Library
The pass to get into the Restricted Section under the signature of Professor Valeth was enough for Madam Price. Cho poked around for hours in the section that she'd only had access to a few times, trying desperately to find the right book. While not as scholarly as some students, she does have a certain mind for things that certainly make her suitable for Ravenclaw, so the effort itself isn't entirely futile. She has pulled off two books and taken so many notes that her hands were starting to cramp up. Is her extra effort in this venture because her effort in a previous one was received as it was? Perhaps... It certainly adds to the determination to try to find something that might be of use. At the moment she's sitting around in one of the sitting areas, at a table, with a couple books not from the Restricted areas. A gigantic Magical Atlas, open wide at her left, to a map of England, a book on known Unplottable locations 'supposedly' in Europe, opened at her right and a much smaller book, sitting open in her lap, apparently a journal. And the stack of notes from the restricted section are on the table dead smack in front of her.
He probably came in when she was moving through the restricted section, searching for whatever it was. Seated at a table of his own, with a few rolls of parchment and a number of books lying open to decorate the flat surface. His eyes of blue scan over the pages lazily and half-heartedly, in truth, not really absorbing what's written on them, either. Draco's quill-tip sits positioned over a new piece of parchment, the ink blotching on the page, to which he pays no attention to that, either. Occasionally, he turns a page over and begins to scan it, but it's the same thing, not really interested in what he's reading and having no ability, what so ever, to write about it.
It's curious that he happens to be in the Library with no real interest in what he is looking at. Looking just for the sake of looking? Wonder what his mind happens to be on that is so important. His heart certainly can't be the cause of his distraction. Sometimes she wonders if he's even got one! If he does, it's certainly stunted. Cho presses the end of her quill against her chin, staring down at the journal. Whatever she seems to find there causes her to make a quick footnote on the top parchment of her stacked notes. Her quill is put down, the journal is closed and placed on top of the notes. She pulls a folder out from under the giant atlas and puts the notes in there carefully. The sounds of shuffling paper can be heard clearly as she starts to get up. It appears she either found what she wanted, or has decided that the search is futile. Either way she's pulling the folder under one arm and trying to pick up the giant atlas, and the two smaller books in the other. This does not make for capable balance as she starts towards the place to put the books away, and the journal and book slide out of her grasp and impact the floor just a few feet away from Draco's table. She didn't even notice him there until she let out a sigh and turned to put down the atlas so she could retrieve the books. She blinks, seeing the young blonde haired Slytherin and says softly, "Oh, good day, Draco. Mind if I put this down here for a minute?"
This sudden disturbance is not a very welcome one. He looks up, mostly over the top of his slightly elevated book, at the Ravenclaw as those she happened to be a bug that he fancied stepping on in disgust. Silence. And then, "Just move the stuff aside, first." He says, meaning that if she wants to put things down, she's going to have to move the stuff that was there first out of the way. With that said, Draco returns to his book with still the same interest in it as before, eyes returning to a random place on the page, not exactly where he had left off. Not that it matters, he isn't really reading it, anyways.
"Aren't you charming today..." Cho actually says under her breath, watching him for a moment before she just drops the atlas down right on top of a bunch of things. It's not going to hurt it too much, after all. She bends down and picks up the two smaller books quickly, but doesn't grab up the atlas at all as she watches him for a moment, looking down at his book and then back at him. He's so... annoyingly peculiar. "So have you given the offer any further thought?" She keeps her voice toned low, holding the thick full folder in one arm, and the two books in the other. Is she still stuck on that? You'd think the look would be enough to assume the answer, but he never /said/ no.
Very true. He never did actually say no to the offer, but he also didn't happen to say yes, either. "..." And then, Draco looks back over the top of the book and raises an eyebrow. "Maybe." He sets the quill down on the parchment, the blotch of ink growing, consuming the page slowly. 'What's it to you?' is what his expression seems to say next, as the eyebrow lowers back into a place, eyes roaming over the table to settle irritably on the atlas. Didn't he tell you to move everything from to the side? >_< Grr!
And to further the irritability, Cho lays the two books down on top and the notes follow quickly in suite. "Your ink, it's--" She doesn't bother, he's so difficult to talk to. Instead of finishing her words, she moves closer to him, reaching over to lift up the quill and hold it gently in her hand. Her own quill had been carefully put away inside the folder, placed inside a small thin box made for such purposes. She doesn't move away as she glances at him, "What are you working on so extensively?" So extensively that he cares nothing about what he's looking at or even writing, as was plainly clear. She doesn't even glance at the books or the papers in attempt to see what they are. She's asking him. Though he's not notoriously reliable for answering questions.
Well, at least she bothered to place the books he had taken from the shelves in a neat sort of pile. That has removed a small element of irritation but that's not enough to make it just vanish entirely. "Something for History Of Magic." He waves off the last question rather casually, taking the open piece of parchment, with the large ink blot, and rolling it back up in order to put it and the others away. "I don't need any help. I just got bored, is all, and started to think about something else." Like Draco'll admit that he got stumped and THEN his attention wandered. It should also be perfectly understandable as to why he got bored, too... even when teaching about the most interesting thing, Professor Binns can put the entire class to sleep in no time. His assignments rival the class on the boredom scale. "Trying to figure out a way to pinpoint a person's exact position, eh? Maybe you could give what you find to Potter and Weasley too, afterwards, so they can find Granger. I haven't seen her around. What's a pair of mudblood lovers without their pet?" And a table of Slytherins, who listen in on the conversation, burst into laughter, loud and cruel. He smiles oh so nastily. Now, he's aware that Granger is gone. He even knows where she is. But his response had nothing to do with it... it was just a cheap pot-shot at Potter. n.n
Ah, well, she can understand getting distracted while working on History of Magic. Cho is honestly surprised they haven't tried to search out a new professor for that class. But then again, would even a different teacher make the class better? Since she's only attended this school (she was home taught until she got accepted) it's hard to come up with any other teaching styles to relate to. At the comment about Granger, her eyes tighten and she barely resists the urge to glare at him. Instead she throws it past him and at the table of Slytherins. Too bad it's not a very fearsome glare. She probably couldn't stare down a frog... "I might have to do that, if I manage to find something that will be helpful." So far most of the spells she's found... wouldn't work. She certainly is starting to see why all her friends are dumbfounded at her attempt to befriend the Slytherin boy. She'd think after the fact that his date /died/ he might have a little sympathy for his fellow students. Sigh. She probably shouldn't think so highly of him.
Sympathy is just not an emotion people should expect to come from Draco. Respect of people who are mourning, however, is something in which he is capable of, but will only be given to the other members of his house. Like anyone else really knew Aranea... like anybody else happened to care... all that mattered to them was the fact that she died and was a Hogwarts student. Period. His nasty smile seems to grow, the Slytherins then busting up with laughter at the pathetic glare. Please... even a first year of their own house looks more intimidating. Oh, why not? Draco starts to snicker, too. Are you going to leave him alone, yet?
Even if Cho didn't know Aranea, her bought of sympathy and mourning wasn't due to her being a Hogwarts student at all. It was because she was close to someone that she was trying to befriend. And nope, she's not leaving. At the snicker she seems to set herself visibly and puts her hands down on the table top, looking at him intently. The glare is gone, but for once in a long while, there's no real sympathy in her eyes. There's something in them that he probably won't recognize, but it isn't sympathy. "So what were you thinking about instead of History?" She's really not leaving, is she? Nope. She's not leaving him alone fully until he gives her a straight answer on her question. And not the one she just asked. The one that was left open from the other day.
By this time, the Slytherins are howling, taking it as though the threat had been retracted, thus, making the Ravenclaw seem all the more pitiful. It does wonders to encourage the blonde, nasty smile firmly rooted in place, twisting his somewhat pale, pointed features into a cruel looking expression. It even reaches his eyes with the light of pure maliciousness. "That's none of your business now, is it?" Draco really needs to be knocked off his high horse, again. "I thought you were leaving. Why don't you run along now and stop bothering me?" The Slytherins chortle. That's their Draco! Looks as though the young Malfoy is back to normal. All it took was some irritation, encouragement from his housemates and a desire to make her leave... the easiest way to have a person go away is if they storm off, angry and annoyed, after all.
Well, angry and annoyed isn't the first reaction. Instead, if anything, she looks disappointed. Highly disappointed. Cho's fingers push her hands up just a bit, but she keeps them where they are. "I suppose you're right. It /isn't/ my business. Because you /obviously/ don't care about anybody but yourself." What, did she want him to care about her or something? Feh! That isn't exactly what she meant, though it might sound that way. And was there a brief tone of hurt in her voice at the 'obviously'? If she really wanted to be mean, she'd probably bring up something about how she was wiping away his tears not a week ago, but she doesn't. Oddly though, she /doesn't/ storm off angered or upset. Not yet, anyway. And while her hands are tempted to move up, knocking him down off his horse isn't quite enough to make her become confrontational. She's not a Gryffindor, after all.
Ooooh. Good one. The laughter coming from the table of Slytherins trails off, watching to see what the blonde fifth-year will say in response. He... looks straight across the table at the girl, his sneer fading slowly at the corners. "That's what you think." He retorts, sounding rather upset for a brief moment, but his expression returning full force, "But if you want to believe that, then why don't you just leave? I'm sure Potter would /love/ to comfort you, should you want to cry about it. I mean, it seems that after Longbottom ditched him at the Yule Ball, he went for the first person who would give him the time of day." The cruel laughter rises from the table, again, as well as praise for Draco for the nice insult against Potter.
That did it. Cho's eyes visibly tighten, but no tears show up, and over-all the anger factor is still kept to a minimum. Besides her slight change in expression, the main clue that she is seriously upset by something that he said there comes from movement. And it's not walking away either. One hand lifts from the table, and instead of a wimpy girly slap, she aims a full-armed back hand across his jaw. Whether it hits or not she immediately says, voice thick with some actual anger, but more that heavy disappointment of before. "That /is/ what I think. And as for Harry... you're not even worthy of saying his name. He's already a thousand times the wizard you'll /ever/ be."
Like the good audience they are, the table packed with Slytherins inhale sharply as though it were a big moment of suspense. This hasn't been the first time his nasty remarks have provoked a violent reaction and it probably won't be the last. He clenches his teeth together, tightening his jaw, bracing himself, quickly, for the impact of the incoming backhand which connects with him squarely across the side of the face. The young Slytherin's head snaps to the side, pushed by the force, the audience giving a mixture of reactions from exhaling to gasping in shock. A few whisps of disturbed blonde hair float soundly down, some resting against his cheek, red at the point of contact, an odd contrast when compared to his natural skin color. And then, Draco just sits still, his eyes closed, lines of stress showing up along his jawline, head turned to the side where it came to rest, only moving when it's either to inhale or exhale. He doesn't say a word, as much as he'd like to fire something back about Potter only being special because of some stupid scar and a dead mother...
The back-hand connected and while one of those gasps of shock were not her own, she looks as if she would have joined them had she not been saying what she felt needed to be said. Her hand shakes as she brings it up against her chest, clasping her other hand over it, as if she's afraid to let it go. As if it might make a movement again on it's own accord if she allows it. "All I /ever/ did to you was try to help you. Be nice to you. Treat you like someone who deserved respect. I actually /wanted/ to be your friend. I wanted--" Cho cuts off, voice shaking a moment before she takes a breath and starts again, "But I guess I'm just wasting your time, aren't I?" There's that faint hurt tone still in her voice, but despite her words, she still doesn't walk away, almost as if she can't. Oi, hopefully the Slytherin's won't think this is some kind of lover's spat.
Things wouldn't of turned out this way if she had just left right in the beginning, but refusing to go then, such as she does now, just seems to be making things escalate. Rumors will certainly be floating around at this rate; some Slytherin girls in the back whisper hurriedly back and forth to one another, firing a dirty look in the Ravenclaw's direction whenever the name comes up. He moves only to breathe for the longest time, some more strands of hair sneaking down over his face. Draco comes to a decision. He stands up from the table, cheek still red, jaw still clenched, but his eyes open with a long look towards the exit. The young man stuffs his hands into the pockets of the cloak. "You wanted? And you thought I'd accept it, after you started trying to introduce yourself and help with pity first, right?" A pause. He turns to glance back at the girl for a moment. Then. "You thought wrong." He says with a tone of dreadful finality, stepping away from the table and heading towards that aforementioned exit, not even bothering to retrieve his stuff from the table, which the others will probably do for him upon their return to the common room. Of course, he can be stopped, if she really wants to go after him...
Dirty looks and whispers are completely ignored, dark hazel eyes locked full on what's visible of his red-marked face. She should just let him walk away. She shouldn't attempt to say anything else... she shouldn't... she shouldn't... Oh, bloody hell. "Did I?" Cho calls out after him, breaking from the table to follow after him, reaching to try and grab his arm and stop him, "If you continue to think all that I was feeling is 'pity' than you don't understand anything." She honestly thinks there was more to this 'effort' than pity? It certainly seems that way. And her word usage probably leaves something to be desired (and if she muses back on it later she'll probably be chastising herself for it), but again, she isn't caring about the onlookers right now, though her voice is decidedly lower. And she too leaves her things at the table, but she has no faithful minions to pack up her stuff. Normally she wouldn't abandon her notes, but... She honestly has forgotten all about why she was in the Library in the first place.
He was really not in a hurry to get out of the library, only because he didn't think that she'd attempt to follow him... but the blonde was wrong. She snags his arm, pulls the hand from his cloak pocket and truly disturbs any intention of leaving, if only momentarily. "I think it's you who doesn't understand anything!" Draco wheels as he's stopped, the other hand appearing from the robes, moving his arm in order to flip the odds. Meaning, he attempts to get hold of the girl by the wrists and if he can, drive her backwards in between the shelves at the wall, not roughly or violently, but drive her into it, all the same.
Despite her athleticism, Cho isn't a fan of
confrontations. That backhand was probably the first time she'd ever done
anything like that to anyone. Since she was a young child at least. Children do
things like that a lot without any real meaning behind the motion. Her movement
on the ground is little compared to her movement in the air, so there's very
little chance she could have avoided his counter-measures. She lets out a
surprised gasp, eyes widening a bit as she stumbles her feet backwards until
she's pushed against the wall. Though it wasn't violent, it certainly was
jarring. Once again, she's visibly shaken (and he can feel it in her wrists
too). She recovers, at least enough to make a coherent statement, with little
wavering of her voice, "Then explain it to me if I'm so mistaken!" No
'let go of me you asshole?' Well, perhaps that's what another girl would yell
right now.
Now, if he were a dirty pervert or something along those lines, he may be taking advantage of this situation (and probably receive a knee to the tender bits for it), but despite all the bad things he does, that certainly isn't one he'd even consider. Draco only pins Cho's wrists to the wall briefly before releasing her. Perhaps the entire thing was to get them out of sight, out of hearing range... The blonde Slytherin hovers rather close, though, probably more than what might be comfortable, leaving not much space for breathing room. "Have you realized nothing? Wasn't the forest enough for you? Wasn't being yelled at enough for you? Wasn't getting me upset enough for you? Wasn't slapping me enough for you? Now you're demanding explanations, saying you want to do this and that. I told you that you're doing more damage, or do you not understand?!"
As she's released, some obvious tension starts to dissipate from her frame, but it doesn't all vanish. His closeness and his words are enough to keep it there, even if he isn't holding her physically anymore. Cho is still quite shaken, and nothing is going to take away from that. For a moment her eyes start to water, but she pushes back the signs of tears expertly. She's been doing that all this school year, after all, it's something she knows quite well now. It almost seems as if he's rendered her silent, like when she got him that upset and she didn't say a word for a time. This time though, the pause is much shorter, and the words much different. Her voice is tight and a little breathy. "I'm sorry..." And she sounds it. "I-- I didn't mean-- I don't want--" She doesn't finish. Her intentions and her wants are not what he would want to hear anyway...
"Why?" He mumbles, his voice going low. "Why are you even bothering? You're only attempting to do this because you feel sorry for me, for some odd reason. And don't you dare deny it because I'll know you're lying. I've seen those looks you've given me. I've even told you off for it. I don't need your damn pity. You say I don't care about nobody but myself. WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO CARE ABOUT?! You? That mudblood-loving Potter? A pair of thugs who are probably too dense to comprehend the meaning of the word? Aranea?" He stops only to frown in a rather disapproving way. "If you're going to cry..." He obviously noticed the watering of the eyes... but Draco says nothing after that, just leaving it like that. Should he offer a shoulder for her, or a hug, or something? Well, he has no idea, so...
All very good questions. All quite important questions. And with each example her eyes tighten, widen or grow watery again. Not necessarily in that order. One thing is for sure, they did widen when he mentioned herself. "I DON'T KNOW!" Cho finally just yells right back. Her voice lowers as she repeats, "I don't know." Maybe he isn't the only emotionally stunted person in this room, but she has her reasons for being emotionally stunted. "I just wanted to help. I... didn't want anyone else to be hurt. I needed to help someone. I.. thought that if I did.. it wouldn't.. That it would.." She breaks off. The 'if' is answered; tears breaking from the lashes of her eyelids and slowly descending down her face. She looks away, diverting her eyes to the side, visibly bracing herself. Offering a shoulder or anything isn't what she expects from him right now, if the preparation is any clue.
Thank god he isn't the only emotionally-retarded person, here. He blinks, then sighs a little, takes a bit of step back as his yelling earns a return and although he could easily leave right now, the Slytherin doesn't. But, but... you're not supposed to cry, even if he did mention it! He doesn't know what to do when another person starts to cry and believe it that young master Draco Malfoy has never comforted anyone before, ever. Time to play off of previous experiences; he reaches out a hand, moving it towards the Ravenclaw's face, slowly, as though expecting to have it slapped away. Perhaps this may end up to be a repeat of the same thing that was done to him a few evenings ago.
In some ways it is a repeat of the. There's no movement to keep the hand away. When the fingers touch her face, she closes her eyes, a few new tears falling, then immediately they spring open wide, almost shocked. It's almost as if she had braced herself so much that when she felt his fingers she thought it was something bad that would follow. As it is... well... Cho isn't paralyzed, so that in itself is a difference. Her face turns forward again, teared and surprised eyes staring thru the blur. Probably not the best idea on your part, Draco, the glimmer of possible hope will be drawn from this most likely. Saa. But at the moment she still has a few more tears to cry and his reaching out is enough to encourage her next movement. She pushes away from the wall just enough to bend her face towards his shoulder, if he doesn't move away, at least. He's not tall enough for her to cry on his chest or anything, so shoulder will have to do. (Ahem) If he doesn't completely run away from this, she even brings her arms up to wrap around him. Oh, if those Slytherins decided to peek in, they likely have even more to whisper about. Poor Draco...
@_@ WAAUUGGHHHH!!! Brain melting, start up the emergency power generator! @_@ He was only going to brush the tears away, you know, almost like repaying a favor, in a sense, before turning away to leave. This was not what he was expecting. He goes stiff, almost as though being frozen once again, to where he stands. He's fine where there is nothing emotional going on, such as taking a girl out to the floor for a dance, but toss him into a situation like this and these are the results. His muscles grow tense, the outstretched arm slowly drawing back towards his side, but wait. Draco stops, then reconsiders, shifting a bit uncomfortably and awkwardly, pushing down the funny feeling in his chest, in order to move and encircle the crying seeker with his arms in a hug, though an odd one. Obviously, he has no idea what he's doing.
If anything, Cho actually relaxes. Maybe it's his own tenshion that causes hers to melt away, or maybe it's just the fact that he's allowing her to have a few moments of peace, though the price will no doubt be thrown out later. Her eyes close and she leans against him just a bit more, the warm drops of liquid seeping into his robes for a few moments. It's fading though. Whatever it is about even getting an awkward hug, it seems to work to get the tears to stop. But she does not pull back right away! Waaaugh again? When she does, it's almost as if she starts, her body giving a jerk and her head lifting to look at him. Her mouth opens to say something, but nothing seems to find voice. If anything, she looks a bit surprised. About what is anyone's guess. The way she's been lately, she might not even know herself! Bah, and she calls herself a Ravenclaw...
Cho (OOC) kicks her spelling in some of that pose. ^^;
And he just stares, wide-eyed, right back at her... with a few blinks every once and a while, of course. What? Was that not good enough? ~.~ Well. He's SOOOO sorry. Find someone else to hug, then, next time. That funny feeling resurfaces, again. Er, um... Draco even winds up opening his mouth to say something only to have not a sound escape. He then thinks for a moment. Should he ask her if she's finished soaking the front of his robes? Or... he can forget saying anything and attempt to grab her hand to pull her behind the end of the shelf at the wall with himself as the sounds of footsteps belonging to a certain squib caretaker named Filch ring through-out the library, the light from a lantern moving about. Now, he thought it was late, but he never imagined that they had just stayed up all night... c.c;
O.O Oh bloody.. how long did she spend with her face against his shoulder? It didn't seem that long! Certainly not... oh, this is not good. Cho's eyes widen and if she looked surprised before, she looks positively horrified now. Her mouth forms a few words, but no sound is produced, probably best. Her lips however clearly hint towards words like, "What time is it?" and "What do we do?!" She's not exactly panicking, but she's doing something not quite far down the ladder from that. It's not like they can do much more than take away house points... They've already cancelled Quidditch, taken their brooms, and instilled a harsh curfew (which they're breaking!)... Again, repeat, this is not good. And yes, she's looking to you for what to do. Probably not the best idea...
The caretaker moves steadily about the library like a zombie, the lantern clutched in one hand. Mrs. Norris lingering at the door in order to stop any who plan on escaping. Draco lifts a finger to his lips, using it to signify that if they really want to make it out of here, they're going to have to be quiet and if she decides to say anything, he may just have to silence her. If that cat dares to step away from that doorway, though... that feeling of doom sends his hopes sinking. He shifts a little against the shelf in order to peek around it at the edge, watching Filch swing the lantern here and there to look around, ducking out of sight when the beam of light shines down in his direction. That strange feeling has apparently moved to his stomach and now, it's making him feel ill.
Oh, no worries about her speaking. She /can/ be quiet when the occasion calls for it. Cho merely nods, staying where she is as he peeks around the bend of the shelves. While he pays attention to that direction, she turns to examine the remainder of the area. She hadn't had a chance to look around at their particular position in the library when he pushed her between the shelves, but now that she does... Well... she has a pretty good idea where they are. She is a Ravenclaw, after all. Though she was always more interested in hand's on studies, she has spent a great deal of time in this area of the castle. Her eyes narrow a bit to adjust to the light differences (and they're still a big puffy from the tears of before, though certainly dry as can be now). Silently stepping towards him, she gently reaches over and tugs on his sleeve. It's done slowly, hoping not to startle him, merely draw his attention, then she nods towards a break in the row of shelves. Staying in this area isn't the best idea, after all. Maybe they can at least hide deeper in the stacks of the Library until the cat and the man move on to more promising prey.
He looks from her, then back around the corner just to see if he can spot Filch moving about the shelves, ducking away again as the light shines in his direction, eyes widening. That was just a wee bit too close for comfort. What's that? How are we supposed to move deeper into the stacks of the library? The cat is a bit more attentive than Filch, himself, and probably better when it comes to hearing, too. Playing 'guess what I'm trying to say with my hands and facial expressions' happens to be getting rather annoying, however. Draco would like to have some sort of verbal transfer between the two of them, but when it comes to being caught, well... he doesn't have much of a choice, does he? The last thing the Slytherin wants is to lose another fifty points or something for being caught out in the evening... something he hasn't done since first year...
There's where the two of them differ. While Cho isn't a diligent rule follower, the most points she'd ever lost for Ravenclaw can likely be counted on a couple hands, and likely for extremely small and trivial things. The look she gives him when he doesn't start moving towards the deeper parts of the Library is one of those annoyed 'You want to just stay here all night?' looks. She too would love to be able to engage in verbal communication, but... As it is, she'll settle for flashing looks. Beats getting caught by a long way. What can they do then? She probably should be happy that he didn't just push her out into the Library to get caught so she could distract Flich while he made a run for it. Earlier in the evening, she wouldn't have expected anything less, but the whole comfort thing kind of changed her view of him. Again.
See, the thing is, if he shoved her out into clear view, with Mrs. Norris in the way of the exit, he could have also been ratted on and seen had he of tried to escape, so there was really no point. He didn't pull the girl with him behind the shelves to be a good person, he did it because it meant that it'd save his own ass, too, if she isn't caught. Draco frowns; he doesn't like this in the slightest, but he does happen to comply, moving towards the Ravenclaw in order to join her in venturing further into the library, into the deeper parts where one can conceal themselves more easily.
Filch, however, still moves up and down like a spectre, occasionally stopping by the door in order to deliver an encouraging pat to Mrs. Norris' head. "Don't worry, my sweet. If anyone's here..." He sneers toothily. "We'll find them." The cat meows in response, then resumes her guard of the door while he shuffles back up along the main hall in the library.
Oh, wonderful. He just had to talk to his bloody cat. Cho already has enough hard luck with cats around this particular fellow student. She has no intention of being caught, nor of having the young man with her brutally clawed. Since he seems to be going along, she leads the way deeper into the stacks of the library, trying to be a silent and as careful as possible about it. She manages to do quite well in the effort, though she doesn't get far because of it. She glances back to make sure he's doing all right, and to keep an eye on the position of the beam of light. Right now she just wants to get out of here in one piece. Well, and with Draco too.
Nice to know that you're still thinking about him, here. Harumph. He follows right behind the girl, moving silently with his robes slightly hitched up to prevent the bottoms from sweeping across the floor, muttering to himself under his breath. Draco looks back at the Ravenclaw, an eyebrow starting to move upwards in obvious confusion. o O Pay attention to what's ahead of you, not behind, stupid. He thinks with a bit of a hiss, moving his hand in order to make the girl continue moving and not glance back.
You know, glancing back to see Draco walking with slightly hiked up robes is almost enough to make the look he gives her worth it. For the first time in... well... most of the evening, a smile reappears on Cho's face. For all of two seconds. The sounds of Filch and Mrs Norris wipe the smile away, and she turns her face forward and keeps moving. (And perhaps ruining the amusement of before, she too lifts up her robes a bit to avoid dragging sounds.) She /is/ still thinking of him, honest. Though he's the one who caused her to get that upset in the first place, he did offer up comfort, if awkward, and that's enough to give him a chance again. Even after she smacked him and yelled at him.
~.~ At least she quit smiling like a doofus! This isn't something to smile about, you know. Of course, Draco doesn't know that it's his odd appearance that earns the smile, not the situation. With his robes hitched up, bunched in one hand, he lets out a bit of a quiet, indignant huff, then takes up the back, again, following behind the girl, secretly hoping that she knows where she's going... The light of the lantern continues to sweep over the shelves and hall, Mrs. Norris meows from the door, every once and a while. Filch hasn't seemed to of given up yet. It's almost as though he can smell someone out of bed and waiting to get caught... but finding them is another matter.
Oh come on... go catch someone else, please! ;o; Cho avoids glancing over her shoulder any more by sheer will power, but she tries to keep a basic perception of the light in the very edges of her vision. If that light gets too close she's more than ready to grab Draco and pull him behind a stack of books. Suddenly she stops. Not because she needs to look over her shoulder, but because she has completely forgotten what part of the Library they are in... She stops to look around. She doesn't want to keep wandering, mainly for fear that she'll lead them into a dead end and then they'll really be in trouble.
He pauses behind each shelf momentarily, the blue eyes darting about in order to keep an eye on Filch's position. He's seen the caretaker pop up out of nowhere, before. Don't worry about having to grab him in order to remain hidden. He is well aware of precautions which should be taken in order to avoid being caught... though, there's always that chance that it'll happen anyways, regardless of what is done to prevent it. And... whump. x.@; Because Cho just comes to a complete halt like that, more then likely, Draco'll probably wind up crashing right into her.
The light of the lantern seems to go away... drifting out the room and then vanishing as he sets it down a bit into the hallway around the corner... but don't be so sure that Filch is gone. This is just a clever plan, to make the students think he has honestly left. Mrs. Norris meows her encouragement from the entrance.
There's a light rustle as Draco runs into her, but Cho manages not to yelp or fall forward. She does give him a /look/ though. Geez. He made the silence gesture at her, and... oh, nevermind. She just came up with an idea anyway. She doesn't expect that Filch left, though the disappearance of the lantern certainly was a good thing. She grabs onto the Slytherin Seeker's arm and starts to pull him in the direction of a well shadowed corner between stacks of shelves. Perhaps if they stop moving and making any noise at all (besides breathing and the sound of their hearts, doubt either of them are willing to be /that/ quiet yet), the bloody cat will decide she just heard a mouse or something.
Look, you were the one that stopped so suddenly when he wasn't expecting it. Yet, funny enough, for a moment, he almost looks somewhat guilty in the darkness, as he receives that look, but it doesn't last long, because he's dragged off into the more darkened areas of the end of the library by his arm as though it were some sort of leash. Your prayers have been answered, however, Cho. Mrs. Norris turns and trots down the hallway, disappearing out of sight, followed by a Filch who heads to the doorway in order to give the library one last look... lingering there, just in case he might be missing something before just stepping around the corner and waiting. Draco inhales deeply... then exhales, it'd probably sound like a sigh, but a rather slow and controlled one. His expression screws up with annoyance.
The request was granted, and the silence seems to have done the trick. Cho lowers her hand from the Slytherin's arm and leans against the bookshelf in relief. She would have probably been willing to chance 'I fell asleep studying for History, please walk me back to my dorm' if it wasn't for the incidents lately. But as it is, she's indefinitely grateful that they didn't get caught. She could have handled it if she'd been alone (again, with the fell asleep studying, please walk this hopeless Ravenclaw to her common room approach), but being caught with this particular student? No, not something she wants to happen. Due to that, her own sigh is heavier. Guess they should probably try to hurry back to their common rooms and hope neither of them get caught en route... But what's with that annoyed expression?
It's more for Filch than anyone else, so don't feel too offended by it. He didn't exactly fancy having to hide behind the shelves like some sort of fugitive, running from Aurors, or something. Not that he'd actually know what that feels like, but he certainly does have a good idea, now. The Slytherin straightens his robes and peers out across the darkened library. No sign of Filch. No sign of the mangy cat. Also... no sign of any light, anywhere... but he knows of the caretaker's ability to leap out of nowhere at any time, so Draco makes not a sound. He's all up for the hurrying away to the common rooms, however... Would probably be a wise thing to do...
Staying not far from the Slytherin, Cho glances at him for a moment and opens her mouth... then closes it. Should she risk speaking? She wants to say at least something before they part company. Finally she seems to decide it's a risk she's willing to take and she says, "I'm sorry for.. making things worse." She gives her head a small shake, her long fanning out briefly before settling against her back. There's a lot more she wants to add, like the fact that the offer of friendship is still open (even if he pretty much refused it entirely already) but she doesn't try to say the rest right now. She's probably going to earn that annoyed glance for saying that though, isn't she?
Argh, women! Don't you realize that the caretaker can be here, just around the corner, thinking that he's being brilliantly sneaky by hiding there? Draco wheels on the girl, the loose strands of white-blonde fluttering back around his pale face, it's pointed features indeed showing signs of annoyance. What's the best way to make someone go completely silent? To shock them, of course! But since he can't do anything loud, like scream, and waving his hands won't work in this situation... so, when it comes all down to it, he's willing to waste his first kiss in the most terrible way just to keep the Ravenclaw quiet. He reaches out for the arms of the girl, intent on dragging her forward, to him, so he may do just that, kiss her... and hopefully, shock her, so she shuts her gob for a little while... Ahem.
Shock.. indeed. If that was the desired effect, then it certainly reached it. Cho's eyes widen and she barely resists the urge to do anything that would further jeopardize their precarious hiding spot. She figured he was gone for good! So she's not very good at sneaking. Sigh. But she isn't sure what the kiss is for quite honestly, so that's all the more shocking. She was just trying to apologize to him, and he kisses her for it? But honestly, she's too stunned right now to even think on the why. Maybe later she'll ponder over it. But she certainly isn't that responsive to the younger Slytherin's first kiss. Not that people who are shocked by kisses generally respond with enthusiasm or anything! Not too long ago she was backhanding this same boy. Oh, she's going to have some personal dilemmas over this for a week or two... At least, they don't have an audience, so, thank god for small favors.
He wasn't expecting a response, although it might have fed his ego a little had he of received one, but that's totally besides the point. At /least/ it's done what he's wanted it to do and she's probably not going to be saying anything for a while. That's all he wanted. Draco pulls away, immediately... and actually resists the urge to make a noise of disgust along the lines of 'yuck' which would mostly be for himself, not for kissing a girl. He doesn't have a problem with that, after all. However, he just kissed someone who likes Harry Potter... this requires using an entire tube of chapstick and scrapping all his skin off with a wire brush, not that he'd do the second. In other words, he just went against morals in order to shut someone up. Ugh. What's next? His eyes flicker to the doorway, then away, again, back at the Ravenclaw. Don't think he meant it! And with that, Draco begins to move along in the shadows, his cloak doing wonders to hide himself, but the white-blonde hair and his pale face certainly makes him seem like a sort of beacon in the dark... either that or an angel dressed in black. Take your pick.
It's a very good thing it's dark. Cho normally resists blushing, unless it's an extreme situation. This counts. Her cheeks flush brightly and she looks away from him. Whatever just happened... she's still trying to figure it out! All she knows is she got kissed, by someone she was pretty sure could barely stand her. And the looks he's giving her hint towards the fact that it was just done to shut her up, but... but... A hand trails up to touch her mouth for a moment. She's not sure if she wants to back-hand him again or not! All she knows is she wants to get out of this library and to her common room as soon as it's clear that it's safe. She follows a good distance behind the white-blonde boy, sometimes glancing at him with a confused look, and sometimes just looking at anything /but/ him. Yes, he's stunned her.
It's a good thing, then, because if she had said any more, Filch might of pounced in and dragged them both off, pleased that he had caught a couple of students in the library when he suspected them of being in there. He glances back in order to check on her, the closer he gets to the doorway leading out into the hall, just as she had done for him... if only just to make sure she hasn't fainted anywhere along the way out. o O It wasn't THAT bad, was it? No, no, he won't even bother to think or worry about it. It didn't mean anything. He doesn't care that it's been wasted, but it could of been wasted on someone MUCH better than a Potter-lover. Draco peeks around the corner and as Filch was there only a few minutes ago, he certainly isn't now... so the Slytherin steps out into the dim light provided by the torches and yawns, his expression becoming annoyed, again. "I think I'll be off to bed." Acting as though nothing bad had happened at all.
Wasn't that bad? Well.. depends on one's definition of bad... Cho didn't expect it, and.. while it wasn't a first for her, it has left a momentary impression at least. She continues to follow, avoiding eye contact when he looks at her, but stealing weird glances at him when he isn't, as if she's trying to see through him and figure out what is going on inside his little blonde head. And Potter-lover is a bit extreme there! But she is rather fond of Harry. He's always been rather sweet to her, and lately they'd been becoming friends, and she respects him as a Seeker and a wizard in general, but still, lover's a tad extreme. When he speaks to her, she opens her mouth two or three times before a response surfaces, "Good-- goodnight." That's it? No weird questions? Nope. She just wants to get away from him and think for a while...
He then lifts a hand to rub at his still slightly-red cheek with a bit of a scowl. If he bruises, you'll be hearing about it. Hmph. Without another word, or a nod, or any sort of acknowledgement, for that matter, Draco heads down the stairs and departs for the dungeons, obviously returning to the Slytherin common rooms and dorms.
If it hadn't been for that stunning action that he committed upon her poor innocent lips, she might have been inclined to test out a healing charm! But as it is, Cho's still trying to get her mind to start working again, so it's probably best if she not handle a wand for at least an hour or two. She might have given him a ferret's nose by accident and no body wants something that bad to happen to the young Slytherin Seeker, now do they? So, she's heading a different direction, but also to her common room, rather quickly at that, as if trying to put as much distance between them as possible as quickly as she can manage.
Wow. You make him sound like an airborne virus.