Undistinguished (H.P.)

Chapter 46: Confrontation

oOo

It was Ron Weasley's 17th birthday in a few days and Veronica seemed even more excited to celebrate than the boy himself. 

She had dragged Harry and Hermione through the streets of Hogsmeade for ages, combing she shops to find an extravagant gift worthy for her ginger friend. Contrary to her beliefs that she was annoying them, leading to frequent apologies to her two friends, the Gryffindors actually found the girl's enthusiasm cute and endearing. 

She was walking to the Gryffindor common room one evening after visiting Susan in the Hospital Wing, due to an unfortunate splinching accident in their apparation sessions, when a movement out of the corner of her eye caused her to stop. 

A young girl, dressed in casual weekend clothes, was squirming uncomfortable and frowning at the ground, seeming as though she wanted to be anywhere but there. 

When Veronica approached the girl, ready to walk straight past, a loud clunk echoed around the corridor due to the girl dropping a large copper scale on the stone floor. It made the Hufflepuff feel terribly guilty for startling the poor child, and so she bent down, helping the girl pick up the metal contraption. 

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to scare you," she exclaimed, holding her hand out to the figure still hunched over on the ground. The girl barely glanced up at her and remained in a crouched position. 

Thinking she had upset the obviously shy girl, Veronica bent down in front of her with a concerned expression on her face. She frantically turned away, as if unable to meet Veronica's gaze. 

"Are you alright?" she questioned, as one final attempt to comfort the girl, but after once again getting no response, she gave up - pushing herself onto her feet and brushing away any dirt that had gathered on her trousers. 

It was only at that point did she realise where she was. 

Veronica's eyes were now stuck on the seemingly empty wall of the unassuming seventh-floor corridor. Memories of Malfoy dragging her in there filled her mind, as she recalled all of the moments she's spent in the hidden room on the other side of the stone. 

The girl was now staring at Veronica with a terrified look on her face, glancing between her and the same wall the Hufflepuff hadn't removed her glance off of. 

Knowing she couldn't do anything while being watched by the young girl, Veronica slowly turned away and carried on down the corridor to the portrait of the Fat Lady. Unknowingly, the eyes followed her until she'd turned the corner out of sight. 

"Abstinence," she murmured, ignoring the lewd comments that the portrait made about how she hoped Veronica was practising that while she was visiting her boyfriend. 

The first thing she heard after walking into the common room was said boyfriends voice, and it brightened her mood almost immediately until she heard what he was complaining about. 

"I'm serious Hermione, every time I look for Malfoy on the Map, he's not there. It's as if he is leaving the castle!" Harry stated in a slightly defensive tone. He was giving the brunette a wide-eyed look, waiting for her response. 

Veronica shook her head and strolled over to the two Gryffindors sitting on the couches by the fire, wrapping her arms around Harry's shoulders from behind before kissing him on the cheek. "Maybe you should keep your voice down, love. I could hear you from across the room," she whispered into his ear. 

Hermione smiled at the girl in greeting but quickly turned back to the boy, who was now distracted by the girl hanging off the back of the couch. "Harry, there is no way Malfoy is leaving the castle on a daily basis, especially not after the increased security Dumbledore has introduced," she sighed exasperatedly.