Pure Toxicity [A Draco Malfoy Fanfiction]

6. Year 4, Salty Friends

--------------------------------------------------------------

Is this what love feels like?
Her thoughts raced, but she knew she needed to reel herself back in quick. These hormones were deadly.
Good god, no, I'm fifteen, I need to chill.

———————————————————
"How was your summer, Junie?"
The feeling of being back on the Hogwarts Express was almost indescribable for Juniper. She had been looking forward to reuniting with her friends all summer.

Over the summer break, she had found the right hair products that could tame her wavy, unruly hair and started wearing more makeup, as opposed to the bare baby face she used to be rocking.

Her curves also started developing, and she looked noticeably more grown up than she had last term when she was just thirteen, about to turn fourteen. Now she was about to turn fifteen in a few months and her self confidence was actually through the roof.

"My summer was really good! We went and visited my family back in America," she smiled at her friend Clara who had asked. "Sometimes I miss Seattle so much, but it honestly rains enough in London to where I feel right at home."

The boy sitting beside her laughed, and her friends across from her breathed heavily out of their noses. She turned her head to smile at the main reason her summer went so well.

Cedric Diggory had written her the most out of all of her friends, and the two of them had grown exceptionally close. She would even go as far as to call him her closest friend, but she wouldn't let Theodore or Clara know that. She was 70% sure that Clara harbored a huge crush on Cedric although the two girls had never discussed it. Actually, their conversations never got too deep, almost as if they both were unsure if they could trust the other or not.

"Sounds dreary," Clara started, picking at the ends of her dark blonde hair before perking up and eyeing the Hufflepuff. "Cedric, how was your summer? What did you do? I want to hear all of it!"

Cedric smiled at this and spoke careful words, wanting to be as thorough as possible. While discussing his summer and all that his family did, he absent-mindedly put his hand on Juniper's knee which made her cheeks turn a bright red.
Is this what love feels like? Her thoughts raced, but she knew she needed to reel herself back in. These hormones were deadly. Good god, no, I'm fifteen, I need to chill.

Clara's eyes dropped for a flash to notice his hand placement and her eyes narrowed briefly with jealousy. Almost as soon as it had started, it ended, and she was back to looking flirty and optimistic. Juniper noticed this though, and she also noticed Theodore's confused face.

"Also, at one point," Cedric grew a smile on his face, humor filling his voice. Juniper knew the story he would tell and it still made her heart ache. "I had been outside with my father in our garden. He had been going on and on about the flutterby bushes he had been working hard to grow, when all of a sudden June's messenger owl appeared out of the sky and threw up on them."

"Bigsby was sick and I hadn't even noticed, I felt so bad I couldn't send him an apology owl until two weeks after it had happened." She nudged her shoulder against Cedric's, putting her face in her hands and laughing. Poor Mr. Diggory was devastated, but the bushes had turned out alright in the end after they were cleaned off.

"He still brings that up, you know. And he also wanted to make sure I asked how your poor owl was doing."

Juniper smiled up at him and rolled her eyes out of embarrassment, letting him know her owl was fine and that she would pay closer attention to how Bigsby was feeling. It felt like it was just the two of them in the carriage for a second, but then Theodore, who had been noticeably quiet the entire trip, cleared his throat and they both looked away from each other and towards the twins.

"That is so funny! And embarrassing, Junie I would have died!" Clara laughed quickly, jokingly and somewhat teasingly, but Juniper could pick up on the faintest trace of her jealousy that she and the handsome Hufflepuff had exchanged letters over the summer.

"Believe me, after he told me what happened, I wanted to."

———————————————————

The students were all seated at their tables during the Grand Feast. The sorting ceremony had ended, and all of the excited first years sat at their house tables. Slytherin had gained many new faces this year, but Juniper was more concerned with the older ones. She hadn't seen Draco Malfoy since he glared at her at Kings Cross station at the end of last term, but she sat looking at him now a ways down the table. She hated how beautiful he was.

How can someone so cruel and nasty be so beautiful? It simply wasn't fair, it didn't make any sense and it wasn't right. Her brown eyes went over his features, examining the changes to his facial structure and his hair. She didn't dare look too long, though, because it seems he had forgotten about her for once. Thank god.

After dinner, most of the students went to bed, exhausted from the train ride and the overwhelming day they had. Juniper however stayed in the slytherin common room accompanied by a curious and bitter Clara.

"You and Cedric? What is going on, tell me everything."

The girls sat in one of the many lounge couches that were littered throughout the almost vacant room. Juniper smiled and shrugged nonchalantly.
"Nothing is going on, we wrote each other a lot during the break and that's it." Clara's eyes widened for more details and she opened her mouth to press for me. "That's it, Clara. Nothing is going on. Why.. do you ask?"

The dark haired blonde rolled her eyes as if Juniper were playing dumb. "I ask because there was one point during the train ride where I felt Theo and I needed to leave the room and give you two some privacy. Seriously, Junie, if you're into him just say so. Acting coy doesn't suit you."

The muggle-born ignored the last statement. At the mention of her friend's twin, her eyebrows furrowed. "Speaking of Theo, why was he so weird? Didn't he seem off to you? I mean he hardly talked, usually he jabs at us for being in Slytherin but today... nothing."
Clara shrugged and scrunched her face. "I have no idea, he's been weird the last couple of weeks. I know he hadn't talked to Cedric much, but I guess that's because he was so occupied with you..."

Juniper couldn't help the flutter that she felt in her heart. Sure, it was obvious that Clara was crushing on Cedric, but even when she brought it up to make Juniper feel bad, it did not make her feel bad at all. Over the summer she developed major feelings for the Hufflepuff and just the fact that Clara was insinuating that he could feel the same way was enough to make her stomach erupt in butterflies.

"Yeah, I guess he was. It was nice to talk to someone, you know, since you hardly responded to me at all." Juniper snapped, frankly irritated that Clara had much to say at all about who was sending her owls this summer. She had hardly heard from her but a couple of times. The girl had never taken a harsh tone with her friend but she was tired, annoyed, and ready for bed. Clara's mouth closed, and opened, then closed again.

"If that's all the interrogating you want to do, then I'm off to bed. We have transfiguration early in the morning together. Goodnight."

And with that, she left the couch and her friend behind and padded to her room. On the way, she passed by one of the sitting rooms, where her eyes met briefly with none other than the ice grey eyes she hadn't seen in so long. The glance was long enough to encourage a familiar smirk on his lips.
Getting into bed, she pulled the blankets up to her face and shut her eyes.

Tomorrow I will apologize to Clara, she thought as she drifted off to a welcoming unconsciousness. But tonight I will dream about Cedric.

———————————————————

🍒🍒 I missed you guys!
-Cherry