Chapter 37. Reconciliation

Waking up, I still had the feeling of her gentle weight, right where the blood of hers I stored laid on my chest. “Morning Lucas!” Val yelled, excited for breakfast, unknowing of the night I just had. Today was close to the end of classes, where all of our finals were due. I looked at Val, slithering out of his tank, and onto my desk. I got up and patted his head a bit. He hissed happily, his tail wagging like a dog. “Good Morning Val.”

I smiled weakly, still saddened, but that strange dream last night lifted my spirits. A part of me felt that I couldn’t see her, but she was happy now. It was a strange feeling to say the least, and I still felt sad that she was gone like this, but I was nowhere near as depressed as I was going to sleep last night.

I met up with Pansy and Draco for breakfast, both of them wondering what I did for detention last night. “So, what did they have all of you do?” Draco asked, Pansy looking over her book of potions for our final. I clutched my chest as I spoke. “Going into the forbidden forest…” I mumbled, not wanting to explain much more, the wounds of last night were still fresh. “Woah, that place gives me the creeps… Did you see anything out there?” Draco asked, I clutched my chest tighter. “No, nothing much… I’m going to get some air.”

Draco and Pansy watched Lucas rush out of the Great Hall. “He definitely saw something.” Draco said with a frown, eating some more of his breakfast. Pansy frowned while looking at where Lucas left. After some thinking, she finally got up from her seat. “I’m going to talk to him.” She announced to Draco, he nodded before conversing a bit with Crabbe and Goyle, a few other acquaintances of his.

Pansy went outside, near the lake where Lucas usually went to talk and play with Abarrane. The morning breeze brushed past her face, blowing her dark black hair into her eyes. Moving it out of the way, she was shocked to see Lucas standing together alongside that Gryffindor girl with the horrible hair, Hermione. She could only hear bits and pieces as they both stood beside each other at the water’s edge.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, skipping a pebble on the water’s surface into the shallows. Hermione was silent, I only saw her staring down at her own reflection in the water. I threw another stone in silence before Hermione finally spoke. “Thank you…” She mumbled, leaving me confused over what she was talking about. Sensing my confusion, Hermione explained. “For helping Chiara and I in the bathroom.”

The incident that seemed so long ago that I almost forgot. “Why bring that up now?” I asked, swirling another smooth rock in my hand. Hermione remained silent, the breeze pushing her hair into her face. She spoke while fixing her hair, tucking it behind her ears. “I don’t… know.” She muttered, her eyes darkened. “I just… Think I misunderstood you…”

I frowned at my own reflection, dropping the stone, and watching it distort my face as Hermione continued to speak. “I thought you wanted to prove that you were above everybody else, that you were the most selfish person I had met… But nobody selfish could…” Her voice trailed off before I might get angry at her for talking about it. “So what?” I mumbled, not wanting her opinion of me to change. I was fine with her thinking I was selfish and uncaring, it was best for the both of us. If my parents thought I was beginning to care for things under our ‘noble heritage’ I might change schools, and be placed on tighter watch.

Hermione scoffed as I turned around, wanting to leave this situation, and stop myself from remembering last night. As I began walking away, I heard Hermione rush over to me. To my shock, I felt her arms wrap around my body, keeping me in a bear hug. I froze in place, my arms hindered from Hermione’s grip on me. We stood in silence for a few moments before she let me go. Standing frozen in shock, I couldn't even mutter a word, before she ran off back towards the castle.

“Are we friends with her now?” Val asked, slithering up to my collar. I sighed and shook my head. “No… Now I’m going to have to make her hate me more.” “Why? I’m confused.” Val hissed, and I couldn’t explain it well to him. I couldn’t risk her wanting to be close, images of Merlin’s life as described by him came to mind. I wouldn’t be able to handle that. It was much better just lying. “It’s just how things are…” I murmured, seeing that Hermione, while indeed nice, was someone I could never be friends with. Right alongside Chiara, the strange Hufflepuff girl.

Pansy watched in shock as the Gryffindor girl, trying to get close to Lucas now. Something in Pansy’s chest stirred watching her place her arms around Lucas. She already didn’t like her for already running into Lucas so often, but this was different. Something squirmed in Pansy seeing Lucas becoming close to her. No… Watching her force herself close to him. A disgusting mudblood trying to get close to Lucas.

After I was finished with my finals for the day, I rested my mind in my room, my one hand resting over my chest, while my other draped over my eyes. My strange dream, still memorable. While I laid down in silence, someone knocked on my door. I jumped a bit in surprise, but got up when the knocking came again. I was fairly sure who it was, knowing the particular way she always knocked. I opened the door, and saw Pansy standing before me, with a few books in hand for tomorrow's finals.

“I would like to study for our finals tomorrow.” She said, gazing into my mostly packed room. I opened the door further, allowing her inside. She silently walked in, and I closed the door behind her. “Hi Val.” She waved at Valdemar inside of his tank. “Hi Pansy!” Val waved his tail, hissing her name the best he could. “What subject are you having the most trouble in?” I asked, hoping to direct the topic so my mind would be occupied with anything at the moment.

Pansy and I studied history the most, a subject both of us were having a bit of trouble with. However, about an hour into our studies, and there was a lull in our speaking, Pansy asked something that caught me completely off-guard. “What happened in that forest?” I froze under the sudden question, my hand clasping my chest. “What do you mean?” I asked, trying to act innocent, however Pansy’s eyes already stared at my hand, quickly discovering I was quite literally hiding something.

She grabbed at the leather made necklace. Just as I grabbed her hand to get her to stop, she had already pulled the vial outside of my shirt. Pansy gasped, her jaw dropped in shock. “Is this-?” She began asking, but paused when she saw my face. “Unicorn blood…” I muttered, biting my lip, having to already relive that night. Pansy stared into me, waiting for me to explain, her gaze determined.

I gulped before speaking, avoiding her gaze as I spoke, trying to whisper so Val couldn't hear. Val didn’t understand English too well, but I still didn’t want him picking up on anything. “We were… looking for an injured unicorn.” I took the vial from Pansy, and stared at it as I spoke. “Turns out a dark wizard was hunting it for its blood… After I scared him away, I… I… I held the unicorn as it died…” I gripped the vial tightly as I forced the last words from my lips.

Without a word Pansy stood up from her seat, and wrapped her arms around my head as I remained seated. She held me tightly in her chest as I sniffled a bit, not wanting to get tears or snot on her robes. After some time she let me go, looking down at me with worry and sadness. “I’m sorry…” She whispered, not having anything else to say. I smiled a bit at her caring for me, having friends was nice, even if I had to lie to her.

Pansy, after seeing Lucas’ appreciative smile, understood what was happening. ‘While Lucas is vulnerable like this, you’re trying to get close to him, you filthy mudblood? Lucas doesn’t want or need someone like you close to him. I’m all he needs.’