Draco Malfoy's Burning Desire (WATTY AWARDS 2011)

Chapter 15: Caught

The First Task: Dragons. Each player was to ward a dragon off while they tried to get its Golden Egg, containing the clue to the next task. Cedric Diggory had taken on the first, using a simple Transfiguation spell to turn a rock into a dog, able to distract that dragon while he retrieved the egg, but got burned at the last second; Fleur Delacour enchanted the dragon to sleep, but while retrieving her egg, the dragon let out a snore, accompanied by a jet of flames which lit her skirt, though she was still able to get her egg; Viktor Krum blinded his dragon [a Chinese fireball], easily getting to his egg; Harry Potter, however, made a lasting performance that no one would forget for quite a while. He used a Summoning Charm to acquire his Firebolt, and put up a fight with the dragon, and finally conveyed his egg, thus ending the First Task. All the while, Draco and Catriona were not to be seen, and only two people noticed: Ron Weasley and Pansy Parkinson.

The second Ron noticed that the pair had gone, he had begun to worry. He scanned the Hufflepuff and Slytherin stands at least eight times already, and had been unable to find her... or him [not that it mattered that Draco had gone. Just the fact that Draco had gone with Cat.] Pansy Parkinson was in a state. Her hair was messy. her clothes were all tangled, and she was deranged. She had been asking around, "Have you seen my Draky-poo?!!" and "Where's my Draco?!" It took her a while to realise that Catriona was gone too. The second Pansy had realised this, she let out a scream of rage. Professor McGonagall came by.

"Miss Parkinson, I realise that the person you were rooting for may have not gotten the most points, but that gives you no reason to scream as though your wand was broken!" 

"Buh-but -"

"NO BUTS," interrupted McGonagall, "I urge you to be quiet, or I will ask you to leave."

As soon as the professor had left, Pansy made a rude hand gesture towards her and then left the stands to find Draco. On her way down, however, she bumped into a lanky ginger.

"Watch where you're going, you b-----d!" she shouted.

"You're calling me one?" Ron mocked in disbelief, "Tell me, how'd your parents take it when they found out you'd tried to kill a student with an Unforgivable?"

This really pissed Parkinson off. Pansy forgot completely that she had the power of magic, and instead bared her knuckles, and took a swing.

"Is that all you've gone?" Ron jeered, and walked away.

"WALK AWAY, YOU POOR, RIDICULOUS, **** ******* ****!" Pansy screamed until Ron Weasley was out of sight, and then continued towards the dungeon. She entered the Slytherin common room, hoping to find the blond there- alone. Draco was nowhere to be find.

Ron headed towards the kitchen [stopping for a snack] and then continued to the Hufflepuff common room. He knocked hard, but not a single soul came - not one that was alive, however.

"Hello, good sir!" a jolly voice made Ron jump out of his socks, "I do believe you to be a Weasley!"

Ron turned on his heels, and saw the Hufflepuff ghost: Fat Friar. 

"Bloody hell, you scared the bejeebers out of me!" he sputtered, "Say, you don't  know where I could find Catriona? Catriona Goldstein?"

The Fat Friar merely gazed questiongly at him, having no clue as to who the long-nosed ginger in front of him was talking about.

"Well, boy, I have no idea who you're talking about, but if it''s Diggory you're looking for, you'll have to come back!" The Friar finally spoke.

"No, Catriona Goldstein!" Ron enunciated every syllable, "Average height, medium brown hair, the most beautiful eyes, gorgeous curves-"

"I'll stop you there, Weasel," The Fat Friar interrupted once more, "I know who it is you're looking for! She's always sneaking off to the Slytherin common room, otherwise bringing a nice-looking blondie in with her during late hours. You'll find her in the library."

"Thanks!" Ron dashed off to the library, and knocked as hard as he could on the door. When it didn't open, all he could think to do was magically unlock the door. Ron barged in and saw on the other side a pug-faced girl with a stupid haircut had just came in at the same time.

"YOU!" they shouted in unison. Ron spoke first, after that.

"I don't have time to feed you whatever it is pugs eat!" Ron said, "I'm looking for someone!"

"Sorry? I couldn't hear you over the jingling of my MONEY!" Pansy said in a witty-like manner.

Ron simply shook his head, and continued to search the library. Then he heard a moan walking past the Restricted Section.

"More, Draco!" a familiar voice insisted. All the while, Ron was debating wether or not to go in. Finally, he decided, and before he opened the door, Ron prayed that he wouldn't find what he feared. He opened the door slowly, and peeked inside. Ronald couldn't see what was going on completely. so he opened it a bit.

"NO. WAY," a vocie whipsered behind him, "this is disgusting! MY EYES! THEY BUUURRRNNN!!!"

Ron opened the door and found, in fact, what he feared more than spiders.

"WEASLEY! PARKINSON!" Draco ran behind a bookshelf, and Catriona tumbled off the counter and hid behind a chair.

"DRACO!" Pansy began to wail, "OH HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?! I THOUGHT WE WERE A THING NOW!"

"Please, I'd never go out with you." Draco said from behind the cabinet.

"YOU JERK!" screamed Pansy, and she stormed out of the library, the whole while covering her red face, and crying. Ron couldn't get his head around the image. There was a pile of clothes in a corner, and two people hiding. 

"Ron..?" Catriona whispered, "Would you mind, oh, I dunno, closing the door so I can... maybe put some clothes on?"

"Why doesn't he have to leafve?" Ron pointed to behind a book shelf.

"He has to put clothes on too..." 

Ron backed up, closed the door and slid down. He felt so many things at once: jealousy, betrayal, disgust, and rage. A few minutes later, the door began to open.

"You sl*t," Ron said in a quivering voice.

"Shut up, Weaselbee!" Draco raised his voice, and moved forward, but Catriona put a hand on his chest, stopping him.

"Do you know what that means?" Catriona asked, "It means a woman who sleeps with many men, and does it for a prize. I've only ever done this once, Ronald Weasley, and have asked for no prize. If that's how you feel about me, I suppose you can just leave me be from now on."

With those words, Catriona led Draco out of the library. On the way out, Draco whispered, "If you thought you had a chance with this angel before, you've got no chance now!"

Ron felt ashamed at what he had said. Catriona was his friend, what had he done?

For the next few hours, Ron just sat at a table, listening to students walk the corridors, and missed lunch. Finally, late that night, Madam Pince came.

"You'll have to go, young man!" she escorted Ronald out of the library, and slammed the doors behind him. He made his way as slow as possible to his own dormitory, and went straight to bed.