dislike ↠ draco malfoy

twenty

"Draco?" I said quietly.

His face was illuminated by the moonlight that was streaming in through the large window. His eyes were wet with tears that had traveled down to his sweater, soaking it.

"Get out!" he sputtered. His hands were clutching the edge of the sink.

I stepped toward him. "What's wrong? Draco—"

"Get out!" he repeated, louder this time. His booming voice ricocheted off the walls.

I ignored him and stepped closer. "You can talk to me, Draco," I said, my voice shaky.

"Did you follow me in here?" he hissed. "This is the boys' bathroom."

"No— it was an accident!" I exclaimed indignantly. "I was trying to go to the ladies room."

"You're lying! Why can't you just leave me alone?" He turned around and faced the mirror again. He turned the sink handle and water poured out of it. He dipped his hands in the water and splashed it onto his face to wash his tears away.

"Why are you crying?" I asked. "Did something happen?"

He slammed his hands against the edge of the sink and grimaced. "I had a really bad Christmas break, okay?" he spat. "Are you happy?"

I furrowed my eyebrows. "What happened?"

He turned to face me. He wasn't crying anymore, but his usually pale face was still red and blotchy. His eyes looked even more grey from the tears. "I don't want to talk about it," he said coldly. The tone of his voice seemed to cut across my face like a dagger.

"You never talk about anything," I told him. "If you keep your emotions bottled up inside you, you'll eventually explode."

He stared at me. After some time, he finally spoke. "Fine," he said, "Some Death Eaters came over."

"To your house?" I inquired, tilting my head slightly.

He nodded. "And He came too."

"Who came?"

"Him." He swallowed painfully. "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."

I stared at him. "Voldemort came to your house?" I exclaimed, my voice rising.

He rushed forward and put a finger on my lips. "Shhh," he hissed. "Keep your voice down."

"Who's going to hear me? Moaning Myrtle?" I retorted.

"Well, she might!" He looked at me painfully. "Yes, he came to my house. They have meetings there, in Malfoy Manor. It's awful," he choked out.

I grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "I'm sorry."

"I hid in my room most of the time... but I had to face him," he muttered. "He's horrible."

I didn't say anything. I just continued to squeeze his hand and I also put my arm around his shoulder comfortingly. He sobbed into my shirt.

After a while, his sobs died out and his breathing slowed down. He put his forehead against mine. "I'm sorry... I shouldn't be crying in front of you."

"It's fine," I breathed. "You need someone."

Suddenly, the door to the bathroom swung open and someone came in. "Blimey!" a voice exclaimed when he caught sight of us.

Draco and I turned around quickly and jumped apart. The red-headed figure was unmistakably Ron Weasley. I didn't know him that well, but I knew he was good friends with Hermione and Harry.

"What are you guys doing?" he asked, a disgusted look on his face.

"Go away, Weasley," Draco snapped.

"Uh, this is a public bathroom, I have the right to be in here," Ron stated. He looked at me. "Hey, you're Hermione's friend... what are you doing with Malfoy?"

"Nothing!" I exclaimed. "We're just... hanging out."

Ron arched an eyebrow. "In the boys bathroom? And why were you two so close.. like you were going to kiss?"

"It's none of your business, Weasley," Draco sneered.

"And this is a boys bathroom," Ron said to me, "why are you in here?"

"It was an accident," I muttered.

Ron looked back and forth between us. "Uh, all right then, well, I need to pee, so can you two leave?"

"Yep," I replied quickly, my face flushed from embarrassment.

I quickly walked past Ron and out of the bathroom. I decided to head back to the Slytherin common room. It was getting late, and I should probably be getting ready for bed.

When I arrived, I saw that Pansy and Daphne were sitting on the couch, deep in a whispered conversation.

I walked past them and started up the stairs. I paused when I heard Pansy say something to Daphne in a low voice.

"—and then he'll fall completely in love with me—"

I turned toward her. "What are you two talking about?" I asked in a loud voice.

Pansy glared at me. Her hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail, which made her face look especially pug-like. "This is a private conversation. It's none of your business, Hastings," she sneered.

I ignored her. "Who are you talking about? Who's going to fall in love with you?"

"God, your so nosy!" Daphne exclaimed. "Mind your own damn business!"

"Fine," I snapped. I went up the stairs, but I didn't go into the girls dormitories. I stayed back on the top step so that they couldn't see me but I could still hear what they were saying.

"—how should I give it to him?" Pansy asked. She pulled something out of her pocket. I couldn't see what it was.

"In a sweet," Daphne suggested. "Everyone loves sweets."

"Good idea, Daph," Pansy replied. "This is going to be perfect!"

I heard them stand up. I quickly slipped into my dormitory. What were they plotting? I racked my brain, but I couldn't figure it out. I gave up and just settled into bed, glad to be back at Hogwarts.