II. a hundred thrown-out speeches

Devore had known Draco Malfoy since she was a child. Her father and Lucius were close friends because they were in Slytherin house together, and when Lucius began dating Narcissa, the three of them became close. Then Isaac started dating Chanel, which made the situation uncomfortable for Lucius because he didn't believe in dating out of your own house. But Narcissa saw Chanel as a friend. They introduced their children at a young age, but Draco was always mean to her. He took after his father. They weren't really friends until Devore's father died, and it seemed like Draco took pity on her.

She could only guess that the long for someone to understand her is what drew her to falling for him. They understood each other in ways others didn't. They came from the same kind of family. Draco was there for her after Isaac's funeral. They were just becoming teenagers. It was an in the moment thing that turned into something more. They'd been together since their third year, which shocked almost everybody.

But it wasn't an ideal relationship. They hated each other most of the time. They argued a lot when nobody was watching, but Draco would hold her hand under the table and pull her in the darkest corner to kiss her. He showed her love in private, and some girls would want more than that. But Devore just wanted to feel something, anything, and Draco made her feel something. To her that was enough. But she did love him. They knew each other's secrets and kept them hidden to themselves. They were attached.

Devore walked by the compartments full of people she used to be friends with, and she thought back to the days when she used to be popular. Everybody loved Devore. She was charming and witty, and she was always kind. She wasn't a true Slytherin to them until now, when they began to fully see who she truly was. To everybody at Hogwarts, Devore was mean and spiteful, and she girly belonged with people like Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson.

When Devore saw into the Slytherin compartment (they always sat in the back of the train car. It made them appear 'cool') she saw Pansy's pudgy arms wrapped around Draco's arm, and he made no attempt to push her off, and only sat there with a disgusted sneer on his face. Devore rolled her eyes and walked away, avoiding going in there and ripping her off of him by her hair. Pansy was the only true person she couldn't stand, and the two of them were always going at each other because Pansy was jealous that she was with Draco and she wasn't.

On her way back to her compartment, someone had ran into her and nearly knocked her over. "Watch where you're going!" She spat with a frustrated groan.

"My bad there, Taylor. You're just too short for me to see."

At the voice, Devore rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Oh, it's you."

Fred looked down at her and smiled cheekily. "Yes, darling. Don't sound too excited."

Devore decided there was too many Weasleys and she pitied Mrs. Weasley for giving birth to so many of them. They were all the same and they drove her insane. Fred Weasley, the third eldest of the Weasley clan along with his twin. Devore found him to be the biggest pest in the whole castle, other than Draco. "I'd be more excited to spend time with a dementor."

His placed his hand over his heart. "Ouch! You wound me, Taylor. Just when I thought you couldn't get any nastier." He poked at her nerves.

Devore narrowed her eyes. "And here I thought you couldn't get any more annoying."

Fred just smirked. "Well, I guess we were both wrong then."

With a scowl, she bumped into him and stormed back to the compartment, not willing to look back.

When they stepped off the train, Hagrid had called for all of the first years to get in the boats. Devore looked down at her brother. "I'll see you at the castle, okay?"

"But what if I fall in?" Bennet asked with a panicky voice.

She grinned. "Don't worry, you won't. Just don't be like this boy I know. He titled the boat and fell in our first year. It was quite funny."

Olivia came and stood by her side. "Go on, Ben." She urged him.

Waving a nervous goodbye, Bennet ran off to join the other first years. "I'm nervous for him." Devore admitted.

"Oh, he'll be okay. He's a social butterfly. He'll make friends quick." Locking arms, the girls walked with the rest of their school mates. "Kinda like how you used to be."

She casted her a side eyed stare. "Yeah." She mumbled under her breath.

When they all piled into the Great Hall and went to their houses, Devore sat there tapping her nails on the table, and she grew increasingly more nervous. Draco sat beside her and she avoided eye contact with him as he tried to get her attention. Morgan came and sat across from her. "Dev, you look nervous as hell." She pointed out.

"I'm nervous for Bennet."

"Just be happy for wherever house he ends up in."

Morgan was one of the rare Slytherins that wasn't stuck up. Her and Devore were really close, mostly because Morgan was the only one in her house to not piss her off like Parkinson or Bulstrode, or Crabbe and Goyle, Draco's followers.

The Great Hall doors opened and flooded in with first years. Bennet looked around the dimly lit room until his eyes found his sisters and he smiled widely. Devore waved at him and gave him two cheery thumbs up. Then he spotted Olivia and Atlas, and she waved at him while smiling at Atlas gave him a thumbs up as well.

Professor McGonagall stood beside the Sorting Hat. "Now when I call your name, you will come forward, sit on the stool, and I will place the sorting hat on your head." Her soothing voices explained. She read off the first name. "Ashling, Chloe!"

A small girl with blonde hair walked nervously onto the stool. The hat was placed on her head. "GRYFFINDOR!"

The table of gold and scarlet erupted in cheers as their new member joined their table.

"Boot, Henry!"

A young boy with dark, curly hair sat on the stool, the hat practically covering his whole head. "HUFFLEPUFF!"

The table jumped for joy as the boy joined them.

McGonagall continued to read off the names until dhe got to Bennet's name. "Taylor, Bennet!"

The hall became quiet and she could hear the whispers. "Taylor? As in Devore Taylor?"

"Devore Taylor's brother?"

"Oh Merlin, not another one."

Devore's eyes practically turned black at their mumbling. "Oh, sod off." She snapped to nobody in particular, but they all seemed to get the message.

Bennet shuffled his feet up the steps. He sat on the bench and the Sorting Hat covered his head. "Hmm, another Taylor. Interesting. I know exactly where to put you. . . HUFFLEPUFF!"

Devore smiled widely and genuinely. Immediately, she started clapping and everybody at the Hufflepuff table stood and erupted with cheers. Bennet smiled widely and when the Sorting Hat was taken off his head, he ran to join his new house mates, directly into Olivia's open arms.

Morgan turned to her while smiling. "See? I told you."

Devore continued to smile and she clasped her hands on the table in front of her, feeling a sudden giddiness.

"I haven't seen that smile in a while." Draco whispered to her.

"Yeah, well, when someone's not pissing me off, believe it or not I'm actually a good person."

She suddenly yelled when he dug his nails into her arm. Devore quickly looked his way, her eyes wide while his held anger. It was one of those moments where she questioned their relationship, the moments when he acted like he hated her. When there was more anger than love.

When he removed his hand, Devore looked away and pretended it didn't happen. She put her elbow on the table and rubbed her hand anxiously against her mouth, her eyes darting around the Great Hall. When she looked at the Gryffindor table, she saw all of her old friends staring her way, and she glared at them, which caused them all to look away fearfully.

But Fred didn't look away. He continued to stare at her even as she glared at him, practically killing him with her own mind. George had made a joke about her, about how she was actually smiling, which is something she never did anymore.

Ron being his nosy self turned around in his seat, Harry following his action, while Hermione rolled her eyes at them.

"She's so hot." Said Lee Jordan, practically looking at her with hearts in his eyes.

Slowly, they all turned to him, and Lee snapped out of it. "What?"

"She's horrid." Sneered Hermione.

"Maybe, but she's still hot."

As everyone's gaze shifted back to Devore, only to grow scared when they saw her glaring at them. They immediately turned back around. "Bloody hell, she is actually the devil." Ron whimpered in fear.

Seeing her killer glare made him smirk, which seemed to only make her more angry. The way her fists were squeezed on the table, the way her eyebrows were pinched together, reminded him of the angry looks she'd given him when they were kids. And he found it amusing. Fred turned away from her but he kept the cheeky smirk on his lips.

Devore had finished eating her toffee pudding when all of the food disappeared, ending the feast. She pouted slightly. Professor Dumbledore stepped up to the podium. "Now that you're all fed and watered, I must ask for your attention." He began.

The Great Hall doors opened again and Filtch came hopping in, which tore some of the student's eyes off of the headmaster. "What a doorknob." Devore whispered to herself.

Filtch handed Dumbledore a piece of paper, they whispered to each other, and then he ran out of the Great Hall. Everybody turned their attention back to the headmaster. "It is to my painful duty to inform you that the Quidditch World Cup will not take place this year." Professor Dumbledore announced.

This caused an eruption from all the houses.

"This is due to an event that will take place at hogwarts starting in October. I am proud to announce that this year, Hogwarts will be hosting The Triwizard Tournament."

"YOU'RE JOKING!" Fred hollered from the Gryffindor table.

"I am not joking, Mr.Weasley," Dumbledore confirmed his abruption. "Where was I? Ah, yes! The Triwizard Tournament as first established some several hundred years ago as a friendly competition between the three largest schools of wizardry; Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang. A competition was selected to represent each school and the three champions compete in three magical, dangerous tasks,"

"Well that sounds promising." Morgan whispered to herself.

"We will get more into that later. But for now, please give a warm welcome to the lovely ladies of the Beauxbatons Academy and their lovely headmistress, Madam Maxine."

Everyone's eyes shifted to the entrance of the Great Hall. The doors opened again and a dozen or more beautiful girls clad in short blue dresses and matching hats danced graceful into the hall. Blue butterflies appearing from them and fluttered around the students. Every boy in the room swooned over them, practically drooling, but Devore's attention was placed on their headmistress, who was as tall as Hagrid if not extra tall.

"Blimey, that's one big woman." Said Seamus Finnegan.

The girls finished their routine and sat at the end of the Ravenclaw table. Everyone clapped for them. "And now let's welcome our friends from Durmstarng Academy and their headmaster, Igor Karkaroff!" Said Dumbledore.

The doors flew open again and in came in a group of males, all dressed in matching clothes, carrying large sticks that made sparks as they banged them on the ground. "Now that's more like it." Devore commented as her eyes followed their every move, Morgan giggling when she heard.

After shaking hands with Professor Dumbledore, the males and their headmaster joined the Slytherin's at their table. As Dumbledore confined his speech, the bewitched sky began to boom, startling everyone in the room. The lighting that was striking suddenly disappeared as a jolt from someone's wand connected with it. Everyone attention turned to the corner of the room, which stood a stocky man with a limp and his face was scarred and covering his eye was a large,  rather disturbing, movable eyes causing people to squirm in their seats.

"That bloody sky." The man muttered to himself before shaking hands with dumbledore.

"Bloody hell, that's Mad-Eye Moody." Blaise said in shock.

"Who?" Questioned Morgan.

"He's an auror." Devore answered out of boredom, already knowing the information. She studied the man left and right, along with the Ministry of Magic.

"Alestor, my dear old friend, welcome. May I introduce to you, your new Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher, Professor Alestor Moody." Dumbledore introduced.

"Oh, I bet Snape is pissed." Devore whispered to Morgan and giggled, knowing that the man had been begging for that position.

"We'll definitely have to hear about it in Potions class."  She grumbled.

"Now here to speak on more about the tournament is the head of department of the Ministry of Magic, Mr.  Bartemius Crouch."

Devore watched with careful eyes. Bartemius Crouch took Dumbledore's place at the podium. "I am here to announce that for the safety of the task as students,  the Ministry of Magic has agreed that no student under the age of 17 will be allowed to take place in the tournament." 

"THAT'S RUBBISH!" The distinct voices of the Weasley twins shouted from their table. An uproar of angry students started shouting at the man.

"SILENCE!" Dumbledore's voice boomed through the hall, automatically silencing the students. He tapped on the podium and everyone watched as it transformed into an elegant looking cup with a glowing blue tint. "Whoever wishes to enter shall write their name on a piece of parchment and put it into the cup before this time on Thursday. I shall warn you,  these tasks are not to be taken lightly, and they are not for the faint of heart. Whoever is chosen, there is no turning back." His voice darkened, which darkened the vibe in the room. "Now, off to bed. Chop chop!"

"The man is absolutely mental." Devore hissed as the students rose from their seats and exited the hall.  "What kind of headmaster encourages their students to enter something so dangerous?"

"You're just jealous you can't enter, Taylor." Pansy sneered.

"If I was, you'd be the first one I kill." She shot back and went to find her brother.

There was a harsh tug on her arm and Devore was yanked to a dark corner in the hallway. Her back collided with the hard wall. "What the hell—"

"You think it's funny to deny me? Who do you think you are to deny me, Taylor?" Draco whispered harshly to her.

She scoffed and swatted his hands away from her.  "Who do you think you are? You think I didn't notice you all cuddled up with Parkinson on the train? I have eyes, Draco." She matched his tone of voice.

She began to walk away but was yet again pulled back into the wall. "Don't be like that, Dev." His voice softened ever so slightly to where it was almost unnoticeable.

Again, she swatted his hands away again. "Whatever." His large hands enclosed around her wrist and Devore was certain it would leave bruises. She stared daggers at him. "Let go of me!" 

"You're nothing, Devore Taylor. I'm the only one who can tolerate you enough to even give you the time of day and you chose to ignore me? I'm all you have."

His words struck a nerve. Devore blinked. "T-That's not true—"

He squeezed her wrists harder. "Don't mess with me,  Taylor." And he whisked away from her, leaving her standing against the wall holding her now bruised wrists.

Draco Malfoy was an egotistical, self-centered, arrogant toe rag who deserved to be thrown into the black lake. So Devore felt like an idiot when stuff like that happened and she kept going back to him. He was the kind of guy that who did whatever he wanted without any consequences. He was a boy with a lot of money and a powerful family, of course he got away with everything. Next to the Taylor's, the Malfoy family was the richest family in the Wizarding World. Draco was the kind of guy who didn't see anything wrong in his actions. He saw nothing wrong with the way he would grab her when he got angry or the way he would speak to her and call her names. That was the thing with rich boys. They have everything and give nothing.

But she used Draco to heal that side of her she lost when her father died. She used him to get her mind away from the anger that was constantly building up in her. It didn't help when he acted like a fucking idiot, because then the anger flourished out of her like fire. She thought about her father, her mother, the bubble her parents put her in,and the man who was responsible for killing her father. She was so angry.