Learning How To Talk

~Chapter 11; Break the Rules~

Draco's mind starts running with questions and concerns. Without thinking, he pulls her to his chest, and a soft gasp escapes her lips. He hugs the small girl tighter as he can feel her jaw quiver with her lip and her eyes swell once again.
 "S..r-"
 "Don't be sorry," Draco interrupts her, running his fingers through her dark, wavy hair. "Do you want to go back to the others?" She nods against his chest. The two crawl out from under the small staircase, before another word can be spoken, Draco grabs Holly's hand.  "Finally." Andrew sighs, annoyed, which annoys Draco. 

The three Slytherins make their way up and up until they reach the Astronomy tower.  "Good, you're back." The head boy greets them outside the door. "Draco! Holly!" Pansy rushes to them, hugging the two close to her. "Come on, me and Blaise saved you two a spot." Unfortunately, when they reach their destination, they see Blaise arguing. 
"That spot is taken, Nott." Holly scoots closer to Draco,
"Well, that sucks, doesn't it, Zabini? Because last I checked, I'm already sitting here." Pansy stomps up to them, "Move Nott!" She demands. The three continue to argue, causing Holly's breathing to pick up.

Taking note of the change in the girl, Draco begins searching for a solution. Then he sees it, a small section beneath the telescope podium. Grabbing a lighter hold on her arm, he leads Holly to a makeshift safe space. Because of the tight squeeze for a not-malnourished eleven-year-old, no one else even tried to set up camp in the space. Draco grabs some blankets and pillows for his dear friend. He makes sure she's comfortable before going to get his other friends. 

"Blaise, Pansy." The three turn to him, "Come on, I've got Holly and myself set up elsewhere." Nott looks at them triumphantly, "Yeah, follow your precious leader!" Pansy and Blaise grab their stuff slowly, "Sweet leader Malfoy with his scaredy cat, crybaby girlfriend, Potter." He continues to tease. Pansy and Blaise exchange a knowing look before speeding up. Theodore Nott just made a mistake, and they do NOT want to be in the way when he realizes that. 

Draco feels his hand clench into a fist; his teeth press together in an attempt to calm down. Malfoys do not overreact, he thinks to himself. "Then again, how exactly is Potter going to save us when she's too stupid to even talk?" Draco takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. "Honestly, if I were the Dark Lord, I would keep her around just to watch her cry and tremble." His laughter is what causes Draco to snap; it's not overreacting now.

 In seconds, Nott is being grabbed tightly by his robe collar. "Once more word about Holly and you will be the one trembling and crying for forgiveness." The stormy grey eyes encase something much stronger than simple anger, rage. Perhaps it was the calm tone, or maybe the livid look within his eyes, but Theodore Nott decides that it is a lovely moment to sit down and shut his mouth. Draco smirks as he turns on his heel and struts over to Holly.

"Draco, this spot is... small, is it not?" Draco nods while setting up his sleeping arrangements near Holly's. "She was huddled under a staircase; I want to replicate that." He states, shrugging his shoulders. Pansy covers her mouth dramatically; Blaise rolls his eyes at her. "Dray! You are so sweet!" She squeals quietly. Now, Draco rolls his eyes at her enthusiasm. Blaise, Pansy, and Draco work in silence while they set up their individual rest areas. Holly lies facing away from them, her eyes still red and puffy. Tears are no longer falling, but her stare is more zoned out than normal. 

A scream. A woman's scream, a green light. A man's breathy laugh and then pain. 

She has had these daydreams before. Could they be related to a troll? What is a troll? Her mind runs wild with questions. Suddenly, the door slams open, Camilla comes rushing in and begins to whisper into the head student's and the other prefect's ears. All of them become equally shocked. The door slamming shut causes Holly to snap out of her thoughts. She raises her head, quickly looking between her friends.

Holly stares for a moment before turning to Draco. Gently, she tugs on his robe sleeve. Draco turns his attention to the vibrant green eyes of wonder. "Draco," her voice is clear, but quiet. "Yes, Holly?" Her eyes flicker down, concentrating on forming the proper words. "W-what's a troll?" Once the question leaves her lips, she looks up to him again. It takes Draco about fifteen minutes to properly explain what a troll is. He takes another mental note that Holly is an incredibly fast learner. In all the basic teaching, he never noticed just how fast she picks up on this new information.

 The mixture of Slytherins lay down across the Astronomy tower, still oblivious to the events that had conspired tonight. Holly and Draco sleep the best out of all the students. Subconsciously, Holly grabs hold of Draco's hand as she dozes off, and Draco has no intention of moving her hand. 

(1580 Words)

This chapter looked a whole lot longer in my draft notebook. I apologize for the short chapter; the next chapter took eleven whole notebook pages, so I know it will be long.  Hopefully, with being out for the holidays, I will be able to get some more chapters out. Although I will not make any promises, as my family takes an annual Christmas vacation.