Hey guys, here's a long chapter in return for my short absence. I'm officially on break, so hopefully you'll be seeing more from me. Thanks for reading, please enjoy.
***
Jennifer's POV -
The following morning, I make sure to gather the potion sample and essay for my presentation with Draco. Although the project called for him to help me, I had ended up completing it by my lonesome, which I'm a little bit pissed about.
Even though he hadn't lifted a finger to aid me with this thing, I know he'll find away to accuse me of messing something up, or doing something wrong, or anything of the sort. That's just how he is.
I am extremely nervous to see him. For the past few days, all he has been to me is rude and distant, sort of like my first few weeks at Hogwarts. And when he isn't doing that, he's ignoring me. When we're surrounded by other people, the nervous feeling that his presence strikes up in my chest seems to fade, but when the both of us are alone together, it'll be a very different story.
I walk down to the great hall rather early in the morning, where Draco and I have agreed to meet to review what we'd present.
I peer around nervously upon entering the expansive room, realizing that the only other people inside besides Draco and I are a few students at the Ravenclaw table and a lone professor seated at the head of the room.
I take a deep, shaky breath, trying to convince myself that I'm capable of being alone with him again, and approach the table. I trip over my own feet a few times before I make it to the seat beside him, and slide in silently.
He appears to be awfully tired, a look I've gotten used to seeing on him. Not that I look any better.
"So-um-" I start, my voice quivering a little bit. "-what do you want to-uh-say?"
A heavy sigh blows past his lips. "Don't give a damn."
Great, we're back to stage one, which is him being an asshole, and us arguing every time we speak.
I respond to his annoying behavior with a sigh of my own. "Whatever. I'll just do it by myself."
He shoots me an angry look, although I note he refuses to meet my eyes.
I stand up swiftly, not wanting to deal with him any more than I already have to, and stride away towards the entrance of the great hall.
I'm not exactly sure how this will work out, considering the fact that I absolutely hate speaking in front of the class, but it will surely be much easier without him screwing things up.
***
"Shit, I don't even have my potion done." Josefina stresses, her head falling in her hands.
My laugh rings out over the low chatter in the room. "Neither do I. Mine takes months to brew."
"Yeah, but mine takes a week. Slughorn's gonna kill me." She moans, her face now concealed in between her folded arms. Another laugh escapes my mouth as Slughorn enters the room.
"Alright, alright." He exclaims, urging us all to stop talking. When the room finally silences, he continues on. "As you know, your group presentations will be today. You've had plenty of time to complete them, so I expect your potions and your essays to be completely finished when you present them today." Slughorn says wearily, and I throw Josefina a suggestive glance, which earns me a middle finger under the table.
"Are you ready?" The class gives a low grumble in response. "Alright, let's begin. Any volunteers?" He asks, looking around the room expectantly. I move my eyes away from his line of vision, hoping he won't call on me first when nobody raises their hand.
"Ms. Mania? Would you and Mr. Malfoy do me a favor and present your project first?"
My heart starts to drum faster and faster in my chest, and I nod my head quietly, my capability to speak having vanished.
Slughorn smiles proudly. "Good, very good. Come on up, then."
I glance at Draco nervously, and then back at the floor as I gather the potion sample and my essay out of my bag. Hopefully, Slughorn will be okay with the polyjuice not being finished, as he's the one who assigned it to us.
When I'm finally up at the front of the classroom, I make the horrid mistake of looking up from my feet, and staring around at all of my peers' expectant faces. I swallow hard, and shuffle through my papers I'm holding, as to busy my hands with something.
I'm seriously beginning to regret my decision to present this entire project by my lonesome. Draco is staring at me angrily, urging me to start. If it wasn't for the adrenaline swarming through my veins, I might have shot him an equally stormy glare back.
I steal a quick glance at my charm bracelet before forcing myself to begin. "For our project, Draco and I were given the task of brewing polyjuice potion." My first words are slightly shaky, and I stare aimlessly at the back of the room, as to avoid an increase in my urge to vomit. "However, we were unable to finish the potion, as it takes months to brew." I say, and Slughorn hums understandably from behind me. I hear him scratching away on a piece of parchment as I hold the minuscule bottle up with a trembling hand. The class leans in, observing the contents closely, and I'm thankful that the attention is off of me, even if it's just for a moment.
"Hurry up." Draco presses through gritted teeth beside me. I look back at Slughorn frantically, who, thankfully, is still scribbling down notes on his parchment, and muster the rudest glare I can possibly manage, directing it straight at Draco.
To my relief, he leaves the subject alone, sighing impatiently and turning away as the class begins to stare at me again.
Somehow, the rest of the presentation is a breeze. I stare down at my essay with concentration, and try not to give into the tempting urge to look up at my peers. Although I stumble over my words a few times, I finish reading the paper with a look of approval from Slughorn and an uninterested round of applause from my classmates.
As soon as the room is silent again, I hurry back to my seat, not able to stand being at the center of everyone's attention any longer.
Class goes by quickly, and the majority of the presentations are complete by the time the period ends. Josefina is the last to present, and I try to contain my pressing fit of laughter when she and Goyle appear at the front of the room with an empty vial and three pieces of parchment, but it's near impossible.
As soon as she's finished with her presentation, which takes less than a minute, I know that I'm done for. I shield my face, gasping in between fits of laughter as she storms back toward our table, her face as red as a tomato.
Immediately, I feel fists hitting me all over - my face, neck, shoulders, and back.
"Okay!" I spurt, still unable to control my giggles, "Okay. I'm sorry." When I peer up at her, she's staring down upon me firmly with her arms cross tightly over her chest.
"This is not done-" She begins to say, but Slughorn interrupts from the front of the room.
"Eh-Josefina and Kelsie." He points, looking over the crowd of students to our table at the back. "Stay after class, you two. I need to speak with you."
Kelsie nods firmly as she appears beside Josefina, whose face turns even redder, if possible.
"Ooooh..." I mock childishly, causing Josefina to raise her fist again, but I quickly dodge out of the way. Luckily for me, class is dismissed at that very moment. "See you guys later! Have fun with Slughorn." I sing over my shoulder as I disappear out of the door, a little bit afraid of the extended amount of time Josefina will have to mull over various plans for revenge on me.
I smile to myself as I pace through the halls among the other students, my heart considerably warmer than it has been in the past few days.
I barely even notice Blaise as he strides up next to me. Instantly, the grin stretching across my lips fades.
"Hey, Jennifer. Nice presentation today." He begins arrogantly, his words rushed as his friends' snickers sound from behind us. I look away from him, staring at the floor intently as my heart drums in my ears. "You know, if you're down to smash tonight, I can make sure my dorm is empty, clear out all of the other assholes that live in there, you know?" He says, tilting his head as he leans in a bit closer to me. I ignore him with a strong determination, my hand clutching the strap of my book bag with unnatural strength.
"Wouldn't want Draco getting jealous, now, would we?" He whispers so only the both of us can hear, and chuckles, his hot breath rattling down my spine.
My feet begin to move faster as I try to out-pace him, but his legs are much longer than mine, and he is easily able to keep up.
"Oh no you don't." He laughs, grabbing my hand and violently pulling me back to his side. I try to rip it out of his as the other students make disgruntled noises behind us, like something, or perhaps someone, is bothering them. "Where do you think you're going, huh?"
Just then, I feel an immense shove, and Blaise stumbles away from me, causing a few peers behind him to fall back.
"Ah, there you are." Draco snaps hotly, his attempt to remain calm failing as his arm wraps tightly around my waist, placed exactly where Blaise can see it.
What the hell?
"C'mon, follow me, then."
"Draco-" I protest heatedly, attempting to peel his hand from my hip, but it doesn't budge.
He begins to walk, seemingly in the opposite direction of Blaise, so fast that I'm left stumbling behind him. I call his name continuously, ordering him to stop and let me go as he drags me through crowds of students, but he doesn't listen to me. His arm is wrapped so tightly around my waist that it brings pain to my side, and when he pulls me into an empty corridor, I shove him off of me immediately.
"What the hell was that?!" I snap as I straighten out my robes. He doesn't respond, only stares at me blandly. Then, he whips around, striding off in the other direction.
For a few seconds, I stand there, paralyzed by disbelief and confusion as to what just happened, but quickly reach out and grab his upper arm tightly to prevent him from leaving. "No, you're not going anywhere until you give me an explanation." I say firmly. I feel him sigh in irritation, but he gives in, reeling around on his heels to face me.
"Fine. What do you want." It's more of a statement than a question. I find myself unable to respond. I haven't actually thought about this until now.
What do I want?
"What-what was that? What are you doing?" My words are but a mere breath of air, and my voice rings with weakness and confusion, which I hate. I fold my arms afterwards, trying to look as intimidating as possible.
I can see his brain clicking as he comes up with a believable excuse. "That was me saving you, yet again, from an asshole. You're welcome, by the way." He spits, but I can tell it's not the truth. A tense silence rests between us as we both stand there, unable to move. "Now, don't talk to me again." He finally says, and turns in the other direction.
"Wait!" I yell, but my hands aren't quick enough this time. He's out of my grasps before I can get to him, leaving me confused, angry, and with even more questions swirling around my head.
***
"Hello." I announce, my voice strained, as I plop down in between my friends at the Slytherin table.
Lunch has rolled around surprisingly fast, and I'm urgent to tell them what happened with Draco.
How he pulled me away into an empty corridor, ignored my questions, and ran away before he was forced to answer them.
I can't help but think about the way my heart fluttered when I'd discovered it had been his arm around my waist after all. I needed to dispose of these lingering feelings, and quickly, before he decided to pull something like this again.
"What's up?" Kelsie asks casually, munching away on an apple as her eyes remain trained on the pages of a book.
I let out a deep sigh, knowing that I have no choice but to tell them about what happened. I need some kind of help, some kind of advice, and I know they'll listen to me.
"I've gotta tell you something." I blurt out, and immediately, both of their heads snap up, their eyes glazed over with suspicion as if they somehow know that it's Draco.
When I tell them everything, it's evident that they did.
"Ho-ly hell." Josefina says, slowly shaking her head back and forth. "What's wrong with him?"
"I don't know," I respond, "He won't even tell me anything about why I was tort-well, you know, or who did it, either."
And it's true. I've tried confronting Draco about the sore subject on various occasions, but he never answers me, looking as if he might vomit as he storms away.
You'd think I'd have a right to know a little bit about my own torture, but Draco has a different opinion.
"You've got to find him later." Kelsie suggests, "ask him about it."
"I don't want to talk to him." I say, my head falling into my hands, attempting to soothe the headache that's quickly forming in my temples. "But I do. Or maybe I just need to."
"Maybe you'll have a chance after Herbology. Which is, in five minutes." Josefina says, checking her watch suddenly. "C'mon, we gotta go. God knows if we'll make it to the greenhouse on time."
***
When we do arrive, the class is all there already, and the lesson has begun.
Sprout looks at us disapprovingly, folding her short arms across her chest. "Late? You three?"
"Sorry, professor." I mumble in shame, my eyes trained on the ground. As soon as I set my books down on the floor, I can feel Draco's hard gaze resting upon me, even though I'm not looking up at him.
I fight the urge to meet his eyes, and focus on Professor Sprout.
"Alright, alright." Sprout says firmly, attempting to subdue the recent arise in chatter. "Today we'll be studying the venom of Venomous Tentacula. A group of 3 will be handed a vial, and it'll be their job to observe and take notes."
A low grumbling rises from the class in agreement, and Sprout huffs in irritation as she turns to pull out the vials of venom.
Once she's passed them all out, I pull out a piece of parchment and my quill, and mutter the word, "engorgio", as I aim my wand at the contents of the vial.
I scribble down a few notes on the small flecks of yellow and green within the stark color, and suddenly hear Josefina and Kelsie muttering behind me rather suspiciously.
"What are you going to do about...Draco." Josefina says, gesturing across the table carelessly. I slap her hand down, my chest rattling with shock as I shoot her a harsh stare.
"Be quiet, he might hear you! And I don't even want to talk about him, anyways." I say, my stomach churning a little bit. The harsh words he directed towards me less than two weeks ago are still fresh in my mind, every single one of them. The thought of them still brings a sharp pain to my chest.
"Maybe we need a code name." Kelsie whispers, almost inaudibly, and I have to disguise my laughter as a cough.
Although the idea sounds ridiculous and childish, Kelsie can be that way sometimes, and I quickly recover from my fit of giggles.
"No, seriously, I'd rather not talk about him."
"What about talking to him?" Josefina suggests, like that'd be any better. I whip around, looking at her as if she has two heads, but her gaze doesn't meet mine.
She's copying my notes.
I sigh as I back around again to face my parchment, and Josefina sounds from beside me again. "Really, though. The asshole won't even tell you why you were-you know..." She cuts herself off. "Don't you think you have a right to at least know why?"
I ponder on it for a minute, subconsciously chewing on my lower lip as curiosity begins to spread throughout my mind.
It's true, I'd thought about it before. The brief memories I have from that time are quite haunting, and keep me up almost every night.
"You know what?" I say, lifting my elbows from the surface of the table and meeting Josefina's eye level. "I think I will ask him. I'll catch him after class, or something."
"Good, and you've gotta tell us how it goes." Kelsie adds in from behind me.
It seems like a good idea now, but in an hour, who knows?
***
When class finally ends, I look for Draco, Josefina shooting me a reassuring smile as her and Kelsie exit the greenhouse.
Draco seems to know of my plans, somehow. He packs his things in a hurry, throwing nervous glances in my direction every now and then.
I pretend to still be packing up, purposely dropping a few items on the ground as I wait for him.
As soon as he begins to approach the door, rapidly drawing closer and closer, I reach out toward his shoulder. To my disappointment, he is too fast for me, and easily slips out of my grasps.
"Hey!" I finally yell, chasing him out of the greenhouse desperately as he strides on past me. It's very clear that he's trying to get away from me.
"Wait up!" I yell again, squinting my eyes as I try to spot where he went. He's walking toward the black lake, in the opposite direction of the school.
I begin to pick up my pace, my eyes trained on him through the flurry of snow. I manage to stumble over my feet a few times as I continue my hunt after him.
I don't know where he's going, but I'm not in the mood to chase after him much longer in the midst of this weather. "Quit walking away from me, damnit!" I shout suddenly, stopping in my tracks, tired of his annoying behavior.
I see him take a few more steps, slow ones, before he stops, standing there as if he's waiting for me to catch up.
I huff in frustration, brushing a few flakes of snow from my hair as I jog to meet him.
His face is as cold as the blizzard whirling around us when I'm close enough to see it.
"You walked the wrong way." I say, out of breath as I stare up at him. He pulls his bottom lip in between his teeth as he becomes aware of his fatal mistake. "Aren't you cold?" I ask in concern out of pure instinct, when I realize that he's only wearing a blazer.
I silently curse myself when I come to my senses, realizing what I've just said. My cheeks turn bright pink, and it's not because of the cold.
"I mean-we need to talk." When he doesn't respond, I decide to keep talking, hoping that he's silently urging me on. "Why was it me?" I blurt out.
My hands fly to my mouth instantly. I hadn't meant to ask that just yet, but it kind of just...came out.
Draco looks down upon me quizzically at first, as if he's not sure what I just asked, but a look of realization dawns upon his face. He looks panicked, angry, and upset all at the same time.
"Why-why was it me?" I ask, more confidently this time, figuring that there's no return from what I've just asked now. I swallow down the lump in my throat before I continue. "Why did they do that to me?"
Draco can't meet my eyes. "I can't tell you." His voice is solid as he stares at the ground.
"Yes you can." I spit through gritted teeth as I step closer to him, anger sparking in my chest. "You just don't want to."
"No, Jennifer, you don't get it." He chuckles to himself as he turns away from me, taking a few steps in the other direction. I get the feeling that his laughter isn't inspired by humor. "I fucking can't. I wish I could, but I can't."
"You're lying." I mutter angrily.
"You don't know shit, okay?!" He yells, whipping around and throwing his arms in the air aimlessly. "I can't tell you, and I'm not going to."
"You don't have a choice, I won't give you one!" I fire back furiously. "I was the one tortured that night, and I don't know how, or why, or even by whom! I have a right to know, and you're going to tell me, damnit!"
The cold that nipped at my toes and cheeks only a few minutes ago has been replaced by a white hot and driving fury. This isn't right, he can't do this to me.
Draco stands there silently, his face unreadable through the blistering white winds. I want to yell at him to say something back, even scream at him for hours.
"You know what?" I breathe as I begin to walk backwards, putting as much distance between him and I as possible. "Fuck you."
His face still lacks emotion as I trudge away from him. My words are harsh, and they surprise me. It's the first time that I've used those words in such a serious way.
But I mean them, every bit of them.
***
"You seriously said that?" Josefina says in disbelief, looking at me as if I'm not real. "I call bullshit."
"No, no, I did." I respond, a chuckle escaping my lips as I watch her jaw fall to the floor. Now that I think about it, saying that to Draco was very unlike myself. But I wouldn't take it back if I had the chance.
"My god! Where has this Jennifer been all of my life?" Josefina grins, reaching out and shaking my shoulder violently.
"On a more serious note, though, I can't believe his nerve." Kelsie chimes in from behind me, leaning across the table so we can see her. "He's gotta tell you eventually."
After my confrontation with Draco, the day crawled by agonizingly slow, and sitting in the great hall for dinner while talking things over with my best friends is like a blessing from above.
"I know." I say quietly, more to myself than them. My chin falls into my palm, my hair sweeping into my eyes as I stare down at my untouched food subconsciously.
"Jen." Kelsie says suddenly, tapping my arm quickly and drawing me back to reality. "Jen!" She exclaims again, this time in a whisper. My head snaps up, and I meet her anxious gaze with an expectant one.
"He's staring at you again."
Although she doesn't mention his name, I already know who he is. My eyes find Draco's grey ones instantly, but only for a second. He looks away as soon as our gazes meet.
"What an ass." Josefina sounds from beside me. I ignore her, too occupied with my own thoughts.
Why is he being like this? Why is it that he won't talk to me, but he'll stare at me any chance he gets? It feels as if I'm reliving my first few months at Hogwarts.
I barely have any time to contemplate my questions, for just then, Dumbledore decides to takes a stand at the front of the room.
He clears his throat, and the great hall falls into a state of silence as the chatter dies down.
"The winter ball is an annual tradition at Hogwarts." He announces, and then pauses for a minute, as if he's expecting some sort of reaction. "Most of you know this, but the new students at Hogwarts this year, perhaps not."
I look back at Josefina, who flashes a grin at me. I remember her mentioning something about it earlier in the year, but you can never tell when she's being truthful.
"Regarding the details of the event," Dumbledore continues, "It will take place the Friday of next week, at 8:00, in the Great Hall. Only those in 5th year or above will be permitted to attend." He pauses again, looking as if he's struggling to say what's necessary. "Now, this might surprise you, given the recent occurrence of...certain events. However, the event is traditional, and will take place. Thank you." He finishes, a grave tone ringing in his words as he takes a seat back at the head table.
His speech leaves me confused. What "certain events" have occurred that would delay an event such as this? It seems to be all that's on my mind as the chatter breaks out again in ripples across the room, students rising from their tables to leave.
"End of fifth year." Josefina says, as if she's read my mind. She rises up beside me. "Whole bunch of kids-Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, a lot of others. They infiltrated the ministry."
I'm left wondering why that was such a big deal, until she speaks again. "You-Know-Who was there."
I stand there, my feet frozen to the ground as I mull over the whole thing. "Wait, Harry Potter goes to this school?"
Both Josefina and Kelsie laugh as they begin to move toward the exit. "Oh, Jennifer. Only you could go to this school and not know that."
***
Draco's POV -
I'd never gone to the Winter Ball in the past. It had always seemed stupid, and a waste of my time. I was annoyed by anyone who did.
But now, all I can imagine is what would've happened if I'd gotten the chance to go with Jennifer.
The way she'd look, and the way she'd look at me, like I meant something to her. That's how she used to look at me.
And I'd hold her, all night, until she smiled that beautiful smile, the one that I always seem to make disappear.
Just then, Blaise bumps into me, drawing me from my thoughts.
I barely have time to tell him off before he begins to run his mouth. "Think I'm gonna ask Jennifer, how bout you?" He says, arrogance laced through his voice.
She stands right ahead of us amidst the crowded corridor. My heart begins to boil at his words.
"What do you think she'd look best in, huh? Blue, red..." He trails off, pausing to look at me, deciding whether or not to continue his torment. "...or maybe nothing."
Immediately, I rip my wand from my pocket, planning to press it straight into his neck and slash left, but he's gone.
I spot him up a few feet ahead, weaving his way through the crowd. He's too far gone for me to do anything, shooting a devious smirk my way as he bustles farther and farther away.
My fists tighten at my sides, my fingernails digging into my palms.
I don't know how much longer I can deal with this.
With him.
***
Idk how that was but hopefully you enjoyed it! Thanks, see you soon 😄