𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬, 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 • (𝐝.𝐦.)

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐲-𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐞

♔

The week of Professor Slughorn's party had rolled around eventually, and I couldn't be more put off. I had been asking Draco for days and all he ever said was that he couldn't. He had turned me down, his girlfriend, when asked on a date. 

I was annoyed because he never gave me a solid reason why not either, he just said it was something important for the Dark Lord, but I couldn't know why or I would be in danger. 

I wished I could help him, and I offered too, but he kept turning me down. He said he'd hate himself if I got hurt and insisted I go to the party. 

The only problem was, I couldn't go without a plus-one. I asked Professor Slughorn, but he said it was only customary to bring a plus-one, and that he was not going to break tradition by having someone go stag. 

At the end of Potions class the day before the party, I stayed a few minutes after to try to talk to Slughorn again. 

I waited until everyone left, but right as I approached him, the door burst open. 

"Professor, if I seriously can't find a date, what harm is it? Can't I please just go by myself, it's not that big of a deal!" A voice said upon entry of the room, barreling into my time to appeal the same exact request. 

When I turned around and saw that the whiny voice belonged to none other than Montague, I nearly gagged. 

"Oh god," I groaned under my breath. 

Slughorn turned around to see both of us standing there separately. At this, he clapped his hands together in a pleased manner, and I suddenly knew exactly where this was going.

"Ah! My two favorite independents," He said, and I rolled my eyes. 

"Professor Slughorn, I'll go alone to the party, but I won't tell anyone, alright? Why do we have to have a date?" I asked, and he chuckled.

"I no longer see a problem, children, you two may go together!" He said, and I scoffed in unison with Montague. 

"No way," Graham said, and I simply shook my head feverishly. 

"Why ever not? Miss Warrington, you do not have a partner, and Mister Montague, you do not either! You two can go as a pair, I think it shall suit you very well!" Our idiotic professor ranted and raved.

I did everything in my power not to scream out of sheer frustration. It was so aggravating, but what could I say? 

No, I'm sorry Professor, I actually fucking hate Graham Montague with every fiber of my being because he made a sadistic bet at me and my dignity's expense?

I looked to my left, and Graham looked reluctantly to his right, and I grimaced. 

"Wonderful! It's settled. See you two tomorrow night!" Slughorn chimed, walking around us and out of the classroom in a cheerful manner. 

Ho, ho, ho for the spirit of fucking Christmas I guess. 

"I don't want you to be my date," I said plainly, and he rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I'm not the most keen on this idea either, Maggie," He shot back. 

"What happened to Pansy? Why can't she be your date? Why must you try to make me miserable twice?" I spat, and he huffed in annoyance. 

"I'll answer that when you tell me why you can't get your little boyfriend Draco to come with you," He said. 

"He's busy," I replied curtly. 

"Trouble in paradise?" He cooed teasingly, but I simply rolled my eyes again. "What about Pansy?" I asked, and he went quiet. 

"She dumped me," He said, and I clapped a hand over my mouth to keep an obnoxious laugh from escaping. 

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, laugh all you want. It's not a big deal, she was annoying," He retaliated. 

"I'm so sure," I said. We both stood uncomfortably in each other's presence for a minute more until I decided I was done hanging around here. 

"We won't have to talk to one another. We can just... go together, stand next to each other for a bit, and leave together. Slughorn won't know the difference," I said. 

"Alright, fine. Maybe it won't be completely horrible," He said. 

"I never said it wouldn't be horrible, just that I would be able to go through with it. I'm good at avoiding the insignificant," I said. 

"You're so full of yourself," Montague shot back. "Me? I'm full of myself? Do I need to remind you about-" 

"No. No, you don't," He cut me off. 

"That's right," I said, turning around to walk out of the classroom. 

"I'll meet you in the common room at seven. Don't be late," He called after me, and I scoffed. "Whatever," I said, walking out of the room finally and heading off. 

In all honesty, the night would be so difficult for me to bear. Hopefully, we would barely talk at the party.  

The only problem I would now be presented with was telling Draco. I knew this would be no easy task, but I would have to bring it up anyway. I walked back to Draco's dorm and went in and waited for him to get back. 

He didn't show up for a while, and soon, it was close to midnight and there was no sign of him. I realized that maybe he was working on the Vanishing Cabinet, but I wondered why he wouldn't tell me he was working on that tonight. 

I got to my feet and changed into comfortable clothing as I planned to sneak to the Room of Requirement. I left the dorm, walked quietly through the common room, and exited through the painting. 

I tried to be as quiet as possible as I tiptoed through the corridor to go find him. I felt awful for not helping more, which I had been feeling bad about for a while. 

Suddenly, upon hearing the hushed voice of Professor Snape, I cowered to the wall and tried to hide, becoming incredibly nervous. 

I tensed up, hoping he did not catch me out of bed at this hour, I would be in a shit-load of trouble. 

"You need to refocus yourself. That girl is a distraction, and you are not to get distracted, do you understand me?" Snape hissed to someone else. I stayed put, not wanting to make a noise and risk getting caught. 

I heard another person scoff. "I'll get it done, alright? You don't need to worry about it, I'm not a child," The other person said. I recognized the voice immediately, and my heart dropped to my stomach. 

"Warrington will still be here once Dumbledore is irradicated. Rearrange your priorities, Draco," Snape said threateningly. I heard one person walk off and leave the other grumbling to himself in the now-empty hall, but I couldn't tell who it was. 

Dumbledore was going to be killed? This... this wasn't a part of the task? Draco never brought it up to me... and Dumbledore had information about my father. I worried incessantly about it but realized I had bigger things to think about right now. 

They started coming towards me, and I began to panic, not knowing if it was Snape or Draco. When the person finally came into view and I saw it was Draco, I was supposed to relax. 

However, when he looked at me and saw that I knew what had just been said, there was nothing relaxing about it. 

♔

hey!!! i was in a bit of a rut for a while as to where this story is going, but i think i have more ideas. can't wait to see what you guys think!