Because I Love You (D.M)

Chapter 7: Detention With Twist

I was very confused to see that Draco Malfoy was standing over Flitwick and talking to him in a forcibly quiet whisper. Flitwick seemed to be giving an answer that he didn't want because Malfoy appeared to keep repeating himself over and over. He was nervously fidgeting and shifting his weight between his feet.

Zach cleared his throat and kept his hands down by his sides clenched in fists.

"Ah, yes, the trouble makers have arrived at last," Flitwick said abruptly leaving Malfoy at the front of the room and striding over to us.

"We can come back later if you're in the middle of something," I suggested. "How about in a half an hour or tomorrow?"

"How polite of you, Miss Nine, but not necessary. You and Mr. Smith will be doing lines for me tonight. Take your seats and here's some parchment and a quill for each of you. Oh, and ink pots! How could I be so forgetful?" He bustled off to get them.

I sat down and avoided looking at Malfoy as best as I could. He was still standing at the front of the room looking extremely annoyed at Professor Flitwick as the professor returned with our ink pots. Zach was grinding his teeth and glaring at Malfoy as though he expected him to do something.

"Now, I want you each to write fifty times the following sentence: "I must not disturb the class unless there is an emergency or I have something insightful to contribute", are we clear?"

He wanted me to write that fifty times? My hand won't make it passed twenty-five!

I nodded my head in compliance and set to work. Zach glowered at the paper as though it were picking a fight with him. As I wrote, I realized that one sentence a minute would take me fifty minutes to complete, but two per minute would only take me twenty-five total. I sped my writing pace up and glanced over a Zach. He had begun scribbling as quickly as he could and I couldn't tell if he was writing words or just making wavy lines for the heck of it.

I had only completed ten lines and he looked about half done.

"Slow down before you snap the quill in half or break one of your fingers!" I whispered to him.

"The faster I do this, the less time I have to spend in here with that guy," he said and pointed to Malfoy who was now back in the same heated discussion with Professor Flitwick that they had been in when we had arrived.

"If you finish first and leave, who's to stop Malfoy from beating me up?" I asked sarcastically.

"Good point, but look at the state of him, he's a wreck. I doubt he'll have time and it looks like the last thing on his mind right now," Zach said dipping his quill in and scratching the parchment much harder than necessary.

It was true. Malfoy's gaunt figure and shaking hands told me he was in no shape for any kind of fight. I agreed with Zach and focused on my lines. But as I worked, I couldn't help but overhear what Flitwick and Malfoy were discussing.

"Mr. Malfoy, the writing here clearly shows you missed an amount of classes equal to missing an entire two months worth of Charms and I can't speak for your other classes, but I hardly doubt you have better attendance to those than you do here," Flitwick said matter of factly.

I paused to dip my quill again and took the opportunity to sneak a glance at the scene unfolding before me. Flitwick was pointing to his attendance sheet and furrowing his mustache up at Malfoy. I studied Malfoy's expression: nervous eyes, slightly parted lips, and knotted brows. I immediately returned my attention to my task at hand.

"But I already told you I have important things that need doing. I have to miss classes to complete those important things," Malfoy said as his voice cracked.