The Years of Blue [2]

Chapter 41: Hit with Reality

Was the karma ever going to end?

I had roamed far away from my groups table in search of a particular text, leading me to the back end of the library. Stacks of bookshelves with duel sides towered over me as I scanned while students in nearby alcoves spoke in hushed voices in fear of Madam Pince. Finding the book at last, I pulled it eagerly and crossed the name off my list of texts. As I started to walk back, my eye continued to scan the potion books curiously until another text sparked my interest. I took out the book eagerly only to find someone standing on the opposite side of the shelve looking at a book he had just pulled. He looked up with a start, his grey eyes showing his earnest surprise at finding me here of all places.

Malfoy.

I cut the gaze off hastily, pushing the book back in its spot and turned on my heels to make my escape. I hadn't made it far when I heard him coming around the corner and grab my arm, pulling me back to look at him.

"Going somewhere?" I wrung my wrist out of his grip and glared back at his comical expression. Why was he so happy to see me?

"What do you want?"

"What?" He asked, "I can't stop and say hi to you? You do realize that's the appropriate thing to do. Or has your mother forgotten to teach you manners again?" I scoffed and took a step away from him but he mirrored me and blocked my exit.

"Oh that's right. You keep running away from me," he added with a sly grin that I knew too well.

"Running? I don't run. I was merely avoiding. You know, since the last I saw you was in the midst of a Quidditch world cup disaster" I said back haughtily. Malfoy didn't seem fazed. In fact, he seemed to be enjoying this little spittle.

"Right. You know my mother got an angry letter from yours saying I left you in the middle of the chaos when if I remember correctly, it was the other way around." I took a step toward him so as to lower my voice, before speaking.

"I know your father was a part of that group. And like him you seemed to find joy in watching others get hurt-"

"And you're saying you're not the same? How about your father? Do you know where he was that night?"

"My father," I huffed, "was trying to get passage out of the campground with my family. My brothers were with him the entire time!" Malfoy's eyes slanted in disbelief but his smile remained the same to further irk me.

"Stop looking at me like that."

"Like what?" He asked bemused. "Like I'm looking at a liar? Because that's what's you are. You know your brothers weren't with you father the whole time. They were with us before we bolted. And I'm pretty sure your mother will say anything to keep an alibi for the family. But that's fine," he added smugly while I crossed my arms, gripping tightly to my book. "Stay in blissful ignorance. That's what little girls are for, right?"

I smacked him hard on the arm with my book, my face bright red. He stepped back but still collided with the hard cover.

"I'm not daddy's little girl, if that's what your implying and I'm not blissfully unaware you absolute ass-"

The sound of hasty steps coming towards us snapped Malfoy's glaring eyes from me to the sound before grabbing my arm again and dragging me reluctantly past rows of shelves while I tried to wring my hand out of his.

"Shut it or we'll get Pince to deal with," He warned before releasing me behind the last book shelf next to the gated restricted section. I rubbed my wrist, irritated, while Malfoy peered around the shelf, eyes directed at Pince's angry profile a few shelves down. I spotted a table of Ravenclaw fifth years watching us curiously from the other end of the room One girl was looking directly at me before turning to her friend to whisper. What the hell?