Leave Out All The Rest

The Pride and Shame of a Greengrass

Chapter Seven: The Pride and Shame of a Greengrass

POV: Liam

The day was going smoothly—which was a complete shock at this point. I mean, I have managed to make it to the last break of the school day without injuring myself, a professor, or another classmate. I gotta say, things are looking up. 

I stretched myself out beneath the shade of a giant oak tree, smiling at the blue sky. Life was good, especially because I had the best person in the world laying beside me. 

"You're so calm," I said to Nia, catching the way her eyes glittered like the shade of the sky above us. "Is it because of my accident-free day?"

She lolled her head to the side, raising a brow at me. I grinned and she laughed. "Okay," she said, "I am happy about that, but I'm more happy that I finally got to spend some time with you. You've forgotten all about me lately."

It was my turn to raise an eyebrow at her. "I see you every day."          

"Is it because I beat you in our flying lesson?" she continued, ignoring me as she raised her voice in a dramatic tone. "Is it because I ate your Chocolate Frog? Is it because I Transfigured you into a rat? Is it because I accidentally blew up the potion in class and now you're too embarrassed to be seen with me?"

Laughing, I reached over to give her shoulder a shove. "Shut it," I said. "If you allow the entire school to see you with my after all my blow-ups, then I'm not ashamed to be seen with you. And, sorry, Nia. I guess I have been spending a lot of time with the lads lately."  

Nia snorted as she sat up, picking up her long, shiny blonde hair to pull into a bun. "The lads I have no problem with. It's Malfoy I don't like. Come off it, Liam. You can tell me; he's the one convincing you not to hang out with me, right? That good-for-nothing prat. I'll show him not to cross—"

"Nia," I cut in, surprised that my tone was firm and my eyes narrowed at her. Mind you, she is the authoritative one in our friendship. It never did bother me that things were that way because they had been that way for so long—ever since our fathers introduced us at the age of four, forcing us to play while they talked business. Nia's word was law and no one ever questioned it. Yet, once in a while, my word was law, too.

Her blue eye became downcast. "I know what you're going to say," she mumbled.

"If you know, why do you insist on making things difficult? It's ridiculous to hate someone for the mistakes his father and yours made. Whatever happened before has nothing to do with you or Scor."

"I know that, Liam!" she snapped, a frustrated puff of air escaping her lips as she gripped the grass at her sides. "Merlin, don't you think I don't know how stupid it is to hate someone for something they had no control over? But I can't help it. Don't you understand? Every time I look at him I'm reminded of my father's anger and that makes me angry, too."

"Look," I said, "I can't justify what my Uncle Draco did in his youth, but you can't justify your father, either. They both made mistakes they have to carry with them for the rest of their lives. I'm sorry, but he is wrong for making you resentful of the Malfoys."

Nia bit her bottom lip (something she often did when she was trying to subdue a scream). Instead, she yanked on the blades of grass, throwing them forward as it they were making a ruckus. Eventually her anger simmered down into a controlled annoyance. Annoyance at herself, no less.

"I hate that I'm supposed to hate him," she whispered to me, not meeting my eye. "I know Scorpius is not at fault for my family losing everything because of Lucius and Draco Malfoy."