Slytherin Love

My stomach tingles nervously as I stride through the Hogwarts Express looking for my best friend, Ginny. This is our fourth year at Hogwarts and I’m pretty conflicted about the new year. On one hand I’m insanely excited, on the other hand I’m nervous and kind of scared. It’s because of one person and it’s the one thing Ginny really hates about me...that I’m in love with Draco Malfoy.

Last year, when this Triwizard Tournament was going on, I almost freaked out when they told me Draco was there with that horrible Pansy Parkinson. That all went up in smoke, though, when he smiled at me once. It’s embarrassing, but one smile is enough to make me forget how crappy this idea actually is. Yet he probably doesn’t even know that I’m in love with him. Still, he doesn’t treat me too badly unlike other half-bloods. I don’t know what it is, but I keep imagining things and holding on to that little glimmer of hope.

Finally, I see flaming red hair in a compartment and rush inside. Ginny jumps up smiling and hugs me tightly. “Last minute, as usual.”

“I’m sorry... no, I’m not,” I laugh, beaming at her.

“I’m always glad you don’t miss the train,” she mutters with a grin and we sit down.

“How was your vacation?” asks Ginny and I shrug.

“Well. Same as always. The week with you guys was great, the rest as usual. I’m actually quite happy to be back at Hogwarts.”

She rolls her eyes, and I already know what she’s thinking about. And she’s right. Still, we quickly talk about something else, because the fact that I have an uncanny crush on Draco makes her pretty angry and then she’s quickly displeased and we have a big fight, then don’t talk for three days and then one of us apologizes again. That’s how it goes every time and that’s why we avoid conflict situations like this. After all, I can’t blame her for not liking him. He can be a real mean bastard, especially to the Weasleys. And to Hermione. In general, he’s pretty unkind most of the time, but to me less than to anyone else. Maybe that’s why I can’t just hate him like everyone else does. Besides, I think there’s something in his gray eyes that isn’t abysmally evil. I just haven’t figured out if I’m right about that yet, but I plan on changing that. Maybe as early as this school year, maybe sometime else.

In the Great Hall, there is the usual procedure, but something is new. I have never seen our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher before. Her name is Umbridge and she has been sent by the Ministry.

All in pink, she stands at the lectern and practically pushes Dumbledore away to give a completely bonkers speech herself. I don’t like her right away and I have a very, very bad feeling about this woman. Still, I give her a chance, because everyone deserves one. Or two, maybe even three. That’s how gullible I am.

I get distracted fairly quickly when I see Draco. He’s gotten even prettier over the vacations. I look at him very long and hard and suddenly he returns my gaze. My heart starts to race and I hear the blood rushing in my ears, everything else has suddenly disappeared. There are only those deep, gray eyes. And then he smiles at me briefly, but then looks away again as if nothing had ever happened.

I take a deep breath and tear my gaze away from him. I need to get back to Hogwarts first, then I can worry about everything else.

After dinner, I go with Ginny to the dormitory and I flop right into bed, staring at the fabric sky above. If only I knew how to just approach Draco.

I get caught up in these thoughts until Ginny finally nags me, “You really are unbearable sometimes, Val.”

“I’m sorry,” I mutter, not even sure I mean it. I’m not actually sorry I’m in love, but I do feel a little guilty toward Ginny. But I can’t help it. It’s not like she chooses who she’s in love with.

“You should just get it out of your head,” she says sternly now and I sigh.

“Yeah, it’s so easy to say,” I mutter softly.

“It’s so easy!” she snaps at me. “Hello, Draco Malfoy? Could you get any grosser and slimier and more evil and mean? He’s a Slytherin! You’ve seen how he is with other people, he doesn’t care about the feelings of those around him at all! He even enjoys it, Valerie!”

“He’s not like that to me!“, I exclaim, upset. “I know he can suck, but he’s never treated me this badly!”

“He’s never talked to you before!” hisses Ginny now, and I decide at that moment to ignore her. I draw the curtains around my bed and say no more, covering myself up and resting my head on the pillow. She knows this isn’t true. Okay, we’ve never had a great conversation, but he once saved me from being hit by my suitcase, saying ‘That was close. We wouldn’t want you to have to spend your first day of school in the hospital wing right away. Take good care of yourself.’ It wasn’t much, but he was nice.

“Are you not going to talk to me now, or what?” asks Ginny, annoyed.

I keep silent. I’m not in the mood for these discussions and if this had gone any further I would have said something that would have been pretty nasty, so I save it. Unlike her. She often doesn’t have a handle on things like this.

“Fine! I’m sorry!” she suddenly exclaims.

“I’m not,” I mutter. “You hate him, that’s okay. But to pick on me like that, too...”

“I’m just trying to protect you!”

“I can definitely take care of myself,” I explain slowly, so maybe she’ll understand for once.

“If you say so,” she returns. “Can we make up now?”

“It’s fine,” I say indifferently. Tomorrow we can get along again, now I have to sleep on it for a night.

The next morning we have Defense Against the Dark Arts with our new teacher for the first time and here my feeling is confirmed. This Umbridge is anything but nice, although she pretends to be. She’s already threatening punishments, even though class hasn’t really started yet. Shrugging my shoulders, I look at Ginny. It can’t really get any worse than Snape’s punishment work, can it?