Sometimes, we create our own heartbreaks through expectations.

- Unknown

"I'm not ready for Potions", Tracey complained as we were enjoying the last few minutes without torture in the courtyard. I noticed a familiar red cloak, so I excused myself and went to talk to Benjamin.

"Hello Benji, long time no see", I smiled as I walked into the hallway. His friend Seamus looked at me with wide eyes for a second before he quickly ran off.

"Don't mind him, he's a bit scared of you", Benjamin chuckled. "He's convinced you're related to Medusa."

"Well, that's not very nice", I frowned. "Why does he think so? I haven't got any snakes sprouting from my scalp, do I?" Benjamin shrugged, sitting down in the window sill and putting his bag between his feet.

"No, he said, and I quote, she is stunning, but I think she can murder with just one look, like Medusa."

"Hmm", I hummed. "That's actually a great compliment. I like that. Tell him I said hi."

"Will do. Are you ready for Potions?" he asked, checking his watch. We still had a couple minutes.

"Two hours of Malfoy? I'd rather have a date with Medusa actually", I groaned.

"Gossipping about me now, Selwyn?" I rolled my eyes as the sound of his voice ruined my day.

"Speak of the devil", I muttered. He stopped right in front of me and looked Benjamin up and down, a grimace creeping onto his face.

"Since when do you hang out with this rubbish?" Malfoy spat.

"Excuse me?" I asked. Benjamin just looked down, avoiding his stern gaze.

"A half-blood, pathetic Gryffindor?" he scoffed. "Thought you had higher standards."

"What gives you the right to insult a person like that?" Malfoy was about to walk on, but I blocked his path and roughly pushed him back.

"Just leave it, Eleanor", Benjamin sighed.

"Oh, I'm certainly not going to leave it. You have no right to treat a person like that for absolutely no reason, Malfoy", I continued.

"I can do whatever the hell I want", Malfoy scowled, pushing my finger away that pricked in his chest.

"No, you can not. I know it's difficult to comprehend through that thick skull of yours, but some people have actual feelings and you do not get to hurt those feelings just for entertainment sake."

"And you don't get to tell me how to live my life. Who do you think you are?"

"A decent human being! I suggest you apologize to Benja-"

"I do not have to apologize to anyone and I suggest you move out of my way." He was infuriating and I so badly wanted to deck his face, but that would result in a furious letter from my mother tomorrow, so I tried to keep my calm.

"You're a disgusting human being, Malfoy", I said, lowering my voice.

"And you're a disgrace. People only respect you because of your last name, but you're not worthy of it. Your ancestors would turn in their graves if they could see the people you hang out with."

With those words, he left, hitting me right where it hurt.

From the moment I was born I had expectations to live up to. There was a ready-made Selwyn mold that I had to push myself into growing up. I was expected to be well-behaved and ambitious and proud and intelligent, but also stuck-up and selfish and haughty.

I tried, I really tried to be a proper lady at all times, like my mother. To never have a hair out of place and to have everyone look up to me, but it was tiring. I was tired. Sure, I liked the respect and the status, but where was the fun? Where was the danger and the carefreeness? I just wanted to stop worrying for a single second.

But that's not what Selwyns do, and even though I tried so hard to fit the mold, Malfoy noticed that it wasn't working.

"Come on Eleanor, don't let him get to you", Benjamin said. Why did Malfoy's opinion matter to me? He'd fit well in my family. But did I want to be like him? Absolutely not. He was a prick and an arsehole and I wanted to scratch his eyes out.

"I'm going to Potions. I'll see you around, Benjamin", I said and walked off, head held high.

The class was a good exercise of self-control, as I had to keep myself from hexing him into the depths of the Earth as soon as I laid eyes on him again. He rolled his eyes as I came in and turned away from me. I ignored him too and took out my book. We simply had to continue the potion of last week, which was the Precipitation Potion, a potion that can turn any metal object liquid. I had to calm down to finish the potion perfectly, but simply smelling his disgustingly expensive cologne made my fingers tremble.

"I'll start", he sneered and roughly pulled the potion towards him.

"Excuse me, I have already started", I said, pulling the cauldron back, adding the Armadillo Bile. I read the next instruction, which was to let it boil for eight minutes, so I checked my watch and counted the minutes.

Meanwhile, Malfoy was already weighing the next set of ingredients, so I simply gave up.

"Wait, it hasn't been eight minutes yet", I interrupted as he was about to add the next ingredient. He checked his watch and huffed.

"Yes it has been."

"No! It's been only seven."

"No, it's been eight."

"I checked the time, it started boiling again at-"

"Well if you know everything so much better, why don't you just do all of it yourself?" Malfoy said and shoved the cauldron back to me aggressively.

The next thing I knew, all I could feel was excruciating pain.

The cauldron tipped over as he shoved it towards me, causing the boiling liquid to spill out, all over my arm.

I screamed in agony as the liquid severely burned my skin. I tried to get away from the scene, only to faint momentarily and fall to the ground. Little droplets started spilling from the desk, causing new burns, so I pushed myself back, black spots dancing in my vision. Some people gasped, some people screamed, but all I did was try to stay conscious.

I had never felt pain as worse as this and just one glance at my arm made me faint for a second time, just for a few short moments.

"Draco, get her to the Hospital Wing, right now", I heard Snape say, but all shapes in front of me were blurring into one.

I felt an arm around my waist and I cried out in pain again as the person pulled me up.

"Let go off me", I muttered, smelling his cologne. I tried to walk myself, but I couldn't focus on anything but the pain.

"Come on Eleanor, don't be ridiculous", Malfoy sighed, guiding me towards the door.

"I don't need your help", I cried out as soon as we were out of the classroom and I tried to push him away, but the sudden move caused a new wave of pain to bring me to my knees.

I wanted to hold my arm to ease the pain, but it was still covered in potion, so every bit of healthy skin that touched it got burned as well. My eyes fell onto the watch that used to sit around my wrist, but it had completely liquified and had melted into my skin, along with the sleeve of my cloak. Huge boils started to appear on my hands and just looking at them turned my vision black again.

"I'm sorry", I heard Malfoy say as I floated in and out of consciousness. He wrapped his cloak around my wounded arm so the potion wouldn't touch anything else and proceeded to pick me up.

I cried out again as his grip pressed onto my wounded arm. Tears were streaming down my face. Not because I was sad, there was no room to be sad, but just out of pure agony.

"I'm so sorry Eleanor, I didn't mean to", I heard him say before everything went black a final time.

I didn't wake up until I was laid onto a bed, Madame Pomfrey looking at me worried. I whimpered softly as the moves caused so much pain.

"What happened to her?" Madame Pomfrey asked.

"I- uh ... we were brewing Precipitation Potion and the cauldron tipped over", Malfoy stammered. I saw a look of horror in his eyes as he stared at my wounded arm. Madame Pomfrey had removed his cloak and was now inspecting the damage. The fabric of my cloak was completely burned into my skin, like the watch that used to be on my wrist. The skin was red and covered in boils, stinging with every touch.

I had never experienced something this painful. It felt like my arm was on fire and someone was pouring gasoline on top. I tried to stay strong, not wanting Malfoy to see me so vulnerable, but there was too much pain. All I could do was either cry or scream and currently I was doing both.

"Come on, can't you do something? She's suffering!" Malfoy shouted at the woman.

"Calm down boy, I need to think. Get out of here, you're only in my way." Madame Pomfrey opened her bag and rumbled through a set of potions, selecting a dark purple one.

"Here, drink up darling", she said, opening the bottle and bringing it to my lips. "It'll all be over in seconds."

I recognised the potion as Sleeping Draught, so I gladly drank it and sighed in relief as the pain numbed slowly, pushing me into a dreamless sleep.