Great Hall
The Great Hall certainly seems to be the heart of
Hogwarts, as every day the four houses of Hogwarts and professors alike join
together in this magnificent corridor.
Even the elitist wizard or witch would be bedazzled by the sheer
brilliance of this hall.
The room seems to be lit by an endless number of candles
floating atop the five tables set up here.
Four of the tables are evenly placed beside each other, measuring at
least a hundred meters each. These
polished tables seem to possess an endless number of golden goblets and
platters, which are empty at the moment, but rest assured; any decent magical
institution would fill them with many eats as breakfast, lunch, and dinner each
roll around. The walls adjacent with the
four tables are decorated with elaborately ornamented flags of the four houses:
Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Of course, seated at these four tables would
be the students of these houses.
At the front of the room is another table, identical to
the other tables in the room except for the fact that the professors at
Hogwarts dine there. Above that table is
the crest of Hogwarts, proudly displayed in all its glory. The occasional suit of armor is placed around
the room, as well as a few framed pictures, but it's not like the room really
needs to be decorated by things such as those.
Above the tabletops is a magnificent ceiling, if it's a
ceiling at all. It seems to be the
starry sky itself; the ceiling stretches upward so
high, it certainly is hard to tell if there's a rooftop covering the room or
not. Although someone who has been
reading his or her books about Hogwarts would tell you it's bewitched to look
like the sky outside. Nevertheless, the
room as a whole certainly is a breath-taking place.
Harry props his chin in his hand, his green eyes
following Malfoy's movements. He almost wants to walk over and inquire as to
how the Slytherin student is, but he's not too
terribly sure if that's a good idea. Hey Malfoy, look on the bright
side, it could be a coincidence with that girl's death. Or could someone be
trying to send the Malfoy's a hidden message? Who knows what's going on beyond
times are growing as dark as they were before. Unable to sit still any longer,
he pushes himself up from the table and makes for the doors of the Great Hall.
The two minions seem to be about to say something,
probably to question why Draco hasn't eaten and if they may split what he's
left behind, but the words die away with one look from the blonde, who says
nothing. He steps away from the Slytherin table, winds around the crowd of
departing students who doddle and heads right for the
door that will take him to the entrance hall. Watch out, Potter, Draco may just
happen to run right into you as he tries to leave as quickly as possible.
Harry sees Malfoy head for the exit from the corner of
his eye and he wisely steps aside, but calls out softly, "You alright
Malfoy?" He's a bit concerned as he's never seen Malfoy like this. Sure
he's seen the boy in abject pants wetting terror, but not affected this badly.
As everyone seems to be trying to leave, one student is
trying to enter. After word reached the students of the attack in the forest
(thanks to that oh so nosy reporter) the Ravenclaws
barely let her out of their sight with questions. Was it true? Did it happen?
Were you hurt? Were the other Seekers really there? Did you hear about that
Slytherin? Wasn't she with Draco until you danced with him? ... Sigh. Cho
finally broke away from her groups of friends and skipped out on the meal to
spend a little bit of time by herself (probably taking a nap, she's still
rather tired -- for once able to actually sleep, if not soundly or long). She's
gotten too hungry to ignore anymore, so is heading into the Great Hall, just in
time notice a certain pair of Seekers. She stops at the edges of the doors,
watching.
If it were just the Dementors, he'd be fine, though still
slightly disturbed of the 'movie' that played in his head while in their
presence. He wouldn't be quite so nasty for a little bit of time, cowed by the
experience until he could deal with it and return to normal. But with the death
of Aranea stacked on top, it just succeeds in causing
him to become a bit more quiet then he would normally,
after being scared shitless. Call it a twisted form of grieving, if you must.
The blonde Slytherin passes by Potter at the entrance to the Great Hall, not
even bothering to say anything even though he could of
wound up walking right into him. And he fully intends on heading without pause
back to his common room, too, noticing Cho out of the corner of his eye, until
Potter calls to him. Draco stops and considers that for a moment. Is he
alright? Well, he feels alright, just not in the mood to be overly nasty. Just
not in the mood to be anything, right now. He's not even sad. He has his
answer. "I'm fine."
Harry sighs a bit, heading after Malfoy. "Well
alright.. you certainly don't look fine. I was just curious." He sees Cho
as well, giving her a nod. "Did you talk with Professor Snape yet?"
Given the circumstances, one will more than likely have to speak with their
head of house. He's already spoken to McGonagall at length, same with Sirius.
His ears are still ringing after that.
Cho remains at the side of the entrance, actually moving
up to hold onto the frame of the doorway with a hand. She doesn't offer her
usual smile to either of them, but she does nod in return to Harry. Draco gets
most of her attention though, noticeably. Yup, there's that sympathetic look, tsktsk. After him yelling at her, one would think she'd
stop giving it so readily. But she can sort of relate, his date to the Yule
Ball /did/ just die.
Ron walks merrily and unsuspectingly into the Great Hall,
ready for a snack or meal of some kind, and barely misses bumping into Draco.
Recoiling from the Slytherin he backpedals a bit. The guy looks strange..
almost.. well, just different. So he just blinks and moves past him without a
word. Kind of speechless at his demeanor. He sees Harry, though, and smiles as
he joins him, "'ey, Harry.." But this is
said quietly since Harry is.. talking? to Malfoy. And doesn't appear in good
spirits himself. Welp, as usual, something's
happened. When is something not happening around here? Gyah,
he nods to Cho, just noticing her as he passes by >.>
Look! A WEASLEY! He shoots the Weasley
a dirty look just because he's there and in his line of sight (plus, Draco
doesn't exactly want to have to look at the red-headed git at the moment), then
fires it over at Cho. Stop looking at him like that or he'll scream at you,
again! He certainly showed no pity for you over Diggory's
death. He MADE FUN OF IT. And was then blasted by a bunch of jinxes all at
once. Now, being in a similar situation, Draco half understands how it feels,
he would probably react with a hex or two if someone dared to make fun of Aranea. Still, he hasn't learned much. He doesn't feel
guilty about insulting Diggory's memory. Oops.
"..." That could be a yes or a no, but, eh. "Not yet."
Harry could not be more relieved and pleased to see Ron.
Joy of joys! Now we need Hermione and all should be well. For now anyway.
Another glance of concern?? is given in Malfoy's direction, "Right.. he
might appreciate it." Would the Professor? I mean one student slips past a
group of Dementors, another dies. He then turns and trails after Ron and
mutters, "You aren't going to /believe/ what's gone on this
weekend.."
Cho is not giving a look of pity Draco. There's a
difference between pity and sympathy! ... Well, not much of one, but it's
there. And besides, she's a different personality all together, so she can give
the look if she wants. Still she hangs at the door, though she does offer a
friendly smile to Ron as he passes by. Though the fired glare from Draco does
cause the sympathetic look to drop a few notches, it doesn't vanish all
together, though she does find other things in the hall to look at.
Ron makes a lopsided face at Malfoy, consisting of bugged
eyes and a disgusted turn of his nose. Yeah, that about says it all, without
having to use words to disturb this awkward quietness about the room. And
what's with Cho? Shaking his head he whistles and walks towards a table as
Harry follows him, "I bet you're right." The weird feel suffocating
the entire mass of the Great Hall is proof enough that whatever has happened
will be beyond belief.
Draco outright ignores the response that the glare draws
from Ron, really, you can make that face all you want. He hopes it freezes that
way. Don't you start giving him looks of concern or pity, Potter, because he'll
just as readily bite your head off over it as he did to Cho in the infirmary.
With one idiot leaving to accompany the other, it means that he's free from the
questioning, now he may leave as he had been intending to do before Potter had
stopped him. He slips past Fuu, doesn't even bother
to give Cho a second look, and heads into the Entry Hall, intending on heading
straight for the dungeons to the Slytherin common room.
Harry shoots a glance at Malfoy and Cho over his shoulder
before ducking his head again, muttering lowly to Ron so others can't overhear
(which is a moot point), "I went down to the Quidditch pitch for some
flying practice the other night. Malfoy let the snitch out on purpose, it got
loose and flew into the Forbidden Forest. I told Malfoy and Cho to stay put, I
went in after it, and they followed." He takes in a deep breath before
continuing with the next bit. "We did manage to find the snitch, in the
hand of a Dementor. There were several others behind it." Sounds like a
bloody swell time huh Ron? He goes quiet, waiting on a reaction from his friend
before continuing.
Cho stands at the doorframe of entrance, one hand
lingering against the wood. She watches as Draco starts to leave and offers one
last smile towards Harry and his friend, glad that he's getting to talk to him
after what happened. With that done, she starts after the Slytherin. She has a
lot of questions for him, and while she might get yelled at again, she's not
going to leave him alone until... well... maybe the next time he says something
nasty to her. We'll see.
And Draco might recognize a familiar face as he makes his
way from the Entry hall, the mysteriously blue haired girl known only as Umi steps in at about that time- She seems to be in a bit
of a rush, strapped over her shoulder is a large gym bag with a fenceing sword handle hanging from the slightly unzipped
area- And since she's in a hurry, she most likely isn't paying attention which
could result in bumping right into the other Slytherin, "Geez, I'm so off-schedule, I can't -believe- this."
Ron slips onto the bench on the Gryffindor table, letting
his elbows rest lazily on the counter as he leans down to listen - giving Cho a
slight smile in return as she leaves. But that's wiped away quickly when
Harry's story takes his full attention, "The -snitch-?!" he murmurs
miserably.. groaning at the thought of it in a Dementor's
hand and not on the field - *their* pitch - where it belonged ._. But he then
thinks immediately of his friend, searching Harry's face for signs of distress
or fatigue.. but the boy looks fine, to which Ron sighs, marginally relieved.
"Geez, Harry, are you okay?" He knows his
friend handled a Dementor in the past.. but that many? Questionable. Even with
Cho's help and Draco's.. well, even with Cho's help.
Fuu nods a passing hello to
Draco as he hurries past too quickly for her to say anything, then smiles and
nods a slightly more leisured greeting to Cho, whom she hasn't met yet but has
seen here and there (and mysteriously, never on the Quidditch pitch ...) and
waves Hello towards Harry and Ron, taking one step in the direction of the
Gryffindor table - until she hears a familiar voice, muttering behind her, and
turns around ... "Umi-san?" She reaches up
to adjust her glasses, even though there's no mistaking that hair color ...
Pfft. Although he was
skeptical, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, Draco actually did attempt to be of assistance.
Mostly because he didn't exactly feel like having his soul sucked out from his
mouth or being driven insane. And, eek. It's that crazy lady who cut up that
over-grown floor-lobster. @_@; Ignoring that, however, Umi
doesn't run into Draco. He steps around her just in time and continues on, not
even bothering to acknowledge the fact that he's being followed and some such.
Harry settles onto the bench next to Ron. Propping an
elbow against the table, he rests his chin in his hand. He appears alright, he
had more chocolate than he ever wants to see again, he had a long rest which
did get interrupted by a nightmare, but he's intact. "Yeah. I suppose..
Thankfully the Patronus charm worked. Malfoy seems to
be hit hardest by it all. Cho seems fine too.. We talked a bit this
morning." He looks absolutely miserable as he gets ready to say this next
bit, ".. Quidditch has been called off cause of the Dementors. McGonagall
even had our brooms confiscated.." About broke his heart when Major walked
over to take the Firebolt from him. "... then in
today's paper, there's a report that Malfoy's date to the Yule Ball was
murdered." With his head bent down talking with Ron, he doesn't see Fuu waving.
Cho spots the waving hand and waves back, flashing a
friendly smile. She just barely recognizes the girl, from Hikaru's
description and the halls and meals. But other than a smile and a wave, her
attention is currently on the blond Slytherin that just amazingly avoided a
collision. She offers an apologetic smile to the girl who nearly collided with
him, though she really doesn't know who that girl is, and continues after
Malfoy. Yay, Malfoy, you have a stalker. (Kidding,
kidding.)
Ron is also a bit enthralled with Harry's account of the
past few days, so he doesn't notice Fuu, yet. You can
see his face fall and practically hear his heart break, "Quidditch...
cancelled..?" It can't be, it just can't.. Oh, his pre-destined glory days
as Keeper! Flying high with the team he dreamed to be on. But of course
something had to ruin that. Ron would stay dazed, but you said one of the few things
that would tear him out of it, "-Murdered-?" It's said quietly, but
pointedly.. with underlying questions has to how, why, what in the hell is
happening? o.o
Umi ehs?
as she glances to Malfoy and brushes by, raising an eyebrow to the familiar
face- However, she can't remember his name for the life of her and he seems to
be in a rush so.. Ah well. Her blue eyes look then to Cho, stopping to give her
a puzzled look as she chases after Draco. Er... Ok.
>.>; "... Gee, she doesn't really seem his type, but who am I to
judge.." she murmurs to herself with a shrug, and suddenly hearing Fuus voice, flashes a bright smile as she recognizes her
good friend, "Fuu! It's about time you showed up
around here!" she zips up to the blonde and gives her a big warm hug, but
then her expression becomes slightly less cheerful, "Yeah so... Hikaru told me that none of us are staying in the same
area- What's that all about, huh?" ^^;
Fuu hugs Umi
back gently, although it's not quite in keeping with how she would normally
behave ... still, she's really glad to see Umi again.
"I was the first of us here, Umi-san, but I've
been rather busy ... Which House were you sorted
into?" She smiles up at the fencer, easing back from the hug if she's
allowed to do so. "I'm in Hufflepuff, Hikaru-san
is in Gryffindor ... I can't say either of those surprised me, although I hoped
that all three of us would be together in Hufflepuff. And I'm doing well ..
except that Quidditch has apparently been cancelled for an indefinite
period."
Further Down the Dungeons
You can tell that this hallway was built underground, as
it seems quite a bit colder than the corridor before it. The hall seems to reach a dead end, except
for a door to the side which is labeled by a gold plaque that reads 'Potions -
Professor S. Snape'. This area would be
quite spooky, were it completely dark, but torches attached to the wall provide
enough light to dispell that thought. A short flight of stairs leads you back up to
the corridor before.
It didn't take long for Draco to make it down to the
dungeons, pausing before the wall which separates him from the Slytherin common
room. There's that bit of a strange, unexplainable feeling, as though he were
being followed. Instead of just uttering the password to the wall and disappearing
into the house of Slytherin, he turns to look back down the dungeon hallway,
the pupils in his icy blue eyes narrow. Can he see who follows him? Is he going
to say anything if he can? Well, let's leave that up to the imagination.
You know, she should have guessed the Dungeons would be
the place where the Slytherin Common was. It makes complete sense, and it's so
far away from Gryffindor. Cho may not be exactly the sneaking kind, but she
does manage to move silently behind him for a while. When he turns back though,
she stops for a second. She isn't trying to hide, so he likely does see her as
she continues towards him and says, "Draco? Can I talk to you?" Preferably
without him yelling at her this time... But she doesn't say that part out loud.
Well, it all depends on what exactly it is that she wants
to talk about. That will dictate whether or not he screams at her for a second
time. There's a little something in his head which orders him not to even
bother, to just turn around, mutter the password, then retreat into the safety
of the common room where no nosy Ravenclaws may be
able to bother him. The other half just says to merely stay
and find out, then turn around and leave. Heh.
Draco goes with the second, though, frowning. "What is it?" If you're
going to talk, better be planning on doing it here.
Probably going to get yelled at. Cho opens her mouth,
then closes it. What is she supposed to say exactly? If he needs someone to
talk to, she'll be more than happy to listen? She could say that, but it would
sound completely lame, and... he'd probably just say he doesn't want to talk
and walk off. She opens her mouth again, and no words fall out. Finally, she
forces a few words, "Draco.. I'm sorry about Aranea.
After everything that happened last night, I can imagine that hearing that
would be... difficult for you." She meant to say painful, but stops.
"I know you don't want pity, and I'm not giving you pity. I... I am
concerned about you though. You.. you can just hide yourself away if you want,
but..." She stops.
Indeed, if she brought up that 'I can lend an ear if you
have something to say' stuff, he would have simply turned around, stated that
there is nothing he has to say and left right afterwards. His frown deepens,
"I don't see why you care at all. I don't even see why you've followed me
at all if this is what you have to say." The upset starts to creep into Draco's voice, once more. "But fine. This won't be a
complete waste of time for you. It's difficult enough. Is that what you want to
hear?" Is that what it will take to get you to leave him alone? He's
interpreting the concern as pity, once again, obviously.
"You don't see why..." Cho says with a soft
sigh, shaking her head a bit. Of course he doesn't see why she cares. He's a Slytherin.
Probably doesn't believe people /can/ care about someone else it furthers their
own needs or goals. Well, she's /not/ a Slytherin, and she /can/ care about
someone when they don't further her own needs or goals in the least. In fact,
this entire attempt is more of a headache than anything else. "Draco, you
helped me. Yes, I know that this isn't what you wanted in return, you would
rather be alone, you don't want to talk; I've heard it all before, and I even
thought it myself." She certainly didn't want pity, or any of this when
Cedric.. when everything happened last year. "And you're certainly not
giving me any reason to care, other than that you helped me, but... I do. Maybe
there's no reason for it, but that isn't what's important here." She's not
even making any sense to herself now... "If you don't want to talk, we
don't have to. We could even work on a potion project, anything, though we
can't practice Quidditch any more, my broom was taken away... I just don't
think what you need right now is to be alone." She was alone for months
(alone with people all around her even) and it certainly didn't help any.
Draco doesn't care at all. He doesn't even pretend to
care. With the way he is, it's not that Draco is completely incapable about
caring about another human being, just sees himself better than the lot he's
around at the moment, making them not worthy of such a thing. He cares about
his mother, has enough confidence in his father to know that Lucius can defend himself, Crabbe
and Goyle are his most dedicated minions, therefore,
the closest he has to an actual friend, though he would trust the morons as far
as he could throw them, which isn't that far. He's still better than them, his
cronies, that is. Aranea and he were like birds of a
feather, they shared similar opinions on the same things; if Draco had gotten
to know her better, he may of started caring, but any
beginnings to that feeling have been crushed flat with her death. Lastly, he
also enjoys being the nasty prat he is, he enjoys
having an audience that holds him high and mighty. It's hard to be nasty to
someone you care about and the Slytherins make a
perfect audience, which is why he feels so great and... why he doesn't wander
around, insulting THEM. He also isn't the type to just go and bash those who
have done him no wrong. Harry hurt his pride, Weasley
insulted his name, Hermione's a mudblood and now,
Cho's soon going to enter herself into the same category where the three
previous reside by being an annoyance. An annoyance that is causing him to grow
more upset with everything that comes out of her mouth. GO AWAY! He'll start
crying! >.< "..." Erg. That damn being at a loss for words,
again. His hands clench into fists at his sides, but other then that, he
doesn't say anything, to her, at least. He turns to face the wall, mutters the
password to it and steps aside as it begins to open as though being pushed by
some unseen form.
Cho doesn't mean to be an annoyance. She didn't wake up
this morning and go 'hey, I need to track down Draco Malfoy and bother him
until he yells at me again.' This is annoyance without intent. (Still worthy of
a life sentence to the Scooby Gang standing though, isn't it?) Cho watches him
as he turns away, letting out a long sigh and looking down at the floor. She
doesn't hear what he mumbles, nor does she even try to. She should just let him
go. He obviously doesn't want her help and he certainly isn't going to take it
even if he did want it. He's selfish, pigheaded, egotistical, emotionally
retarded, completely lacking in the concept of humanity and friendship... and
yet... she doesn't let it go. She's popular, pretty, and generally nice and
smart, but this is one time when the last bit would be completely questioned.
But as the wall starts to slide open she calls out, "I'm just trying to be
your friend, Draco. Sorry for wasting your time. No matter what you think, it
wasn't a waste of mine." She doesn't turn and walk away, nor does she
physically try to stop him.
OOC Inserts:
Draco (OOC) changes his @doing. x.@;
Draco
Draco (OOC) says, "He (Harry) changed his @doing to
go with mine. x.x"
Draco
Harry
Cho (OOC) changes her own @doing. *whistle*
Cho
Draco (OOC) laughs. x.@;
End OOC Inserts
He is certainly all of those things. If you toss in mean
and arrogant, that will probably sum up the majority of his personality. There
are a few things underneath it all, some which even he doesn't know about,
meaning he is SO NOT emotionally retarded! Just... slightly. And stuff. Okay,
so he is emotionally retarded. Draco's not about to
go hopping over, with shining eyes, ready to accept the offer of friendship,
but he does at least stop before the opening wall, turning back a second time
with a bit of a skeptical look. He gave the offer to Potter, once, for reasons
unknown, probably because of seeing the Boy-Who-Lived as being on a somewhat
equal level and was even slightly disappointed at being refused, to which it
eventually turned into a bitter rivalry, but to someone like this. Well, he
doesn't think of Cho as an equal, he believes himself to be better, if she
wants to be his 'friend', then that requires worshipping him appropriately. Geez. Someone's going to have to teach him the meaning of
these things. Draco, once again, doesn't know what to say, he just.. sorta stands there.
Oh yes, can't forget arrogant asshole. The set just
wouldn't be complete without that! But he does stop. Which
means Cho has one chance to get by this. She can feel her chances
slipping away quickly. For one, he doesn't even like her; though he was nice to
her (well, nice enough) before the little bouts of sympathy became too much for
him. The fact that he /was/ nice to her for a time is one of the only things
sustaining her attempt. She takes a breath and chooses her words with extreme
care. "I realize that Slytherins don't
generally... befriend other Houses, but I think that.. we could at least come
to a mutual understanding." Mutual? Does that mean no worshipping? Well,
yes. No worshipping. Cho's more used to being the person followed around by
hoards of Ravenclaws listening to her every word and
whining to her about little things (My cat's sick! I can't pass this quiz! My
parents won't buy me a Cleansweep!) and gossiping and
occasionally giving her moments of genuine friendship. To be quite honest, she
doesn't /have/ many genuine friends either. But she's got a much better concept
of friendship than he does.
First, it's friends, and now,
mutual understanding. Maybe it's not only him who's emotionally retarded. Buwah. That skeptical look remains, he begins to frown once
more, still trying to figure out something to say in response to this. He's
never really met a person like this, before. He doesn't even know how to deal
with them. He doesn't know whether to be mean, arrogant, just go off and
completely ignore them or be semi-nice. Draco thinks he should be all at once
and none at all. x.@; "I have no idea what to say to you." Whups. That just slipped out. Gah.
Hey, she was trying to downgrade it so he wouldn't be so
quick to walk off... Cho waits, waits... not walking away. And then those words
just slip out. Her reaction? A huge smile appears on her lips and she barely
contains the urge to laugh. Not a laugh to make fun of him though, more because
she's pleased that he admitted to it and didn't just walk away. Even if he
didn't intend to say it. "I know the feeling. Let me just make this
simple. If you decide you wouldn't mind having me as a friend then you can
approach me and we can talk, go to Hogsmeade, work on something for classes, it
doesn't matter." She takes a breath, then continues. "If not, then I
won't take any offense." She's offering a no-strings
attached friendship. She'll even understand if he turns and walks away right
this instant, not taking offense. Maybe a little hurt, but not offended.
Umi rushes on by, don't mind
her. She seems entranced in her instruction booklet for the card game she
bought, "So.. If I tap 7 mana,
I'll be darn near invincible.." she mutters as she then heads right into
the Potions Classroom.
He seems to consider this for a few minutes, or perhaps
he's still trying to figure out something to say. Forget Umi,
she doesn't exist. She just happens to pass by, muttering to herself. Slytherin
will want to disown her within a week, that's for certain. "..." Geez, he's just being driven into round after round of
speechlessness, not knowing what to say, or even how to react. Numerous times
in a minute, Draco has thought about just turning back around again to enter
the common room, but he wouldn't feel right about it afterwards for a little
while. Not that he'd regret rudely turning down the offer, but like he's
missing out on something that he could gain through it. Like, irritating Potter
to no end. Draco makes a bit of a funny face. "Why are you doing
this?" x.@;
Cho doesn't notice Umi either.
She's just someone walking by during one of the moments of silence stretching
between them. She doesn't dare look away from Draco to see who the person is,
as if she's afraid he'll disappear through those doors if she does just that.
She continues to watch him, trying to keep eye contact, as if looking for some
sign that she's getting thru... anything... what she finds is... not much. He
doesn't turn around though. He isn't leaving. And he's.. making a funny face
and asking her a silly question. "Why?" ... Why?... Why... why...
why... Bloody hell... Now she's left speechless. Her mouth opens three full
times, without a single sound escaping. Then finally, words fall out, "Why
shouldn't I? Is it so unbelievable that someone would want to be your
friend?" Though with his attitude, she's starting to see that it is! But
that isn't an answer. What is she supposed to tell him? The truth? 'I feel
sorry for you. I think that you need a friend right now and I just want to
help.' Oh yeah, she's /really/ going to say that and get yelled at.
Draco wouldn't just yell, he'd have a fit, fire off a hex
and leave you writhing there on the floor for the rest of the evening until
someone happens by and takes some form of pity! The funny expression turns a
bit more to that of anger, then, it's him who winds up opening and closing his
mouth. A very fish-like behavior, they both have now displayed. "I don't
know!" Finally, he fires back at the Ravenclaw, once again at a loss for
anything to say, but the stuff that he doesn't want to speak just keep slipping
out of his mouth.
Oh, yay, now he's just getting
pissed off. But he's not walking away. (Is that really an accomplishment?) Cho
takes a slow breath, moving back one step as she tries to mentally find some
way to balance this out for the better. But she can't seem to think of a way at
all. She's only causing him to get pissed, and that isn't the intention she had
when she sought him out. Of course, if they got into a big long yelling match
and he vented all his upset on her, it might help /him/, though it might leave
her twitching on the floor hairless and with warts the size of apples all over.
So.. no. Let's not go with that option. Instead she whispers softly,
"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea..." A little steadier she adds,
"Sorry, I don't know how to answer that question. I just want to-- I just
want--" blood hell. She can't say help, she can't say any of the things
she would say if he were anyone else. But no, she had to try to reach out to an
emotionally retarded Slytherin, of /all/ people, didn't she? How did he ever
come up with a happy thought last night? She tries to come up with words, but
then she suddenly just says the last thing she thought, "How did you ever
come up with a happy thought last night?" Wrong thing to say? Ooooh, yeah.
Draco >o< "WHAT?! Do you think I don't have
any happy thoughts or anything?!" Well, if he's an emotional retard, that
question should be rather easy to answer. "You make it sound like that's
absolutely impossible for me." Grr. Hiss. Grr. Grr. He's so gonna have to sic his father on you, now! After all,
running straight to daddy is what his son happens to do best. And, he's been
doing it a lot more, recently. Sissy. Ahem.
Cho blinks lightly. "I never.. I didn't say
that!" Well, yeah, she did, "I didn't mean it to sound like that.
It's just... you seem to think such.. negative things so readily.. Why else
would you have to question why I'm trying to be your friend? Do you think I'm
trying to use you or something?" She looks a little bit confused, but then
she shakes it off, like trying to get dust out of her hair. "If it's not
impossible, then prove it. What /was/ your happy thought?" Though some people
would say that in an offensive way, it isn't even intended as argumentative or
even confrontational. It's just a question, despite the odd wording. She really
is curious. If the arrogant Slytherin could conjure up a happy thought, what
could they possibly be? Selfish happy thoughts don't seem like they would work
in that instance.
He has half a mind to pull out his wand, scream 'Petrificus Totalus' at her, and
then take off into the common room. "How dare you." Draco sneers at
her, he lifts his head to a superior angle, shoving his hands into the pockets
of his slacks, looking as though he has momentarily returned back to being
himself, but just imagine the energy that it's draining from him to do so when
he's not exactly ready for it. "Is that supposed to be some sort of
challenge?! Do you think I can't come up anything happy on my own?" Yes,
he's purposely weaving around the subject; his face pales bit by bit. "Why
should I tell you? Why's it so important to you? It's none of your
business!"
Oi. She inspired the appearance
of the bad Draco... But at least he's not moping and being totally not
himself... (Is this a good thing?) Cho takes a slow breath, resisting the urge
to take a few steps away. Instead she tries to speak calmly, "I'm not
trying to challenge you. I just want to know. Is that so wrong? If you're happy
thought is so private, then keep it to yourself, it's probably wonderful and
great and /yours/. But you better hold onto it as tightly as ever if you want
to get thru this without..." She cuts off. She can't say what she wants to
say (turning into a soulless excuse for a human being). It'll come off as an
insult. So she takes a breath and says, "Happy thoughts aren't something
you should be ashamed of though."
What is you're problem? He doesn't like it when the words
just happen to trail away like that. If you want to call him emotionally
retarded or a soulless excuse for a human being, then feel free. The
consequences are facing his temper, however. "And perhaps I'm 'ashamed'
because you're right and I can't seem to find a thought that makes me truly
happy." A pause. He's not going to be forced to admit this. "Then
again." Draco adds slyly, "Maybe you're wrong." Time for a new
topic. "I bet I know what you thought of." Once again, sneering.
"I bet it was Diggory. In fact, I think you came
down here, believing that you could relate because of Aranea,
that you could 'help'. I'll tell you something, Cho Chang, you're only causing
more damage. I told you don't need your pity. Maybe you should LISTEN!"
And maybe he should stop upsetting himself, too, because his voice certainly
tells the tale, despite how nasty his expression is.
Dissolving into a yelling match now? Cho somehow resists
taking any steps away from him as the conversation takes a turn for the worse.
Not that it started out all peaches and cream to begin with. The mention of
Cedric, admittedly causes a slight sting, but it's barely noticeable, except in
her eyes. The rest... well... by the time he's finished her eyes are tight and
dark, and though he can't see it, her throat feels tight and her chest feels
heavy. She takes another slow breath, trying to keep from taking the yelling
match to her side as well. "I'm sorry... But I don't understand. Why can't
I help you? What's so wrong with wanting to do that? You helped me."
Though, honestly, talking to Harry helped far more than any sleeping potion
did... But that isn't the point. "I don't pity you. There's a difference
between pity and empathy. Maybe I /do/ know what you're going through."
She takes a breath and adds, "And just for your
information, it was Cedric, but it wasn't. It was more the feelings I had when
I was around him, before--" There's a tightening in her voice and she
stops, adding on instead, "But I guess you probably wouldn't understand
that at all, would you?" That's her first intentional stab of the night,
emotion heavy in her eyes and tone.
"How dare you." He says again, anger mixing in
with his voice, once more, but it doesn't manage to erase the upset which
lingers. This isn't fair. He has to be able to stand up against this. Draco
unclenches his hands from the fists, then reforms them, tighter than ever,
inside the pockets. He doesn't even have to see it, he knows his knuckles go
white. "We are two perfectly different people." And it's as though
the blonde Slytherin believes that happens to say everything, account for
everything, and explain everything. Malfoy says no more after that, just
tightly purses his lips together, making a straight line, his vision
occasionally blurring with the beginnings of tears in his eyes which are
silently fought back.
"I.. I shouldn't have said that, I'm sorry." He
doesn't exactly /inspire/ people to put their best face forward though, does
he? She doesn't even know why she's bothering to keep this up as she is.
Instead of fighting off the urge to step back, Cho actually takes a few steps
forward this time, closer to the younger Slytherin. "We are different.
Different personalities, different priorities, different in ways I probably
don't even realize. But we /do/ have things in common." They're both
Seekers? Well, yeah, but she's thinking more along the lines of other things
right now. Not that he'd ever admit to them. She's fighting back tears too, but
perhaps a bit easier, because the pain is less new to her, less focused.
"I do want to try. I want to try to be your friend. Yes, I even want to
try to help, even if I know there's no way I possibly can, and it's the last
thing you want if I /could/."
That it. That's enough. Draco was at the edge and now,
he's been pushed too far. Tears silently slide down his pale cheeks, but he
doesn't bother to make any effort to wipe them away. He keeps his hands in his
pockets, not even making a move. If he did, that would mean acknowledging their
presence, it would mean showing a form of weakness. He's done that enough,
lately. He keeps his lips pursed together, refusing to say anything in
response, his face still wearing that expression that could almost be interpreted
as of a neutral standing. Surprisingly, as much as he wants to turn around and
leave, as the Ravenclaw draws close, he has not backed away... yet.
See, this is where Cho will not understand him. Weakness?
How are tears a weakness? Yes, she pushed them back and hid them away so often
that one might wonder if she thought that way too, but it was more because she
didn't want her friends trailing behind her in awkward silence, afraid to say
anything for fear she'll break down and sob.
And isn't that just what she did to Draco
here? Well, there's a difference
here. It may not be easily seen, but
it's there. She takes another slow
breath and moves closer, taking slow steps as if she's worried she might spook
him. If her movements don't do that,
what she does when she gets close enough probably does the trick. She lifts her tiny hands up (and they are
shaking every so slightly, though nowhere near as much as his were in the
infirmary the other night) and tries to cup his cheeks, thumbs brushing away
the tears as much as she can if he lets her. For once, she doesn't even try to
say a word.
His bubble of personal space is being invaded! The closer
Cho gets to him, the more he wants to just go. He was expecting you to just
stop or something, not just come right up to him like that. Draco freezes, almost
as though his feet were rooted to the spot where he stands. There is no
physical protest, mostly because he's too shocked to move as she begins to
brush away the ignored tears. There is no verbal protest, he can't even begin
to formulate words at the moment. The only thing that happens is his eyes
widen... considerable... at her.
The fact that there is no sudden jerking, knocking away
of her hands, or yelling keeps Cho where she is. She settles into her spot, a
lot closer to the Slytherin Common Room than any Ravenclaw should ever be. But
she doesn't even glance beyond him. She keeps her dark hazel eyes (the flecks
of green and gold in her eyes are probably clearer than ever if he tries to
look) carefully placed on his own icy blue. She brushes away the tracks of
tears gently, her hands sliding into place so that her plams
rest on the curve of his jaw and the fingers on his neck and touching his
earlobes. After a few moments, she offers up a warm (if a little weak) smile
and again, says nothing. For some reason this seems to be a moment when silence
is best.
It's like this big round of silence. She says nothing, he
says nothing. He says nothing, she says nothing. Rinse, repeat. But he tries,
Draco honestly tries to force himself to say something, anything... but his
body just simply refuses all the commands as though frozen, only allowing him
to breathe and occasionally blink. The blonde haired, pale faced Slytherin just
stares at the slightly shorter Ravenclaw seeker in pure and absolute shock. He
can't even blush, for that matter, his mind is so in a mess at the moment,
though he might had it not of come as a surprise.
... Wow. Cho's discovered a new way to petrify someone.
Touch their face. She waits until most of the signs of the tears are gone, then
slowly starts to draw her hands back, breaking the silence with soft words,
"The offer is still open, Draco. If you want it." The offer being
that of friendship. She doesn't mention the tears at all, though she was very
tempted to tell him not to be embarrassed of them. Though, she leaves the ‘if’
open. Though she seems to have been getting through (or at least more than she /was/) so maybe this method was working better than the
previous ones.
How can you be so utterly calm after that? You just
invaded his personal space, just touched his face and all that jazz yet are
able to just act so normally, afterwards?! He's absolutely scared stiff! Harry
might be happy if he just had his tears brushed away by Cho Chang, but Draco's completely different and has no idea what to think
at all. Erm. Um. Ah. Hm. Is
he still at a loss for what to say? Sure! But he can at least move, now, taking
a bit of a step back from the girl, least she try and reach out to paralyze him
again. "..." Pause. "..." Not that he's saying anything.
"..." Argh. This is frustrating!
"...I..." WAY TO GO. "Never mind." Scowly
face.
I? I? I what? Cho's eyebrows raise
for a moment as she waits for whatever will come next, but they immediately
lower in some disappointment when the next words do. Never mind? Never mind!?
Sigh. And she actually does. She lets her hands drop to her side and lets out a
sigh. "If you make up your mind, you know where to find me." She
doesn't want to hang around this close to the Slytherin Common Room anymore. He's
wearing her out, emotionally. It's like trying to teach a Muggle-child charms. They just don't /work/! And of
course she can act normal after touching his face. There's /nothing/ wrong with
tactile contact! He's just... completely beyond her scope of comprehension. Is
he even human? She knows he is. She still has tear residue on her fingers.
"I'll see you later. Have a good night." With that said she takes a
few steps back and turns away.
O_o That's one WEIRD woman. It disturbed him not because it was a girl, but because, well, Draco's never had ANYONE do that to him, before. Gah. "Good night." And hopefully, good riddance, though because he never happened to answer, the feeling of joy that she's leaving soon sinks. He closes the Slytherin common room door behind himself. Oh wonderful... now he he'll to explain EVERYTHING eventually, if he feels like it, to the many sets of eyes which stare at him as he walks though to his dorm.