Draco, darling

35.

"This is all for today, have a good evening," said Professor Flitwick, bringing the attention of his students from where he stood. They had been practicing a spell that made things flatten, like if a hammer had fallen on them. Meli had made a joke about Jane not needing it and received a slap on the shoulder.

As they walked to their next class, Meli's mind wandered to her sister's whereabouts for the first time in weeks. The last letter she sent arrived to Hogwarts approximately two months before with little informations on her current situation. Of course, Meli had forwarded the letter to her parents and they had been bugging her for more information since then. Meli really hoped Elae would write to them soon. She didn't care what her older sister was doing but for Meli's sake, the girl had better be ok.

It was so like her, to just disappear like that. Elae didn't care how dependent their parents were of her or how her departure impacted Meli's everyday life. The only sentiment Meli had left for her sister was indifference and anger for leaving her eleven years old ass to deal with their parents alone.

Meli felt Jane at her side, looking at her not as discreetly as she thought she was. She wondered how her friend always seemed to know what she was thinking about and when it was something not very joyful. Jane stayed silent.

In front of them. Draco was walking with Blaise and the sight of him scolding at whatever joke Blaise told him placed a smile on Meli's face.

Draco rolled his eyes and they fell on Meli, which made him smirk back at her. Then, his glance darted to something over her shoulder and his lips twisted into an edgy line. Meli knew what was the cause of this before she even felt the pressure of a hand on her shoulder.

Turning around sharply, she faced Louis, the look of surprise evident on his face.

The boy's every emotion, every thought, could be easily read in his features. He didn't know how to hide them. Probably couldn't lie very well either. Meli wasn't about to tell him; who knows when you can use something like that?

"What do you want? Why are you here?" She glanced behind him, spotting two boys obviously waiting for him. It was the end of the day. He should be with them, on his way to their common room before supper.

Louis hesitated, opening and closing his mouth once. Twice. "I'm here to..." Thrice.

"Great. You think about that and I'll just go alright?" She began turning back to Jane, who had kept walking a few steps before realizing her friend had been stopped. Draco and Blaise were walking again, the former with his shoulder tensed.

"Meli, please lisent to me?" Louis asked, his voice almost a whine.

Why does he have to be so dramatic?

"Sure, if you promise to leave me alone after."

"Just hear me out." he said. Meli chose not to point out that he didn't promise and followed him reluctantly in an empty classroom. She stayed up and close to the door, eager to leave and be done with him.

Meli and Louis had been on two dates. The first one went incredibly well; left her blushing with butterflies in the stomach. The second one went horribly and it was his fault. Meli didn't doubt herself at all on this point. And that was it. Shit happens and she had been ready to move on from the false, made up boy she thought Louis always was. She didn't have to deal with him if she didn't want to.

"You saw me, right? At the first task?" Meli nodded yes to his questions. "The woman talking to me was my mother. She's part of the committee organizing the tournament. She'll be here all year long."

Meli didn't know why the hell he was telling her about his mother but the pained looked he arbored convinced her to let him speak.

"My mother can be... Difficult. We don't have the best relationship, you know? She wants me to be things I can't be and she doesn't care for the things I am. She wants me to find a nice, cute girlfriend with a nice, cute family and get married and give her three nice, cute grandchildren. And I want anything else than that."

"So you used me to make her angry?" Meli frowned. Did he really think that would help his case?

"No! No, no, no. I like you, Meli, I really do. But she doesn't. She knows about that time we went out last summer and already, she hated you. Because you're a Slytherin and well, she has very strong opinions on Slytherins. But I didn't use you to make her angry. I promise." He looked deeply into her eyes during the last sentence, making sure the massage was received.

"What happened at the Three Broomsticks then?" He still hadn't explained the tipping point of the small–very small–thing they had going on.

Louis winced. "I'm sorry about that. I thought I was alright but my mother had just talked to me so I was distracted and I don't even remember what happened and next thing I know, I was disappointing someone. Again. I just had enough and that's why I exploded. I'm so sorry about it, I was such a dick to you."

Meli certainly wasn't about to disagree. Instead, she looked at the brown-haired boy standing in front of her, a mix of guilt and hope shining in his eyes.

The girl knew all about complicated relationships with parents. She could understand how Louis was feeling deep in her bones and while that was never the reason for her lashes-out, she could see how it would make him act differently. Meli hated how much she got it and how much she wanted to forgive Louis. But what else was there to do? She hoped Draco, Jane or Blaise would forgive her if she ever became a bitch over something so small and insignificant as a food order. She knew they would.

"Don't ever do it again, that's all I ask. It was confusing and weird and confusing again." she said, bobbing her head side to side along her words.

"I swear on my life." Louis said with a grin. And for all Meli knew, his chivalrous Gryffindor ass could be serious.

He held the door open for her and she nodded with a smile to thank him. Jane, leaning on the wall across the hallway, frowned at the polite gesture. Her eyes shot daggers at Louis' back as he strolled away.

"Am I still hating him?" she asked, accelerating to keep up with Meli, who was already leaving.

Meli chuckled at the implications that Jane would adjust her feelings towards Louis depending on what Meli told her. "You can stop hating him but you're not a fan of him."

"Well, well, what could he possibly have told you to make you change your mind?" Jane looked at her sideways.

"He kissed me and asked my hand in marriage."

"Oh dear, I'm delighted for you! Has he talked to your father about the dowry? And what about the other suitors?" Jane said dramatically, fanning herself with a hand.

"My blessed friend, love is love and I cannot fight it. I shall get married to Sir McCartney as soon as possible." Meli went along, exaggeratedly batting her eyelashes.

They kept their imitations going with laughs all the way to the Slytherin common room. Jane was the one to say the password and as he went through the door, she placed an index on her lips. Meli rolled her eyes but stayed silent and Jane made her way to a couch where Blaise and Draco were sitting. Slowly, the brunette slipped towards the two boys and suddenly, grabbed Blaise's shoulders and screamed. But the biggest surprise in the event was when Blaise screamed in return, his voice impressively high-pitched.

Draco, who had only jumped slightly from the surprise, turned and stared at his friend. "Was that you?"

Blaise, trying to recover from the shock, shook his head erratically. "No. My screams are deep and manly. That one was Meli."

Meli smiled confidently. "I sure as hell don't sound like that. I'm pretty certain it was you, Blaise."

"It was not. Stop saying that!" Blaise stood abruptly and began heading to his dorm.

"There's no shame in it, mate." Draco told Blaise's back with a smile.

"It wasn't me!" the boy yelled from the staircase. As he said the words, Jane mouthed them perfectly alongside him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I HAVE TWO EXAMS LEFT BEFORE IM DONE WITH SCHOOL FOR THIS YEAR.

AND IM ALSO SORRY FOR NOT POSTING BEFORE NOW I HAVE NO GOOD EXCUSE.

...THATS ALL.

HOPE YOU ENJOYED,

Laeti