Three days later, Draco, Pansy, Blaise, Crabbe, and Goyle were sitting in the Three Broomsticks. It was the first Hogsmeade trip of the year and everyone was excited to visit all their favourite shops again. Even now, at ten o’clock in the morning, the Three Broomsticks was full to bursting.
Blaise twisted around in his chair, flirting with Madam Rosmerta as he did every time he was there. She was resolutely ignoring him as she did every time he was there. Crabbe and Goyle were quite entertained watching Blaise’s attempts. Though that wasn’t saying much. The two boys would have been entertained by someone hitting them in the nose.
This left Pansy and Draco to themselves. Pansy had her arms crossed over her chest and was glaring at Draco. Draco knew she expected him to be talking to her, but he had nothing to say, and frankly didn’t care what she wanted him to do.
For a couple of weeks, he had been beginning to find her dull. Her conversations usually centered around herself. And then, this last week, she had become overbearing and pushy. Well, more so than usual.
Finally Pansy seemed to snap. “Alright, Draco,” she began angrily. She never called him Draco. “What’s going on with you?”
“Nothing,” Draco answered. I hate you, I hate my father, I hate this school. I’m sick of Voldemort this, Voldemort that. I’m sick of people trying to tell me how to live my life. But otherwise, nothing. How about you?
“Don’t lie to me. I know you better than that. There’s something going on. I hardly ever see you anymore; and when I do… you’re different.”
“Different? How am I different?” He didn’t suspect for an instant that anyone would have figured out how he felt. His friends, if you could call them that, didn’t care two sticks about him. Well, Blaise was a little better, but still.
Pansy rolled her eyes and began counting off her fingers, “You hardly talk. You look grumpy. You haven’t kissed me in two weeks.”
“Is that what you want? A kiss?” Draco leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. They were cold and dry, nearly making him shudder. “Better?”
“No,” Pansy said, though she did look happier. “You still look grumpy.”
Wonder why that could be, Draco thought. He gave her the biggest grin he could muster.
“You look like you’re in pain.”
Draco sighed. “I don’t know how to please you, Parkinson. Nothing’s good enough for you.”
“That’s not true!” Pansy exclaimed defensively. “You were just fine last year! None of this moody, weird stuff!” She waved her hands in the air as if gesturing to evidence that was hanging in front of her face.
Draco leaned his chair back on two legs. “Well, people change, Pansy. Maybe I’ve changed. I don’t know.”
“Changed how?” She asked nervously. Her voice held a whiny quality that grated on Draco’s nerves. She looked up at him with wide eyes and inched slightly closer.
“I don’t know.” Draco shrugged, once again resisting an urge to pull away from her. “You’re the one telling me I’m different. You tell me how I’ve changed.”
Pansy’s mouth dropped open. “Fine, Draco,” she said after a minute. “It’s clear this isn’t working. Good-bye.” She stood up and stormed out the door.
“It’s clear what isn’t working?” Draco called after her; but she either didn’t hear or just didn’t answer. He was betting on the latter.
Blaise looked around at the door, which Pansy’d slammed quite forcefully, then over at Draco. “What happened?” he asked.
Draco shrugged. “I don’t really know. We were talking, I thought it was going okay, and she got mad about something and took off. Nothing I said or did made her happy.”
Blaise hummed disinterestedly. Madam Rosmerta was walking by. He grinned at her, waggling his eyebrows up and down. He made such a ridiculous sight that Draco almost laughed along with Crabbe and Goyle. Almost.
After several minutes, he got bored just sitting there. Spotting Theodore Nott and Daphne Greengrass making their way down High Street, he pushed his way out of the crowded pub to join them. His three companions didn’t even notice.
“Hey!” he yelled as he caught up to them. “Where are you headed?”
Theodore looked over at him. “Er… Honeydukes,” he answered, looking slightly embarrassed. He glanced shyly at Daphne.
Daphne looked around, not paying attention to the boy, and asked, “Where’s Pansy? Usually she’s hanging off your arm like a leech. Sorry.”
Draco shrugged. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately. “She ran out on me, er, ten minutes ago. I don’t know where she is.”
Daphne’s green eyes grew ‘til they resembled saucers. “What d’you mean, she ran out on you?” she asked in a frantic rush.
“I mean she ran out on me. We were talking and she freaked. Said ‘this isn’t working’, and took off. I still don’t really know what happened.”
“So… you’re broken up?” Daphne fairly shrieked.
Draco hesitated. “I’m… not sure.” Pansy hadn’t actually said she didn’t want to see him anymore. He wouldn’t complain if she didn’t, except that he’d never had anyone break up with him before. He’d broken it off with many girls, but none with him. It just wasn’t done. Most of them would be more likely to kill whoever was dating him to get to him themselves.
“Ohmygoodness!” And with that, Daphne took off back up the road.
Theodore shook his head. “I know that look. This is going to be all over school by dinner.”
Draco sighed. “Probably.”
“You don’t look too worried.”
“Not really. I mean, I don’t even know what Pansy meant. Daphne doesn’t even have anything to gossip about, really.”
“And? Girls don’t need a reason. Most of the time they make it up anyway.”
“Yeah. You’re right.” Good. This was just what he needed. The entire school gossiping about him. Eventually it would get back to his father that Pansy had broken up with him, and it would be one more thing for him to be mad about.
Crabbe and Goyle came out of the Three Broomsticks just then, dragging a sopping wet Blaise behind them. “Where’d ya go?” Goyle demanded, dodging a spray of brown water as Blaise shook out his hair.
“Right here,” Draco told him. “Blaise, what happened to you?”
“Ah… right,” the dark-haired boy said, looking embarrassed. “Well…er… Madam Rosmerta told me I was being ‘fresh’ and dumped a tub of dish water on my head.” As if to demonstrate, he shook his head again and wrung out his shirt, causing Crabbe to jump out of the way.
Everyone, including a couple of nearby students, laughed at this. “It’s not funny!” Blaise said, looking indignant.
Theodore pulled Draco aside. “So, what were you and Pansy talking about?” he asked in a stage whisper.
“She told me I was ‘different’. Whatever that means.”
Blaise, who had been eavesdropping, piped up, “She’s right, you know. You have been different.”
“What is this?” Draco exclaimed. It was like national Bug Draco Day. People asking him questions left and right. It was seriously starting to get on his nerves.
Theodore shrugged. “You’ve just been acting weird. Since the beginning of semester.”
Draco glanced over at Crabbe and Goyle. They were still chuckling at each other, saying things like “dish-head” and “sponge-face”. They would be no help. Well… not that they would anyway.
“I’ve just been upset…” Draco mumbled in response. “About last year. You know?”
The other boys nodded. “We understand,” Theodore told him. “That’s what we’ve been thinking it was. It must be awful.”
Crabbe and Goyle finally realized that the conversation had moved on and stopped laughing to listen. Blaise rolled his eyes at them and they growled at him.
The Slytherin boys headed back to Hogwarts, having had their fill of the village. Draco was vaguely aware of a group of giggling girls following them, but chose to ignore them. Blaise, on the other hand, flirted quite openly of course.
Blaise twisted around in his chair, flirting with Madam Rosmerta as he did every time he was there. She was resolutely ignoring him as she did every time he was there. Crabbe and Goyle were quite entertained watching Blaise’s attempts. Though that wasn’t saying much. The two boys would have been entertained by someone hitting them in the nose.
This left Pansy and Draco to themselves. Pansy had her arms crossed over her chest and was glaring at Draco. Draco knew she expected him to be talking to her, but he had nothing to say, and frankly didn’t care what she wanted him to do.
For a couple of weeks, he had been beginning to find her dull. Her conversations usually centered around herself. And then, this last week, she had become overbearing and pushy. Well, more so than usual.
Finally Pansy seemed to snap. “Alright, Draco,” she began angrily. She never called him Draco. “What’s going on with you?”
“Nothing,” Draco answered. I hate you, I hate my father, I hate this school. I’m sick of Voldemort this, Voldemort that. I’m sick of people trying to tell me how to live my life. But otherwise, nothing. How about you?
“Don’t lie to me. I know you better than that. There’s something going on. I hardly ever see you anymore; and when I do… you’re different.”
“Different? How am I different?” He didn’t suspect for an instant that anyone would have figured out how he felt. His friends, if you could call them that, didn’t care two sticks about him. Well, Blaise was a little better, but still.
Pansy rolled her eyes and began counting off her fingers, “You hardly talk. You look grumpy. You haven’t kissed me in two weeks.”
“Is that what you want? A kiss?” Draco leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. They were cold and dry, nearly making him shudder. “Better?”
“No,” Pansy said, though she did look happier. “You still look grumpy.”
Wonder why that could be, Draco thought. He gave her the biggest grin he could muster.
“You look like you’re in pain.”
Draco sighed. “I don’t know how to please you, Parkinson. Nothing’s good enough for you.”
“That’s not true!” Pansy exclaimed defensively. “You were just fine last year! None of this moody, weird stuff!” She waved her hands in the air as if gesturing to evidence that was hanging in front of her face.
Draco leaned his chair back on two legs. “Well, people change, Pansy. Maybe I’ve changed. I don’t know.”
“Changed how?” She asked nervously. Her voice held a whiny quality that grated on Draco’s nerves. She looked up at him with wide eyes and inched slightly closer.
“I don’t know.” Draco shrugged, once again resisting an urge to pull away from her. “You’re the one telling me I’m different. You tell me how I’ve changed.”
Pansy’s mouth dropped open. “Fine, Draco,” she said after a minute. “It’s clear this isn’t working. Good-bye.” She stood up and stormed out the door.
“It’s clear what isn’t working?” Draco called after her; but she either didn’t hear or just didn’t answer. He was betting on the latter.
Blaise looked around at the door, which Pansy’d slammed quite forcefully, then over at Draco. “What happened?” he asked.
Draco shrugged. “I don’t really know. We were talking, I thought it was going okay, and she got mad about something and took off. Nothing I said or did made her happy.”
Blaise hummed disinterestedly. Madam Rosmerta was walking by. He grinned at her, waggling his eyebrows up and down. He made such a ridiculous sight that Draco almost laughed along with Crabbe and Goyle. Almost.
After several minutes, he got bored just sitting there. Spotting Theodore Nott and Daphne Greengrass making their way down High Street, he pushed his way out of the crowded pub to join them. His three companions didn’t even notice.
“Hey!” he yelled as he caught up to them. “Where are you headed?”
Theodore looked over at him. “Er… Honeydukes,” he answered, looking slightly embarrassed. He glanced shyly at Daphne.
Daphne looked around, not paying attention to the boy, and asked, “Where’s Pansy? Usually she’s hanging off your arm like a leech. Sorry.”
Draco shrugged. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately. “She ran out on me, er, ten minutes ago. I don’t know where she is.”
Daphne’s green eyes grew ‘til they resembled saucers. “What d’you mean, she ran out on you?” she asked in a frantic rush.
“I mean she ran out on me. We were talking and she freaked. Said ‘this isn’t working’, and took off. I still don’t really know what happened.”
“So… you’re broken up?” Daphne fairly shrieked.
Draco hesitated. “I’m… not sure.” Pansy hadn’t actually said she didn’t want to see him anymore. He wouldn’t complain if she didn’t, except that he’d never had anyone break up with him before. He’d broken it off with many girls, but none with him. It just wasn’t done. Most of them would be more likely to kill whoever was dating him to get to him themselves.
“Ohmygoodness!” And with that, Daphne took off back up the road.
Theodore shook his head. “I know that look. This is going to be all over school by dinner.”
Draco sighed. “Probably.”
“You don’t look too worried.”
“Not really. I mean, I don’t even know what Pansy meant. Daphne doesn’t even have anything to gossip about, really.”
“And? Girls don’t need a reason. Most of the time they make it up anyway.”
“Yeah. You’re right.” Good. This was just what he needed. The entire school gossiping about him. Eventually it would get back to his father that Pansy had broken up with him, and it would be one more thing for him to be mad about.
Crabbe and Goyle came out of the Three Broomsticks just then, dragging a sopping wet Blaise behind them. “Where’d ya go?” Goyle demanded, dodging a spray of brown water as Blaise shook out his hair.
“Right here,” Draco told him. “Blaise, what happened to you?”
“Ah… right,” the dark-haired boy said, looking embarrassed. “Well…er… Madam Rosmerta told me I was being ‘fresh’ and dumped a tub of dish water on my head.” As if to demonstrate, he shook his head again and wrung out his shirt, causing Crabbe to jump out of the way.
Everyone, including a couple of nearby students, laughed at this. “It’s not funny!” Blaise said, looking indignant.
Theodore pulled Draco aside. “So, what were you and Pansy talking about?” he asked in a stage whisper.
“She told me I was ‘different’. Whatever that means.”
Blaise, who had been eavesdropping, piped up, “She’s right, you know. You have been different.”
“What is this?” Draco exclaimed. It was like national Bug Draco Day. People asking him questions left and right. It was seriously starting to get on his nerves.
Theodore shrugged. “You’ve just been acting weird. Since the beginning of semester.”
Draco glanced over at Crabbe and Goyle. They were still chuckling at each other, saying things like “dish-head” and “sponge-face”. They would be no help. Well… not that they would anyway.
“I’ve just been upset…” Draco mumbled in response. “About last year. You know?”
The other boys nodded. “We understand,” Theodore told him. “That’s what we’ve been thinking it was. It must be awful.”
Crabbe and Goyle finally realized that the conversation had moved on and stopped laughing to listen. Blaise rolled his eyes at them and they growled at him.
The Slytherin boys headed back to Hogwarts, having had their fill of the village. Draco was vaguely aware of a group of giggling girls following them, but chose to ignore them. Blaise, on the other hand, flirted quite openly of course.
Author notes: A/N: What do you guys think? Was it good? I really enjoy writing the Slytherin boys. I don't know why... I just do. Anyway, thank you to my reviewers... msm_2011simonebb, laylaelaine, and Flying_Away. I love you all!!
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