A Gryffindor makes a fool out of me
PIPER: Leo Valdez. Where do I start? The boy has been my best friend since first year, up until last year. I don't know what ever happened between us, nothing really. We'd simply gone our separate ways. I know he blamed Draco. I'll admit Draco can be a bit...problematic. But, once you get to know him you find that somewhere behind that bleach-blonde hair and snooty smirk, there's a pretty decent sized heart.
I shouldn't have even brought him up in conversation. It's not like I was trying to make Leo jealous, he was like a brother to me. I just wanted to see how he'd react and obviously, he hadn't matured much since last year. Who am I kidding, that kid hasn't gone up a level of maturity since first year.
I had corridor duties anyway. Of course, my partner today was Draco.
"Late, on your first day? Shame on you, Piper McClean."
"You're still an innocent fifth year who think you've got to be on time for everything. Aw, how precious!" I teased. "Way up here in sixth year, we don't give a care."
Draco took a moment to come up with a snooty response. In defeat, he shrugged and let out a laugh.
"Quidditch tryouts are soon. I'm trying out, are you again?"
"Hah! Quidditch, all you boys here talk about is that sport. But yeah, I'm playing. Chaser, as always. Not trying for seeker again, are you Malfoy?"
He sneered. "Of course in trying for seeker again! No doubt I'll get it. Have you seen the others who're trying out?"
I shrugged. "All I know so far is you, and Leo." I stopped myself, momentarily having forgotten I was angry with Leo.
"Oh. Valdez, great!" He exclaimed. He'd never had much of a problem with Leo.
"Draco, can I ask you something?" I asked, pacing the corridor.
He leaned against the wall, trying to appear cool. He crossed his arms and nodded towards me, signaling me to continue.
"What are your thoughts on Leo?" His face fell suddenly.
"Why? Not fancying him, are you?"
I laughed at the thought.
"No. I'm not asking for me, I'm asking for you. What do you think about him?" Draco shrugged.
"He's a bit loud. Besides that, I've never paid him much attention. Not a bad Keeper for our Quidditch team. In my third year I remember he tried out but didn't make the team. He was still a decent flyer. I wasn't surprised to see his name on the tryout list."
He must've seen my look of dissatisfaction.
"What? Did I say something wrong?"
He looked like a lost puppy.
I'd always liked his silly, lost puppy look.
"No! No, you didn't. It's just, I was hoping for more of a what do you think about his personal response. Not everything about a person is expressed by the way they play Quidditch."
Draco nodded in agreement.
"True. Like I said, I've never spoken much to Leo. You're closer to him than I am. Why do you want to know my opinion?"
I felt my face redden. One thing I didn't like about Draco is how he could change mood of the conversation so quickly. It was an innocent question, but now he was making me feel as though he were accusing me of trying to do something more.
"Am I not allowed to value my trusted friend's opinion? Come on, what do you think of him?" I asked. Draco pondered for a moment.
"I don't know, I'm being honest when I say I haven't spoken to him much. I don't have much of an opinion. Even if I did, it wouldn't be very valid."
"Wait--So, you're saying you do have an opinion, but you're afraid to say it because you think you've misjudged him, because you don't know him well. So, what is that slight opinion?" Draco alarmed me when he jumped forward and placed his hand over my mouth.
"Shhh!" Draco said, suddenly. He disregarded my previous statement. "I think somebody is about to enter the corridor!"
I bit his hand and he immediately released me.
"It's not curfew for another fifteen minutes, so what?" He smirked.
"I know that. But I saw a hint of a red tie, if you know what I mean. We have ourselves a Gryffindor. What to have some fun?" He smirked mischievously.
"We shouldn't--Classes haven't even started this year. I don't want to be the first student to lose points for our house this year."
Draco scoffed, then laughed.
"Come on, where's your Slytherin at? You're acting no better than a Hufflepuff! I'm only asking for a bit of fun. Just this once? Besides, we're prefects. We're the ones who do the point deducting."
I wasn't one to succumb to peer pressure, but I could say no to his stupid, mischievous grin.
That stupid...stupid smirk...
"Fine. Only if I can call the shots." Draco smiled in celebration.
We both hid behind the corridor. Draco was right. I saw the hint of scarlet and gold. This was a Gryffindor.
"We'll both walk by him without a second glance. The second he's behind us, we'll turn around and I'll think up a spell. I'm brilliant at charms, not that you aren't aware. Is it a plan?"
Draco smirked even wider, his eyes were bright with excitement. He looked like a puppy, sitting at his owner's command, awaiting a treat.
"Brilliant. Shall we?" He extended his arm. I scoffed and turned away.
"Yep. Let's walk."
His arm fell to his side, and we both walked back the Gryffindor with our heads turned away. The second we passed him, Draco and I stopped.
"One....two...three!" Draco mouthed, so the Gryffindor couldn't hear.
I turned around and pointed my wand at the student.
"Incarcerous!" I shouted. Ropes emerged from my wand, immediately flying to the boy.
Something happened next that I didn't quite understand. The boy had quick reaction speed, first of all. He didn't hesitate for half a second when he turned around, pulled out his wand, and produced a shield in front of him. He had done it at almost the exact same time I had tried the spell. The ropes fell to the ground and vanished in an instant.
"Rictusempra!" the boy shouted. Draco suddenly fell to the ground in laughter. He was hysterical, but his eyes were dark with anything but humor. His eyes said one simple thing: "Fight back!"
Before I could even think of a spell, he disarmed me.
"Hey!" I shouted.
I hadn't gotten a good luck at him until now. My anger doubled as I realized who it was.
"You're the boy who knocked me over in the halls this morning!" I said, angrily. Draco had finally stopped laughing. He tried to stand up, but the boy cast the same charm on him again. Draco fell to the floor again, in a fit of laughter.
"Piper!" Draco gasped, in between fits of laughter. "Deduct some points already!"
"Right. Um, I am a prefect! I should be treated with respect! As your higher authority, I deduct ten points from Gryffindor house for your need to be a nuisance."
He shook his head and turned away without a word.
"Ahem!" He turned around. "Give me my bloody wand, you idiot!"
The blonde Gryffindor boy stood and stared blankly. His mouth moved, but he formed no words.
"Are you going to stand there and stare like an idiot, or are you going to hand my wand?!"
Draco was finished laughing now, the charm had worn off. He marched towards the Gryffindor in fury. Then as it had before, something strange happened.
He tripped. He tripped, over nothing!
Embarrassed for Draco and slightly myself, I glared at the Gryffindor.
"HAND ME MY WAND!" I put so much force into my voice, it felt almost strange, just as it had at the feast this morning when I had jokingly shouted at my friends.
He listened automatically, marching up to me as if he'd rehearsed it many times before. I almost slapped him as he grabbed my hand, but then I realized he had only grabbed it to place the wand into it.
"G-Go away before I hex you! Leave, you idiotic--" I stopped myself, realizing that I had been gripping his hand since he'd handed me the wand. I was digging my nails firmly into his hand, and his expression didn't look like he wanted a challenge, he looked terrified and like he'd rather be anywhere but here. I released his hand. The second I did so, he took off like a golden snitch upon its release.
"Draco, are you alright?" He groaned to himself.
"I tripped."
"I gathered that much, you idiot. Stand up!"
He struggled to his feet.
"I think I sprained my ankle. Help me to the Hospital Wing?"
I felt myself blushing, I didn't know why.
Part of me wanted to leave him lying there and run away. He had been the one to get us into this mess after all. Still, I had been the one to follow through. I was going to follow through the end.
"Here, I'll help you. Hold onto my shoulder. If you dare to move your hand anywhere from my shoulder, consider yourself left in the corridor."
He chuckled lightly.
"Message received."
I help him walk to the hospital wing and didn't bother waiting for him, I had places to be. By that, I mean I had to finish out the rest of our corridor duties. Thankfully, I didn't run into any more Gryffindors.
Yet, my encounters with the blonde boy ran through my mind like a broken record.
I didn't even know him, yet something about him felt familiar. Even when I was holding his hand--if you'd go as far as to call it hand holding-it still felt as though I'd experienced something like it before.
I was thankful I hadn't been assigned the latest corridor watch. I didn't think I'd be able to stay awake much longer with all I'd endured today. Still, when I tried to go to bed I was kept awake by my thoughts.
That night I went to bed with two blonde boys going through my mind...
Draco and his stupidity, and the blonde whose name I didn't even know, yet I despised him as though he'd been my life-long enemy.