best to ignore Draco. Her heart sunk. "My father and I have a bet, you see. I don't think you're gonna last ten minutes in this tournament." As Harry finally stopped to face him, Draco jumped out of the tree, and his cronies gathered around him. "He disagrees. He thinks you won't last five."

"I don't give a damn what your father thinks, Malfoy," Harry said, shoving him. He caught Arabella's eyes for a split second, and she looked away in shame. "He's vile and cruel. And you're just pathetic." He turned and began walking away.

"Pathetic?" Draco repeated, reaching for his wand.

"Oh, no you don't, sonny!" a familiar voice roared. Arabella looked over at Professor Moody just in time to see a jet of light shoot out of his wand at Draco. Her eyes widened as she looked back to where Draco was standing seconds before and saw a white ferret. "I'll teach you to curse someone when their back is turned!" He limped over and used his wand to make the ferret move up and down in the air. "You stinking, cowardly, scummy-"

"Professor Moody!" Professor McGonagall was rushing over, followed by some students. "What are you doing?"

"Teaching."

"Is that a- is that a student?"

"Technically, it's a ferret." He shoved the ferret down Crabbe's pants, and any students watching that weren't in Slytherin House laughed. It was at this point that Arabella couldn't watch anymore.

Eventually, Draco was turned back to his human form. "My father will hear about this!" he said to Moody.

"Is that a threat?" He began to chase Draco away despite McGonagall's protests. "Is that a threat? I could tell you stories about your father that would curl even your greasy hair, boy! It doesn't end here!"

"Alastor," McGonagall said sternly, "we never use transfiguration as a punishment! Surely Dumbledore told you that." Arabella noticed that she had her wand to him and smirked.

"He might've mentioned it," said Moody.

"You will do well to remember it."

"What's going on here? I heard yelling," said another voice. Arabella looked and was surprised to see David Wood, Head of the Auror Department at the Ministry of Magic.

"We've had an altercation between teacher and student," McGonagall explained with a sideways glance at Moody, "but it has been handled."

It seemed to dawn upon David as he looked at Moody. "Alastor."

As David led Moody away, Arabella felt eyes on her. She looked around and saw Alicia watching her. Knowing that the older girl had been spending more time with Fred and George, she jumped out of the tree and hurried away.

[word count: 981]
[written: 5/12/20]
[published: 6/10/20]