Hide & Seek

Chapter 6 - Defenestrate

Chapter 6
DEFENESTRATE

defenestrate
(v.) to throw someone or something out of a window

"SHOVE off Malfoy," Gemma grumbled, her eyes rolling so far it felt like she could see the back of her head.

Draco stared at her from his position against the wall where he was leaning, one foot propped up as if to help balance him. His arms were folded, emerald lining peaking out from the sleeves of his robes.

"Don't want us to get into anymore trouble, do you?" He mocked, "Better do what the wench said."

"Says the one who was late," retorted Gemma, glaring at him pointedly, "If you want me out of my robes, you're gonna have to do a lot more than just stand there. Now lets go."

Draco's forehead wrinkled in annoyance, the familiar flare of anger radiating off of him. Gemma turned away from the glowering boy and started to make her way down the dreary corridor towards the girls bathroom.

The absence of following footsteps mocked her as her shoes made lonely contact against the stone floor. She muttered bitterly under her breath as she tried to keep all the cleaning tools in her hands from spilling out all over the place.

Gemma nudged her shoulder against the lavatory door, using the weight of her body to push her way inside. The white tiles glinting back at her were scummy with mildew, and a strange odor seemed to be wafting from one of the stalls.

She scrunched her nose, trying her hardest not to gag on the fumes. At least they weren't assigned to Moaning Myrtles bathroom on the first floor.

Gemma already heard enough moping from her detention partner.

For a brief moment, she thought he wasn't going to follow her at all, and she'd end up having to clean the entire bathroom herself. But to her almost unpleasant surprise, she could faintly hear his heavy footfalls as he made his way after her.

Gemma had only just set down the silver pail when the distinctive clang of the door echoed behind her.

"They've got to be bloody joking," Draco choked out, shoving his face into the crook of his arm in an attempt to block out the putrid smell.

Gemma leaned down, ignoring his remark, and pulled out two rags and matching spray bottles filled with Mrs Skower's All-Purpose Magical Mess Remover from the stack of supplies. She threw a spare glance at the stalls with a shudder, definitely not ready to tackle those yet.

"We'll start on the mirrors," Gemma said, turning back to face Draco who's flare for dramatics had him fake gagging from behind the sleeve of his robes.

Without bothering to give him a warning, Gemma chucked one of the rags and bottles at him. Draco ducked to the side just in time, the nozzle just barely missing his head.

"What the hell?" he barked, finally lowering his arm to glare angrily at Gemma.

He looked at the bottle on the floor which was now leaking a greenish liquid into the grout, and back at her.

"Malfoy," Gemma sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose between her forefinger and thumb, "You don't want to be here. I don't want to be here. And the longer it takes us to clean this disgusting lavatory, the more time we have to spend together."

Even though she didn't want to give Draco the satisfaction of doing what he said, Gemma slipped her arms out of the heavy robe sleeves blanketing her.

She'd tucked the picture that had been delivered to her earlier that day into the interior of her robes for safe-keeping, deciding that she didn't want to forget it between the pages of Quidditch Through The Ages when she returned it.