Chapter 134. Between The Lines

The next morning, I laid on my bed in silence. Staring at the ceiling, I clenched my eyes in shame at how I pulled away from Luna. I knew I needed her, and that I felt more for her than I should, but I still ran to the comfort of my potions and draughts. “I need to apologize…” I muttered, resting my arm over my eyes while seething air between my teeth. I couldn’t look for her easily during the day with my reputation to uphold, but I couldn’t see her in any public area either. Eventually last night I went into Gaynor’s nest hoping to find her there, but Luna didn’t show up.

‘Is she avoiding me? I suppose she has every right to be upset.’ A knock on the door finished my aggravating thoughts of myself. I sat up, and slowly made my way to the door. Opening it revealed Draco smirking with his thumb pointed to the common room. “It’s Saturday so you wanna head to Hogsmeade?” Normally I avoided going to Hogsmeade. Instead studying, to avoid others in social circles. However, at this moment, I wanted nothing more than to avoid my issues. “Sure, let me shower first.”

After having cleaned myself up, I went to the common room to see both Draco and Pansy waiting for me. “Is it my imagination, or are there less people around?” I asked, glancing at the mostly empty common room. Draco’s smirk widened at my question while Pansy hugged my arm. “I heard something unmissable was happening at Three Broomsticks inn. Most of the 4 years and above are already there.” I frowned while we walked through the halls of school. “What’s there that’s so important?” Draco could only shrug, not knowing the answer himself. With my interest peaked and a distraction in sight, we all made our way to Hogsmeade.

The main road to the town was averagely populated, however there was one large exception at the front of the Three Broomsticks we were headed to. School boys from all houses were bunched in front of the door beside one another. Even Crabbe and Goyle were present, although being shoved out of the inn through the crowd. “Don’t look. Don’t look.” I muttered, Draco, Pansy and I avoiding their eye contact for aid with the ‘lower masses’. We all looked around at the other shops filled predominantly with scowling girls, all leering at the crowd of men in front of the inn.

“Oh! It’s Pansy Parkinson!” One Ravenclaw boy yelled, pointing at us. I instantly was on edge, until to my shock he waved us along with the rest of the boys. “Here she is!” “She’s right here!” “I found her!” “No you didn’t!” They all began to quickly argue while we stood frozen in place. “Do you know what’s going on?” I asked Draco, still keeping watch as the crowd devolved to more infighting. “Not even a little. Haha!” Draco responded back, more amused at the scene than anything.

The fighting stopped as soon as it started, all of them like cats with their gaze fixated on a single toy dangling inches from them. The distinctive long silver hair sent rocks deep in my stomach. ‘We made a mistake.’ I could hardly curse at my own stupidity before her fake smile grew at the sight of us. “Ah! My fiend! Panzy!” She yelled in a more thick accent than I remembered. “Join me!” She waved us in, the swaths of boys making way for her to better ignore them.

“This is bad… We’re in her territory now.” Draco muttered, clearly understanding in the single day she had been here she had already been enthralling herself an army. Blind masses are quick to spread rumors and have the safety of numbers to ease their worries of retaliation. “We can turn and leave right now…” I whispered to Pansy, not sure what Fleur’s game was, but not wanting to play it for Pansy’s safety. A few seconds of thought, and Pansy lightly shook her head. “No, if we walk now then that will just grant her more to attack us with.”

I hated that she was right. I had figured that leaving would hurt our public image, but I was willing to take a small loss here to prevent a possible bigger one in the future from being close to that woman. ‘It’s obvious she wants to stab us in the back.’ I wanted to say what we all knew, but bit my tongue. Taking a small breath to steady myself, and assert my mask, I glanced between Draco and Pansy. We all gave one another a look of approval, before walking into the lioness’ den.

***

“Idiots…” Hermione muttered at the horde of horny boys that practically laid themselves out for Fleur’s mere acknowledgment. One of which being Ron, sitting across from the table where she sat. He was squished together with five other boys in the same booth while Fleur casually took the opposite for just herself. “I know.” Ginny agreed, looking at her older brother with disappointment.

“Let’s not be too mean. He might have a chance.” Harry carefully and optimistically rebutted. Ron was the only one of their group who sat away from them, that and Luna who had gotten sick and was still staying in her room for a few days. Ron's only request was for Harry to hang back and not gather attention as the famous ‘boy who lived’. Hermione rolled her eyes, however a sudden commotion at the door to the Three Broomsticks paused her poison tongue from striking.

Lucas, Malfoy, and Pansy all stepped in, each looking at the mob of boys with disgust. ‘Oh please don’t…’ Hermione thought, the worry of having Lucas fall under Fleur’s spell sending her stomach in knots. However, one glance was all it took to see through his fake smile he usually placed on with other purebloods. “Zo glad ‘ou came! Zit! Zit!” Fleur cheered happily while yanking Lucas beside her before Pansy could take it herself. ‘Is it the other way around!?’ Hermione thought, her jaw opening slightly in shock while the rest of the love-struck boys poorly hid their horror.

***

Draco could see Lucas barely managing to stop himself from yanking his arm away from Fleur’s grasp in an attempt to stop her from dragging him further into the closed booth. The glares and unhidden hatred from all the boys left Draco and most likely Lucas, a foreboding image of this school year. ‘She’s got Slytherin’s doing it! This is bad.’ Burying the idea of living on eggshells even in their own common room, Draco was about to tell Fleur off, but was halted from the sudden defense of Pansy gingerly scooting herself into the booth. “Oh silly me, I forgot this was how we were sitting when we first met.” Pansy casually giggled while taking a seat directly onto Lucas’ lap, resting her head between Fleur’s and his, creating a small barrier.

***

‘Thank Merlin this is the day after…’ I nervously bit my lip while Pansy cheekily grabbed both my arms to drape around herself, scooting herself deeper into my lap as a sign of marking her territory. “Next time you want me to sit next to you, you don’t need to expect Lucas to be my seat, okay?” She asked with a smirk, easily dispelling the idea Fleur put into her own angry mob while also using it to leap our own relationship further in one fell swoop. Fleur’s ditsy smile cramped for a mere moment, before being plastered back on thicker than before. “Uv course! I vill remembar fo’ ze futar!” ‘Most likely why she’s also leaning into her accent more…’

It was then that Draco and I shared a look with one another; both of us understanding that this was more Pansy’s game. We both could be socially adept, living in high society demanded it. However, nothing close to what Pansy was capable of. ‘If I’m being honest, I left most social things to Pansy. Avoiding speaking to others at school has really dulled my edge…’ With a future self improvement to work on added to the pile, I just held Pansy tighter, thankful for her help.

“Um.. How exactly did you both become friends?” Weasley across the table interjected, sparking a whole conversation of last year’s winter event. For the next long while, Pansy and Fleur verbally parried one another under the guise of friends talking and reminiscing about the past. Just attempting to read between the lines made both Draco and I’s heads spin, let alone firing back verbal ripostes ourselves. “Oh don’t sell yourself so short, Fleur! I’m sure that when you get picked for the Triwizard Tournament, you’ll finally win an event unlike that stent of bad luck last year!” Pansy sweetly encouraged Fleur. Who, not to be outdone, fired back. “I vish I ‘ad your optimism Panzy! ‘Owevar, I don’ ‘ave a boyfiend to vin all my matches ‘or me.”

Each girl damning the other with praise, finally I couldn’t take anymore. After politely laughing at Fleur’s words, I casually glanced at my watch. “Oh, is that the time? Pansy, weren’t we planning on going to Madam Padifoot’s tea shop?” I asked Pansy, hinting at my desire to leave while also hoping to bribe her with sweets to go along with my lie. Pansy was quick to catch on, her fake smile making way for her usual real cramp inducing grin. “Oh, of course! How could I forget our date at Puddifoot's!? We can continue catching up some other time, right Fleur?”

While both girls got a few other verbal jabs in, Draco kicked my leg with his foot, glaring at me with betrayal. ‘Don’t you dare leave me here!’ I could almost hear him screaming with his eyes. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a good excuse for all of us, leaving Draco as the odd-man out for my escape. ‘Think of something on your own!’ I thought back, already tired from the constant social pressure we were under. This was now every man for himself.

“Alright, I suppose we should go before the lunch rush. Draco, scoot out would you?” Pansy waved away her fake laughter, before asking Draco to be the sacrificial lamb. Draco cleared his throat, leaving the table for us. “Ah, you know what? I still owe you for when you paid for Honeydukes that time I left my pouch in my room. I’ll go and take your tab at Pad- Pud- um whatever it is.” Draco offered, latching himself onto our escape, and dragging us down with his poor excuse.

***

Not understanding the discussion between girls, Harry was only given the insight through Hermione’s and Ginny’s reactions, Chiara wincing at everything didn’t help much, and Luna was missing today. “What are they actually saying?” Eventually, he whispered to Hermione, needing to understand Hermione’s badly hidden smirks and chuckles at the discussion. S-Sure…” She muttered between giggles at Pansy being insulted. Eventually Peterson, growing tired of the fighting, tried to leave at the cost of Draco. Pansy leapt aboard the idea, however Draco didn’t go down without a fight.

“Oh don’t worry. You can just pay Lucas the Galleons now and stay here.” (Don’t encroach on our date, Draco.)

“Actually I was thinking of getting something quickly for myself while I was there.” (Just let me leave with you! I won’t even stay long!)

“Oh that’s fine, we’ll just get a box after we’re done. It’s the least we could do.” (Not happening. It’s our date. Now think of your own excuse, and leave us alone.)

After watching Peterson and Parkinson leave the inn, and hearing the real words each of them were saying from the help of Hermione, this was the first time Harry actually felt genuinely bad for Draco.