The Other Potter: Book One

Chapter Twenty Two: Progress.

[Chapter Twenty Two: Progress. Edited.]

I'd awoken in a cold sweat, and sat bolt-upright. I felt as though I'd had a nightmare, maybe, but I couldn't slightly remember what it was. I felt as if I'd forgotten something really important. The time on the clock, said it was five minutes until I was supposed to get up. So, it seemed, it was just another ordinary day at Hogwarts.

We sat at breakfast on the ever-so-normal morning when post came. Despite Harry, Ron, Hermione and myself being total social rejects, Harry got a letter.

"It's hatching," Harry read out loud in a whisper.

"What is?" I asked.

"Something from an egg," Hermione said, trying to use some form of code. I didn't catch on.

"Someone has chickens?"

"The dragon, Willow," Harry sighed.

I swore.

Ron tried to make us skip Herbology but Hermione wouldn't let us.

"Come on, how many times are we gonna see a dragon hatching?" Ron argued.

"We've got lessons. We'll get in trouble! And that's nothing compared to what Hagrid is going to be in when someone finds out what he is doing."

"Shut up!" Harry whispered.

My brother was standing only a few feet from us. He had stopped dead and was listening. I shuddered. How much had he heard? He had a creepy twisted smile on his face.

I summoned up some fake confidence, "Want me to wipe that smirk off you, Draco?"

"It's permanent... Or it will be." he said, smug, walking off.

"He's planning something. I've seen that look before..." On his father. "See the separation? His, not our! I'm so proud," my friends gave me weird looks. "Sorry."

"You know, you should be nicer to Malfoy," Harry mused.

"What?"

He did help me escape the manor, but he said he'd be an arse to me. It's only natural that I return the favour.

"Look, we spoke to Malfoy when you were in the hospital wing. He was really worried about you Willow. For a few days, we put our differences aside to talk."

"How corny," I said, unable to help myself.

"It wasn't so corny when you were almost dead." Ron said flatly.

"Can we not, please?"

"Ignoring the topic won't make it go away, Willow." Hermione told me quietly.

"I know," I sighed. I'd been trying to talk to the counsellors, I really had. But they'd ask about Christmas Eve and I'd freeze up and run away. No one really understood how hard I was trying. "Suicide attempts aside," I started, trying to change the topic with a very terrible sense of humour, "How much do you think Malfoy just heard?"

"Did you say suicide attempt?" Ernie McMillan, a Hufflepuff in our class asked.

I groaned, "Is it Arsehole Eavesdropping Day?"

"Ernie, you only got half the conversation," Hermione added.

"Why don't you fill me in on what I missed out on then?" He said, and I groaned.

"It's an in-joke, Ernie." Harry said, "It's too complicated to explain."

"Why were you in the Hospital Wing, Willow?"