Sterling ; Draco Malfoy

"She's swallowing her tongue"

It was winter and Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ivory and I were walking on our way from Hagrid's hut. Professor Slughorn was a few feet away from us, catching up with professor Flitwick. "Filius! I Wass hoping to find you at the three broomsticks."

"Emergency choir practice, I'm afraid Horace." Flitwick responded, continuing towards the castle while Horace moved on towards the Village.

"Who's up for a butter beer?" Harry asked us.

When we entered the three broomsticks, we all went to sit in a booth. I sat by the wall with Ivory right next to me and Hermione was beside Ivory while the boys sat on the other side. A boy that walked here walked over to take our orders while Harry moved his head around to see where Slughorn was at.

"What'll we have?" the kid asked, standing there with his notepad.

"Five butterbeers. Splash of ginger in mine please." Hermione said and the kid walked off with out order. My eyes landed on a familiar person about to leave the three broomsticks. It was Draco. He looked at me and we locked eyes before he left.

"Aw bloody hell." Ron muttered, making our attention turn to a table where Ginny was sitting, holding hands with Dean Thomas, their faces lit up by a candle.

"Oh honestly, Ronald. They're just holding hands." Ivory said but then Dean leaned in to kiss Ginny.

"I'd like to leave." Ron said.

"Leave?" Hermione asked. "You can't be serious."

"That happens to be my sister."

"So?" Hermione asked. "What if she looked over here and saw you snogging me? Would you expect her to get up and leave?"

Ron blinked, obviously speechless and then Slughorn approached our table.

"Harry! My boy!" he shouted so loudly that even Ginny jumped and she looked over, locking eyes with Harry who had been staring.

"Hello sir." Harry said. "Wonderful to see you."

"I gotta go." I told my friends and Hermione and Ivory moved out of the stall so I could get out.

"Where're you going?" Ivory asked me. I looked towards the door and then at her.

"I just need to do something." I said. I walked out of the three broomsticks and looked each way there was, noticing Draco on his way back to the castle.

"Malfoy!" I shouted. "Wait up!"

He looked over his shoulder, stopping when he saw me. "What, Sterling?"

"I just wanted to talk and make sure there's no bad blood between us."

He looked at me for a moment before laughing sarcastically. He shook his head at me and continued to walk towards the castle and I followed him.

"Six years and that would change now?" he asked.

"I mean, I'm friends with your sister. Why can't you put all that anger away and focus on some more positive stuff."

"What positive stuff? There's nothing positive about anything, if you haven't noticed."

"Yes there is." I said. "Stop being so negative."

"Don't tell me what to do, Sterling." he said, glaring at me.

"Oh c'mon, Malfoy." I said, making him stop and turn around and I almost walked into him.

"What is it that you want? Just because I am tutoring you, does not mean we are suddenly friends."

"Who said anything about friends?" I asked. "Okay, listen. I actually did want something."

"What?" he asked. "I'm not doing you any favours so don't even start."

"I don't want a favour. I want to ask you something."

"Ask."

"Okay." I breathed, looking up at him. "I wanted to make sure you were alright after what I said about your father."

Draco looked at me for a moment before chuckling sarcastically. "Don't walk around thinking that anything you say has an effect on me."

"You seemed upset when I said it."

"Not upset. Angry. You had no right talking about my father."

"Just like you have no right talking about my mother." I fired back and he rolled his eyes at me, turning around to continue his walk to the castle.

"Why do you have to hate everyone all the time?!" I shouted after him but he fully ignored me and then Ivory showed up next to me.

"What was that all about?" she asked.

"Just Draco being Draco." I sighed. "I accidentally said something when he was tutoring me and I wanted to make sure he was okay about it."

"What did you say?"

"It's not important." I shrugged and looked at her. "Why is he so angry?"

"That's how we were raised." she told me. "Well, we were raised to hate muggle borns and to hate poor people. Unlike Draco, I could stand up to our parents and decide how I wanted to act in my life. Draco takes after our father. He's scared of him."

As she talked, we heard a loud and heart-cutting scream. Ivory and I looked at each other before we started running in the snow until we reached a small hill where Leanna was standing while her friends Katie Bell was lying in the snow.

"I warned her!" Leanne shouted at us. "I warned her not to touch it!"

There was a wrapping in the snow and inside it was a weird black box. Suddenly Katie rose six feet into the air, arms spread, her head thrown back and then her mouth opened wide as she started to scream.

"She's swallowing her tongue." Ivory told me.

"I'll get someone." I mumbled, taking a step back.

"There's no time!" Ivory told me and was about to run over to Katie when Hagrid appeared from behind us.

"Get back! All o'yeh!"

Leanna backed up and I placed a hand on her shoulder in comfort. Katie fell back into the snow and Hagrid lifted her up as Ivory approached the package in the snow.

"Now, now. Now, now." Hagrid muttered to Katie before looking at Ivory who had kneeled by the package.

"Don' go touchin' the' but by the wrappin's. Unnerstan?" Hagrid told her and she nodded, moving the wrapper to get a better look. It looked like a necklace but not just any kind of necklace.