Nott Your Boyfriend | A Slytherin/Hufflepuff Romance

Chapter 34: I Need To Talk To You In Person

"It's not what you think it is," Hannah Abbott quickly said as Susan approached her. Susan was still a bit in shock from what she had just witnessed.

"You've been seeing Draco Malfoy?" she asked her best friend. When she thought of how Hannah and Draco had been interacting with each other after Christmas break, she wasn't that surprised that something was going on between the two of them. But what did surprise her was that her friend hadn't told her anything.

"No!" Hannah first said, immediately followed by, "I mean, kind of. It's complicated." She looked in the direction Draco had run off to. "Should I follow him? He seemed upset."

Susan blinked. This was worse than she had thought.

"Hannah, he just forced himself upon you. You're the one who should be upset. Why the hell would you go after him and offer comfort?"

Hannah sighed and borrowed her face in her hands. "It's the Hufflepuff thing to do," she murmured.

"That's bullshit," Susan replied. "Kindness is not the same thing as letting people walk all over you."

"It's just ...," Hannah started. "I'm so confused. Trust me, I don't want to like him. I know it's bad for me and he has already proven that. But goddammit that boy is so attractive!"

Susan raised an eyebrow. Malfoy attractive? Were they really talking about the same person?

"Don't look at me like that!" Hannah then snapped. "You're not the only one who gets to fall for a Slytherin, okay? I would never even have talked to Draco if you hadn't dated Theodore."

So now this mess was her fault?

"Theodore and Draco are two completely different kinds of Slytherin though," Susan said defensively. "What did you mean when you said he insulted you?"

If that toxic good for nothing kid had hurt her friend, then he was going to pay for it.

"I don't want to talk about it," Hannah replied curtly. "It's nothing. Draco and I are nothing." She crossed her arms for emphasis.

Susan stared at Hannah. She clearly had it bad. Hannah had always had a tendency to fall for the wrong people but it had never been this messed up. She could tell that Draco had hurt her immensely, but she also obviously still had feelings for him.

"Please take care of yourself," Susan pleaded. "I don't like seeing you like this." Maybe Hannah didn't want to talk and maybe she would even continue to see Draco. Sometimes you had to make the same mistake a few times in life before you learned. But Susan hoped that Hannah would figure things out soon.

Hannah's features softened and she uncrossed her arms. "I will. I promise."

Susan hugged her friend and Hannah hugged her back.

"We should get back to your party," she said. "I didn't organise this for us to stand in the hallway and be sad."

___________________________________

Theodore Nott sat on his bed, flicking through the pages of the photo album Susan had given him for Christmas. It felt like forever ago that he had stayed at her parents' for the holidays. Susan smiled at him from the page and he traced his fingers across the picture. It didn't quite capture the magic of her smile, but it was the closest thing to it he had at this moment.

The door of the dorm opened brusquely. Theodore looked up and saw a very upset Draco.

"You're here," the blond boy stated the obvious.

Theodore debated whether to ask Malfoy why he looked like he had been crying. It was a weird sight to see him like this, but on the other hand he couldn't really be bothered with other people's problems. Unless those problems were Susan's. Then he would care.