｡+.*𝗚𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗜𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗔𝗜𝗥*+｡ [𝘿. 𝙈𝘼𝙇𝙁𝙊𝙔]¹

XXIX. NUMBER 5 & NUMBER 7

Ever since that first Quidditch practice, things between me and Malfoy had somehow managed to deteriorate even worse.

At first, I just avoided him--but, when he stubbornly kept trying to talk to me, that icy avoidance turned real ugly, real fast.

It almost made me angrier that he wasn't really fighting back.

--not that I gave him the chance.

On the upside, Daphne didn't have to worry about us driving her mad arguing--considering I've been sitting as far away from him as possible not just in class, but in any room we happened to occupy at the same time.

(at first, Malfoy tried to use our shared classes as a way to ambush me/neutral ground, which ultimately only blew up in his face and made things worse--but, something I'd been trying to ignore, he'd been leaving the seat beside him empty--).

The same couldn't be said for Flint and the rest of the guys on the team.

Quidditch was the only time we were forced together in an environment where I had no choice but to interact with him.

When I wasn't pointedly refusing to block Bludgers for him, Malfoy and I were at each other's throats.

(or, more accurately, I'd go out of my way to find reasons to go off at him, and he'd retaliate in his own defence, and it would just--spiral--).

It didn't help that he kept showing off on his stupid, expensive Nimbus Two Thousand and One--which just pissed me off even more.

We hadn't fought this brutally since early last year(before he snuck Pucey down to the paddock by Hagrid's where I was training to--).

The number of times that Flint had to have us physically separated had gotten ridiculous, and he was obviously losing his patience.

And all of that animosity just spilled over into everyday life.

Even Harry Ron and Hermione had tried to talk to me(which says a lot, seeing as me trying to murder Malfoy is 'business as usual' for them--but, then again, when I get angry I get fiery; going all bitter, cold snap Queen like this was a whole new tier of anger I usually reserve for people like Petunia and Vernon)--and Tracey Daphne Pansy and even Zabini kept trying to get me to tell them what Malfoy did to make me so mad(Pansy in particular was pushing me to talk it out with him, which just made us argue too and caused all this unnecessary tension between me and my dormmates).

I just had all of these horrible, frustrating feelings all pent-up in my chest, and I couldn't--

Suffice to say, things are super tense right now--like a violin string being slowly tightened until it was on the verge of snapping.