Unplanned Liars • Draco Malfoy

10. Boys don't understand

Days passed and we happily stepped into the New Year. Bellatrix was almost overjoyed every time I managed to avoid or repel her spells, and I must say I was becoming really good. One night, practising with Bellatrix as always, a great shock welcomed me.

"I want to see old Snapey trying to disarm you," Bellatrix laughed mischievously as I repelled one of her spells. I smiled. This was the biggest compliment I've ever got from her.

When we came back to school, however, things weren't as nice as they had been at the manor. Though I was determined to make Draco's health better, and I must say I succeeded, once we were back at school he started avoiding sleeping again. Unfortunately, the watch I gave him, though working brilliantly everywhere else, failed in the Room of Requirement, so he still needed Crabbe and Goyle as lookouts. And, well, I had to face Blaise.

"Hey," he immediately said as he entered the common room on our first day back.

"Um... Hi," I replied awkwardly and felt a sudden urge to excuse myself.

"Did you get my gift?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

Oh yeah, totally, it was laying under my bed at Malfoy's Manor, if not in a bin already.

"No?" I replied, pretending utter bewilderment. "What gift?"

Somewhere behind me, Draco sniggered. Blaise didn't notice him and looked at me, confused.

"I've sent you a..."

"Hello, Blaise," Draco interrupted him, suddenly appearing from behind me, speaking with the fakest kindness I've ever heard.

"Hello, Draco..." Blaise replied irritably, raising an eyebrow and eyeing him suspiciously.

"Enjoyed your Christmas?" Draco asked with fake interest, and, to my bewilderment, possessively wrapped an arm around me. I shivered at this and let out a breath I didn't even know I had been holding.

"Yeah," he replied, sending me a confused look.

And then we heard a shriek from behind Blaise. He turned and we looked over his shoulder to see what was going on.

It was Pansy, of course. I started to laugh hysterically and had to lean myself against a wall.

"You!" she shrieked, pointing at me. Blaise and Draco both looked utterly bewildered.

"Me!" I replied, laughing even harder. Pansy looked as though she could curse anyone in the room.

"Blaise! IT'S YOUR FAULT!" she shouted almost straight into his face.

"What's my fault?!" he yelled back angrily, stepping away from her.

"Them!"

I was still laughing, seeing Draco was speechless and Blaise was furious. This situation was priceless.

"Hold me, Draco, I may die of laughter," I said somewhere between my giggles, putting my forehead on his shoulder as Pansy was cursing the ceiling.

"What are you laughing at?!" she thundered, while Draco remained silent and shocked. Blaise now looked surprised, too.

"You were really quick to notice I'm laughing, Pansy," I replied, wiping tears from my eyes. She drew her wand. This could've been the death of me.

"You want to duel me, Pansy?" I asked as another wave of laughter attacked me. Draco and Blaise exchanged bewildered looks.

"Nevermind us, guys, you won't understand. Now excuse me," I said quickly and, still giggling, left the common room and went to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom just to calm myself.
I only heard Blaise saying, "Girls are weird," as the stone wall closed after me.

When I came back, Pansy was gone, but Draco and Blaise almost attacked me with questions.

"What was that about?"

"You won't understand," I shook my head.

Oh yeah, you know, it's just that Pansy has an undeniable crush on Draco since always, and that she hates me, and that she blames Blaise for not being with me because now she thinks I'm with Draco. That's the thing. Simple for me, not so simple for boys.

"You're always saying this when you don't want to tell me," Draco said irritably.

"Exactly," Blaise confirmed.

I looked at the both of them.

"You'd better ask Pansy what she meant, Blaise, and you, Draco, focus on what you have to do," I replied sternly and approached the noticeboard with Draco at my heels.

In the common room we saw a large note pinned to the noticeboard, saying we can sign up for Apparition lessons. We quickly did, because it's a totally useful thing to learn, even though you can't Apparate within Hogwarts.

The thing is, the first lesson was rather a nightmare.

We came to the Great Hall where the lesson was to be held, and the tables were gone. It was raining heavily and the Heads of Houses were there, along with a wizard from the Ministry.

"Good morning," said the Ministry wizard, "my name is Wilkie Twycross and I shall be your Ministry Apparition Instructor for the next twelve weeks. I hope to be able to prepare you for your Apparition test in this time..."

In the meantime, Draco and I stood next to Crabbe and Goyle, and suddenly Crabbe whispered, "Had fun during Christmas?"

"Shut up, Crabbe," Draco whispered back. Since we've come back, he couldn't really live with the fact that Draco wasn't telling them anything, and that Snape was now putting them in detention on daily basis.

"I assume your plan isn't going this well, huh?" he said.

"What is your business in it?" I spat. "Shut up if you don't want to scratch more dirt from..."

"You think you're untouchable, huh? Think Snape loves you?" Crabbe sneered. Draco approached him.

"Don't you dare speak of this in..."

"Malfoy, Mullen, be quiet and pay attention!" barked McGonagall. We furiously stepped away from Crabbe and Goyle, and Snape sent me a you-were-supposed-to-shush-him look.

"...by which time, many of you may be ready to take your test," Twycross continued, as though there had been no interruption. He was saying something about the Apparition being available at Hogwarts for just one hour and then he said he wanted us to place ourselves so we could have a clear five feet of space in front of us. Draco and I moved to the back of the Hall, knowing Crabbe and Goyle would follow to continue our argument. The back was at least safer, and we didn't want any of the Heads listening to us now - fortunately, they were busy breaking up arguments of the others. Crabbe lost no time in reactivating the argument.

"It's time to change the plan if it isn't working, you know? If it takes more than a month, you may..."

"I don't know how much longer, all right?" Draco shot at him. "It's taking longer than I thought it would."

Crabbe opened his mouth to speak, but I had enough of his intelligent comments and said, "Look, it's none of your business what Draco's doing, Crabbe, you and Goyle just do as you're told and keep a lookout!"

Draco looked as though he was just about to say it.

"I tell my friends what I'm up to, if I want them to keep a lookout for me."

We turned arouned on the spot and, to my horror, saw Potter right behind us. I saw Draco's hand fly to his wand, but I grabbed his wrist, preventing him from getting it.

"We can't," I mouthed and he slowly turned to face the front, just when the Heads of Houses called for silence.

And this lesson was nothing more than this, beside that this Ministry dude expected us to spin around on the spot and try to Apparate in woodden hoops in front of us, what nobody managed to do. Only a girl from Hufflepuff splinched herself and this was the most interesting thing that happened. Draco, Crabbe, Goyle and I didn't exchange a word for the rest of the lesson and rushed to the common room right after it.