Poison Ivy || Draco Malfoy

11 - Pansy's Bad Move

Draco stayed as far away from me as possible after the kiss, and I felt too humiliated to even look in his direction anymore, afraid he would catch me and see the aching longing in my eyes.

I felt horrifically hurt, and not to mention, guilty. Every time I spoke to Pansy I would get this ball of shame churning in my stomach.

When Draco went home for Easter and never returned back to Hogwarts, I cried for two days solid.

"Don't worry, Ivy," Pansy kept saying, having no idea that I was crying about Draco, and assuming I was home sick, "we'll be back home with Mummy and Daddy before you know it."

My feelings about Draco's failure to return to Hogwarts were mixed, but all very strong. I was frightened for him; scared that something bad must have happened. But amongst that fear was relief that I at least will be spared putting up with him avoiding me. But yet I was incredibly sad knowing that I'd probably never see him again.

Every time I closed my eyes I thought of his lips against mine; remembering how it felt to have him hold me against his firm, hard body; the feel of the beat of his racing heart against mine.

And the thought that I may never experience that again made me feel a grief like no other.

*****

It was a Saturday when it all kicked off.

The day started like any other Saturday in Hogwarts; I went down to breakfast morosely eating my food as Pansy chatted incessantly beside me.

My eyes, as they always did, flitted to an empty chair at our table. It didn't really matter which one; just any empty chair, and my heart would tug sadly at the thought of the absent white-blond haired Slytherin.

"I've heard a rumour that his family are in disgrace," Blaise muttered, obviously catching my gaze.

I looked up at him, startled. I couldn't work out if he was talking about Draco or not, and if so, how did he know I was thinking about him?

"It's okay," he chuckled kindly, his black eyes glinting warmly down at me, "you haven't been obvious, I'm just a pretty observant kind of guy."

"Do you think he's all right?" I whispered shakily, keeping my voice low so that Pansy wouldn't hear, although she was deep in discussion with Daphne, anyway.

"I don't know, man," Blaise sighed apologetically but truthfully. "If rumours are to be believed, they had Potter in their clutches and then let him escape along with other prisoners."

Prisoners? My heart immediately raced as I thought of Luna. That must have been how Draco knew she was okay.

I felt sick with fear for him. I couldn't imagine Voldemort would have gone easy on them for this.

"If they're in disgrace then it means they're not dead," Blaise said, reading my mind. "It's probably the best way to look at it."

I smiled up at him sadly, grateful, at least for this nugget of information. "Thank you," I whispered, knowing, strangely, that I could trust him.

I spent the rest of the day attempting to study in the library but not being able to concentrate; I couldn't stop worrying about Draco, and a small, crazy part of me wanted to somehow get to his house just so I could see he was alive and well with my own eyes.

I crawled into bed that night with the usual feeling of uneasiness in the pit of my stomach, and it felt as if I'd literally just shut my eyes when they flew open again.

Everyone around me were emerging from their beds, rubbing their eyes sleepily.

"What's going on?" I whispered, but before anyone could answer me, a loud booming bodiless voice filled the room.