The Slytherin and the Hufflepuff

Chapter 5: does he have a heart?

Draco looked at Emma, who was looking back up at him with her teary eyes.

"What do you want?" She asked coldly , looking back down.

"I- I just noticed that you weren't at your table", he said, "are you alright?"

Emma looked back up at him, "why would you care?"

"Why can't I?"

Emma's thought about today and her sobs started up again. Draco pauses before he sat down next to her.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He asked, genuine concern in his tone.

"Nothing. It's just- some kids have been-" Emma wasn't sure she wanted to tell Draco the reason she was being bullied.

"You can trust me", Draco placed his hand on her knee.

Emma looked at his hand, "Since when?"

Draco sighed, "my friends have been giving me a hard time. So whatever you are going through, I can probably relate"

Emma was so confused at what was happening. "Everyone has been giving me a hard time. And.."

"And what?"

"And it's because of you", she blurted out, "they say I shouldn't be fighting you because it's un-Hufflepuff of me. But I also shouldn't be helping you because then it's also un-Hufflepuff for being nice to a Slytherin"

Draco was silent for a second before speaking. "They've actually been saying that same stuff to me too". He moved his hand off of her.

"People have just been so...threatening. Making me feel like I don't belong", Emma continued.

"Who? Who has been saying this to you?" Draco straightened up, his brows furrowing.

"Why would you care if someone is bullying me? You do it all the time", Emma looked at him, "I'm sorry everyone has taken away your target"

Draco almost looked hurt from what she said.

"Why are you even out here?" Emma asked.

"To see if you were ok"

"Why do you care!?" Emma almost shouted.

Draco didn't answer. Instead he said, "neither of us really have anyone to talk to right now. Why not talk to each other?"

"You expect me to believe that the head bully, king of Slytherin, has been banished because he was seen with a Hufflepuff? Yeah right" Emma put her head back into her knees.

"Emma", Draco started. Emma was surprised he knew her name. He had never really used it before, "If you want me to go, I'll go".

As mush as Emma hated Draco, for some reason she didn't want him to go. Maybe she just liked the company. And he was actually being nice to her right now.

Emma didn't know how to answer. She just started to cry some more. Partly because she remembered what everyone had said to her earlier, partly because she didn't want to be alone.

Without even noticing, Emma had placed her head on Draco's shoulder. He didn't moved it away. Draco very slowly placed his hand back on her knee, rubbing his thumb soothingly up and down.