Mr. Malfoy, Are You Sure?

MR. MALFOY

I was pacing around my office. Who in the bloody hell did Pansy think she was. Certainly not a qualified professor. What was Minerva thinking, hiring the likes of my ex . . . well whatever she was. It was an awful idea. She looked like a prostitute, and I could already tell she was going to be screwing around with the boys. It disgusted me. What kind of professor went after their students?

That thought froze me in place before the mirror hanging on the wall. I noticed my eyes cloud over at the realization, but shook my head. Nothing was happening. Nothing was happening. Nothing was hap-

There was a knock on the door. I ran my hand through my hair and straightened my tie in the mirror. Whoever it was, there was no need to let them in on the fact that I was a little distressed right now. I opened the door. Bloody hell, she was standing right there.

I couldn’t help but smile in spite of myself. “Hello, Sid.”

She blushed, and I was reminded of how innocent she seemed. How endearing and rare that was to find in a young woman that looked like her. “Hi, Mr. Malfoy. I know I’m supposed to be in class right now, but . . . erm, I was sent here.”

She handed me a letter that was sealed with a sloppy spell. Confused, I slit it open with my wand and began reading. It was in Pansy’s hand, and I had to refrain from snorting. She was such a prick. When I read about the conversation that went on between Sid and Pansy, I made no effort to conceal my laughter.

Pansy had gotten told off in the middle of class by my favorite student. And she’d sent her to me to punish her! What a joke.

Sid looked confused. “You mean you’re not . . . mad?”

I shook my head with a smile. “Not at all. I think it’s quite amusing, actually. See; Pansy is not exactly my favorite person in the world,” I explained teasingly. I went to go sit down at my desk, and I put my hands behind my head, feeling very relaxed suddenly.

“I need a note,” Sid explained. “I can’t go back to class without a note from you.”

I frowned slightly. “Of course. Just out of curiosity however, do you want to go back to her class?”

It looked like she was thinking about it intently for a moment before she answered. “By that, are you asking if I want to go back to her class, specifically? Or are you asking if I want to go back in general?”

To say I was taken aback by her question would have been an understatement. This girl was always surprising me. Why couldn’t I figure it out? Why did she have to be so spontaneous all the time? More than that, why did I care?

“Both, I suppose,” I muttered, feigning nonchalance. “But, does it matter?”

She pondered this for another moment before shaking her head. “Actually, I guess it doesn’t matter. My answer is no to both questions anyways.”

I nodded my head, liking the answer, but realizing we were treading into dangerous territory. She sat in a chair on the opposite side from my desk and just looked at me. For once in my life, I was at a loss for words.

Sid cleared her throat. “I suppose you have to give me some sort of punishment anyways?”

For a moment, I sat there in silence, clearing my head. “Professor McGonnogal wouldn’t be very happy with me if I didn’t. I assume you just came from her office. What did she have to say about the situation?”

“Well, after she was done trying not to laugh, she rolled her eyes, and told me to come and see you. I got the sense that McGonnogal doesn’t like Professor Horwitz much. Did she used to be a student here?” She asked harmlessly. The question seemed innocent enough to me, and knowing Sid, there was no devious hidden meaning behind it.

I studied her expression, and she was just looking at me with curiosity in her eyes. I answered the question with a sigh. “Pansy – or Professor Horwitz, as she is known presently – was in my year at Hogwarts. She was a Slytherin, naturally. McGonnogal was the Head of Gryffindor House, so she had a slight disdain for Slytherins, especially when it came to Quidditch. She was always a fair woman though. That’s why she hired me. Also, she had no problem with the Slytherins that knew how to behave in her Transfiguration class. Pansy was a bit of a . . . well; let’s just say Snape was one of the few teachers that liked her.”

“That’s understandable,” she shrugged. “Were you and Pansy friends, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Thinking that I should have known that question was coming, I ran a hand through my hair. This girl knew how to get me in a dither. “That’s sort of a complicated question.”

Sid just shrugged her shoulders again, and looked down at her lap, twiddling her thumbs. A curtain or fiery locks fell in front of her face, and I immediately felt like an arse. “If I’m not going back to Transfiguration class today, I’ve got time for a story, right?”

After I was quiet for a few more moments, she stood up, her face flushed. “I’m sorry, Mr. Malfoy,” she said. “I didn’t mean to ask such a personal question. I should probably get going.”

“No, don’t be silly,” I stopped her. “Please, sit down. I was just thinking of the best way to answer the question. Do I have to keep reminding you that we’re friends? It’s okay to ask questions, Sid.”

She sat down again, looking chastised, and I immediately felt like rubbish all over again. Why couldn’t I get my head on straight? “Sorry,” she apologized. I was about to tell her there was no need, but I felt I’d done enough scolding.

“The truth is, Pansy and I hung out a lot back when we were in Hogwarts. The first couple of years, we were just friends . . . and then, erm – we became more, I guess? It didn’t take long before I realized she didn’t actually like me, as a person. She liked my status, and the potential power I had in Slytherin. She also seemed rather fond of . . . well, never mind about that. When I did finally realize all this, she just started getting really annoying. I suppose she’d always been that way, but I just hadn’t really noticed it before, because she’d always been so nice to me. Then, she was just too nice, and it was sickening really. She became overprotective of me, and I was freaked out. She scared away any girls I might have liked back then. Some would say she was obsessed, and I wanted out. When I tried to end things with her, she cried, but after that, she pretended like nothing had changed, even though we weren’t officially together anymore. She’s basically been hounding me, even throughout the past 8 years after Hogwarts. Her ex-husband divorced her because he found this scrapbook she’d made of pictures she’d snuck of me. It’s rather frightening,” I finished explaining with a shudder, and realized that I’d probably said too much.

When I finally gained the courage to look up at Sid, I was surprised to find her, not staring at me like I was a lunatic. Instead, her face showed empathy, and something I couldn’t distinguish. It seemed like she was kind of sad about something or other.

“I knew she was off her rocker,” was all she could muster. I laughed, hard. Harder than I’d laughed in a long time. I was clutching my gut, unaware that Sid was laughing along with me. When I finally caught me breath, I realized there were tears streaming down my face. I don’t know what had been so funny about that, but it just caught me really off guard.

“I’m sorry,” I breathed out, embarrassed. “I don’t know what came over me.”

She smiled at me, her own eyes watering from laughter. “It’s okay. There’s nothing wrong with laughing.”

I shook my head. “No, there’s not,” I agreed. “I probably shared a little too much with you, though. Why is it that I always find myself doing all the talking during these conversations?”

Sid just shrugged, and opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something. I wanted to know what she had to say. I wanted to know something about her.

“You know, Mr. Malfoy . . . you’re kind of a mystery,” she finally announced, as if it was some sort of giant revelation.

I laughed again. She had that affect on me. “I could say the same thing about you Miss Greyson.”

She stared off into space for a minute, like something snapped inside of her. Then, she quickly gathered up her things and stood up, checking her watch.

“I have to go. My next class is about to begin,” she explained nervously, squirming around, uncomfortable.

I looked at the clock. There were twenty minutes before the current class even ended. Why was she in such a hurry to leave?

“Sid, please,” I called her back. She noticed me looking at the clock and sat back down with a guilty expression on her face.

“What?” she asked, looking at the floor.

I was silent for a minute before responding. “I didn’t mean that you had to stay. I’m not trying to make you do anything you don’t want to by talking to me. I just . . . did I say something to make you want to flee so suddenly?”

The 7th year looked up at me with a frown on her face. “Of course you didn’t say anything wrong, Mr. Malfoy. I just kind of felt like it was time for me to go.”

I studied her, trying to figure out what she really meant by it. Then, I nodded my head. “Have a nice day, then. Before you go, however – if you ever need to talk to me about something, that’s what I’m here for . . . as Head of Slytherin, and as your friend.”

“That’s really nice of you Mr. Malfoy,” she stood up again, belongings in hand, ready to get the bloody hell out of my office.

“I mean it. If anyone gives you trouble, just let me know. Please,” I insisted. I wanted to make sure she understood.

Sid just smiled at me, said a little thank you, and walked out. I picked up my wand and tapped it against my temple a few times.

I think it was time for me to have a talk with the Headmaster about the newest addition to the Hogwarts faculty.

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