A Mind Gone Astray

With a loud gasp the blonde jumped backwards a little as the Draco-Harry-George-bundle landed on the floor with a loud thud. She heard some girls screaming in fear and some screaming in support of the two Gryffindors beating up Draco. Somehow it was like everything around her instantly got silent. She couldn't hear anything but the three on the ground. Draco whimpered and screamed in pain, Harry's fists took care of beating his stomach and George messing up his face as best as he could. At some point, just seconds before the whistle of Madam Hooch resonated once more, Cathy could hear one of the fists break a bone with a sickening crack. Then, just as if someone unfroze time again, the next things happened very fast: Harry and George were separated from Draco who laid on the ground – whimpering and holding his face while his legs were up to his stomach to protect it best as he could –, Draco himself suddenly got put on a litter and was carried away, Harry and George then were sent to their Head of House, Professor McGonagall rushed off to the castle and was followed by Professor Umbridge who smiled far too sweetly which was ominously and the pitch cleared so quickly when everyone hurried back to the castle so quickly that it soon was only Cathy and the three Gryffindor ladies left with Fred, the girls still holding him as they stared blankly at a point of the stands. Fred had anger still written across his face and finally freed himself off the girls who snapped back out of their trance instantly. The blonde heard the Captain mumble something about getting dressed and leaving the pitch finally and the other two followed her.
‘Why didn't you do anything?’ Fred said, his voice hollow. Her big blue eyes looked at him before she took a quick look around to assure that they were alone.
‘Do anything against what exactly?’ she said confusedly and the redhead crossed his arms over his chest.
‘Against this song! Against that filthy brat slagging off my family and Harry's!’
'Excuse me? What could I have done against that? I tried to make them forget this song! I told them that we can win with our abilities and don't need this stupid song to intimidate your brother but there's only little I can do without blowing my cover and making Draco shut up when he had a good go in front of every student in the castle was not in my abilities,’ she snorted and felt how rage was building up, fed by his accusations and her own hatred about herself being stuck in this situation simply because of the family she was born into.
‘Worked out perfectly fine. Good thing you tried to talk to them. You're such a typical Slytherin, you know? Saving your own skin much rather than doing some good.’ His voice was drenched in disappointment and despite. Suddenly Cathy not only felt anger but also an uncomfortable pain in her chest area.
‘You don't get it, do you? You heard my story and out of everyone I thought you could understand it best why I have to pull this through until I am seventeen and can use magic out of school but your own selfish reasons blind you,’ she said and stepped up to him a little closer, ‘If I blow my cover, I will die and be no use for anybody and even if you want me to do that and wouldn't give a damn if I died tomorrow, I want to live a little longer than fifteen years.’ She spoke through gritted teeth and once more tears were coming up her eyes but this time they were not tears of laughter and amusement but of sadness and agony.
‘Now excuse me, I have a boyfriend to kiss and cuddle,’ she whizzed in the hope he would feel some of the pain he just made her feel though she was insecure if he even looked at her the same way she looked at him. Then out of the corner of her eye, she saw three dots coming out of the dressing room and with a look back at Fred, she slapped him across the cheek. ‘And that was for even talking to me, you filthy … blood traitor,’ she said weakly and a little apologising when Angelina Johnson's voice yelled across the pitch and the blonde turned around to walk off to Slytherin's dressing room, her tears now streaming down her cheeks.



She walked back out of the dressing room a little later and there was to trace left of the tears she shed and the pain she felt. Her face was hard and cold when she crossed the field to the castle and inside it was dead silent. For a moment she couldn't decide where to go because she was unsure if Draco was with Madam Pomfrey at the hospital wing or if he got already cured and sent back to the common room. For a moment she thought about her options when Pansy came down the stairs to her left, together with the Greengrass sisters and Millicent Bullstrode.
‘Is he in the hospital wing or is he down in the common room?’ Cathy asked the leader of the group. They all stopped in their tracks and looked at the blonde.
‘You would know where he is if you had been there with him but no, it was again me who had to take care of poor Draco and his injuries,’ she complained. Catherine who was already having a hard time staying calm had enough of her once and for all.
‘Now you listen, you little pug-faced bod… You either tell me where he is, which you obviously know since you can't help but try to get him to like you by suffocating him with your ways when, in fact, he already has a promised wife in his life or I make you tell me by torturing the words out of you.’ With her wand pointing at Pansy's face she stood only ten feet away from her.
‘He is supposed to stay in the hospital wing over night,’ squeaked Astoria then, all scared.
‘Thank you. At least one person is in her right mind.’ The brunette smiled for a moment when Cathy passed the group, making sure to knock Pansy to the side as she did so.
Just a little bit later she walked through the big doors of the hospital wing and it was nearly empty, except for Madam Pomfrey standing next to Draco's bed and Crabbe and Goyle who sat in chairs next to it.
‘Finally you made it,’ the blonde said a little bitterly as the Veela walked up to his bed, greeting Poppy Pomfrey politely.
‘I'm sorry. I had a little dispute with the other Weasel twin. No worries, he's fine,’ she said instantly to Madam Pomfrey who already took in a sharp breath. ‘How are you doing?’ she asked and with a smooth move she sat down on his bed. Draco turned to Crabbe and Goyle and made a dismissing move with his hand. They understood instantly and got up from their chairs with a grunt, leaving the room.
‘My injuries aren't bad because they were only primitive muggle injuries but have you heard the news yet? Panse had just brought them to me: Potter and the two Weasels are banned from playing Quidditch ever again!’ He smiled sneakily from ear to ear. The shock was so hard to hide that she had to bite her tongue for a moment, staring at him as though she didn't believe what he just said before she smiled in the same way.
‘That's a win then! Though you paid quite the high price for it,’ she said pitiful and tilted her head a little. For a while they just looked at each other before he took her hand to pull on it. First she was a little confused but with a look at his face, she realised what he wanted and slowly she lied down next to him. They enjoyed the silence for once and it was hard for her to keep her eyes open. The exhaustion from the game and everything that happened afterwards was dragging her lids down but then Draco's voice resonated in her ears.
‘You know, first I was outraged when father told me he already decided who I will marry in the future but in the end, I must say that I am glad he did,’ he whispered and when the blonde turned to face him, his face was closer than she thought. His grey eyes met her blue ones and a sudden curiosity and nervosity filled her insides. It just took them a split second to overcome the inch that separated them and tender met supple.