I Am Not Nothing

Chapter Twelve

The next few days went by in a blur. Although there were definitely less people at the castle, there were many students left. It confused me as to how we all fit into two tables at dinner time, but people would just come and go for breakfast and lunch, some waking up later than others. Anyway, it was a day before the ball and I had yet to tell Michael about the change of plans. I needed to do that today. Because Draco and I were going back to the ways things were, I had to relearn to disregard his feelings. I had to crush him. I had to do what I wasn't afraid of doing four years ago. 

"Here's your chance, Rave. Corner has just entered the Great Hall." Goyle said to me.

I nodded and stood up. I didn't need a deep breath or any preparation. That was a sign of nervousness, and I was not nervous. I just put on my smirk and made my way over to him. 

"Corner!" I called. 

He stopped walking and looked at me, smiling. Merlin, that smile made me feel bad. No! This is what I do. This is me. This is the real me.

"Hey, Raven! Are you excited for tomorrow?" He asked, still beaming.

Here we go. I looked at him, pretending to be confused. 

"Tomorrow? What do you mean?" I asked him.

He looked around awkwardly before looking back down at me.

"Um, tomorrow is the ball. The one you  asked me to attend with you to?" He said, questioningly.

I raised an eyebrow at him.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Corner. I'm going to the ball with someone else." I told him, still pretending to be confused. 

"What? No, you asked me, I remember. I'm not stupid." He said. 

"Maybe that Ravenclaw title is getting to your head. I don't recall ever asking you to the ball. I remember Draco asking me to. It was sweet. We were over in Hogsmeade and we looked at a shelf with heart decorations. They were beautiful. And he told me that we've been friends for eleven years and no one else deserves this honour more than him. And he's right. I don't know what made you believe that I'd even want to go to the ball with you. You're not even a Slytherin!" I explained. 

"Raven, I told you- I'm not stupid. Stop feeling bad for Malfoy and follow through with a decision that you made. There was obviously a reason that you asked me and probably a reason why Draco never asked you until you had a partner to the ball." Corner said to me.

He obviously wasn't letting me go to the ball with Draco. Then an idea came to me.

"Are you not letting me go with Draco because you're jealous?" I asked, slightly amused.

"Why would I be jealous?" He asked, crossing his arms. 

"Because you like me and I'm closer to another boy that isn't you." I said, smirking. 

He scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"That is definitely not the reason." He said. 

"Then what is it? Why wont you let me go with Draco?" 

He sighed and dropped his arms at his sides. 

"Raven, I'm not jealous of Malfoy. But I want you to go with me because I feel like we've been forming some sort of friendship that just proves that I am here for you. I think this should be a form of thank you from your breakdown and me being there to calm you down and talking to you. Not to mention that I've liked you for a while now." He explained.

My heart raced and my stomach began cartwheeling inside me. My fight or flight reflexed were kicking in. And they wanted to get away from here as soon as possible. I couldn't stop them. My legs ran faster than they have ever ran. I didn't know where they were taking me until I ran down the stairs towards the dungeons and past the Slytherin common room door. They stopped at a dark oak door that I knew as my father's office door. I knocked and walked in, slamming the door behind me. My father was at his deck, glaring up at me.