Limerence; Draco Malfoy

Chapter Thirty: Suspicious

By some kind twist of fate the hallways were empty as we were led through them. Lunch break was over, which meant I should have currently been sitting in Herbology next to Hermione.

Not traipsing after Filch, with the only thing breaking our awkward silence being the daunting echo of our footsteps.

Draco was walking a meter or so behind me - deliberately keeping at a slow pace, like he was some angsty teenager who'd been dragged along for a family nature walk.

I could feel his eyes burning holes into the back of my head - glaring, I supposed.

There were so many reasons - irrational reasons, might I add - why he might've been angry with me. For one, he was probably going to get a detention now, as was I.

And something told me that despite Draco's delinquency and careless attitude towards school, he secretly feared authority and punishment just as much as any other regular student at Hogwarts. The other reason for his bitterness was probably to do with my bizarre, out of the blue meltdown back there. Now that we had left the cupboard, the whole memory already felt foggy. Like a really vivid dream. Or a nightmare.

I still couldn't grapple with the fact I slapped him. Again. The second time now. Or maybe it was the third.

I'd lost count.

And I still couldn't understand why it had all gone downhill so quickly. Now that my heart was gradually slowing down again, and now that my senses had calmed down, I was left feeling ashamed. Foolish. Not for slapping him - not for getting angry at him for using that dreaded slur -- But for proving everything he'd stated earlier, correct: I was a coward.

We turned the corner in silence, and a familiar, older woman's voice floated down the corridor to our ears. Professor Mcgonnagal -- I recognized her voice: she was the same woman who was standing outside the doors to the great hall on my first night here. A night which already felt like a lifetime ago...

"- But Mr Weasly," Her strict voice came floating out, exasperated. "You have to understand it is against our school's policy for students to be wandering the corridor at night! And taking in you past behaviour records, surely you cannot blame me for having suspicions about what you were up to!"

"-But Professor, I can explain: I heard a noise. A very big, loud noise if that. Sounded like- like a dinosaur-"

"Dinosaur's are extinct, Mr Weasley!"

"I know I know - but it sounded like one. So, I had to. I had to investigate in order to save our school from any possible danger. You should be thanking me!"

There was a long pause as we reached the door. Filch put his hand up to silence me and Draco, glaring. We had to wait. As if the tension wasn't already unbearable enough. I looked at my shoes, my heart jumping in hearing Draco let out an aggravated sigh a meter away.

There were a few more inaudible mumblings behind the door, in which Draco spoke impatiently over. "Is that Mcgonnogal? Where's Dumbledore?"

I didn't glance up, but I imagined he was sneering at Filch. Filch was probably sneering right back. "In bed, is he?"

But Filch's reply came out sounding almost uncertain.

"Dumbledore is... he's away. For business."

At last I looked up, unable to hide my curiosity any longer. Draco was looking off to the side: his expression was made to look all the more ominous and grave by the shadows casting down on one side of of his pale face. He visibly swallowed, dropping his frown to the floor.

"Business... yeah, I bet he is."

That instantly made me suspicious - Draco clearly knew something about someone.