Draco looked stunned.
He could not accept that Tris had mentioned something so serious so casually. It felt as though, while he was still deciding whether to insult the other guy's father or mother, the other guy had already fired an Avada Kedavra at him.
Seeing Draco's stunned expression, Tris felt both speechless and a little impatient.
He really did not want to waste any more time or energy on such a trivial matter, but Harry and Hermione cared a great deal about it. Even after he had explained his reasoning, they were still worried.
His own brother was much better in that respect. He had nerves of steel and believed whatever Tris told him without overthinking it.
"What's the problem? You saw it, so you saw it. If I'm not scared, what are you scared of?" Tris tightened his arm, pulling Draco a little closer.
"Or are you planning something nasty and afraid I'll find out?"
"I... I'm not." Draco's eyes darted all over the place.
Planning something nasty?
Of course he was planning something nasty.
Pfft! No! How could reporting someone for breaking the rules count as something nasty? Yet faced with Tris's knowing half-smile, he simply could not bring himself to say those perfectly justified words.
Draco, you can't be such a coward!
Draco, you have to stand up and face him bravely!
Draco, you can't cower before him like a quail.
Draco gave himself a pep talk, then said, "I have absolutely no intention of causing trouble. You have to believe me, Chief."
For fuck's sake!
The little figure inside Draco's heart was weeping.
Sure, one of Slytherin's defining traits was knowing how to read a situation. Faced with someone as formidable as Tris, backing down when appropriate was the wisest course.
But at an age