My Damned Lover: Third Year

Chapter 12

"Dad! No! Dad! Please! Somebody save him!" 

Seraphina jolted awake and winced as her palm burned uncomfortably. She looked down at her scar and saw that it was completely fine. 

No bleeding, no bruising.

"Seraphina! You're awake!" She looked up at the worried voice and saw Hermione standing over her with eyes that were pink from crying. "

Hey- owww..." She flinched as pain erupted in her side. 

Fred and George were by her instantly, and they helped her sit up in bed. She looked around and noticed she was in the hospital. That's when she remembered she had been hit by a bludger while trying to save Harry. 

Harry! Her eyes widened with fear as she blurted, "Where's Harry? He fell off the broom!" She tried to get out but the twins stopped her. 

"Whoa, slow down, mate." "Yeah, you're more bruised than he is."

"So he's fine?" That was all she wanted to know. 

"Yes, he's fine," Hermione said as she gave her best friend a tight hug. "I was so scared. I saw that bludger slam right into you. You went flying, Seraphina, and then..." She suddenly frowned. 

"And then?" Seraphina looked up at her. 

Hermione opened her mouth to answer when Fred said, "Looks like Harry is awake too." 

Seraphina carefully slipped out of bed and walked towards the next bed. "Harry? Are you okay?" "I'm fine. But my broom isn't..." He glanced at his broken Nimbus 2000. It was practically smashed into little splinters, and no amount of magic would ever be able to fix it. 

"Forget the broom. You're safe, and that's fine." Seraphina sat on the edge of his bed and patted his arm. "I heard you got hurt too. What happened?" 

"She tried to save you, that's what happened. Bloody hell, Seraphina. You're no superhero," Ron said with a shake of his head.

 "Thanks, Seraphina," Harry said appreciatively. 

Once they were both thoroughly checked by Madam Pomfrey, they were allowed to head back to the dorms. "Harry! Seraphina!" They stopped and looked back to see Oliver. He looked furious as he stormed towards them. 

Harry started, "Oliver, the game-" 

"What were you two thinking?! How can you just go off ground like that!" 

Both Harry and Seraphina were taken aback by his aggressive behavior. They naturally thought he would ask about their injuries first, but he was too blinded with fury about losing the first game. 

Seraphina said, "I'm sorry, Oliver. But the dementors-" 

"And you, Seraphina!" Oliver's glare pierced right through her. "You were supposed to chase after the quaffle, not Harry! At least he ended up like this for going after the snitch, but you! You weren't even playing your part right! Do you even deserve to be a chaser? Answer me, Seraphina, because I'm sure plenty of people would love to take your position." 

Seraphina had never felt Oliver's wrath before, and she was literally at a loss for words. 

Harry was about to defend her when someone yelled, "Wood, you fucking arse." 

The three of them looked up to see Draco storming down the hallway. He came right in front of her, as if he was protecting her from Oliver. 

"You need to sort out your priorities before your ego gets to your head. No one appreciates a selfish captain, Wood." 

Oliver narrowed his eyes and snapped, "I'm not in the mood to deal with you, Malfoy, so shut your trap and stay out of this. This is between Harry, Seraphina, and me. You're not even in Gryffindor. You're a fucking Slytherin, so bugger off!" 

"Oh, fuck it. She doesn't need this." Draco grabbed Seraphina's wrist and strode away, leaving Oliver and Harry speechless. Seraphina stared at Draco with an open mouth. She snapped out of her daze and stopped abruptly. She yanked her hand away, forcing him to spin around and face her. "What the hell is your problem, Draco? What was that back there?" 

"Yes, you're welcome," Draco grunted with a roll of his eyes. 

"No, I never thanked you." Seraphina shook her head. "In fact, you owe Oliver an apology." 

"He can't talk to you like that," Draco sneered. 

"Draco, he's my captain. No, he's my friend. And right now, he has every right to be angry-" 

"No one has any right to talk to you like that," Draco hissed, and his upset glare puzzled her. "You almost died, Seraphina! Nothing else should matter to him." 

Seraphina stared at him at a loss for words. Then she pressed her lips into a thin line as she gritted her teeth. She had enough of his odd behavior. "None of this should matter to you, Draco. I don't know if you were brainwashed or you lost your memories, or maybe this is just another nasty scheme of yours, but we're not friends. You keep forgetting that these days." 

At her hurtful words, his expression crumbled, and she felt a twinge of regret. She had never seen him look so hurt before. Usually, he smirked in irritation or made a rude comment, but today, he just stared at her with eyes of disappointment. 

Seraphina shook her head. She wasn't going to let it affect her. She didn't like to be played or tricked, and she was going to cut him off before he could do the same. "You've been acting really strangely this year, Draco, and I don't know why you suddenly had a change of heart, but it's making me really uncomfortable. Honestly... you're creepy." 

She didn't know where that last part came from, but she was just too overwhelmed with different emotions to take it back. 

Draco's eyes dimmed, and his expression hardened. His shoulders turned rigid, as his lifted his chin with his usual air of arrogance. "Creepy? Is that really how you feel about me?" 

"...Yes," Seraphina replied without looking away. 

"Fine," he said through gritted teeth. With that, he spun around and left with a swish of his Slytherin cloak. 

Her shoulders fell, and she put a hand over her deflated heart. 

Why... did she feel... so disappointed?