Uncomfortable Situations

"Draco Malfoy! If you do that one more time to me, I swear! I'll kick your arse right into next week!" exclaimed Jennifer Hall. Draco Malfoy was not her favorite person in the world.

"Oh, come on, Jenn, it's just a little worm," he replied innocently.

"Let's see how you like it!" She grabbed the worm from his hand, took hold of the waist band of his pants, pulled, and dropped the wriggling worm in, snapping the waist band.

Draco made a face. He looked crossed between him just wetting himself or he had just seen Neville Longbottom naked. "ARGH!" He started to do sort of a hopping, wedge dance. Jennifer couldn't help but laugh.

"I told you, never mess with me like that Malfoy. Don't mess with a Slytherin girl." With a flip of her long, dirty blonde hair, she walked away, gracefully.

****

Watching her walk away, he had to scold himself. 'I'm letting a girl treat me like that? Holy Merlin. I need help.' He pulled the dead worm out of his pants and threw it aside.

Draco knew Jennifer since before their first year at Hogwarts. Both in the same year, sixth this year. They had been friends until their third year. Something happened to her over the summer holidays. Something she never talked about to anyone. Not even to him. She had secluded herself from the other Slytherins and Draco. Being the naïve thirteen year old that he was at the time; he shrugged it off and went along his way thinking up ways to torture his arch rival, Harry Potter. Thing between them had never been the same since. She seemed colder, more hateful towards everybody, even her fellow Slytherins.

Taking a deep breath, Draco headed back into the castle, pushing the thoughts out of his mind. He didn't need to be bothered by them if he was going to get up to the sorting ceremony feast on time. Checking his watch, he started to sprint up the steps to join Crabbe and Goyle, two huge, gorilla like sixteen year old boys. But they weren't as huge anymore, height wise. Draco had grown another two inches over the summer making him 6'2". He was a bit stronger too. He hadn't noticed it but Pansy Parkinson, a.k.a. the Pug, did. She latched onto him on the train, squeezing his arms and telling him how buff he was. He smiled to himself. Was he becoming that irresistible now?

The train ride had been boring as usual. Crabbe and Goyle and their arm wrestling matches, Pansy talking for hours, same old scenery passing by the same old compartment they were always on. Why couldn't they have a change? Even hassling Potter was getting boring. He needed excitement. Adventure. Maybe even a little romance but he wouldn't admit that to anyone.

The Slytherin Trio walked between the Slytherin and Gryffindor tables, taking great care in not forgetting to poke certain people in the back of their heads. Feeling satisfied with the reactions of the victims, mainly Potter, Weasley, and Granger, Draco sat down with is two shadows next to him. Looking around, he noticed Jennifer at the far end of the table talking to Blaise Zabini, her boyfriend.

Zabini was a handsome burly boy in the same year as Draco and Jennifer. He was arrogant and stuck up to most people, Draco included. Not to mention, his family was nearly as rich as Draco's. Nearly being the keyword. Zabini, to Draco, seemed untrustworthy. Many times, when Jennifer was sick and was in bed, he saw Zabini sneak around with other girls. Pansy being one of them. He wanted to tell Jenn so many times but every time he tried, she'd make up an excuse for Zabini Baby. Saying it was that it was for a report or something for school. Was tonsil hockey a subject they taught at school? If so, where could he sign up? 'She's too good for him,' he thought.

Noticing that she looked at him, he looked into her violet eyes then turned away quickly. How long had he been looking at her? A minute maybe? He looked towards the teachers table and the scared first years standing before the whole school. But there were only three left. Well, that was the last time he ate that many chocolate frogs on the train. But that seemed like hours ago. Even so, they must be affecting his brain. He watched as the last newbie was sorted into Hufflepuff and turn back to his plate. He couldn't believe how hungry he was.

****

It was good to be back at Hogwarts. It was the place she called home. She loved it even more then her own house. She hated the summer holidays. Her parents were always gone on "business" and it seemed like they were never home. She didn't even go home for Christmas. Why would she go home to an empty house with uncaring parents not even home? But she was finally back to the place that made her feel better. With the person she loved to be with. Her Zabini Baby. She looked at him then his ear.

"You finally did it! After all this time! So, was it as painful as you thought?" she asked as she twirled his earring.

"No, it wasn't....HEY! I didn't think it would be painful!" he said taking hold of her hand.

She smiled. "You know, I could have done it for you last year. I've done all mine." She tucked her hair behind her ears to expose the four earrings in each ear with and extra in the cartilage of the left.

"There is now way I was going to let you near me with a needle," he said running his finger down the row of earrings on her right ear down to her cheek.

"I wasn't going to use a needle; I was going to use magic. You know, I am a witch, and I go to a school for witchcraft and wizardry."

"Well, thank you Miss Obvious."

Rolling her eyes, she looked up towards the middle of the table. As she did, she caught the eye of Draco Malfoy. She couldn't stand him! He was always trying to get Zabini into trouble with her. Or waving bugs in front of her face like she was a sissy little girl afraid of them. It was the exact opposite. She liked them. Some of them were cute or just plain gorgeous. Like the butterflies she always looked at during Care of Magical Creature. They were free to do what they pleased. But Draco reminded her that even the beauty of butterflies end when they die. The damned eagle owl of his had swooped down and eaten one, squeezing bug guts everywhere. Draco just sat there and laughed his arse off. It made it look like the thought death was funny when it was the exact opposite. If he only knew.

She just couldn't stand the sight of him. Sure, Draco was handsome, probably the handsomest boy in the whole school. Even passing up Zabini, but there was something she didn't like about him anymore. She couldn't quite put her finger on it. Whatever it was, she didn't want to think about it. When the last of the first years had been sorted and Professor Dumbledore gave his beginning of the year speech, with a clap of his hands, food appeared on their plates and everyone dug in.

She looked at the food in disgust. She hadn't been very hungry lately. Hunger didn't gnaw at her stomach. Something else did but what? She couldn't tell. Picking up her fork, she started to push the food around. Everyone was talking all around her about the fantastic things they had done over the summer. Pansy went to New York City in the United States, Goyle went to Wales to visit his grandma, Zabini went to Rome, and Jennifer, well, stayed home in an empty house. Well, it wasn't empty unless you count the house elves running around all day. She was bored to death at home. She longed to go places like her other classmates. She wanted to go to Greece, Japan, America, and Brazil. She wanted to see the world. She wanted to be away from her parents and that damned house of theirs.

"You know, Doll, you should really eat more," Zabini said as he shove a piece of bread in her mouth.

"Mmmhurpm...." She held up a finger motioning for him to giver her a second so she could chew and swallow. "I would if you want a fat girlfriend. And don't call me doll. I am not made of porcelain or stuffing!"

"You could use a little meat on your bones. You've been getting skinner."

"Hey! I eat enough! Here, you want me to eat? I'll eat!" Taking a pumpkin pastie in hand, she shoved it in her mouth.

"Man, what is up with you lately? You have PMS all the time or something?" he asked.

"No, it's just, well; I'm tired of everyone nagging me! I'm a big girl; I can take care of myself!" Most of the table was looking at her now. "What are you looking at? Go back to eating and your stupid little conversations." With dirty looks being flung in her direction, everyone went back to what they were doing.

Finally, the feast was over and they could all head up to their dorms to get some much needed sleep so they would be rested for the next day's classes. She wasn't tired tough. She was used to going to bed at about one in the morning. She would stay up and do a little drawing or reading. There wasn't anything else to do. Why in the hell do I think about home? I hate it there... "Argh!!" Zabini looked at her.

"What's the matter?" he asked as he caught up to her side.

"It was just...uh...Gryffindor stepped on my foot. And me in my new shoes!" she lied.

"Did you stomp on theirs back? Ya gotta show those damned sissies who's the kings and queens around this joint. Now, are you ready to head down?"

"Yeah, but you go ahead, I want to go outside to get some air. I'll be there in a few." After kissing him on the cheek, she headed outside.

****

"...I'm a big girl; I can take care of myself!" came a familiar voice from the end of the table. Draco nudged Goyle and Crabbe in the ribs.

"She has to. Zabini is incapable to. Seeing as he is more of a girl then she is. I'm surprised he hasn't started to go after guys," Draco whispered. The hulks both snorted with laughter. Draco looked back at the end of the table.

"What are you looking at? Go back to eating and your stupid little conversations," Jennifer hollered.

'Damn, she's beautiful when she's mad,' he thought to himself. 'Wait, Draco, you can do better then her. There are prettier girls like... Hmm...oh, think about this later!'

He went back to shoveling food back into his mouth and making fun of Hufflepuffs. After everyone could eat as much as they could of desserts, the food melted away and the plates became sparkling clean again. That meant that it was time for everyone to head to their dorms. Disgusted with the way his two friends were scratching themselves, he decided to sit on the steps outside before heading down to the Slytherin common room.

Walking down the stairs outside, he glanced up. The moon was shinning brightly over head. He hadn't seen it so bright since... "Ow! Hey! Watch where you're going!"

"Well excuse me! I was only walking down the steps." He looked down. "Oh, it's you. What are you doing out here anyways?" It was Jennifer. She looked up at him, her eyes shinning in the moonlight making her even more pretty. Pull yourself together man! "You should be inside with Zabini." Without thinking, he sat down beside her.

****

The moon. It was almost like the sun was out at night. Looking up at it made her eyes hurt but she didn't care. She continued to stare up at it until something landed on her hand. It was a shoe and it was occupied with a foot and that foot was pushing down on her hand, crushing it. "Ow! Hey! Watch where you're going!"

"Well excuse me! I was only walking down the steps." She could tell that drawling voice anywhere. It was Draco. "Oh, it's you. What are you doing out here anyways?" She looked up at him as if saying she should ask the same of him. "You should be inside with Zabini." He sat down next to her.

"I just needed to come out here and get some air. What are you doing out here? Where are your two gorillas?" she asked.

"Who knows? Probably having a scratching contest. Why I chose those two as my best friends, I'll never know." He laughed a little and she did too.

"Sometimes, you don't get to choose who your friends are. They just appear by your side when you need someone the most. Great! I just sounded like a bloody muggle greeting card." She ran her hands through her hair. Draco laughed a bit. Whether it was out of sympathy or because he thought it was actually funny, she'd never know.

"Well, to tell the truth, I don't consider them my friends. Sure they might seem like it but you could never have a real conversation with them. You could, if you could understand what some of their grunts meant. Although, I could tell you things about them that would kill them with embarrassment." He sighed and looked up at the moon. "All I wanted was someone I could talk to about things and not worry about them running off and telling the first person they saw."

"I'm sure, once you get a girlfriend, you'll be able to tell her everything because you trust her enough to keep your darkest secret."

"So, that means you told Zabini Baby everything that's been bothering you."

"Oh, hell no!" She nearly shouted. She felt her cheeks start to flush.

"Don't you trust him?"

"Well, yeah, I trust him but I can't tell him! I can't tell anyone."

"Whatever. So what are you doing out here by yourself. You should be inside. It's not good for a girl like you to be out here alone."

A girl like you.... Anger started to rise in her chest. "A girl like me? So tell me, Mr. Malfoy, what kind of girl am I? Weak? Vulnerable? Girly?"

"No, that's not what I meant. I just meant that it can be dangerous out here. Do you even have your wand with you? I could easily hex you right now if I wanted to."

Rising from her chest, the anger settled in her throat and it showed when she spoke. "Like I said in there, I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself," she said through clenched teeth.

"Oh really? Well, it looks like your doing a pretty rotten job of it yourself." He looked at her. His eyes seemed to be glittering with mischief. "You should let someone with a little more experience do it for you." Reaching up, he stroked her cheek with his hand. She shivered a bit all the while thinking to herself, 'Is he hitting on me? Typical! It's Draco. The ego king.'

She slapped his hand away. "I don't need anyone to do it for me. Why let a man do a job like that? I never needed anyone before."

"Man! I can't even joke with you anymore. What in the bloody hell has gotten into you? You never acted like this before third year! What the hell happened? Sure, it's great to see you torcher those Gryffindors but your fellow Slytherins? Its ridicules! " His eyes burned through hers, he was so serious, it was unnerving.

"Like you would understand if I told you, which I'm not going to do."

"Well, you never know until you try me. You know," he grabbed her hand, "if you ever need to talk. I'm here. I might understand more then you think I do. I'm not the ego king all the time."

She looked down at her hand in his. Every other time she looked at his hands, they seemed like they would be icy cold. They were warm, as if he hand just pulled them away from an open fire. For the first time since she'd known him, she noticed that he no longer hand the hands of a puny boy, but the hands of a man. They had a firm grip, no longer wet noodle like she had remember. All those years of practicing Quidditch must have put strength in those hands of his. Pulling herself together, she ripped her hand out of his. "There are a lot of things that you wouldn't understand. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get to bed and so should you." With that, she stood up and walked up the stairs, back into the castle.

She heard him call after her, "Hey! Whatever! It's no skin off my back if you don't tell me!" She rolled her eyes and closed the door behind her.

****

He looked at the now empty place where she sat. Her words echoing in his mind, "....There are a lot of things that you wouldn't understand...." He knew he would understand more then she thought if she only gave him the chance to hear it.

Sighing, he looked up at the moon. Nobody knew what he went through at home. A father who was close to the Dark Lord's inner circle. A father telling his son that loving someone is a weakness that no Malfoy man should have. "We Malfoy men only marry a pureblood so that our name will be passed down to a son. We don't need love, we need the honor of the name Malfoy," Lucius Malfoy would state. Then he would turn around and slap Draco, just to make sure that he didn't show a weakness towards his son. "What is love, Draco?"

"A weakness," Draco would reply. Was he only the means to carry on a name for his father? This only happened when Lucius was sober which wasn't very often. He would lash out if Draco even looked at his father wrong.

Then there was his mother. A mother who couldn't do anything about what his father did. She knew all too well what would happen if she were to retaliate against Lucius. It happened before. Narcissa Malfoy is too good for Lucius Malfoy. He would never tell his father this but he loved his mother. Lucius would even beat her for no apparent reason. His father was way too cruel. No wonder he was so close to Voldemort. No one that evil would dare turn down the Dark Lord.

It was Jennifer that wouldn't understand. She seemed to have the perfect parents. They showed affection for her openly in public, unashamed. True, both his and Jenn's parents were Death Eaters but her parents wouldn't pressure her into turning into one like his parents did.

Taking one last look at the moon, he got up and headed inside to get some sleep. He had a full day of classes tomorrow with Defense Against the Dark Arts being the first class. He hadn't seen the new teacher and was wondering who it could be. Last year they had had a female DADA teacher but who could it be this year? It was going to be an interesting first day back.