One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Fallon woke up the next morning extremely hot and with a hardcore hang-over. She started to take her clothes off when she heard a groggy voice ask, “What the hell are you doing?”

Fallon turned around to face the wall and silently cursed herself and smacked her forehand. Ah, bad idea. “Nothing, the clothes were just….twisted. Mhmmm, twisted,” she said quickly as she sat up as best as she could with her pounding head, and she kept her eyes closed. “I’m leaving. It’d be best if I leave. Thank you.” Fallon then tried her best to get over Draco and out the door. She was doing well until she stepped on his stomach.

“Humph!” Draco grunted loudly and rolled into a fetal position. “Leave, before I decide that I don’t care that you’re a Geneva.”

Fallon walked cautiously, and somewhat steadily. “Will do,” she whispered apologetically.

When Fallon was back in her dorm, she took everything off and cleaned up properly. When she emerged several minutes later she grumbled at the sight of Draco’s clothes.

“Shit, I don’t want to return these.” But Fallon decided she would just owl them.

On the way to the owlery, she contemplated getting breakfast. That is, until she passed and caught a whiff of it, the smells made her stomach lurch.

Life must hate her, because when she got to her destination she ran into the one person she didn’t want to see. She just turned around and went to walk back the way she came. Until she noticed that he didn’t hear her arrive, and an idea popped into her head.

She stepped outside the owlery to, almost silently, cast a spell to make her voice deeper. Then, she tip-toed quietly over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Show me your genitals,” her now deep voice hummed into his ear. Draco instantly freaked out and ripped her arms off his body and backed himself away, keeping his arms in front of him. But when he saw who it was his lips pressed into a thin line and he ran both hands through his hair.

He pointed at her and said, “You! Fuck, you scared the living daylights out of me!” He constantly kept running his hands through his hair and laughed in disbelief to himself.

Meanwhile, Fallon changed her voice back and bit back her giggles that were threatening to escape. “I have to go to the library,” she said to no one in particular as she swung her arms by her sides.

“I’ll come with you,” he spoke taking three big strides to reach her side. “I need to find a way to kill you without being caught.”

Fallon just laughed. “Oh please, that was brilliant. If it was anyone else you would’ve laughed. Plus, you’re not smart enough to kill me. I’m the master of the unexpected.”

Draco karate-chopped her in the stomach, and gave a short laugh when she grabbed it. “Didn’t expect that, did ya?” Fallon just made a face and quickened her pace. Draco followed in suit.

“Go away,” she said disgusted.

“Make me,” he talked back, challenging her.

“Why must you walk with me? Go on the other side of the corridor,” she said, agitation clear in her voice.

“I’m trying to make a new friend.”

Fallon gave him a dangerous look. “I think you have plenty, so you don’t need me,” she growled and stomped away to the library.

Once she got there, she just grabbed random books off the shelves.

“Make sure you note where you got those so you can put them back in their proper place,” Hermione said, emerging from the shadows.

“I’m smart enough that I can tell where to put them, Granger,” she spat while she brought her feet up on the chair and immersed herself in a book. She was so into what she was reading about (101 Useful Charms) that she didn’t hear Aiden and Draco sit in the chairs across from her.

“Sissy!”

“Oh sod off you prick,” she said, not having to look up to see who it was. “Why are you guys bothering me so much this year? Classes haven’t even started yet; leave me alone.”

“Why are you so cranky?” Aiden laughed leaning forward and cocking his eyebrow.

“For one, Mr. Sleazy won’t leave me alone,” she stated eyeing Draco, “Secondly, Granger thinks she's soooo smart, and thirdly you’re to much of an annoyance already,” she accused and got up to put the books away. “Just leave me be, at least until classes start tomorrow,” she pleaded and made on her way back to her common room where she fell asleep on the couch.

Fallon woke up the next morning before the sun even marked itself up in the sky, but she got up any way. Her neck and back were killing her and were contributing to her worsening headache she got from stress. Stress caused by excessive socialization with people she didn’t want to be with. Yes, Fallon could be a bit of a bitch but she had to endure a whole summer with Draco always over at her mansion. And being back at school she thought she would catch a break, but boy was she wrong.

But without further ado she went and put her uniform on, trying to be respectful of her room mates and not waking them up. And then, uniform-clad, she walked to the hospital wing.

“Madam Pomfrey,” she breathed poking her head through the two oaken doors.

“Yes my dear?” she emerged from her office.

“Do you have a potion to relieve a stress headache?”

“Ah, yes I do. I’ll be right back.” Fallon twiddled her thumbs and aimlessly stalked around the spacious room. No one was here except her and Madam Pomfrey.

“Here you go… May I ask, why do you have a stress headache when your classes haven’t even started yet? Are you nervous about you’re 6th year?” Madam Pomfrey asked, concerned wrapped around every word she spoke.

Fallon pursed her lips and gave a breathless laugh. “You could say that,” she said looking down at her fingers which were tracing the edges of the small cup Madam Pomfrey gave her only seconds before. Then she waved and went on her way, to the astronomy tower to be exact.

Fallon arrived at the astronomy tower only minutes before the Sun rose. She was glad that she could be by herself right now. She didn’t find it difficult to talk with people, she just preferred it when everyone wasn't up in her face. It make her anger flare. Like the way it flared around Draco and Aiden. She thought they would leave her alone this year, after being pestered for a whole summer. But being let off easy was the last thing the boys would ever want to do, even if Fallon could blow them into smithereens, they wouldn't catch the hint to leave her alone.

Moments later, the Sun exploded in the sky. It blew up the clouds making them bleed crimson all over the sky. A crimson similar to Fallon’s hair. Fallon leaned against the bar and inhaled the cool air that slightly stung her lungs. She felt at complete peace as the Sun started to make it’s way to it's spot in the sky so it could warm up the cold Earth beneath it. She smiled to herself as she continued to watch until all the vibrant colours faded to a light blue.

Little did Fallon know, a certain white blonde boy sat on the platform beneath her before she arrived to after she parted. All he could do was gaze at her, his eyes wide, the hairs on his neck standing straight up, his toes tingling and his breath staying caught in his throat until breakfast, where he had to act like no one and nothing could ever pierce through his hard exterior. But how long will he be able to keep that shell up?