Let's Blame Magic

Chapter Nine

   “Ariella, I just want you to know that I care about you,” He said with his voice loud and confident, he turned his body with her back facing him, unafraid to say how he truly feels. “I care because I like you.”

  Oliver’s straightforward confession made Ariella feel worst. She felt she was doing him injustice by knowing his feelings and not acting upon them. She slowly turned around and looked him in the eyes, his brown eyes that captivated the sun’s rays.

   “I know you do and that’s why it makes it much more complicated than it needs to be.” She said, she looked down and slowly pivoted her body away “I’ll see you this weekend.” She said still holding on to her promise before she scurried off to class.

  Potions class was exactly the same as Defense against the Dark Arts except this time, Ariella sat beside Draco Malfoy. She sat there waiting for Professor Snape to give the lesson as her anxiety churned inside of her, awaiting Draco’s sarcastic and idiotic comments towards her situation. By surprise, when Professor Snape was finished, Draco didn’t say a word; instead he sat there chuckling with his head rested in the palm of his head.

   “What?” She said scared yet irritated from his glance.

   “Is it true? I heard it from Pansy.” He asked as he brought out the cauldron.

   “It depends what you heard.”

   “That you and the incompetent Gryffindor Quidditch Captain are dating? I didn’t know that he was your type.” Draco said as he made a face when he mentioned Oliver.

  She didn’t know why she was upset the way Draco talked about Oliver but she knew that she wouldn’t tolerate it especially from him. She walked away from the table to gather the ingredients, coming back with a completely different attitude.

   “It’s sad yet ironic. You’re talking about incompetence. Well, your girlfriend has a mouth yet she doesn’t have a brain to realize that those rumors are false. We’re not dating.” She said proudly and totally out of her character, however, the change didn’t faze her

  He pulled back to her words but he wasn’t going to let this conversation end on her side. He started to fix the potion despite the tension between the both of them.

   “She’s not my girlfriend.” He began as he averted Ariella’s gaze but brought his head up once he changed the topic “But don’t deny it. I was there. The night we talked, while you were hiding eavesdropping, so was I.” Ariella slowed her actions the more Draco explained how he was right. “He likes you and considering what happened today, you like him.”

  Ariella’s mouth hung out aghast yet on the inside, her sudden reaction made him laugh. He continued working on the potion, but she noticed how Draco gave her situation a lot of thought.

   “Well, this seems as if it matters to you.” He looked at her through his peripherals.  “Could it be that you’re interested in me?” She said teasingly just to get back at him.

  He scoffed and sharply turned his head towards her, his face showed disbelief but all she could see was doubt. “Don’t flatter yourself.” He said.

   “Well, you have an odd way of talking because it looked as if you were going to kiss me.”

   “KISS YOU?!” He yelled out which caught everyone’s attention, Ron gave an odd expression as well as Harry. Both Ariella and Draco looked away from each other; Ariella noticed Pansy giving her a deadly glare that sent a shiver up her spine.

   Before Ariella could turn around and rebuttal, Professor Snape walked around inspecting everyone’s progression; Ariella and Draco spent the rest of the time working with tension between the both of them.

  As Ariella was getting another ingredient from the shelf, Pansy personally shoved her shoulder against Ariella’s. Ariella stared at her with frustrations; she didn’t want to deal with her.

   “You listen, you little slut. I don’t care about you and that stupid Quidditch Captain; you just leave Draco alone. Do you understand?” She sweetly smiled; however, it wasn’t as sweet as it seemed to be.

   “No one asked for you to talk, Parkinson.”

  Pansy gave a disgusted glance at Ariella before she grabbed what she needed. Before Pansy turned away, she looked over her shoulder.

   “I’d like it better when no one knew who you were. Know your place by the end of the year.”

   “And if I don’t?”

   “Well, you better hope Sirius Black doesn’t get you before the Dementors get a hold of him.”