Like Catching a Snowflake

Chapter 4 : Draco

Draco

I swallowed hard and wiped my brow of sweat. It was a lot of work trying to figure out how to fix the bloody damn cupboard and the manual wasn’t helping all that much either. I tossed the thing aside and took a seat on the hard, cold floor. I had been up in the Room of Requirement since nine. Right after dinner I came straight up because I had nothing better to do. No girlfriend to tie me down, slow me down.

I closed my eyes. Hanna. Maybe I wanted a girlfriend to tie me down, to slow me down. It definitely proved a great distraction from the unwanted parts of my life. Hanna…maybe I didn’t need to break things off with her so prematurely, but then again…Snape was right. Why is he so bloody right all the damn time? It makes me sick to even think that he was right about me not having started anything with Hanna in the first place. He told me that the day after. He said that he was proud of me, but I didn’t say anything back to him. I was hurting too much, still hurting too much. A once major part of my life is now gone, all because of what I am, who I am. A deatheater cannot outrun what his master wants. What the master wants, the master gets. He doesn’t care about the servant who is sacrificing everything just for one man, one wizard in this case.

I stood and checked the time on my watch. It was nearly three in the morning, and I had absolutely no clue on how to fix the stupid thing. Might as well try to get some sleep, so I headed down to the Dungeons and curled into my bed, where I got absolutely no sleep. Hanna just kept playing in my head over and over again: I trusted you! I loved you!

I never want to hurt another girl for as long as I live.

“You look like shit,” Blaise said when I sat across from him at breakfast and didn’t eat a thing. “Man, you did the right thing. Same as me.”

I looked up at him. “When did you break it off with Bella?” I asked, realizing that I had been totally disconnected from my best mate for almost a week.

“The same night that you broke it off with Hanna, after Bells tried to beat your ass. I think that she would’ve been able to too if I hadn’t pulled her off of you. She’s tough,” he laughed.

I nodded, remembering how she came after me. It was something I never want to go through again. “So, how did she take it? Better than Hanna, I take it? You know, since she knew about…us?”

He gave me an odd look before looking down the table. “Man, you have got to watch how you word stuff. Jeez, Draco,” he sighed. “I think she took it worse.”

“How can she take it worse than beating me and yelling that she trusted and loved me at the top of her lungs while sobbing fairly hard?”

“Well, she refused to hear it. She covered her ears like a child. Can you believe that?! I mean, she was stomping and holding her breath and humming all so she didn’t have to hear me say those words. She said that she forbid me to break up with her, which is hilarious. I even tried to tell her why, but then she took off for the Gryffindor tower.”

I shook my head. “Has she tried to talk to you since?”

“No. I keep thinking that she’s going to, but it hasn’t happened yet. She keeps glaring at me during class and if we pass down the hall, but no verbal contact yet, which when it happens, I don’t want to be there,” he glanced up at me as I nodded in understanding. I knew what it was like to be on that end of the conversation with Bella. It’s not a place that you want to be.

“Why?” I said, throwing a piece of toast down on my plate that I had been playing with. “Why did we have to fall in love with gorgeous Muggleborn Gryffindors? Life would’ve been much simpler if we would’ve fallen for deatheating Slytherin Purebloods. You know that right?”

He nodded. “I know that.”

“Well,” I said, standing. “Let’s get to class.”

“You’re going to class today? You haven’t been all week,” he smirked at me. “I was getting tired of covering for your ass.”

I shook my head. “No one asked you to.”

“But I did,” he said, leading the way back down to the dungeons for Potions.

“Mr. Malfoy!” Slughorn belched as I came through the door. “It’s good to have you in class my boy. Where have you been, if you don’t mind me asking?”

I had looked away from him and at the door about halfway through his question to see Hanna walk through it. She was followed by Bella of course, but her eyes found mine too. Hers were red and puffy. So, she had been recently crying. I then realized that I didn’t answer his question right away because he was saying my name over and over again.

“I just didn’t feel well professor,” I said, tearing my eyes from Hanna to his ugly face. “Please forgive me.”

He nodded. “All is forgiven, my boy! You look as if you need more sleep. Here,” he said reaching into his pocket and handing me a small vial. “It’s just a sleeping draft that will give you the full eight hours that you need. There should be about three doses in there. One swing will do you good for the whole night! Now, shall we begin class?” he said, motioning me to my seat.

I groaned as soon as I saw who was sitting next to the empty spot that had been left for me. It was truly going to be a tiring class with Pansy right next to me. She had heard. That was completely obvious. She was waving me over. I really looked at her then. She had done something different with her hair rather than the normal, short do. It was long and wavy. It reminded me of someone’s. It was like she was stealing someone’s…no, she was stealing Hanna’s look. Was that supposed to make me want her?

“Change your hair back,” I spat as I sat down beside her.

“No,” she ran her fingers through her hair. “I like it longer. It makes me look beautiful.”

I shook my head. “You were fine before. I liked you better when you had short hair, so change it back.”

“Okay,” she said breathlessly after a few moments of silence.

I looked away from her and over to another, more appealing face. Hanna was sitting next to her partner, Weasel, who was trying to make her smile. She wasn’t budging an inch. She was not going to smile. I sighed. Go on, Hanna. It’s okay to smile. I want you to smile. Her eyes then met mine, and I flashed a small smile. She produced a small one as well before looking away. She looked away because a hand had crept onto her knee. I stood, and as I did, my chair squealed across the floor and everyone looked up at me. All eyes were on me, especially Hanna’s. So, I sat back down.

“What’s the matter, Draco?” Pansy asked, her hand on my arm.

I sighed as I pushed her hand off of me. “Nothing,” I shook my head and watched Hanna push his hand off of her. “Nothing.”