| Puffskein
Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Canada
Posts: 2,438
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Chapter 26
The ‘Apology’
The rest of the weekend and following week were even more awkward. I started to do as Draco did six days of the week; doing all that I could to skirt around him, even in classrooms. Sunday was my day off of being so paranoid about his presence because of his detention taking him out of social contact almost all day. This continued for another week, until it was finally the weekend and I had more time to study.
“This is for you.” Aurelia tossed an envelope on top of the passage I was reading from my Transfiguration textbook. I sighed and tossed it aside.
“Ignoring your mother now?”
I continued to stare down at my books; my eyes followed the words, but I wasn’t actually retaining it. Anything to keep him away...
A white hand yanked the book out from my view and it audibly thudded shut.
“Give it back,” I snarled, still looking at the blank spot where it used to be.
“Look at me and say that.”
I spun the chair and looked up, meeting Draco’s stony, grey eyes.
“Give it back,” I repeated, my eyes flickering from the book and back to him.
“Apologise.”
I shoved the chair backwards as I got up, completely appalled. I knew Draco could be an idiot and expect a ridiculous amount from people, but why should I be the one apologizing? What sick mind thinks it’s my fault he hit me?
“Excuse me?” I demanded, adopting his monotone.
“Apologise,” he repeated, drawling the word in a condescending way.
I scoffed. “Excuse me?” I repeated, mimicking his drawling, patronizing tone. I tried to summon my book back, but he somehow protected it from leaving his hand without making it obvious to me. I kept trying, but he didn’t even flinch.
“You openly mocked me,” he snapped.
“You hit a girl,” I retorted. I saw his open hand clenching into a fist, the tendons beneath his milky white skin rippling before unclenching. I heard a few knuckles crack in the process. “Is that a threat?” I demanded.
“Everyone’s bones crack,” he growled.
“Just like how you tried to crack my face?” The memory was still fresh in my mind; he had to have hit me harder than I hit him, he put so much force behind it.
“I wouldn’t have done what I did if you didn’t insult me.”
“Insult you?” I scoffed. “I just pointed out the obvious. Now give me back my book!” I reached out and grabbed it, yanking it towards me. Draco’s other hand took hold of the book and pulled it right back and he held it behind himself. I lunged forwards and reached around him, but he instead lifted his hand above his head. I tried to reach, but even with an attempted jump it was still too high. Damn his unnatural height!
“Not until you apologise.”
When my jaw clenched, he smirked.
“I’m not apologising for being who I am. I point out flaws that are bothersome.”
“Well, learn to deal with it better,” he replied stiffly.
“He’s right.”
My head snapped towards the portrait hole. Pansy had just entered the common room and was coming up to Draco’s side. I scowled and took a few steps back, refusing to get as close to Parkinson as possible.
“And you think you’re better than I am?”
I heard the scuttling of feet behind me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Aurelia enter the common room again and stop a couple of feet behind us, watching our scene unfold silently.
Pansy smiled sweetly. “I don’t take my anger out on innocent people.”
I started laughing again. “What happened to your ‘stay away or else’? ‘Who are you going to the dance with or else’ attitude? You’re such a two-faced bi...”
“Ok then!” Aurelia jumped up and started to pull me in the direction of the dormitories.
I shook her off, but she grabbed me again. My head snapped towards her. “Let go or I will blast you through the windows and into the lake,” I growled.
She let go immediately, putting her hands up in surrender. She took a wary step back, just out from my reach, but close enough for her to lunge on me if I decided to try and repeat the event that led to Draco’s insane demand of apologising.
“You clearly have some anger issues. There are people you can pay to help that problem,” Pansy said. “You can afford it after moving so much and ending up in that...” She pathetically tried to cover a giggle. “That dingy building you call a house, right?”
“The only problem I have is you!” I snapped.
I pulled out my wand and kept advancing on her. She smirked at me, still staying at Draco’s side. Did she really believe he’d protect her? If anyone thought she’s worth protecting, they’d have to be clinically insane. I looked at Draco for a moment. “And you too, but right now...” I turned my eyes back to Pansy, narrowing them on her and letting a jet of blue-green light explode from my wand. As I predicted, Draco didn’t do a thing besides jump to the side to avoid being caught in crossfire. It hit Pansy square-on and she flew backwards into the wall and slunk down, completely limp.
“What’d you just do?” Aurelia demanded.
I smiled, proud my spell was starting to work. I didn’t respond right away, but as the puss pimples the size of boils began popping up on her face, neck, and anywhere else visible, I responded, “That.”
“You really do have anger issues,” Draco snapped, looking at me. I turned to him, my wand aimed at him menacingly.
“Well I’d rather have anger issues than control issues.” I then smiled to myself. “That actually sounds kind of contradictory...”
Draco scowled. I scowled back, realizing how distracted I got taking Pansy out of the picture temporarily.
“Now why the hell should I be the one apologising, hm?” I demanded. My eyes widened on him. I was almost surprised when he shrunk back ever so slightly; it was so faint I questioned whether it was the trick of the eyes or not. Maybe my attempt at getting a vicious gleam in my eyes worked after all.
“If it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t have lost it!”
“I can easily hold the same argument, dimwit!”
Draco pulled out his wand and aimed it at me, contesting me with a glare, angry I used his words from months ago against him.
“You watch it,” he growled.
“We should probably get her out of here, eh?” Aurelia piped up. Her attempt to change the subject didn’t work, though.
“No, you watch it. Your mother does love me so; it wouldn’t take much to convince her how her son really acts in school and truly speaks and treats to his fiancée.” I spat the word.
“Bu...” Aurelia started to complain.
“This doesn’t concern you,” Draco growled, his response directed at Aurelia but he never once looked away from me.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Aurelia’s pale features brighten to a shade of pink I’d never seen on her. “For Merlin’s sake, you two sort this out yourselves! You always do so well at that anyways!” She stormed off, heading for the dorms. I didn’t respond; neither did Draco.
We just tried to stare each other down. It wasn’t until I heard a grunt I jumped and looked at Pansy. She was already coming out of unconsciousness? I really had to work more on that spell – last time I knocked someone out for 2 hours, not 2 minutes.
Draco looked back at her. He then turned and looked back at me with this look in his eyes I’d never seen before, but I knew the meaning of nonetheless. He wouldn’t...
“She should go to the hospital wing,” he sighed, his wand lowering slowly. I eyed him suspiciously.
“Why? She deserves it. You hate her.”
“That’s true, but I don’t want to be blamed for whatever horrible scarring you’ll cause her just because I didn’t do what she thought I would.”
Grumbling and groaning, I lowered my wand. He was right; I’d probably be in more trouble than him because I was the one that actually cast the spell. I shoved my wand into my pocket and Draco did the same.
“You can do it; you’re strong enough,” I said. I turned around, but felt some force stop me and turn me around.
“You’re helping me. You caused this.”
“She started it!” I snapped back.
He scoffed. “Don’t go there now.”
I scowled and stomped up to him. Pansy groaned again and her body shifted slightly. I jumped back, but when she didn’t move or make a noise again, I reached down. Together, Draco and I pulled her up. We tried to walk to the door, the only distance between us being a 5’4 clump of deadweight.
“Don’t drag her,” he snapped, still walking backwards.
“Oh, I’m sorry, am I not doing what you thought I would?”
He growled warningly. “Give her to me.”
I dropped her immediately. As soon as her head thudded loudly onto the floor, she let out a groan.
“I said give, not drop!” He walked around her, lifted her up and threw her over his shoulder. “Door.”
I grumbled incoherently and yanked it open.
“Ladies first.”
I scowled audibly and passed through before him, carefully listening to the tapping of his shoes following in my wake just a bit too close for my liking.
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Last edited by MalfoyzBeloved; 09-28-2010 at 10:25 PM.
Reason: deleting un-story-related comment
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