Traitor: A Draco Malfoy Story

thirty

I don't know what sort of spell McGonagall had told Snape to cast on the Slytherin students who had witnessed the incident with Parkinson, but they made no mention of it to anyone after. My only fear was that Pansy herself might talk. I had something on Malfoy, which is why he made no mention of who I was or what I was to anyone, but I had nothing on her. If anything, she had something on me.

I'd seen the two of them only a few times in passing since that night in the hospital wing, and Malfoy had been back to his old insult-throwing antics for a few weeks. I didn't know whether to be relieved or upset he'd reverted to making my life hell after his display of comfort, affection, and support with what happened. Granted, one of the main reasons I even got myself in that situation was because of him. Parkinson wouldn't have known any of what she did without getting the information straight from Malfoy's mouth. A lot of things came from that mouth, whether kisses or rumors, but always a surprise. However, it seemed like the buzz from the news about our first kiss had all but died after Christmas break.

"Azalea!" Jenna snapped her fingers in front of my face and I blinked out of my daydream, fork held in midair with green beans pointing every which way. "Welcome back to the land of the real," she smiled when I shook the fog from my head. "As I was saying, Malfoy's back to ranting about finding Harry's quote, 'secret club' for Umbridge. Between you and me, I think he's just mad he wasn't included."

"Secret club?" I laughed. Ribbons of anxiety began to wrap themselves around my stomach. For the most part, the DA meetings had been pretty uneventful as far as getting in and out of the Room of Requirement safely, which was a miracle because Umbridge's Inquisitorial Squad was constantly prowling the school grounds, looking for innocent students to punish in the name of upholding school rules. But were they to catch us, all of that extra training that I very much needed would be out the window.

"Personally, I think it's great. Ethan loves it, and I would go if it didn't conflict with my tutoring time for Ancient Runes. We aren't learning anything from Umbitch. She's probably only mad because she doesn't know how to control them."

"How did he find out that it was even a thing?" I hoped Malfoy wouldn't ask me about it. He was right during our fight: I am a terrible liar.

"Not sure, but like I said when you first arrived, word travels fast about any suspicious behavior and rumors grow bigger and bigger." She shrugged and switched topics, rambling on and on about how Ethan was forcing her to do his homework for Charms before he would introduce her to Zacharias Smith, a Chaser on the Hufflepuff Quidditch team. I'd seen him at the DA meetings, but I hadn't talked to him. From what Jenna had told me, he had "the most glittering blue eyes, like deep pools of the purest mountain water." Jenna was absolutely smitten.

As Jenna and I walked out of the Great Hall together, Hermione waved me over to where she and Ron stood. I'd nearly forgotten we had a DA meeting today. 

"You coming this time?" I asked.

"Can't," she responded, wiggling her eyebrows with a mischievous grin. "Zacharias is waiting for me."

I rolled my eyes, but couldn't help but smile.

"I'm so excited for today," Hermione bubbled. "Harry said we're going to learn the Patronus Charm!"

I'd finally figured out what dementors were after spending Christmas with Lupin, whom Harry's friends could thank for teaching him the Patronus Charm. I'd learned a lot about magic from Lupin during that week. I missed my new friends at the Order.

I bounded after the pair, and we walked past the empty wall three times for the Room of Requirement to open. But before I closed the heavy wooden doors, I saw a flash of black and green hurry around a corner. I shrugged. They probably hadn't seen anything if they were that far away.