The Interlude Series

The Interlude Series (1/4):

An Interlude

"Oh, fuck."

I hear the groan before I realise who it is I have stumbled upon. "Granger?"

"Sod off, Malfoy."

I raise an eyebrow at this pronouncement.

"I'm serious. I'm not in the mood right now. I'm warning you."

"Who would have thought you would be the one I'd run into? Really, Granger. I'm shocked. I didn't think you had it in you. What do you think the penalty would be if anyone found us? How many rules are we breaking? I'd say at least five. One- it's midnight. Two- it's not your dorm. Three- it's not even your precious Tower. Four-"

"Shut up. I've already told you once. I'm not in the - what the fuck do you think you're doing? GO AWAY."

"I have as much right as you do to be here. What's with the language? These are virgin ears, Granger. And what are you going to do? Turn me in? You get in just as much trouble as me. Looks like you're stuck." A triumphant smirk.

Eyes rolling. "Fine. Just as long as you realise that since I warned you, it's your own fault if you find the ground rushing towards you at an incredible speed."

"My, my. Isn't that a little bloodthirsty?"

"Oh, you're one to talk. How many times have you deliberately - what the hell am I doing? I did not come up here to fight with you. Please, just leave me alone and I'll ignore you."

Silence.

Hmm, interesting. Why exactly is she up here anyway? I was serious before, who would have thought Granger would be the one I would see on top of the Astronomy Tower in the middle of the night? I mean, maybe Potter. He seems to be the kind that would sneak about in the middle of the night; maybe Weasley. But Granger? I glance over at her just in time to see her flop on to her back, staring at the stars, like she wanted them to give her the meaning of the universe. Well, something had obviously happened and who was I to let this opportunity go? Dirt on the golden children? She sighed; one of those sighs that comes from the very depths of your being. One too many of those sighs is the reason I was here in the middle of the night. One of those sighs that means you really want to talk, to anyone, even though you protest that you don't. I flop down on my back, thinking maybe the stars will give me my answer. This is an almost perfect opportunity. Just wait it out, and she'll crack.

Sigh.

Silence.

Sigh.

Sigh.

"Malfoy. Please, please do not make me hurt you. Just shut up so I can pretend you're not here."

"I'm not doing anything you're not doing Granger."

Wait, wait, it's coming.

Sigh.

"Mmmhmm, see, little miss genius? SIGH. What's the matter with you anyway? Your dog die? Lose your best friend? Flitwick only give you 110%? McG-"

"MALFOY. Point taken. I'll stop sighing if you will."

"Lovely."

Silence.

Silence.

Silence.

"Alright, say something. What's with you anyway? You haven't called me mudblood, or insulted us, or tried to curse me in any way... Something's going on. Why are you up here anyway?"

"What the hell is this, twenty questions? Why do you care? Do you want me to curse you? Because I will, don't imagine I won't. Why are YOU up here?"

Silence.

"I'm not exactly sure."

Sigh.

"God dammit, Granger. Enough with the sighing! Either talk, I know you want to, even if it is ME, or leave me in peace."

A small, almost whining, voice. "I don't want to talk, especially not to you, Malfoy. You wouldn't even understand it anyway."

"Try me."

"I'm telling you, you wouldn't understand."

"What, is your superior intellect going to overwhelm me?"

"Sod off."

"That's it, isn't it? Well, let me tell you something Granger. Maybe not all of us get 200% in everything, but that doesn't mean we're lower forms of life. That's your entire problem, you know. If you didn't walk around here with your nose-"

"Malfoy! Enough. It's not about your brain stem. You don't have a soul."

Silence.

Silence.

"Umm, Malfoy? You okay? You haven't stung me with that sharp wit for awhile. You still breathing?"

"I don't know. Can soul-less creatures breathe?"

"Oh, for god's sake. Is that what's the matter? My little comment? You DON'T."

A wry chuckle.

"So, you do? That's a fucking surprise to me. You've certainly never acted like it before."

Silence.

"Listen up, Granger. You're obviously up here for some reason that has to do with your soul. And to a girl, soul means love. So no, I don't if you're talking about fluffy bunnies and clouds and chocolates and all that other bullshit. But if you're talking about love that burns and bleeds and rips your soul, or lack thereof, then I DO in fact know what you're talking about."

Shit.

Dammit. I was supposed to just be getting her to talk, not pouring out my fucking soul.

Silence.

"I'm not sure what to say Malfoy. I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours." A grin.

A slight chuckle. "I don't think so. I'm just offering an ear, not any sort of reciprocation."

"Who is it, Malfoy? Pansy holding out lately? Millicent finally wore you down?"

A full-fledged chuckle. "Don't I wish. No, nothing quite like that."

Silence.

Now that she's got me on that track, I'm doomed. I came up here to get away from... ahhhh. It's no use, but she still doesn't have to... "I think back and it's always been like this. Even before I knew what love and lust and desire were, I think my soul called out for... I mean, I can't recall a time when I didn't ache. When I didn't burn. When I didn't wake up in the middle of the night, my body calling. Every fucking day, bleeding and burning for this person. I don't know whether it's love or lust or some other emotion that's being twisted until I can't breathe. And the worst thing? To know, unequivocally, that they are NEVER going to be yours. You're never going to be able to figure it out. Not just that, but they are, in fact, never going to even see you? That they would never see you if not for the fact that you thrust yourself into their sight? Any way you could? And that body. God. I sometimes think God or Satan or Voldemort built it specifically to test me. I just want to throw it against the wall or table or desk or whatever... It's a nightmare. And the face attached to the body. Strong and clean and those eyes burning green fire whenever he looks at me... "

Oh. Fuck.

Did I just say that? GREEN fire? HE?

I definitely did, if the way Granger is looking at me is any indication.

Swallow.

Throat-clearing. "Well, no need to show you mine. You got it right down to the green fire."

Shit.

Ignore it and maybe it will go away. Right.

"Really? Hmm. You're just full of surprises tonight Granger. First, sneaking out of your dorm and then telling me you're in love with your best friend. I always thought it would be Weasley."

"Hmm. You and him and me and Harry and everyone. Too bad it didn't end up that way."

"Oh, I smell a love triangle. How lovely."

A bark of laughter. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that. Maybe I can just show Ron that I don't... god, this is a certified disaster. He'll flip and I'll be a wreck and Harry will... what will Harry do? Nothing. Even if he feels the same, he'll never betray Ron. I'm in a fucking mess."

"Looks that way."

Silence.

Silence.

"Okay, are we just going to ignore the fact that you just told me you were ALSO in love with our illustrious Mr. Potter?"

"Oh. That."

A disbelieving look. "Yes. THAT."

"Well, the way I see it Granger, we have two options. One, no one ever has to know that any of this ever happened. Especially THAT part."

"Yes, especially that."

"Shut up. Two, we could tell everybody and bring ridicule and ruin on ourselves. So really... it's only the one option."

"Fine. But you know, I have to say, it makes sense now, knowing the things I now know. Some of the things you've done. That night at the Quidditch World Cup when you told us to get out of there because they were after "Mudbloods," as you so charmingly put it. I always wondered about that. And"

"Yes, yes. That's wonderful. We REALLY don't have to talk about it anymore."

Rolls eyes. "Fine, Mr. Reticent."

An eyebrow shooting up. "Reticent? About what exactly? You know more-"

"Whatever. You don't want to talk, fine. Don't talk."

"Thanks ever so much, Granger."

Silence.

Silence.

"Okay. I'm tired; I'm going in."

Silence. Standing, stretching.

"Malfoy? Are you going to be alright? I mean, I still hate you and all but I don't want you throwing yourself off the Tower or-"

"Granger. Just go. I've dealt for six years. I'll deal tonight."

Silence.

"Alright. I'm going. See you tomorrow, Malfoy."

"Whatever you say, Granger."

Silence.

Exasperated. "What?"

"Well, it's just that I've got some excellent information on you now, should I choose to use it."

"You can't be bloody serious."

"Try me. If you hurt any of us again, I mean seriously hurt, not stupid comments and pranks, I might be forced to use it. And if you EVER hurt Harry-"

"Whoa-whoa. Granger, no one is EVER going to know about this, first of all. Second of all, if I hurt Harry? How could I possibly hurt him? I'm never going to get him."

Silence.

A mouth opens. Closes.

"Granger, are you-"

"Listen, Malfoy. I don't know. But it seems like a very Harry thing to do, doesn't it? Fall in love with the enemy? And you two can't be so pretty for nothing." A wry grin.

Astonished silence.

"Malfoy, this is the part when you tell me that he loves me, he always has, etc."

"Right. Well. You know that though. The reason I told you to leave that night at the Quidditch World Cup? If anything happened to you, he'd shut down. It's fairly obvious if you watch him... anyway, the entire school's known it for years. No contest."

"Well, we'll see."

"Night, Granger. Let the best man win."

A laugh. "Well, that's no fucking fair."

Footsteps.

"Thanks, Malfoy."

A door slamming.

A whisper.

"You too, Granger."