Thread: Character: The Phoenix - Sa13+
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Old 10-05-2011, 12:33 AM   #68 (permalink)
Wonderstruck
Gryffindor

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Hogwarts RPG Name:
Jeremy Bradford
Fifth Year
Default Chapter Nine: Part Three
"It's not who you are that holds you back, it's who you think you are not."

Thanks for the comments Snape is a bit of a bugger isn't he?

I slowly walked out of the classroom, my mind so deep in thought that I hardly realized that Draco Malfoy had been waiting for me. I pummeled right into him, stumbling backwards from the unexpected impact. Normally I would have snapped, just on the given fact that it was Draco Malfoy, the man that had no problems making things for my boyfriend and for me that matter difficult, but something about his look made me hold my tongue.

Draco did not look good...at all. The skin underneath his eyes was sunken, giving him the look of someone that was incredibly stressed and probably hadn't slept in at least a couple of days. Instead of the usual snide look of loathing that he gave me and my friends, he looked sullen, like he was too tired to pick a fight with anyone or anything. From my extra little sense I could feel a kind of desperation to his thoughts, a kind of pleading that I might be able to provide him an answer to something. But an answer to what even I was having troubles extracting. His thoughts and emotions were so scatter brained that I was having a hard time making a clear connection between any of them.

"Um...sorry," I mumbled, trying to break the awkward silence.

"No...it's my fault. I shouldn't have just stepped out like that when you weren't looking."

Even Draco's words came out as if they were an enormous strain on just about every aspect of his body, but perhaps what surprised me even more was that he was apologizing: to me.

"Well...have a nice day," I said after another long moment of awkward silence before I moved to step around him. Faster than I thought was physically possible for someone looking so ragged Draco was in front of me, blocking me from continuing on my way. I was startled by the action and it showed on my face.

"Please...don't go. I need to talk to you about something," Draco said, grabbing hold of my arm as he said so. The gesture sent such an enormous flood of emotion and feeling through me that I let out a little cry of pain. Certainly what had happened before wasn't happening again? My mother had already made the bond with Voldemort: it was done. Why was I still feeling so sensitive to such strong emotions?

Draco seemed surprised that the simple grabbing of my arm had caused such a reaction from me, but I could tell that doing me harm was definitely not something that he wanted to do. I could sense, especially since he hadn't let go of my arm that he was seriously needing my help. I was about to ask him what when Professor Snape came out of the potions classroom. Instantly Draco let go of my arm and took several rather large steps backwards so that it looked like he was on his way up the steps to the main floor when Professor Snape had come out.

"Might I ask exactly what is going on here?" Professor Snape asked in his usual drawl, but I could tell that he was incredibly curious as to why someone who detested me so much had just been so close, let alone had actually touched me. Some thought that Snape wasn't observant of mundane matters of who liked whom, but trust me, the man paid more attention than most people gave him credit for.

"Nothing important," I said with a little shrug. "Quidditch stuff." It was a complete and utter bold-faced lie since for one I did not play on the Quidditch team and for two there was no way that two opponents of the opposite team would be talking Quidditch when their first match against each other was just a couple of days away. Snape furrowed his eyebrows at me.

"Quidditch stuff? Well...seeing as I am the Head of the Slytherin House, therefore making me the mentor if you will of its Quidditch team perhaps you could enlighten me as to what you felt was so important to say to Mr. Malfoy only days away from our first match against your house?"

I was stuck...clearly I had needed to think about my answer a bit more than I had, but usually with Snape too long of a pause was an instant sign that whatever had just been happening before he arrived was definitely important. I already had the man snooping in my abilities...the last thing I needed was him snooping in on this; whatever this was that is.

"Don't worry Professor Snape. It's nothing major or anything that causes any need for alarm. Now, if you don't mind I have studying to attend to."

Before I gave Snape a chance to reply I was bounding up the steps, moving around Draco. I had wished with all my heart that there was some way that I could send a signal to Draco that that wasn't me turning down whatever he wanted to say to me, but there was simply no way of getting that done with Snape standing so close. Not to mention, Draco and I didn't know each other well at all so a subtle hint probably wouldn't have meant anything to him anyway.

I had made it up the steps and into the Gryffindor common room in record time, probably because a part of me was worried that Snape might chase me out of the dungeons and all the way to the seventh floor, which was completely unrealistic, but nevertheless with the way events were turning out these days I wasn't putting anything past anyone. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were surprised to find me so out of breath when I collapsed on the sofa next to Harry. Ron had raised his eyebrows, a cracker with cheese on it just inches from his mouth.

"Well...you look like you've been running. Did the conversation with Snape really go that badly?" Harry asked, closing the potions book in his lap.

I suddenly realized that I wasn't sure whether or not I should tell the three of them about Draco. After all there had to have been a good reason why Draco felt that he could approach me alone without me hexing him into next week. Not to mention I knew Harry's feelings about Draco, and I knew that Harry would decline to help him just on the principle that Draco was a Death Eater. A part of me understood Harry's thoughts and the history of our experiences with Draco confirmed that caution was definitely a necessity, but Harry hadn't been there, and he hadn't seen and felt the things that were going through Draco. He was concerned, scared, and desperate; three things that I had never thought Draco to be in his life ever. He always had the upper hand, no matter what the situation, and if he didn't his daddy would buy it for him. While I was going to be a cautious a part of me felt like I owed it to the boy to listen to him. After all approaching someone that has been your enemy for the last five years needing help is certainly not an easy feat.

"Yeah...apparently he wants to explore my talents more," I said with an eye roll. "Honestly I couldn't get out of there fast enough!"

"Explore your talents?" Hermione said cautiously, pursing her lips as she did so. "That sounds...ominous. Why is he so invested in your talents?"

"I have no idea, but it has always frustrated him that he can't get inside my head. Maybe he thinks by exploring my gifts he'll be able to find a way inside my brain."

Harry had gotten an annoyed expression on his face. "Well what did you tell him when he said this to you?"

"Nothing...I didn't really see what I could say. He is going to ask Dumbledore's permission first, so we can only hope that he'll shoot the whole idea down."

"I am sure he will," said Hermione with an assertive nod. "Dumbledore won't like the idea of Snape poking around in your head; I'm sure of it."

"Yeah, let's hope you're right."

I was relieved that the situation had gone as smoothly as it had, and that none of them were prying about what had taken me so long. I sat staring at the fire, and the embers that floated up towards the chimney. What had Draco wanted to ask me? What could I possibly be able to due that would get rid of the desperation and confusion that he was feeling? After a lot of contemplation to myself while the four of us worked on our various own tasks it finally occurred to me why I wasn't as opposed to talking to Draco as I probably would have been last year. If Draco was a Death Eater like I firmly believed he was then maybe he would know what was going on with my mom. If I helped him with his problem then in return I could ask what is going on with my mother, and maybe figure out what Voldemort has in store for her.
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