Merely Misunderstood

Chapter Twenty-Nine

As I made my way back to the Slytherin common room, I had to duck my chin to my chest to avoid people seeing my face — my eyes felt puffy from crying, and I was sure they'd be bright red.

I stumbled up to my dormitory, thankful to find it empty, and I collapsed onto my bed, hugging my knees to my chest.

I was starving, but I didn't feel like having to be social. I didn't want to go to dinner later and deal with prying questions and false pity.

All I wanted was to curl up and make myself as small as possible so that I could be forgotten by the world.

But unfortunately, I never got what I wanted.

"Brianna?"

Mirah's voice carried up the hall outside the dormitory, and soon her footsteps entered the room. I assumed her eyes had landed on my back, but I didn't turn to face her.

"There you are! Draco's been looking for you, he's really worried —"

"Leave me alone, please," I murmured quietly, my voice muffled by my pillows.

Mirah fell quiet, and there wasn't a sound as she stood rooted to the spot, her eyes boring into my back. I determinedly stared out the window into the dark abyss of the Black Lake, refusing to face her.

"What happened?" Mirah finally asked, her voice wary.

"I don't want to talk about it," I snapped, and Mirah sighed.

"Of course you don't," she muttered, and her footsteps drew nearer until I felt her weight as she sat down at the foot of my bed. "But sometimes, talking about it can help," she tried, sounding anxious.

I was surprised at how concerned she sounded — I wondered just how worried Draco was for her to be this concerned.

"I don't think anything can help," I replied anyway, feeling depressed.

"Oh, don't be so dramatic," she said with a small chuckle. "C'mon, out with it."

"You think I'm being dramatic?!" I cried, sitting up abruptly, meeting her eyes with a glare. "Fine, I'll tell you. See if you think I'm dramatic then."

I told her everything, how I'd stupidly followed Draco to the pitch and how I'd actually had fun, and when I told her what Harry and Ron said to me, her jaw dropped.

"They said that?!" she shrieked, and she jumped up, rolling up her sleeves as she charged for the door.

I shoved away from my bed, chasing after her and grabbing her arm. "No, don't go to them!" I pleaded her, tears in my eyes. "It'll only make things worse, please don't!"

Mirah stopped, turning to look at me with a debating look in her eyes.

"Fine, but if I see them at breakfast tomorrow, I'm going to give them a piece of my mind," she gave in, dropping her arms reluctantly, and I sighed, collapsing onto my bed once more, hiding my face in my hands.

Mirah stood thoughtfully before me, and I could tell there was something she wanted to say but wasn't sure if she should.

"Spit it out," I mumbled into my palms, slouching, and Mirah sighed.

"I think... maybe you should talk to Draco about this."

"Why?" I asked, looking up at her in confusion.

Mirah shrugged. "Well, it was him who wanted you to stay in the stands, wasn't it?" she crossed her arms. "So it's kind of his fault that —"

"Don't even go there," I warned, standing up. "It's my fault, I'm the one that decided to stay —"