Traitor: A Draco Malfoy Story

thirty-two

I knew I'd fucked up.

The more I sat in the Great Hall with Jenna, looking around desperately to see any of the members of the DA, or even Malfoy for that matter, the more I knew that I'd really done it this time. None of them were at dinner.

In fact, the Great Hall was nearly empty. Everyone was probably either too upset to show their faces or desperately studying for O.W.Ls that would be happening the next couple of days.

I hadn't told Jenna what had happened, but I didn't need to. Harry had made sure that people knew I was out with Malfoy. 

"I told you getting involved with him wouldn't be a good idea," she sighed as she pushed mashed potatoes around her plate, drawing little designs in her gravy.

"We weren't even involved," I huffed. "Honestly, he saved my ass from a special type of punishment that Umbridge had cooked up for me so he could interrogate me himself, and then..."

"Then you went out for a joyride on your Firebolts."

"When you put it like that, it sounds awful," I rolled my eyes. "But he was actually being semi-vulnerable and I heard him laugh for Christ's sake. Like a real, honest to God, laugh."

"I'm glad you had fun," Jenna said, her voice flat. "Meanwhile, the rest of the DA was in detention writing lines with their own blood."

"I didn't ask for any of this to happen!" I snapped.

"But you didn't do anything to stop it either."

"What was I supposed to do, tell Umbridge, 'Oh, no actually I am a part of the DA, Malfoy is a liar, and by the way, I'm a Muggle too'?" I said, throwing my fork down on my plate. "He owed me, it's a good thing he did what he did or I'd be hexing him right about now."

"Or stealing his magic," she mumbled.

Hurt filled my chest as I looked across the table at her. "That was a low blow, even for you."

"Look," she sighed, not caring to apologize. "All I'm saying is, you're doing a whole lot of caring about yourself. What exactly does Malfoy owe you for? He stopped you from falling, then tried to Cruciate you. So you're even there. But he was there for you when you found out about your family, he was there for you when you stole Pansy's magic....you may not want to hear this, because yes, he's a foul, loathsome, evil little cockroach, but honestly, Azalea, you owe him."

I sat in silence, knowing she was right but too proud to admit it. Finally, she spoke up again after finishing her meal.

"You probably really hurt him today, so don't expect him to be kind to you for a while."

"Never thought I'd be the one hurting him," I mumbled, guilt creeping into my chest, heavy against my ribs.

"You should go to the match tomorrow," she suggested as she stood up. "You got to fly with him today, and you should go see him do it for real. We're playing Gryffindor."

I nodded. "Yeah, I'll go."

She sighed. "Listen, I believe you about flying yesterday, but a lot of people don't think that's what happened. I think Harry's been saying you were tangled up on the grounds. People are going to draw their own conclusions."

As we walked out of the Great Hall, I kept scanning the room for anyone I knew. But I was only met with scathing glares from strangers. It was kind of a full-circle, ironic moment. I'd been introduced to Harry to get rid of horrible rumors about me, and now he was the one starting them. 

What a chosen one.

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"Go, go, Gryffindor!"