The Walnut Tree

Chapter 3: The Mysterious Dancing Girl

"Everyone with permission to go to Hogsmeade come over here! Those who do not must stay behind," cried Professor Longbottom from the entrance courtyard.

I leaned against the wall, watching as the other students hurried towards him so they could get on their way to Hogsmeade. I smiled to myself as I thought about how much people assumed I was missing by not going. Personally, I enjoyed roaming around the almost empty castle, finally getting that peace and quiet I longed for.

I stood there on that wall until the last student left. It was as if none of those students were ever there, running and talking avidly to each other. All that you could hear were the birds chirping and the small breeze blowing past. I made my way down to the lake and sat down by an overlarge walnut tree. A strong gust of wind flew by, causing the remaining leaves to blow across the lake.

This was my sanctuary; my home away from home. This--the leaves blowing, the sweet smell of grass reaching my nose, a nice tree to lean against--was the main reason I even returned to Hogwarts. If it wasn't for the outdoors, I don't think I'd have been here all these years. After all, I didn't have any friends, no real interests except taking pictures, and well--no, that wasn't true anymore. I had Rose to drive mad, now. I laughed to myself. She was some kind of companion, I supposed. Not my first choice, but she actually gave me the time of day, which was different.

It was strange, though. Why did she come up to me that day? What was she intending to do? She couldn't possibly have wanted to get to know me. That was just not done here. But what if she was actually being friendly? My reaction wasn't that pleasant, and this made me feel slightly guilty. No, I wasn't guilty. It was just a normal reaction to something like that. She should have expected it. I surely would have if I had walked up to her, so what makes her any different?

The wind was blowing harder now. I could feel its crisp cold against my face, and my hair flew in all directions. I shivered slightly and pulled my cloak closer to me. I felt a droplet slide down my cheek and I looked up at the sky. The clouds were grey and dark, threatening lightening and rain at any moment. As if on cue, rain came pouring down, drenching me instantly. Instead of running up to the castle to try and stay dry, I sat there, watching each droplet fall down on the lake.

I saw a figure in the distance dancing with the rain, and I strained to get a better look. As the figure came closer, I knew it was a girl, and I couldn't help but watch. She was laughing and singing all alone. No friends, no family, no one at all. Just her and her joyful spirit. And as she danced, I couldn't keep my eyes off of her. It was as if my eyes were made to stare at her and only her. I realised at this moment that it'd be a perfect photograph to add to my album and looked down to reach for where my camera always hung. Immediately, I remembered my camera had broken and I was disappointed. When I looked back up, the girl was nowhere to be found. Slightly confused, my eyes moved around, searching for any sign of this mystery girl. Finding no one, I decided it was time I went inside and dragged my damp self up to the castle.

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"What do you mean you--" Rose's friend Susan screeched while they were working on their potion the following day.

"Shh. He's right over there. Be quiet!" Rose hissed, interrupting Susan and dodging her eyes in a general direction that I couldn't see.

Susan lowered her voice, and I couldn't hear the rest of their conversation. I shrugged and turned back to concocting my potion. Every few minutes I would hear a gasp from their table, and I laughed to myself. After an extremely large noise coming from Susan's mouth, I looked over to see both of them staring at me. Feeling slightly uncomfortable, I turned away, but not before both of their gazes dodged in any direction but mine. I knew something was going on, but I didn't think much about it.

Potions was soon over and I hurried to the Great Hall for lunch. As I entered, a whiff of warm bread, sausages, and apple pie greeted me. I filled my plate with food and ate quickly, as I wanted to be sure to go to the library and see if there were any books on fixing Muggle cameras. As I ate, I felt someone watching me and looked around in search for the person behind this. I saw no one that happened to be looking at me, so I finished the last of my pie and left the Great Hall.

On my way to the library, someone came up behind me and tapped me on the shoulder. I stopped and turned around to see Albus Potter standing there with a smirk on his face.

"What do you want?" I demanded as I started walking again.

"Oh nothing," he replied breezily. "I had a chat with Rose today."

"And you're telling me this why? I've left her alone," I replied, glaring at him. "Why can't you leave me alone?"

"She told me something," Albus said, with a hint of mystery in his voice. "Something I think you should know."

"I really don't have time for this. Go away, will you?" I snapped in reply, growing tired of talking to him.

"Fine, but it's your loss," he told me. "Good day, Malfoy."

As he left, I somehow found myself wondering what he was going to tell me. I shook this though off immediately. I didn't care what he was going to say. He was probably just trying to mess with my mind. Stupid Potter. I continued on my way to the library. It was empty when I got there, so I took my time searching for my book. Soon I heard someone clear their throat and turned to see Rose behind me. I coldly acknowledged her presence and turned back to the shelf I was looking through.

"Scorpius? Can I talk to you for a moment?" she asked me. I ignored her and moved down another aisle. She, of course, followed behind me. "Malfoy, please, I really need to ask you something."

I turned to her with a clear sign on my face that I really didn't want her wasting my time. "Don't worry; it'll only take a moment. I--you know Susan, right?"

"Somewhat, yes," I replied, turning back to a shelf. "Is that what you wanted to know?"

"No, um...how well do you know her?" she asked. I looked at her curiously.

"Weasley, out with it. I'm in the middle of something, if you didn't notice," I snapped, my patience waning every time she spoke.

"Well, she was just wondering if...you wanted to go to Hogsmeade with her sometime," Rose told me. It took everything in me not to laugh out loud.

Susan...well, she's annoying, and unpleasant. She has no brains (if she does, she certainly lost it somewhere), and above all, she doesn't care about anyone but herself. To think that of all people she was the one who decided to be friendly to me, well...that really doesn't surprise me.

"No," I replied, moving away to another section.

Rose followed once more.

"Why not? She really likes you," she told me.

"I don't like her," I answered in a bored voice. "She's annoying."

"She's a good person, Malfoy," Rose hissed, peering at me. "You should be grateful that anyone wants to be within a hundred feet of you!"

"You're one to talk, Weasley," I replied dryly.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" she snapped back.

"You know what it means," I told her. "After all, you have one brain more than Susan does."

"You're such a jerk! I don't even know why I let Susan talk me into this. She deserves better than you, that's for sure." Rose brushed past me and out the door.

I stood, watching her go, still laughing at the thought of being with Susan as I finally found my book.