Hateful Love

Chapter Fifty-Seven

NOTE: I do not own any of the ideas or characters expressed in this story (except Cassie Jackson). All of these belong to J.K. Rowling.

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Draco P.O.V. (right before the Forbidden Forest)

          Classes have finished for the day, and so I head back down to the Slytherin common room. I’m exhausted and just want to sleep right now; I spent last night in the Room of Requirement because, though I’ll never admit it, I was missing Cassie. But I didn’t end up getting much sleep anyway because the couch was so damn hard.

          I mumble the password to the portrait and slip through once it opens, deciding I’ll go straight up to my dormitory and go right to bed. Classes today were especially hard, so I want nothing more than to just sleep it off.

          But I don’t get very far—Blaise stops me on my way up the stairs to our dorm, and it’s clear he looks pretty flustered.

          “Get out of here, mate,” Blaise says hurriedly, trying to push me back down the stairs. “You’ve got to go somewhere else for a while.”

          “What the hell are you on about?” I snap, my exhaustion making my temper flare. “Just get out of my—“

          “Listen. Crabbe, Goyle, and Flint are in there right now and they’re all super pissed about something. Trust me, you’re gonna want to stay away for a little a while.”

          I shake my head in annoyance, trying but failing to step past Blaise. “So what? I don’t care, I’m exhausted—“

          “No, I’m telling you, get out of the common room. You’re gonna say something smart and get into another fight.” I open my mouth angrily to argue that I’d gladly fight them again, but Blaise cuts me off, continuing, “—and you know the Carrows are already pissed off about the last one. Just leave for a bit to let them cool off.”

          Then I give up trying to get past Blaise, because I realize it would have been a lie to say I’d be happy to fight them again. I’ve finally just stopped aching from the last one, and he’s right—I’ll just say something to piss them off even more if I go in there. “Fine,” I snap. “I’ll leave. But it’s pretty messed up that I can’t even get into my own dormitory without a fight.”

          For the first time, Blaise looks guilty for trying to keep me out. “Well, yeah but I mean—“

          “Just forget it,” I sigh, turning to go back down the stairs. “You’re right, thanks mate. See you.”

          “Come back in a bit,” he calls after me.

          I raise my arm to let him know I’ve heard, wanting nothing more than to just leave the common room. I’m suddenly reminded about how much my reputation has been reduced to nothing over the past two years, and the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach only increases when I notice the hateful looks I get from other Slytherins. I quickly leave through the portrait hole, trying desperately not to look bothered by the withering glares given by more than half the room. With all the stress from the Carrows, the Dark Lord, and keeping Cassie safe made me completely forget how hated I am by my own house.

          There’s no where else for me to go, so I reluctantly trudge up to the Room of Requirement. I’ll do my best to fall asleep on the couch there, and when I wake up I’ll head back to the common room before curfew.

I pace in front of the wall and wait tiredly for the door to materialize. I shut the door behind me and immediately head inside, ready to finally lie down and sleep. This stupid couch will probably prevent me from getting any sort of rest, unfortunately.