A Hufflepuff and a Slytherin was a hard thing to imagine.
Draco Malfoy and a Hufflepuff was even harder to accept.
Aurora Dove Goldenrod didn't have enemies. She was sunshine contained in one person. She was kind and soft, a great friend, so when...
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It's not long after the second period bell that the two boys emerged from Dumbledore's office. Draco's face was smug as he fixed the wrinkles in his jacket and Cedric looked embarrassed and pitiful.
I watch from the corner of the hallway as Draco mumbles something I couldn't make out to Cedric, who looked terrified, before calmly strolling away down the hall.
I can't tell if I'm just anxious or if everyone in the hall was actually staring as I pushed through them to get to Draco, who's legs were quite longer and faster than mine. He disappears around a corner and I mumble an "excuse me" as I push past another first year.
Turning the corner, I let out a loud gasp as I run straight into a hard chest and hands grip my arms to stop me from falling.
This was becoming frequent and embarrassing.
"Are you following me?" Draco's eyes are icy and blank. He must have noticed.
"No— Well, yes. I was going to thank-"
"Don't." He cuts me off, his voice harsh. "We aren't friends, Aurora. Stop following me. I can't be seen with you anymore than I already have been."
"What does that mean?" I whisper, my head hurting at the constant confusion he gives me.
"It means you stay on your side of the hall and I'll stay on mine. I can't keep being around you. No more studying, no more meeting each other in our dorms. No more anything. You—You are..." He closes his eyes, seeming in pain, but when he opens them again, they are lifeless once more. "You're way more trouble than what you're worth. Stay away from me, you dumb Hufflepuff girl. I won't tell you again. I have a reputation."
"Ok," I shake my head, not knowing what else to say as he shoves past me towards his next class.
My lip wobbles and my eyes sting with tears but I push them back. "Stupid boy," I huff, sniffling hard to get rid of any sign of my emotions. I wasn't going to cry — well, not right here in the hallway.
I didn't understand this back and forth thing he played. I was raised with love and genuine kindness so his way of playing threw me for a loop. I've never been around anyone like him before.
The rest of my day was quiet. I didn't feel like talking much and even Susan picked up on my behavior at lunch, deciding to sit with me silently as we ate our meatloaf. Draco was equally as silent — not even Pansy was speaking to him. Probably upset with his behavior last night and the fact that he ditched her completely.
When Cedric walked in, Susan and I both stood and placed our plates in the wash bin before rushing out. He looked like he tried to get our attention but we both ignored him and sped off without a glance back.
Potions was after lunch and I was dreading it. Draco was in that class and we were partners. I couldn't escape him there and he couldn't get rid of me either.
