Hateful Love

Chapter Forty-One

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.

*************

Cassie P.O.V.

          Christmas break is less than a week away, and to be honest, I can’t wait to get out of here. Sure, I’ll miss seeing Cho and Katherine, Luna, and even a few Gryffindors from my classes, but the idea of being away from the Carrows for a full week sounds like bliss. And Draco’s planned out a meeting place for us on New Year’s Eve, though it will have to be in private. It’ll still be nice to act normal around in each other in some place other than the Room of Requirement.

          Somehow, it’s slightly easier to ignore Draco in public when he knows why I’m doing it. I’m pretty sure that Amycus doesn’t suspect a thing, and the only other person who knows we’re back together is Katherine. I considered lying to her that night and saying that Draco and I didn’t work it out, but I couldn’t keep the grin off my face when I walked back into our dormitory. It was obvious to Katherine that her stupid plan was a success.

          Stupid, maybe, but it definitely worked. Draco and I meet sometimes in the Room of Requirement, certainly less often than we had in the beginning of the year. Every time I go to meet him, I get so freaked out that one of the Carrows will catch either of us on the way to the Room of Requirement that I almost turn around and head back to the common room. But the thought of being alone, being normal with Draco again is always too tempting.

          And our meetings together are completely worth the risk. We’ll curl up on the couch beside the fire and talk quietly; when we run out of things to say, we just lay there together silently and hold on to each other in the gathering darkness. I know how cheesy it sounds, but I actually feel safe again when I’m with Draco.

          “Cassie Jackson, I am not going to ask you again.”

          I look up through my daydreaming to see McGonagall glaring down at me from the front of the room. Mumbling a hasty apology, I wonder how long I haven’t been paying attention and how much I’ve missed.

          But one look at the chalkboard tells me I haven’t missed much of anything; it’s still as blank as when I first walked in. McGonagall, with her tired and strained face, has been rambling aimlessly for the past hour about things we learned last year. But with how worn out and sad she looks, none of us have had the heart to tell her.

          I stifle a yawn and try paying attention, but the bell cuts off the end of her speech about how turning quills into snakes could be dangerous. McGonagall mutters something about continuing the lesson next class, but it’s clear that none of us are listening as we gather our bags and head for the door. Something must really be bothering McGonagall today; she’s not usually that distracted.

          We wait patiently for McGonagall to make her way through to the front of the door, and no one complains about how slow she walks as she leads us down to Potions.

          Somehow, we don’t make it twenty feet down the hall before I spot Draco heading in our direction with the rest of his class. I allow my face to go blank as he gets closer to me, and I take a deep breath as the distance closes between us.

          Even though I can’t see his face, I know Draco is looking away as we pass each other. I have to bite back a smile as the smell of him washes over me—rain, like always. But I manage to keep my expression blank, yet only slightly torn. Draco passes by me, and no one whispers or says anything.