𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐒𝐨 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 |𝐃.𝐌 (re-write)

FIFTY-TWO

D A P H N E

My leg bounced anxiously under the table in the great hall. The chatter and laughter and various sounds of the dinner hall were nothing compared to the thundering of my heart. It is so unlike Eliza to lie to me—and now I am both concerned and trying to decide if she needed me to cover for her.

"Will you stop," Pansy muttered, placing a firm hand on my knee, "She will be back—"

"It's been twenty minutes," I blurted, "and the boys will be here any second. Draco will—"

Pansy looked at me, her eyes deep in thought.

"Do you think she needs us to lie for her?" Pansy questioned. She and I both knew how protective Draco was over Eliza. He is going to wonder where she is and if he finds out she has lied to us about her whereabouts and that we do not know where she is either. Merlin. . . just the thought of the destruction he would do was catastrophic.

"Yes," I said too fast, "we lie and then we go and look for her and find out what the hell is going on."

Pansy nodded her agreement and her eyes darted to the entrance of the hall, "shit, here they come."

My eyes looked up and in walked Theo and Blaise swaggering their way in alongside Draco.

My leg began bouncing again, "Is now a bad time to let you know I'm a bad liar?"

Pansy sighed, "I'll do the talking. You just follow my lead, "Her hand held my knee harder under the table, "Eliza is helping Mcgonagall in the library."

"Yes," I let out just as the boys caught our eyes, "Eliza is helping Mcgonagall in the library."

"I'm starving," Blaise said as he settled himself on the bench opposite us, Draco and Balise following suit as they began grabbing food from the center of the table.

Pansy gave me a look and I shakily smiled.

"You two alright?" Theo asked as he bit into a chicken wing.

"Yes," Pansy purred softly, "how was your day?"

"It was—"

"Where's Eliza?" Draco's stern voice cut through and Theo and Blaise both looked along the bench realizing Eliza was not here with us.

Shit. I quickly sipped some water from my cup as Pansy furrowed her brows, "Oh—she's in the library, helping Mcgonagall."

"Why?" Draco asked, "What would Mcgonagoll need help with?"

"I don't know," Pansy snapped, seeming annoyed by Draco's questions, "Eliza is just nice like that."

For a moment, Pansy's and Draco's eyes remained locked and held in an intense stare. I could have sworn the hall became quieter and the air stiffened. I anxiously looked between them.

"She would have told me," Draco abruptly said and Pansy chuckled slowly.

Draco looked at me and I instantly looked away, finding myself very thirsty and finishing the water in my glass.

"Are you two covering for her?" Draco asked, "is she—" he said quietly and then shook his head, "she isn't with someone else?"