➵ Choice ➵ {DM and HP)

➵ Chapter 8 ➵

"Hiding from Malfoy?" the twin I now deduce to be George teases.

I smile, "I wish."

"Whoa what happened to your hand?" Fred asks, looking at the massacre of flesh.

"Umbridge, that's what." Hermione answers before I can open my mouth.

"Umbridge did this?" George asks, his eyebrows jumping in astonishment.

"Yeah, she's evil." Harry sighs. "I mean just look at El's—Eloise's hand."

I'm taken aback by his catch. Did he just call me El? A name that only the few friends I have call me.

My previous anger at his recklessness returns and I add,

"Yeah, I had to endure 4 days of her evilness, thanks to Potter over here."

My words are draped in anger, but I don't care. He can't go around calling me nicknames, when he doesn't know me. Nicknames are something special, important, that only people you trust can use. And I most definitely don't trust Harry Potter.

Awkward silence fills the hallway for a couple of seconds before George jumps in, saving us all.

"Well, she's a daft cow."

Everyone laughs and but I look away, humorless, just to see Harry's serious face. His forest eyes watch me, but this time they don't drop to the floor, they hold mine.

"Right you are Georgie, and I think we need to return the cow to the farm where she belongs." Fred says, his eyes brightening with an idea.

They smirk at each other knowingly and start to walk away down the corridor.

"Wait, what?" Hermione asks, suspiciously, but they don't stop. "DON'T DO ANYTHING STUPID!"

They turn at the exact same time.

"Miss Granger, you know us well enough to know—" Fred starts.

"That we are most definitely going to do something stupid." George finishes.

And then they're gone.

Hermione collapses back on the bench we're sitting on, "Those boys! I swear one day, they're going to expelled."

This doesn't crack a smile from Harry or I, we sit in silence.

"Well I'm going to go." I stand and turn to face both of them. "Um, thanks for the help Hermione."

She smiles, "Anytime, although I hope you won't need it."

I offer her a tight lipped smile before meeting Harry's emerald eyes once again. They stay with mine once again, determined to hold on. But I break.

I turn to walk down the corridor before I hear a smug voice call out,

"Well, what do we have here?"

I turn from my spot in the shadows and see Malfoy strutting confidently over to Harry and Hermione.

"Potter and Granger, a match made in heaven. I didn't know you were already at the snogging stage, but I guess Potter is always about taking risks." He sneers.

I feel a weird annoyance fill my chest and I step out of the shadows, "Shove off Malfoy."

He turns, his pale skin bright against the stone wall behind him.

"Foster?" His icy eyes flicker with a short burst of surprise then he smirks. "Actually, why am I surprised, of course you would hangout with them, no need to stoop to their level."