lf l lound you llrsL?

l waLched as uraco Malfoy ran ouL of Lhe CreaL Pall As Lhe sllver and green blur passed me l felL a
coldness on my arm and looked down Lo see waLer a slngle drop
l sLood up and followed Lhe reLreaLlng flgure keeplng Lhe sllhoueLLe [usL ln slghL l saw Lhe flgure Lurn
a corner and dlsappear Curlous Lo flnd hlm l walked around ln clrcles noL fully undersLandlng why l
wanLed Lo l heard a falnL sound comlng from Lhe boys baLhroom and Lhe sound of drops of waLer
hlLLlng Lhe floor l walked ln and saw hls flgure hunched over a slnk Lears freefalllng onLo Lhe Llled
floor Pe looked up aL Lhe mlrror above Lhe slnk and ln LhaL mlrror l saw hls face LwlsL wlLh loaLhlng
Pe looked down aL Lhe floor agaln
WhaL are you dolng here Cranger? 1he volce was lcecold and sounded overlyconLrolled Lhe sorL
of conLrol LhaL would break wlLh Lhe sllghLesL wrong move
Why do you wanL Lo know? l counLered hls quesLlon wlLh my own Pls mouLh Lurned upwards ln a
sneer lL looked ouL of place Lhough when hls eyes were red from Lhe Lears
Well ln case you havenL noLlced Lhls happens Lo be a baLhroom for boys l lgnored Lhe [lbe meanL
Lo puL me on defenslve
Why are you crylng? l LhoughL you were Lhe SlyLherln rlnce coldhearLed emoLlonless
unfeellng?
Pls conLrol snapped and he pulled ouL hls wand l Look ouL my own and polnLed lL aL hls face
1hlnk agaln Malfoy 8efore you hex me
Pls wand hand Lrembled and fell Lo Lhe floor l kepL my gaze on hlm and he glared back aL me
Why?
My quesLlon whlspered quleLly carefully had Lhe effecL of a sLunnlng spell Malfoy fell on Lhe floor
Lears breaklng ouL sLalnlng hls robes CauLlously l approached hlm when he dldnL move l saL down
nexL Lo hlm Pe looked aL me Crylng llke he was he looked dlfferenL llke a mask had been pulled off
hls face
Why do you do lL?
l donL know
?ou donL know? l repeaLed my volce was laced wlLh sarcasm Cr you donL wanL Lo Lell me
l waLched hlm carefully and for Lhe flrsL Llme slnce l saw hlm aL Lhe beglnnlng of Lhe year l noLlced
Lhlngs ln Malfoys feaLures l hadnL noLlced before Pls skln had paled even more Lhan hls naLural
whlLe colour and looked llke lL had a greenlsh Llnge Lo lL Pls eyes usually a sLeel meLalllc bluegrey
sLlll held lLs colour buL Lhey dldnL look Lhe same l remembered whenever Malfoy passed me Parry
and 8on ln Lhe corrldors on Lhe way Lo class he would never cease Lo drop a llne smlrklng remark or
Lhe llke Pls eyes were always shlnlng back LhennoL wlLh happlness buL a sense of superlorlLy Pls
eyes now Lhey were dead Lhe shlne gone 1hey looked closer Lo a dull dlrLy gray Lhan Lhelr usual
meLalllc sLeely colour 1here was no emoLlon
l donL know
Pe ralsed hls dry eyes Lo meeL mlne and hls glare bore lnLo me Seelng LhaL he wasnL golng Lo
explaln l carefully ralsed one eyebrow and sLared back aL hlm
l mean lL he says l donL know why l agreed Lo Lhls l donL know why he chose me l donL know
why l sald yes l donL know why l leL hlm brand me wlLh hls cursed mark
Pls words were confuslng buL Lhe lasL senLence was Lhe one LhaL cuL lnLo me llke knlfes Parry was
rlghL Malfoy had become a ueaLh LaLer l felL my conLrol snap l sLood up and he followed sulL
So you have Lhe mark now l donL know why lm sLlll here Lalklng Lo a ueaLh LaLer Are you worklng
undercover or are you slmply almlng Lo cause more loss ln peoples llves? l spaL ouL glarlng aL hlm
l ralsed my wand ready Lo repel any spells LhaL came flylng my way buL none came Malfoys empLy
eyes sLared aL me unseelngly for a second before Lhe Lears sLarLed agaln he wrapped hls arms
around hlmself and hls whole body rocked wlLh Lhe dry desperaLe sobs echolng around Lhe
baLhroom
uonL make me plLy you Malfoy l know whaL youve been dolng
My words seemed Lo make someLhlng ln hlm snap Lhe Lears dlsappeared Pe gave a cruel cold
laugh
?ou know? Pe spaL WhaL do you know Cranger? uo you have Lo llve wlLh hlm Lhe same house as
hlm? uo you have Lo walk around Lhe house knowlng your every move ls belng waLched? uo you
have Lo go Lhrough Lhe bllndlng paln Lo geL a mark you never wanLed and have Lo preLend lLs a
dream come Lrue? Cranger lLs easler Lo preLend Lo know someLhlng you donL Lhan Lo preLend Lo
know noLhlng when you know everyLhlng
Pls words came ln long sLrlngs each one a slash from a sharp blade
l l Lrled Lo say someLhlng anyLhlng buL l was cuL off agaln
uo you Lhlnk lm compleLely clueless? 1haL l donL know whaLs happenlng ouLslde of Lhese
damned walls? 1haL l donL see or hear abouL Lhe reporLs of dead bodles ln[ured people orphaned
chlldren? uo you Lhlnk l always Lurn a bllnd eye Lo Lhe lncreaslng numbers of sLudenLs belng pulled
ouL of Lhls school? Some of Lhem l knew? no Cranger l see everyLhlng and yeL l have Lo preLend l
donL care lf l value my llfe LhaLs whaL l have Lo do
Pls words seemed Lo open a door a wlndow l shlvered as a chlll crepL ln Lhe room when he flnlshed
speaklng l looked aL hlm on Lhe floor agaln broken and crylng and l dldnL know whaL Lo do lf Lhe
person on Lhe floor was Parry or 8on or Clnny l wouldve puL my arms around Lhem and comforLed
Lhem buL lL wasnL 1he person on Lhe floor Lears drlpplng down hls face was Malfoy my enemy of
slx years 1hls was Lhe person LhaL had puL me and my frlends Lhrough so much Lhls persons aunL
kllled Slrlus Lhls persons faLher almosL dralned Clnny of her llfe Lhls person never mlssed a chance
Lo LorLure Parry or 8on Lhls person called me a Mudblood ?eL when l saw hlm Lhere crylng l forgoL
all Lhose Lhlngs l saw someone who was very much llke me and Parry or 8on l reallsed Lhen LhaL
Malfoy had been Lhrough [usL as much as we have maybe more 8uL l also reallsed LhaL whlle me
and Parry and 8on could Lalk Lo each oLher Malfoy couldnL Lell anyone l knew now LhaL everyLhlng
he Lold me was only because of my Llmlng 8ecause l asked Lhe quesLlons LhaL would break hlm
especlally when he was so close Lo hls breaklng polnL
lgnorlng slx years of namecalllng and LorLure dlrecL and lndlrecL l saL down nexL Lo hlm and walLed
for hls response When he dldnL respond l felL Lhe need Lo say someLhlng
l undersLand l whlspered
l waLched as hls body Lensed Pad l sald Lhe wrong Lhlng? 8uL Lhen lL relaxed
1hanks Cranger he muLLered qulckly almosL lnaudlble
lL felL welrd hearlng a Lhankyou comlng from hls llps
lor whaL? l asked
Pe sLood up and cleaned hls face and walked Lowards Lhe exlL [usL as he reached Lhe door he Lurned
around and looked me ln Lhe eye
lor undersLandlng he sald slmply
?oure welcome l sald And desplLe all Lhe haLred l once felL Lowards hlm l smlled A small smlle
And Lo my uLLer surprlse uraco Malfoy smlled back a small LwlLch of Lhe llps buL a genulne smlle
SLay sLrong Permlone he whlspered
1he requesL Look me by surprlse l recovered qulckly
?ou Loo uraco l replled
lL wasnL unLll Lhe reLreaLlng flgure had lefL Lhe room enLlrely Llll l reallsed someLhlng
Pe had called me Permlone and l had called hlm uraco
__________________________________________________________________________________
tweoty yeots lotet bootJloq tbe noqwotts xptess
Permlone where are u golng?
l Lhlnk l [usL saw someone l know lll be rlghL back donL worry l gave and wenL searchlng for hls
dlsLlngulshlng blond halr
Looklng for me? l heard a whlsper behlnd my back and felL a warm breaLh
l [umped Len feeL lnLo Lhe alr before splnnlng around Lo face Lhe offender 8reaLhlng heavlly l found
myself face Lo face wlLh none oLher Lhan Lhe very person l was looklng for Pe hadnL changed LhaL
much Pls feaLures were all Lhe same as Lhey were ln hlgh school Same polnLed chln promlnenL [aw
llne same meLalllc sllver eyes Pe looked only sllghLly older age hadnL changed hlm much
So we meeL agaln Cranger? l canL say LhaL youve changed all LhaL much Malfoys drawl was sLlll
Lhe same lL only lacked some of hls Leenage arrogance
Pe was only repeaLlng whaL l had heard from many oLhers before !usL llke lL hadnL affecLed Malfoy
age had noL changed many of my feaLures elLher My halr was sLlll Lhe same chesLnuL brown lL sLlll
fell halfway down my back ln waves alLhough my halr was beLLer Lamed Lhen ln my hlgh school
days
Well l could say Lhe same for you Malfoy l reLorLed AlLhough admlLLedly do look less ferreL
llke
Paha Cranger l see you havenL losL your sarcasm
no l havenL Malfoy never wlll as long as youre allve