Draco Sinister

Chapter Two - Ink, Blood & Brotherhood

"She's breaking up with me," said Harry.

"She's what?"

"Breaking up with me," said Harry again, still with the same look of utter, blank astonishment.

"She's not," said Draco, with conviction. "You're reading the letter wrong. Give it to me."

It was doubtless a mark of how very shocked Harry was that he did so, holding it out mutely for Draco to take. Draco snatched it, and read it quickly.

Dear Harry,

I saw Viktor this afternoon, and realized that I have really loved him all these years and still do. I am going with him to his home in Bulgaria where we can be together. You will always be a dear friend of mine, but I have realized that my heart belongs to Viktor alone.

Please don't try to contact me.

Hermione

"Not a lot of room for interpretation there," said Harry in a doom-laden sort of voice. "Pretty straightforward."

"She can't be in love with Viktor Krum, she just can't be," protested Draco, scanning the letter again in an attempt to find some other analysis of Hermione's short missive. "I mean, I always figured if she left you, it would be for me. Sorry," he added, looking up at Harry.

"But, really. Viktor Krum?"

Harry just looked at him blankly. "Why not Viktor Krum?"

"Because he's a big stupid Neanderthal who can't even pronounce her name!"

"It doesn't matter," said Harry hollowly. "She doesn't love me. That's what matters." He took the letter back from Draco, looked at it as if it were a weird foreign object, and stuffed it in his pocket. "I guess we'd better go to class."

"What?"

"Class," said Harry. "We've got Lupin's class at nine."

"You mean you're just going to go to class, as if...as if nothing..."

But Harry had already turned around and was wandering off down the hallway. Draco stared after him in disbelief. He couldn't quite understand why Harry was acting like he'd just been given the Dementor's Kiss. If it had been him, he'd be yelling and throwing heavy objects. Maybe Harry was in shock? Draco had read about people being in shock. You were supposed to make them lie down and cover them with a heavy blanket. However, knocking Harry down in the hallway and throwing a blanket on him seemed unfeasible.

"Ello, Draco!" said a voice at his elbow.

Fleur. Just who he didn't want to see.

"Fleur, I've got to get to class right now..."

"You 'ave class with Lupin, am I correct? I 'ave the same class. We can go together!" she announced brightly, and took his arm as he started walking. Draco picked up his pace until he was walking alongside Harry, who was still looking expressionless.

""Ello, 'Arry!" chirped Fleur.

Harry said nothing.

"Is 'Arry all right?" she said in an undertone to Draco.

He was spared replying as she spotted Professor Lupin coming around a bend in the hallway up ahead. He nodded a greeting as his eyes fell on them, then ducked into the classroom.

"Now 'e is very good-looking," said Fleur complacently. "Not like those other professors. This one, 'e 'as..."

"Animal magnetism?" suggested Draco.

"Yes," said Fleur, and smiled.

Draco was relieved when she let go of his arm and dashed into the classroom after Lupin. He turned quickly to Harry. "Potter, are you sure..."