Chosen || Draco Malfoy

25 - Ghost Town

I think Dumbledore hates me.

He's making me take Occlumency lessons with Snape and even though he is a little bit hot, I just cannot abide greasy hair.

I mean, is it that difficult to put a bit of shampoo in it? I pondered about buying him some and calling it a belated Christmas gift or something. But then I'd have to buy all the other teachers the same and that seemed like too much money and effort to me.

So, I just sucked it up, imagining that I were somewhere else fun like in an Umbridge detention.

He got all of these embarrassing memories out of me, including the time I'd accidentally worn a Donna Karen knock off. I mean, in my defence, it looked genuine as fuck.

And when he made me relive Harry's death, I found myself passed out on the floor.

Cunt.

*****

Defence Against the Dark Arts was excruciating since our return from Christmas.

Having my desk right next to Draco's meant that the scent of his cologne was always tickling my nose and his low chuckle sounded extra soft in my ear.

I tried to act as though we hadn't been practically fornicating on the dance floor, or being the reason he no longer had a girlfriend.

Luckily, Umbridge's lessons were usually almost done in silence as we supposedly read the course book. Seemed a bit of a cop out on her part really. Here she was getting a salary for sitting on her backside and I was getting naff all for my kick ass carefully planned classes which I was doing around my schoolwork and around my Quidditch practice.

"I hope you're ready to get your arse whipped this weekend, Diggory."

My ears pricked up.

It was the start of another lesson of Defence Against the Dark Arts and we'd all seated before Umbridge had even shown her face.

I turned to see Draco leaning across the gap separating our desks, his grey eyes glinting with glee.

Of course. It was Hufflepuff Vs Slytherin. I'd be competing directly against him.

"The only arse whipping you will be partaking in, Malfoy," I snarled back without missing a beat, "is one where I'm holding the whip."

A flash of amusement in his eyes as a smirk flickered at his lips. "Oh, I doubt that very much, Diggory. Something tells me that's not the way you like it at all."

I swallowed, my mouth feeling suddenly very dry. I couldn't stop glancing at his lips, recalling how they felt when they had been attacking mine.

"Get a grip, Cece." Harry suddenly muttered loudly on my other side. "You couldn't be more fucking obvious if you tried."

I tried not to react, instead coolly turning away from Draco in the pretence of taking my book out of my bag.

"Fuck off, Harry." I mumbled as quietly as I could without moving my lips.

I could hear Draco chuckling as he too turned back round in his seat to face the front of the room.

My face felt hot and I was annoyed at myself for feeling humiliated so easily.

Harry had been standoffish with me ever since I had returned from Sirius's. He hadn't asked me how my Christmas was, or even if Sirius was happy - just kept the subject to the lesson plans for DA instead. He turned down my suggestions of hanging out in the Astronomy Tower after hours or simply going for a walk around the grounds together.

He was sulking, and I was getting fed up.

All because of a stupid kiss.

"I mean, you could kiss anyone you wanted," Harry continued to complain as Umbridge marched into the class telling everyone to start reading chapter sixteen in complete silence. "You're beautiful to the point where people would even question their sexuality. Of course Malfoy fancies you. No doubt he tugs off thinking about you in the shower-"

"WILL YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP, HARRY!"

The room fell silent as I slowly lowered myself down in my seat, wanting the earth to just open up and swallow me whole.

"Harry? As in Potter?!" Draco snickered next to me.

Umbridge's eyes bulged open in horror as the entire class erupted into laughter ("Diggory's talking to a dead guy! Next she'll be having a chat to Quirrell and going to a tea party with You-Know-Who!").

"LORD VOLDEMORT IS NOT DEAD!" I bellowed, getting extremely fed up of this shit.

Plus, the fact that they were all acting as though talking to dead people was a sure sign of mental illness when we had fucking house ghosts and poltergeists in the castle was starting to grate on my tits.

Bonus days though, cause I scored myself another sweet detention with Umbridge's magic quill.

*****

Harry was waiting for me after my detention, looking shamefaced as I stormed right through him.

"Cece, I'm really, truly sorry," he called after me, hurrying to keep up. "Did she make you cut your hand open again?"

I wheeled around furiously on the spot, glaring at him. "It's not even the fact that I got a detention. It's the fact that ever since the Christmas party you have been treating me as though you think I'm some kind of hoe and I'm not happy! It's you I wanted to kiss that night, and yes I enjoyed it. I enjoyed it because I thought that was exactly what I was doing!"

"Look, I'm not here to talk about that. You're free to kiss whomever you want."

"Then what are you here for, exactly?" I snapped impatiently. I was tired and just wanted to go and lie in bed and enjoy the sensation of my hand burning in peace.

"To put forward a suggestion that may finally get people in believing you about Voldemort returning."

"Well, I'd invite him to the school to do a meet and greet with the students but I expect his diary's a little full these days."

"How about employing Luna's dad to publish an interview with you in the Quibbler?"

I scrunched my nose up. "The Quibbler? As if! Good lord, like my reputation isn't in tatters enough already."

"No, hear me out, Cece," Harry implored, his face lighting up in eagerness. "You tell everyone exactly what happened. The true story. All the facts. You give them all the details, all the names of the undiscovered Death Eaters, what Voldemort looks like now, and believe me, people will find it harder to argue you with you if you lay it all out on the table."

"Hmmm," I said sceptically, imagining only too well the reaction to such an article. "I don't know, Harry. I've got a lot on, what with Quidditch and the DA-"

"More important than getting the world to believe that you are not a liar? Or to let them know that I didn't die as a result of a nasty accident but was murdered by the very same monster who murdered my parents?!"

Damn Harry, playing that victim card again.

"Fine," I muttered huffily. "But I'm only doing it on one condition."

"Anything," Harry said at once, looking as though he was stopping himself from doing a jig.

"Be my friend again... I-I miss you."

I saw the telltale sign of Harry's blush which he quickly hid as he stood tall before me, folding his arms authoritatively across his chest.

"Talk to Hermione about getting Rita Skeeter to do the interview this Valentine's Day, then we've got ourselves a deal."

I agreed, but unless Hermione had something over that fake reporting bitch, I doubted it was ever going to happen.

*****