Never • The Lost Daughter | A Draco Malfoy Love Story

Chapter 20 - The Attack

Three hours after the Quidditch match, and everyone was still out of their beds. Fred and George were still singing the hymn of the Irish Quidditch team, Harry and Ron were both disappointed for the Bulgarians' defeat, Mr and Mrs Weasley were mindlessly chatting with Mr Weasley's colleagues from the Ministry of Magic while Hermione, Ginny and I were sitting on Hermione's bed and talking silently over silly issues. Our main topic that night was boys, a topic that I had missed talking about since it was quite difficult to talk about it with Luna. She had so little to do with boys.

"Anne, I saw someone talking to you tonight. Just before the match started," said Ginny, and my eyes shoot up at hers while she was exchanging some looks with Hermione. At once, I knew she was talking about seeing Draco and me talking a few tents far from ours. She was possibly unaware of what was going on between us, yet I couldn't say the same about Hermione. While I was avoiding Draco's tight pursue in the autumn of last year, we had often talked about him. Now only looking into her eyes made me feel like she knew things had evolved during the summer.

"Did you?" I said, trying to make my voice sound as natural as I could.

"I saw you talking to Malfoy. Or was it the other way around..? Anyway, you were talking," said Ginny.

"Yeah. I know. What about?"

"What about? I would very much like to know what he was telling you!"

"Nothing important... Just usual chit-chatting..." I answered lowering my eyes in awkwardness.

"Chit-chatting..." repeated Hermione in doubt. "Really now?"

"What do you mean?"

"That guy looked at you like you were something to eat! And you were just chit-chatting? Everyone noticed that Malfoy had taken a particular interest in you last year - until he hushed things up by bullying you again, of course. And it's not every day that he talks to a muggleborn Ravenclaw unless it is to bully one," she said.

"That's not true!" The words came out without control. Hermione and Ginny both looked at me quite amazed.

"What do you mean, that's not true? We all know that he does it," said Hermione half-closing her eyes.

"He... He is more than he seems."

I shouldn't have said that... Oh, no, I shouldn't have said that... I thought when I saw both of them looking at me with eyes and mouths opening wider by the second.

"Do you know something that we don't, Anne? I mean, did you get to meet him?" Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?" I felt like this was some kind of inquest that I had to pass.

"How close?" she asked, ignoring my own question and going on without really caring about what I would say because she already knew the answer.

"How... what?"

"Close," she said and made a short pause to stare. "How close have you got with Malfoy?" she when on, but I wasn't to answer. Maybe because I was afraid, maybe because I was a terrible liar. "How close have you got with Malfoy, Anne?" she insisted.

We stared at each other for what seemed like ages. She was looking at me half knowing what was happening, being mad and disappointed at me but at the same time trying to control her anger. Because she knew what was happening! She knew that Draco and I were something more than everyone thought.

"It's not my job to tell you what to do. But as your friend, I should warn you before it's too late."

"Warn me...?" I insisted on those two words as it seemed a bit too much thinking that I should be warned about Draco.