Chapter 47: And the rest is rust and stardust (1)
Later that day when I met up with Malfoy and mindlessly walking around, indulging in the fresh scent of spring air, instead of relaxing, my mind was racing to find a way to talk to him.
Eventually, as it became clear no matter how much I tried to sort it out logically in my mind, it was likely to come out different than I planned, I decided to just go with it.
"Hey, you remember how I talked to Parkinson?" I used my best casual tone.
"Yes," He curled his lips, "I just started wondering why you haven't brought it up yet."
"I am now," I chuckled awkwardly, "Well, what she said is exactly what I expected to be, you know, like how Greengrass has a crush on you, and she only pretends to be friends with me so that she can destroy our relationship."
"Parkinson and Weasley should work on their imagination," Malfoy rose his eyebrow, "This is getting boring."
"However," I cleared my throat, and continued without looking at him, "She did make a separate point."
"I'm not sure I know what you mean by that," He squinted and stopped walking.
"She said the way you and Greengrass talk," I paused, still staring at the muddy ground, "It's, um..."
"It's what?" He pressed on.
"Alright," I finally gathered the courage I didn't know where I got from and said, "She said it's a bit flirty. And I agree."
"That's irretrievably absurd," He first sounded concerned but that worrisome soon turned into a laugh before that laugh switched back to concern again, "I figure you don't know."
"What?" Confused, I slowly lifted my head.
"As much as I want to make it all clear to you right at this moment, I believe it is't my place to tell you this," He sighed as he placed his hands on my shoulders, "And hence, dear, I'd suggest you speak with Greengrass."
"Okay?" I frowned. By the way he spoke, I already had some sense of what was coming my way, but he was right. It wouldn't be his place to tell me such. And I was proud of him for not stepping over his line.
The kind of line that Ron would never choose to see even if it was right in front of him.
I couldn't recall how extreme nervousness and anxiety felt until I pulled Daphne Greengrass aside later that evening, attempting to hold a conversation about the information I learned earlier today from her fellow Slytherin.
"What's up?" She asked in her normal cheerful tone with a half-eaten chocolate muffin in her hand.
"I spoke to Parkinson after poison class," I opened with a relatively neutral line, "And she said the things we expected her to say."
"Oh, great, she's just as predictable as I thought," Greengrass took another bite of her muffin and said in a muffled voice, "So, Granger, what's the next move and how can I help?"
"Speaking of that," I swallowed, "This is going to be a little bit uncomfortable, but Parkinson said there seems to be some flirting going on between you and Malfoy."
"And you believe that?" She stopped chewing and her eyes widened.
I nodded, looked nothing but guilty.
"Ah, I see," She took a deep breath, and said in a brooding tone that I never thought she was able to have, "Don't get me wrong, I planned to tell you this later down the road, but I guess with this situation, it left me with no choice."
I stood in silence, uneasily waiting for what she was going say next.
"Truth to be told, Granger," She threw her unfinished muffin into a nearby trash can, "You don't have to worry about me having some kind of feelings for Malfoy, you see, I like women. If anyone needs to be worried about anything, that'd be Malfoy."
I opened my mouth, but no words came out, I was simply stunned and had no clue what to say.
"Malfoy and I are never close friends," She continued solemnly, yet I could tell she began to sound chirpy again, "But we are good friends, good enough for him to know this about me. I guess we bonded over mutual resentment for Parkinson or something. Although that's ironic, because he-regardless of his constant denial-more or less dated her."
"I'm so sorry, I..." I stuttered, didn't dare to face her, "I feel horrible right now."
"It's all good," She patted on my shoulder, "I mean, Malfoy is-I can't believe I'm about to say this-kind of a catch nowadays, so I guess I understand where you come from."
"You are not mad at me?" I was surprised.
"No, why would I be? It's not like you are being irrational and scream at me without listening to what I have to say. You chose to talk to me like a sane person, so we are good," She smiled, "By the way, I don't have a crush on you, I just think you are cool to be friends with."
"Oh Merlin, I am not thinking about that," I quickly waved my hands repetitively, "And thank you for being nice and understanding. I don't know how I can ever make it up to you."
"Actually, you can," She smirked deviously, "Two things: one, how about you introduce my little sister to Longbottom, and two, get my involved in you evil plan for Parkinson and Weasley."
"You've got yourself a deal," I laughed and reached my hand out to her.
"Affirmative," She said as we shook on it.
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