The Diggory Sister || Draco Malfoy

44 - The Wrong Boy

Draco felt panicked.

"It's not just Harry," she implored, when he complained to her after she joined him at the Slytherin table during breakfast, informing him she couldn't meet with him that night - again. "It's others as well."

"Well it can't be a group study because Umbridge won't allow it unless it's been okay'd by her. And I doubt she'd let Potter do any such thing." He sneered.

"I love you, Draco. You know you have nothing to worry about."

"Aurora, it's only days away from the Christmas holidays and I'm not going to get to see you for the entire two weeks seeing as you are buggering off to the Weasley's!"

"Don't make me feel guilty about that! You know my father is still in hospital. Where else do you expect me to go? And it's not like you're staying here! Surely you don't want me to stay here on my own with that horrible Umbridge woman?!"

"She's not that bad."

Draco realised his mistake as soon as the words left his mouth. Aurora stood up, her face full of hurt.

"How could you even say that?" Her voice shook, he tried to reach out for her hand but she snapped it back. "Don't touch me, Draco. Especially not this hand."

She went and sat next to Hermione in their next Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson. Draco felt shit. Of course he hated Umbridge for what she had made Aurora do to herself. But Umbridge hated Potter as much as he did, and he couldn't help but respect her for that. Plus his father kept reminding him that what Umbridge was doing was good for them - and it helped keep him out of Azkaban.

He just wished Aurora wasn't quite so fixed on camp Potter.

She didn't try and approach him over the next few days, and Draco felt too angry at her for choosing Potter over him to make the first move.

But how he missed her.

*****

I threw myself into Dumbledore's Army to try and forget the hurt I felt by Draco's attitude.

A part of me longed to go to him and feel his arms around me, but then I would remember his complete lack of empathy over my feelings towards the woman who tortured me.

There was only one other person who understood.

Harry Potter.

"Just think of that bitch's face when she finally gets what's coming to her," Harry advised as he tried to encourage me to think of a happy thought.

We were halfway through the week and my private lessons with Harry were going well. I had almost produced a full Patronus, although it was still unclear as to what form it took.

I laughed as Harry's stag cantered around us, making me feel all warm and glowy inside.

"It's good to see you happy," he said, smiling at me softly. His green eyes twinkled beneath his glasses, seeming much brighter under the green glow of his Patronus. "You've seemed a little... down these past few days."

I shrugged, sighing slightly. I did not want to share my frustrations about Draco to Harry. So, instead I told him what else was making me sad.

"My first Christmas without Cedric."

Harry's stag slowed to a stop and faded.

"It's okay to be sad about that, you know." Harry said quietly, sitting himself up on a desk and looking down at his feet. "But at least we'll all be together - you, me and the Weasley's."