Chapter 4 ~ The Over-heard Conversation

Tension between two old friends...

“ Do you actually care to know what happened ?” Draco hissed, sounding as though he was on the edge of despair. It was a day off of school and the three best friends had been wandering around when they heard two voices, near Hagrid’s cabin. They fell down behind huge pumpkins when Draco appeared, trying to stop Andresa who was walking resolutely towards Hagrid’s door.

“ No Draco, I don’t,” she abruptly stopped and looked at him, incredulously. “ The excuses you are going to give me are not worth my time.”

“ But I swear I didn’t want to leave, that I wouldn’t have done it�"“ He stopped himself. She stopped him right there and glared hard at him, her green eyes shining dangerously.

“ It doesn’t matter what you would have done or not, what matters is what you did and what you do. So answer honestly Draco : what do you do now ?” she looked at him gravely, and there seemed to be nearly hurt on Draco’s face.

“ Right, as usual, you’re right. There’s no point in trying to show you the truth, you never wanted to hear it anyway, since the beginning,” he said venomously.

“ Me, not hear the truth ? You were the one who didn’t listen to me !”

“ So I was supposed to betray my family while you didn’t have to ? You never were a true friend then Andresa, from what I understand,” he hissed sharply, anger now rising in his gut.

“ And you betrayed your friends Malefoy, so you’re no better,” she snapped back.

“ I work for who I want, and you’re not going to be the one to tell me what to do, and what not to,” he answered back as sharp. That was when she slapped him. He staggered backwards in surprise and at the strength of the blow. He rubbed his cheek and she watched him.

“ Then don’t come saying you wouldn’t have betrayed me,” she said quietly, calmly almost gently. She then disappeared inside the hut, leaving him alone outside.

Draco was breathing hard, frustrated, confused, angered, on the edge of despair, saddened and somber. The black clothes he wore did not make him any more cheerful. He turned on his heel and left. As he disappeared over the hill, Harry seemed to breathe again, and so did the others next to him.

“ That was breath taking,” said Ron, still staring at the spot where the two youths had been speaking.

“ Indeed,” said Harry, thinking back at this tense conversation.

“ Can’t trust her if she knows Malefoy,” Ron added.

“ I’d remind you that from what we have just heard, Draco betrayed her,” Hermione said. “ He works for you-know-who,” Hermione added. “ So she can’t be against us,” she concluded.

“ Thanks Hermione,” Ron said, not looking very thankful.

“ Shh,” Harry said sharply as the door opened again and Hagrid and Andresa appeared.

“…not easy to do…trust…can’t see…Dumbledore knows…” snippets of conversations could be heard as the two were not facing them, and seemed to be working around the other side of the garden. They moved slightly close and Andresa looked distressed.

“ When is Aedan coming, do you know ?” Hagrid shook his head at that.

“ No, I don’t,” he replied gruffly.

“ Soon I suppose since the precautions were put in place by Dumbledore,” Andresa told herself. “ It is him supervising it all to be letting Aedan come, no ?”

“ I er- would say yes. But um- Umbridge has had a grip on things of late,” Hagrid replied.

“ I dislike the woman,” Andresa looked furious just at the mention of the name.

“ Don’t speak too loudly.”

“ No, I won’t. She’d want to see me off to Azkaban. I bet she’ll try to find some ridiculous excuse to get me there.”

“ Dumbledore won’t let it.”

“ I’m sorry to break it to you Hagrid, but this goes beyond even Dumbledore.” Andresa raised her eyebrows and smiled apologetically.