Yours Regardless

Letters Never To Be Sent

           Charlize was able to go back to her friends the next day, of course much persuasion was needed for Madam Pomfrey to allow it but Charlize was quite persuasive. It was Sunday morning when Charlize arrived for breakfast. Her friends smiled, and when she reached their group Fred shot up grabbing the shorter girl and pulling her into his chest.

           "I told you not to take naps on the floor." Fred said, putting a hand on her head.

           "You know I never listen, Freddie." Charlize smirked up at her tall friend.

Fred shook his head and ruffled Charlize's hair as they moved to sit down at the table. Harry looked to his friend with an apologetic look, but Charlize grabbed his hand and told him it was alright. All was well within the close Gryffindor group. The juxtaposing Slytherin group a table and a few seats away were not feeling the cheeriness, however. Draco Malfoy sat, basking in his grumpiness while watching Charlize and George Weasley pass a cereal box back and forth and laugh about something Draco couldn't quite figure out from where he was sitting. He huffed and turned to the group he was with, Blaise Zabini was talking of past expenditures, Crabbe and Goyle were fighting over a muffin, and Pansy Parkinson was sitting next to Draco, every few minutes attempting to rest her head on Draco's shoulder causing him to shake it off each time.

Pansy let out an annoying breath as she looked up at Draco batting her eyelashes, "Pity isn't it?"

           "What are you on about?" Draco said, once again shoving his shoulder to get her head to move off of it.

           "I was hoping Charlize would be in the hospital wing longer, maybe miss a few days. It's a wonder why Pomfrey let her go looking as horrid as she does. But I guess she always looks horrid. Doesn't she Draco?" Pansy played with the end of Draco's sleeve, tugging on it like a child.

Draco made an awfully disgusted face, his upper lip raising in distaste, "Not as horrid as you look at the moment." The words came out through gritted teeth.

Pansy was quick to close her agape mouth, jealousy bubbling in her belly at Draco defending the Gryffindor girl over her. In her anger she turned from the blonde and started a conversation with the girl on her otherside. Draco was relieved to see her attention move from him, and he looked back to Charlize, tuning out Blaise who had now moved onto his recent vacation spots. Charlize, obviously, had had better days, the bruises and scratches that Professor Snape (or Madam Pomfrey) didn't get to heal (as Pomfrey had said they were too small to fuss over) were prominent on her face and the exposed skin of her arms. The bruises were dark purple with yellow shadowing, and the scratches and scuffs were red and a bit swollen, her mood however had not been affected. Draco couldn't help but grimace at the wounds that littered her pretty face (he had now accepted his feelings more and was comfortable with complementing her, strictly in his mind of course). But the scratches and scuffs didn't take away from how taken Draco was with Charlize. He hated his feelings for betraying him, for making him go soft, for making him feel the nasty uneasiness jealous; Draco hated his loss of control.

Breakfast was over and kids were rushing to leave the hall and go about their day, most going to Hogsmeade. As a large group pushed out of the doors, Draco caught sight of Charlize, and before his judgment could stop him, he was walking up to her. His words got caught in his throat so he grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the way of the crowd making Fred turn around to see where the girl went.

           "Go give it to Harry without me, I'll meet him later on." Charlize called out to Fred, who was thinking about walking over and carrying her away from Draco Malfoy, but George's laugh and arm thrown around his shoulders pulled him away.