Green Apples; Draco Malfoy [1]

Chapter 13🍏

"𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥!"

Draco and Thea are playing Wizards chess and Draco has just won, except Thea's pretty sure that he'd cheated.

Alexis, Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle are watching, helping either player and Thea's outburst proves that she's quite competitive.

"I can't help it if you're a sore loser," Draco smirks, standing up to gloat over his triumph.

Since they'd all come back from the holidays, they'd been hanging out quite often as a group, going to breakfast together, studying in the library, hanging out in the common room.

Draco also tended to be less bad-tempered when he was with the girls, although Thea liked to rile him up every now and again. Ever since they had become part of the same group, their rivalry seemed to be getting bigger and bigger. It was as if a rift between them had become even deeper.

"I'm not a sore loser, you're just a bloody cheat!" shouts Thea, throwing one of the broken pieces of chess at him.

"Thea, calm down, it's just a game," says Alexis, grabbing her arm and nudging her softly. Pansy watches the two talk and laughs at her friends. It isn't uncommon for one of them to have to tame Thea. She is quite the hot-head.

"Alexis and I must go to the library," states Draco, picking up a stack of books. "She still doesn't get history and exams aren't far away now."

Alexis rolls her eyes internally as she listens to him talk. She understands history just fine, so why he couldn't come up with a reason that didn't consist of her being put down, was a mystery to her.

"Sure," whispers Alexis, letting go of Thea's arm to pick up her study books, "let's go with that why don't we."

They say goodbye and head out of the common room, walking towards the first floor. "Next time, could you come up with a better lie, one that doesn't make me sound stupid," says Alexis as they wait for the floating stairs to stop.

"It was a good lie, quite believable if you ask me," Draco replies, climbing up the moving stairs.

Alexis narrows her eyes. "You're so full of yourself, it's unbelievable."

They walk into the library and pass Madam Pince, the librarian, who waves and smiles at Alexis. Madam Pince likes Alexis, which is unusual because she doesn't get along with most of the students. They don't take care of the books, they talk too loud and they even eat in the library. But Alexis was very respectful of her dear books and she even liked to talk to her from time to time.

"How did you do that?" asks Draco as they find a table between two bookshelves. Alexis puts her books down and turns to him.

"Do what?"

"Get Pince to smile. She hates everyone," he says, crossing his arms.

"It's called being nice," replies Alexis. She selects a book from one of the shelves beside him and swats his arm with it. "You should try it."

"Do that again and my father will hear about it," he disapproves. Alexis scoffs and starts searching the spine of the books for any titles that resemble what they're looking for.

"Please, you've been saying that ever since we set foot in the school and not once has your father said anything to us."

Draco continues away from the books and down the main passage. "Where are we going Draco?"

"Reference section."

They search every single shelf and pick up books that have even a hint of magical anomalies in them, taking them back to their table. They flick through many pages, yet they have no luck. Not a single book mentions anything.

"It's no use, we've been here for ages and we've found nothing," sighs Alexis. She slams shut Magic: a history of magical mishaps and moves to sit on the table. "What if they're right... I am a freak," she whispers to herself, rubbing her eyes.

If the wizarding world doesn't even have an answer to her problems, who will?

"Who's they?" asks Draco, getting up from his chair.

"Nothing, it doesn't matter, forget I said anything." She swings her feet back and forth over the side of the table, her hair falling in her eyes.

"No, what did you say? Tell me," he says. He hops up onto the table and sits next to her.

"Just stuff that people in my old school used to call me. And my friends, behind my back," she recalls. "Turns out that they're not my friends anymore. It was all a lie... and I was always alone, really."

They sit in silence, the only thing being heard is the beating of their hearts.

Draco clears his throat, running a hand through his hair. "I uhm... didn't have friends growing up either. I had a house-elf."

Alexis looks at him surprised. This is the first time he's ever shared anything that wasn't boasting before. "An elf?"

"Dobby. He works for us. I used to play with him. You're not the only one who was lonely," he says quietly.

They sit in silence together, thinking heavily about their lives before coming to Hogwarts. Two very different people, with different upbringings, that are more alike than they know.

"We're not alone anymore though," says Alexis with a small smile, opening her history book. "So, you gonna help me or what?"

"You were serious?" asks Draco, looking at her incredulously.

"Unless you have a better idea, yeah".

"We're going to the great hall. I'm hungry," he says, jumping off the table.

Alexis shrugs her shoulders and closes her books, taking them with her as she follows him out of the library.

"You're not having sweets though," she demands, looking at Draco sternly.

"Says who?" he challenges.

"Says me. I've seen you take away Crabbe and Goyle's stash only to eat them yourself. You need fruit."

"Yeah right, I do what I want," he scoffs.

"Well when your teeth start to rot because of all of your cavity's and you're sitting in that dentists chair, you'll think of me."

Draco stays silent, thinking about what Alexis has just said. He likes his teeth how they are right now. White, clean and perfect.

"I like apples. Green apples. Red's don't taste as good."

Alexis smirks triumphantly. "Cool. We'll get green apples then."