Suffering

Undesirable Attentions

Later in the week, you awoke and started getting ready for the day. You decided you wanted to look extra cute for the day, so you put your preppiest look together.

You made your way down to the Great Hall with Pansy and sat in your new usual seat with Theo and Blaise. They were enjoying their breakfast when you heard someone creep up behind you. It was Draco; he leaned down and whispered, "Can we please talk?" You turned and looked at him as if he had two heads. "What could you possibly want to talk about, ferret?" you said.

All he said was "Please" and made his way out into the corridor. You felt like if you didn't follow him, he wasn't going to let this go. You grabbed your bag and went into the hallway.

 Draco grabbed your hand and said, "Can we go somewhere more private to talk?" You gave him a look of suspicion but followed him to a less busy spot of the castle. You weren't sure if Severus had seen you leave the Great Hall or not with Draco. You were hoping not.

"I'm sorry," he said with his eyes cast onto the stone floor. "I was being foolish. I am just not used to people telling me no." For a brief second, you felt bad for Draco. Perhaps he had really liked you, why else would he keep trying to get back with you?

"I feel like you are the only person here that I can really talk to. Everyone else just does whatever I say like little servants, but not you. You are one of the only ones who actually stand up to me," said Draco.

You gave it some thought and said, "I can only be your friend. Nothing more. You can't lash out at me just because you get your feelings hurt."

"Agreed," he replied. Just then you spotted Professor Snape walking down the hallway towards you. "Don't you have classes to attend to, Mr. Malfoy?" he said with a sneer of condescension.

"Yes, sorry Professor, I was just going," he said before walking away.

You were leaning back against the wall trying not to make eye contact with Severus. "What did he want?" Severus spat. You sighed and said, "He just wanted to apologize and told me he wants to be friends."

"He wants to be friends or was that your suggestion? It looked to me as if he wanted more," he said with a raised eyebrow.

"I suggested we should be friends," you said. Severus was pretty annoyed at this point. He said accusingly, "I keep catching you with boys in hallways. You wouldn't stop touching Mr. Nott (Theo) last night in detention. What am I to think?" 

You felt tears welling up in your eyes. You just wanted to be a normal student sometimes. "I just need some friends. You are going to have to trust me. I don't want anyone but you. I can't do this right now, I have to get to Transfiguration."

Severus grabbed your wrist and said in his classroom voice, "We're not done discussing this."

You nodded your head and removed your wrist from his grasp. You made your way back down the hallway without looking back at him. Severus was being rather impossible. He was going to have to learn to trust you. You knew he had his own trauma around that, it was apparent, but you couldn't do this much longer.

The day dragged on until lunch. You sat in your usual spot next to Theo when Draco came along and sat on the other side of you. You were a bit tense at first. You never knew what Draco was going to do. 

He could be so sweet to you in private but in front of people he was a right twat. Surprisingly, he kept a low-profile during lunch. You did your best to not look the professor's way. You were still irritated about your talk this morning. It was as if he was accusing you of something without saying the words. That was worse than just saying it, in your mind.