Little Bird

Chapter Eighteen

Eve

            I woke up the next morning with bleary eyes and dark circles, and I rubbed my face hard as though I could push the fatigue away. I'd tossed and turned all night long, and I wasn't sure if I'd gotten more than two hours of sleep.

            I found it hard to relax after what Malfoy had said to me.

            Rolling out of bed, I glanced around the dormitory to see that both Pansy and Millicent were gone, which meant that breakfast was most likely already halfway over. I changed quickly, wanting to get downstairs fast so I could maybe catch Malfoy before he left for class. I'd heard that he always showed up late to first period, so there was a good chance he was still in the common room.

            I wanted to ask him what the hell he'd meant by the last thing he had said to me.

            Once I'd made myself somewhat presentable, I grabbed my bag and headed downstairs quickly, nervously chewing my bottom lip.

            When I reached the common room below, I stopped short when I saw Malfoy talking with Flint by the fire. I started over to him; he wasn't alone, but this could be the only chance I'd have for a while.

            He glanced up when I got closer, and I began quickly, "Malfoy, I—"

            "Um, I gotta go to Charms," Malfoy cut me off, completely ignoring me as he got up off the couch. He nodded to Flint and hastily made his way past me, saying over his shoulder, "See you at practice, mate."

            He was gone before I could get another word out. I exhaled heavily with annoyance, wishing I'd had the guts to just grab Malfoy and ask him before he could get away.

            Flint turned in his seat and saw me standing there angrily, and he raised his eyebrows at me. He looked like he was about to say something to me, but talking to Flint was one of the last things I wanted to do. I quickly turned away and hurried for the portrait exit, pulling the strap up on my bag and hoping Flint hadn't noticed how flustered I'd looked.

            As I made my way down to History of Magic, I hoped I'd be able to catch Malfoy alone in the common room later tonight.

            Unfortunately, he avoided me successfully for the rest of the week.

            I didn't get a chance to be alone with him until the day before Christmas break, and by that point, I was almost ready to give up. Malfoy had been acting just as he usually did around me during Potions and Care of Magical Creatures, so I'd begun to think that what he said to me that night had just been a stupid mistake. Maybe he'd just been overtired, or maybe he'd been trying to tease me by playing a prank. Either way, I was starting to think that Malfoy had been lying when he'd tried to be nice to me for the first time.

            But he couldn't avoid me forever—I finally found him late at night alone in the common room. I'd stayed out helping McGonagall for extra credit, and when I got back to the common room, I saw Malfoy sprawled out on the couch in front of the fire.

            As the portrait door shut behind me, I stepped forward cautiously to find that Malfoy was sleeping. His head was tilted against the hard backing of the couch, his lips parted slightly as he breathed deeply in and out. I watched him carefully, unsure if I had the courage to disturb Draco Malfoy while he was sleeping.

            But I didn't have to—I only got within a few feet of him before he jumped in his sleep and his eyes opened. Malfoy looked over at me through squinted eyes, and while he was still half-awake, he gave me a sleepy grin.