The Dark Angel

Chapter 28 - Draco's Realisation

(THIRD PERSON)

Stella was mad, Draco knew that very well. He could practically feel the anger radiating off her. He knew that what he had done was wrong and inappropriate but in his anger, he forgot everything else. He was actually ashamed of himself. He had insulted them after they had agreed to change their ways.

He made it to the hospital wing where the matron greeted him with a grimace, “Back again so soon. It hasn’t even two hours.”

“Huh? That Potter decided to start hitting me along with those Weasels. Who does he think he is? He caught the snitch but that didn’t mean he can hit me,” he rattled while Madam Pomfrey rolled her eyes and worked on him.

However, his frustration changed to delight when he entered the common room and heard the news. Potter and those Weaslebees had been banned from playing Quidditch forever. He wanted to give Stella the news- sure she would be happy, especially about those twins. They had harmed her. Maybe she would forgive him then. But no matter how hard he searched the entire day, he couldn’t find his sister.

He asked everybody in the Slytherin house about her whereabouts but they yielded no answers. Finally, Bletchey said, “I gave her the news of the banning. She went to her dorm and then left. She hasn’t come back yet.”

He was going to go outside when the keeper again shouted, “Don’t go out Draco! It's past curfew- you have already been in enough trouble. She will be back soon. Wait here.”

Contemplating, he found his advice useful and decided to wait for Stella to arrive. The common room gradually thinned but there were still no signs of the silvery blond haired girl. Draco remained adamant- he would only sleep after he had apologised to his sister. But soon he fell into a deep slumber on the soft couch.

He was woken up by the sound of the entrance door opening. He had only managed to catch the glimpse of a silvery blond hair. He got to his legs ready to follow his sister. Only then did he notice that a blanket had been wrapped around him- it was Stella’s blanket which he had gifted to her. With a sudden warmth in his heart, he quickly opened the door.

Stella Malfoy had been sleeping peacefully in her dorm when she was awoken by the signals on her watch. She was furious with the teacher- she had caused enough trouble for the day, yet she wasn’t satisfied. Turning on her television, she found that Umbitch had been working when she got up to look outside her window and exited her office.

She frowned- how was she going to find her like this? She mentally added inventing a spell that would help track a person to her to-do list and set searching. She had been looking around the castle for almost an hour when she saw Umbitch coming up the stairs. She was going to transform into a cat, thanks to her metamorphagus power when someone grabbed her and pulled her to a broom closet. It was her brother, Draco, who had placed a hand over her mouth and was listening against the door.

When he was confident that nobody was around, he opened the door and the lead them outside. He was furious enough not to wait for them to reach the dungeons before shouting, “Where on earth have you been all day?”

Jumping slightly at the outburst, she wandlessly cast ‘Muffliato’ within a hearing range. However, she was unaware that a certain trio had seen the two walking through the entrance hall under an invisibility cloak and had decided to follow them. They, too, were under the hearing area.

Glaring, Stella did not answer him. Knowing that he wasn’t going to get an answer, he asked, “What were you doing outside the common room at this time? And you can’t ignore this- I deserve an answer.”

Thinking quickly, Stella muttered, “I need some air- I was pretty upset by your stunt.”

“What stunt? They deserved it,” he tried to convince her.

“Did they? They got a lifelong ban because of your jealousy,” she shouted which took the trio as well as Draco by surprise.

“That Potter- he thinks that the world revolves around him. Everybody teacher basically idolises him and he gets away with everything. He thinks he is too clever and too talented-“

He was cut short by a snort from his sister from the other side. He was happy that she wasn’t angry anymore but he wanted to know what she found amusing. Seeing his confused glance, she clarified, “I would have probably considered you to be a gay if you weren’t my twin with how much you are obsessed with Harry.”

The words took a few minutes for everybody to sink in. Harry and Draco both had looks of utter disgust while the Ron and Hermione were pressing their knuckles into their mouths not to make any noise. Draco scowled, “First of all, I am not obsessed with Potter! Second, I am definitely not gay. And thirdly, why the hell did you call Potter Harry?”

“Ever since he had my respect,” she said, her chin held high.

“Stella, he is nothing but an attention seeker. I have known him for four years. He only cares about himself,” he said softly, hoping she would realise the mistake. He thought these things, to be honest. Under the cloak, Harry had balled up his fists in anger. Draco had always caused mayhem in his life but he wouldn’t let him take away his best friend.

Stella turned sharply and glared at his brother. He had been so much prejudiced on his father’s words that he wasn’t able to see things clearly.

“Harry Potter helped me when I had almost fallen down the stairs. He picked up my books and carried me to the hospital wing. He didn’t care that he would be late to his least favourite professor’s class where points would be taken away and he would be mocked. He only saw a girl who needed help. He didn’t see or judge the sister of his greatest bully,” she said softly. Harry was smiling at the girl who was loyal to him.

“If it had been the Weasley girl, you would have left her there. Heck, you might have traumatised her further, but he didn’t. He doesn’t care about himself; he is the most selfless person I have ever seen. And both of us know that if you ever were in mortal danger, he wouldn’t hesitate to save you as well,” she continued.

Draco stood her frozen. He realised that each word she had spoken was true. Harry was selfless. He was ready to get expelled for having a dragon for that oaf, he was ready to sacrifice himself to get the sorcerer’s stone, he had gone into the Chamber of Secrets to rescue the Weasley’s sister and so many other things he did not know about. He realised that he had been conceited and his sister had finally opened his eyes. But he wasn’t going to show it; he had too much pride after all.

“But he declined my friendship. A guy like that wouldn’t have done it,” he argued. Under the cloak, both Ron and Harry frowned, knowing exactly why he didn’t accept the proposal.

Stella rolled her eyes and said, “Sure, you insult the only person he found to be friendly and then threaten that he would ‘go the same way as his parents’; and you expect him to accept your friendship. I need to comment- this is the best friendship proposal ever!” Her sarcasm laced voice made the trio smile and Draco frown. He had never thought it like that. His father had always said that the Malfoy name would get him everything. That was how he had always introduced himself to others. And that was how he had learnt it. His father had taught him to threaten others when things didn't work their way.

“Accept it- he has your respect now as well,” she chuckled softly.

He smiled at his little sister and said, “He has my respect. I doubt he will ever forgive me for my actions. But I will be civil with him now.”

The trio was shocked at his words and confession.

Draco looked around and asked, “I am surprised nobody had heard our shouting match by now.”

She leant against the wall and smirked, “Did you forget who you were with?”

Draco chuckled and shook his head, “I really wonder how you couldn’t get into Ravenclaw. I wouldn’t be surprised if you turn out to be smarter than Dumbledore.”

Stella chuckled inwardly at the joke while moving to the dungeons. She was smarter than Dumbledore himself.

“I don’t know about that Dumbledore bit but Stella is really witty,” Hermione whispered as the Malfoys went out of earshot. Looking at the questioning looks of her friends, she clarified, “She was the one who came up with the galleon idea.”