As the Leaves Change Color So Does Your Love

“Oh, joy,” a Slytherin girl looked towards me. “It’s Ms. Cresendor.”

“I’m sorry? I don’t know you, hun,” I shook my head, starting to walk away from her, but her next word stopped me.

“My baby, Draco. Stay away from him. You get that?” She walked up to me, pointing a finger towards my chest. I slapped it away, shocking her. By the looks of it, people didn’t stand up to her. She didn’t even look intimidating, but her face did resemble a pug.

“Tell ‘your baby’,” I air-quoted those words, “to stay away from me. He’s the one who can’t keep his hands off of me.”

“What did you do with him?” she hissed, her eyes turning into nasty little slits.

“What happens between me and him is our business, not yours. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to go.”

“Wait. Cresendor, you don’t know who I am. I’m Pansy Parkinson. You won’t live to see the next day if I decide to go after you. So, I’m giving you a last warning. Stay away from him.”

“Bitch, are you deaf? I said I won’t stay away from him.” As she lunged for me, two hands grabbed her from behind, holding her as she struggled to hit me.

“Please, ladies, there’s no need to fight over me,” the voice drawled. The girl automatically relaxed, smiling and turning towards Draco. Anger boiled up inside of me.

“Oh, Draco!” she simpered as she desperately clung onto him, then turned to look at me, as if showing me she had him and not me. I clenched my jaws tightly together so I wouldn’t start cursing her.

“Go to fucking hell, you bloody Slytherins!” I yelled at last, releasing some of the resentment within me. I stomped away with my eyebrows furrowed, but a chest blocked my pathway.

“Get out of my way,” I hissed.

“Whoaaaa, easy there,” I looked up at Blaise’s skeptical face.

“Great,” I grumbled. “Another Slytherin.”

“Rahenna, I’m sorry you feel that way about Slytherins but I have one thing to tell you. Draco really does like you.” We both turned to look at him holding the girl named Pansy. “Even if it doesn’t look like it,” he added quickly.

“That’s a load of rubbish.”

“He’s trying to make you jealous, Rahenna,” Blaise whispered, holding my hand delicately.

“Why are you not like the other Slytherins?”

He laughed at my comment. Warm hands wrapped around my waist and someone’s head settled on my shoulder blade.

“Why are you getting so close to my girl, Zabini?” Draco chuckled darkly.

“Why are you getting so close to me, Malfoy?” I stomped on his foot, hard. He let go of me, clutching his foot in his hand as he hopped on one leg.

“Ow! What was that for?”

“Either you’re really stupid or you think you’re so witty everyone will forgive all your mistakes.”

“Someone’s in a really violent mood.”

“It’s because of a bloody git named Draco Malfoy.” Blaise snorted, making a burst of laughter escape from my lips too. Draco took that as a cue to hold on to me again, but I shook him off.

“Go back to your pug-faced girlfriend.”

“I’ve never seen Malfoy try so hard to get a girl,” Blaised laughed.

“Yeah, your mom was the easiest.”

“Draco!” I smacked him upside the head, hating him more and more every second. “Disrespectful.”

“Rahenna?” I looked towards the source of the voice.

“Johan!” I pulled him in for a hug, much to the dismay of Draco. He put on a frown and started chatting with Blaise, ignoring us completely. Okay, so let me get this straight. It was okay for him to act like he was too close to Pansy, but when I gave Johan a hug, he was mad? He was such a hypocrite. I ignored his reaction, turning to look at Johan again.

“How was break? I loved your present!” he said. “I’m sorry I couldn’t send anything. I was away from home and got busy but how about you forgive me when I buy you a present this coming weekend at Hogsmeade?”

Draco’s head snapped in our direction, his expression frozen. Johan reached up a hand and brushed my dark curly strands out of my face, tracing his finger along my jawline. I tried to back away from him, but his hands clasped my wrists, so I was unable to move.

My heart started beating faster and faster as I thought about Draco asking me to Hogsmeade. And I thought everything between me and Johan had kind of ended so why did he want to go with me to Hogsmeade?

“I-I…” I started, unable to form an answer, although I should’ve been direct and told him I couldn’t go.

When I put some thinking into it, Johan was the better guy out of the two. The one time he had been about to kiss me, Draco had butted in and said he was a player. I felt like that influenced the way I thought about Johan, when I should’ve doubted Draco.

“So Hogsmeade this weekend, sounds good,” Johan finished without waiting for my answer. I stared at him mutely, thinking of a way to turn him down.

Behind him, Draco’s eyes were on fire. His mouth was set in a tight line and he was shaking slightly with fury.

Johan bent down and gave me a kiss on the cheek just as a scream erupted from Blaise’s mouth trying to hold back Draco as he flew towards Johan. Johan stumbled, shocked at what was going on. I stood in front of him, trying to protect him from Draco if Blaise was unable to hold him back.

Sure enough, as Draco escaped Blaise’s clutches, he ran to Johan, pushing me out of the way. I hit the closed door of a compartment as I felt a bone splinter in my elbow. Hearing another crunch, I turned to see Draco’s fist colliding with Johan face.

“Draco! NO!” I cried, as Johan’s shock turned to resentment.

“Bloody hell, man! What the fuck?” Johan roared as blood trickled down his bottom lip. Without thinking twice, I reached Johan as pain raced through my broken arm and tried to hold him from hitting Draco. It was as if I wasn’t there and pulling me aside with less force than Draco, he pummeled Draco in the stomach.

“Break it up!” the screams of an adult came through the hallway and ignoring them, both Draco and Johan continued hitting each other. Draco had a black eye and both had bruises on their faces. Professor Slughorn came into view and with a single swish of his wand, drew them apart.

“Absolutely disgusting,” he sighed. “Slytherin boys. In a muggle brawl. Absolutely disgusting.” Both Draco and Johan looked down, unable to look him in the eye.

“Miss Cresendor, are you alright?” worry suddenly creased his lines as he stared at me clutching my arm at an awkward angle.

“I think I broke my arm, professor,” I mumbled, not wanting either of the boys to hear what I said, but alas, they had.

Johan gasped and Draco started to walk towards me. “No, stay Mr. Malfoy. I will handle this,” Slughorn put in. He stopped in his tracks.

Slughorn walked me down the hall as faces peered out of the compartments to see what was going on.

As I walked towards the front of the train to get my arm fixed or at least saved from further damage, I realized my relationship status was getting more and more complicated everyday. First, the curse. And now this.