remember me

seven

The bet

As me and my sisters were walking down the corridors Monday morning to breakfast, Astoria stopped dead in her tracks. She looked like she had seen a ghost.

"Astoria?" Seraphina questions, trying to follow her eyes to see what she was looking at.

"Malachi." Astoria choked. Soon she locked eyes with a quite handsome boy if I admit it, who was staring at Astoria like he had seen a ghost too.

"Wait- the Grayhem boy?" Seraphina's eyes widen as the boy walks up to us, a smile on his face. If this was the Grayhem boy then I should have warned him before stepping any closer. If he thought he was reunited with Astoria, he was dead wrong.

Astoria doesn't risk it with... non pure-bloods anymore.

The last time she's seen him was when we were only what, ten or eleven? Malachi never went to Hogwarts, until now I assume. As he approached us, Astoria took a step back.

"Astoria Greengrass. Is that you?" He asked happily, despite knowing the answer.

Astoria gulped down and faked a smile. "Malachi. Long time no see, huh?"

I had never seen Astoria so nervous before. She was always confident and held her head high, but right now she seemed breathless.

Malachi turned his head to look at me and Seraphina and he nodded his head. "You must be her sisters, right? I remember hearing about you guys- what, five years ago?" He laughs, his smile seems genuine but I can sense anger in his tone.

I would be angry too if one of my dearest friends had run off on me with no words explaining why. "I'm Seraphina." Seraphina smiles, trying to break the silence.

"Luella." I say softly.

Malachi nods at us and his eyes turn back to Astoria as he gulps down. "I- uh, my Mother's wanted me to transfer since the summer, so here I am."

"In the middle of the year." Astoria says, she seems to just want to fill the silence.

"Yeah. I didn't know if you still attended, but-"

"Here I am." Astoria breathes. "Well, we've got to go to lunch, but it was a pleasure seeing you again, Malachi. Truly."

She begins to take a step back, and with that, Seraphina and I follow her.

I really felt sorry for the boy. He seemed to only have kind intentions, but Astoria threw him down. I could tell she felt for him once. When she was younger. But after experiencing the Necessarium it's not smart to risk sneaking around "mudbloods."

That's why no one knows about Fred Weasley. Now that I think of it, I haven't spoken to him at all this year. I told him that I would be in trouble if anyone ever found out, and he really respected that, which made it even harder to leave him. Fred was a sweetheart, so was his family, and they all understood no one could know. Fred understood that I couldn't talk to him anymore. So I haven't.

It almost bothered me that he didn't try to hold on for me, to convince me to stay, but I knew that was for the better. No one wants to spend the night in the Necessarium.

Pathetic how much I obliged to my parent's rules. How much control they had over the three of us. It made me sick.

"Are you going to say anything?" Seraphina finally asks as we turn the corner into the dining hall.

"What is there to say?" Astoria says simply.

"Don't act stupid, Astoria, we all know your the smartest." Seraphina groans, and I give her an offended look which she replies with a smile. Whatever, she was right, anyway.

"I really don't want to talk about this in front of the boys, okay?" Astoria finally says a few seconds before we arrive at the table.

"You all look flustered." Alex says curiously.

I look up and see Draco staring at me with that same blank expression. Fuck. I forgot about Friday night. We hadn't spoken since. His words were constantly replaying in my head as I tried to figure out what he meant.

Draco Malfoy was a puzzle waiting to be solved.

"And you all look ugly." Seraphina sighs as she grabs an orange from the table. "What's new?"

"What's up your ass today, huh, Sera?" Alex growls.

"Now, now, kids. Play nice." Blaise says in a motherly tone, causing me to chuckle. "We don't want anyone to get hurt."

"I wouldn't mind if she got hurt- ow!" Alex groaned as Seraphina kicked him from underneath the table. Blaise rolls his eyes and continues eating.

As I scooped some scrambled eggs onto my plate I realized Draco wasn't eating. He was just sitting there, playing with his rings. The past week of his constant attention has made me realize he always plays with one particular ring: the biggest one with a large emerald on it.

"Do you have a staring problem, Luella?" Draco sneers and I choke on my eggs, causing Seraphina and Alex to laugh.

"I'm not staring." I say after gulping down my eggs.

Redness grows on my face as Astoria raises her eyebrows at me. Everyone was staring at me because of his stupid staring comment. Was I staring?

"Shove off, Malfoy, you're hallucinating because your lack of attention." I shoot back finally when I can't handle the staring anymore.

Draco scoffs. "Lack of attention? Really? Would you like me to show you how easily I can get a girl on her knees?"

My face grows more red as Alex and Blaise laughs. Did he mean me as that girl on her knees for him or was he just saying in general?

"Sex isn't attention, but nice try, Draco." Seraphina chuckles. "Stop wasting your damn time and get a girlfriend or something. You're pathetic."

"How many guys have you slept with the past month, Sera?" Draco snaps, which causes an ooo to release from Alex's mouth. "And I'm the pathetic one."

Seraphina's eyes narrow at Draco, and she stops eating. Seraphina never stops eating to talk to someone. I felt my heart beat quicken as me and Astoria watched blankly. "Yes, you are the pathetic one, Draco. At least with my sleeping around I could pick anyone of them up and easily date one. You are a cold-hearted dickhead who anyone would get sick of after a singular week. So yes, you are the pathetic one." Seraphina seethes.

"Wanna bet?" Draco dares her.

"Fine!" Seraphina breathes. "100 galleons to whoever gets broken up with first."

I could not comprehend the argument happening before us. Both of their jaws were clenching, looking at each other furiously. "Fine." Draco finally says.