Slytherin

Slytherin
Chapter 5
The Introduction of the Freak

~()~

The students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang had already arrived, and the Goblet of Fire, Dumbledore’s impartial judge, was in the Great Hall, waiting for seventeen year olds to enter their name into it. Many students had unsuccessfully tried to put their names in it, but were stopped by the age line. The Weasley twins managed to get passed it, by use of an aging potion. In the end, their names were blasted back at them and each were given magnificent beards.

Another package arrived for me today, the third one this week. Two days ago, it was the bracelet. Yesterday, it was a matching necklace. Today, earrings. Who the hell is sending me all this stuff? I knew it wasn't Draco. He wouldn't get so pissed off every time I got a new present.

I was sitting in the common room doing my transfiguration assignment, when someone told me about the most recent package.

“Yo, Paige!” a third year boy yelled as he walked into the common room, clutching a small green box in his hands. “Another package from your stalker.”

He tossed it onto my lap and I looked up, annoyed.

“He’s not my stalker,” I stated matter-of-factly, setting my book lightly on the table. “He’s clearly a, a quiet admirer from afar.”

“Whatever you say,” he said cynically, winking and grinning as he walked away.

I rolled my eyes and opened the small box, which revealed the small, green earrings.

Ok, maybe he IS a stalker, but it’s not like he’s caused me any trouble...yet.

It was Wednesday, meaning Potions with Ravenclaw, Care of Magical Creautes with Hufflepuff, and divination with Gryffindor, so I headed off alone down the corridors that led to the Potions classroom, and it was dissonantly empty. The sun streamed bright and cheery in through the stained glass windows, but I still felt anxious to get to class.

I heard footsteps from behind me and quickly I turned around in hopes of finding another student, only to find that no one was there. The only sound I heard were the murmur of voices from other corridors and my footsteps echoing off the stone walls. I heard something fall from behind me and jumped, only to see that it was a bird, crashing into the window.

“Ugh,” I moaned to myself, holding my hazy head in my hands. “I’ve got to shake this.”

I’ve been paranoid all day ever since I got those earrings. Now I think there’s someone around every corner. And a minute later, I found out there was.

Someone clamped their hand over my mouth, refusing to let me utter out a single cry of surprise. They pulled me under some sort of cloak or blanket and wrapped their arm around my waist, pushing me into their body.

"Hello, Paige," An eerie voice greeted.

He moaned and began to rock from side to side, rubbing my stomach with his hand. Fear had paralyzed my body and my mind. I couldn't move anything I was so scared.

I felt myself beginning to hyperventilate, and he tightened his hold on me.

"Shh, shh shh shh shh," he quieted me. "No need to be afraid. You never have to be afraid when you're in my arms."

I spotted someone from under the blanket; a Ravenclaw boy, probably heading down to potions. I tried to cry out, but his hand muffled them so they were only pitiful whimpers; but it still managed to catch his attention. He turned around and looked curiously at the exact spot I was standing at. But he never saw me. I was irritated by this; he didn’t see a mass of blankets standing in the hallway? He shrugged and continued on his way, muttering something about Peeves.

"Oh," he said sadly, resting his head on my shoulder. Chills went down my spine. I managed to see a mess of brownish hair. "Don't cry, don't cry. Angels don't cry. Ah, I see you're wearing my presents. That makes me so happy, only because they made you happy…"

He turned his head toward me, and I missed his face by a fraction of a second. He began kissing my neck and moaning again, so I adjusted my shoulder to stop him. But he only chuckled and said, "You don't want it there? Ok, how about here."

He turned me around and put his hand over my eyes. Using his other hand, he grabbed my lower back and thrusted my body into his. He smashed his lips against mine and kissed me hungrily. I screamed as best as I could, once again only getting pathetic muffled whimpers out. I used my arms to push him away, but he was strong. I could hear him chuckling again, as if my pain was his pleasure. I managed to get my mouth away from his and let out a powerful yelp. He slapped my face.

"Hello?" I heard a familiar voice call out. The freak let go of my eyes and covered my mouth, turning me around once again. He leaned into my ear again.

"Shhhhh..." he said quietly so that only I could hear. He nibbled on my ear a little bit, and I pulled my head away from him.

I saw Draco looking around, confused. Suddenly realizing that my feet were free, I began stomping my foot on the ground, creating massive thumps. The Freak painfully tightened his grip on my waist, forcing me to stop. Draco took a step closer and closer, but the freak took a step farther and farther away. The Freak messed up; you could hear our footsteps on the stone floor. Draco stopped, suddenly, and wet his lips. He seemed to be thinking about something, when he dove forward, only managing to catch my feet. The Freak let go of me, and I came crashing down. The blanket disappeared off of me, and I looked around to see if he was still there. But of course, there was no one. I looked down at Draco, and he was staring back at me in shock.

"Where'd you come from?" he inquired.

I couldn't say anything. I was too freaked out from what had just happened. Draco's eyes got wider.

"Bloody hell," he said. "You're shaking. Are you ok? What happened?"

I looked at my hands and they were shaking as if I had my own personal little earthquake. He let go of my feet and rested himself on his knees. I stared at him for a second, and then dove at him, catching him in a terrified embrace. At first, he did nothing, but then he gradually slipped his arms around me, as if they were meant to be there… I was gasping for air again, and tears were leaking down my face.

"I...I don't know..." was all I managed to whisper. “God, what the hell? Why am I crying?”

Course I knew exactly why I was crying. But I couldn’t let Draco know that, now could I? I jumped out of his arms and began wiping the tears off of my face. I was showing weakness to Draco.

“Paige, what happened?” he asked, looking at me surprised. He reached out a hand to pull me into another hug, but I crawled away.

“Oh, it was just, um.” I was silent; trying to think of an excuse to tell him. I took a sudden interest in the wooden floors and the taste of my lips. “I was ta-trying out a new spa-spell and it kind of backfired on me.”

He looked at me skeptically and I nodded my head assertively to reassure him.

“If I didn’t know any better,” he began, standing up and crossing his arms with that SMIRK on his face. “You were snogging with someone under an invisibility cloak and he broke your heart. A little fiasco to make me jealous.”

“What?!” I yelled at him, forgetting all my fear at his challenge. “That is not at all what happened! It was a spell, and it backfired, and it hurt. That was it. End of story. Involves no mystery guys. And it especially does not involve you.”

“Right,” he said with a cheeky smile and turned around to continue his journey down to the dungeons.

Ugh, that boy infuriates me so! But…at least he did not find out what really happened.

~()~

I skipped out on going to potions; just too distressed up by today’s previous events.

I couldn’t believe it, I just couldn’t believe it. This guy literally was a stalker. He was...terrifying. Everything about him made my skin crawl; the way he breathed on me, smelled me, looked at me, and especially the way he touched me. I felt the necklace around my neck, and then tore it off, throwing it on the floor in the girl’s dormitories. The bracelet and earrings followed soon after.

I just needed a little while to gather my thoughts, so I took off towards the lake and occupied a nearby rock that overlooked the swirling water and the giant squid.

I didn’t know how long I had been sitting there for, but I knew it must have been a while, because I heard Neville calling my name.

“Paige!” he greeted cheerfully, waving his hand in the air. “Paige, why weren’t you in divination today? I was, er, worried.”

I smiled at him half-heartedly, and he knew something was wrong.

“Tell me,” he demanded, crawling onto the rock with a determined look on his face. He slipped and fell onto the ground, but got up as if nothing happened, like it was no big deal.

I leaned my head onto his shoulder and smacked my hand onto my forehead.

“It’s a really long story,” I muttered, looking up at him. He looked a little nervous.

“Wa-well, I’m your, er, your friend, aren’t I, Paige?” he asked avoiding my gaze and grabbing my other hand. “For you, I have all the time in the world.”

For the first time since my friendship with him, my heart fluttered. I brushed it off and told him everything that happened, even the part with Draco being...Draco.

“Oh my god...” he muttered to himself, shaking his head and raising his fists into the air. “You sure you had no idea who the guy was? Because if so, I’ll, I’ll...” His voice trailed off, lowering his fists dejectedly.

“Don’t worry about me, Neville,” I said, smiling at him gratefully and pulling him into a quick hug. “You’re a great friend, you know. Not that I would know. I don’t exactly have very many...or had very many, for that matter.”

“Neither have I,” he said with a bashful grin.

“What about Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger?” I began, tilting my head to the side in confusion. “Or Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan? You look like you get along fine with those guys.”

“I don’t know...” he began quietly with a shrug. “I always feel left out by them, or, when I am with them, I always feel that they would rather be with someone else. I mean, they’re all great and really nice, but they all have their own sort of group. I don’t really belong anywhere.”

“Yes you do,” I said, standing up and gripping both of his hands in mine. “You belong with me. We’re the misfits of Gryffindor and Slytherin. Has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?”

He chuckled at me and then said, “You know, I think I just cheered you up. I’ve never done that before.”

“Your first accomplishment,” I told him firmly.

I turned my head and saw the sun setting. I didn’t realize it was getting so late.

“Almost time for dinner,” Neville commented, smiling at me. “Best be getting inside then, hm?”

“Yeah, come on,” I said, dragging him off the rock and back towards school. “Let’s go eat.”