Tainted Love

Progress Report

IRIS

Needless to say, Iris wasn't exactly looking forward to going in to work on Monday. Having Draco as a partner was only tolerable at the best of times - and the situation they were currently in couldn't qualify as anything better than the absolute worst of times.

Iris could feel her face heat up just thinking about it.

If only she hadn't gone over to his apartment. She could've just sent an owl to tell him that she finished their overtime assignment - but no, she wanted to gloat. She wanted to see the look on his face as she proved that she was every bit the potioneer he was.

Unfortunately, in the chaos of the situation, she couldn't exactly tell him that she had come by to brag about her accomplishments in front of him. Instead, he thought she just wanted to see him.

It was, to say the least, a sickening thought.

It was also a thought that Iris couldn't stop having.

There was something about the way Draco had swung open the door, so casually, his hand wrapping around the doorframe almost as loosely as the towel wrapped around his waist. His cheeks were more flushed than usual, his pupils bigger, his hair messy and hanging in his face.

His chest, though, was the worst part by far. It was decorated with little love bites, stretching up to his neck, just above his collarbones. Iris was sure that Draco had caught her eyes roaming over the marks for longer than they should have been.

Suffice to say that the image of him standing in the doorway had been a fixture in her mind, and not just because she was embarrassed to have walked in on him. No, it was somehow worse than that.

The problem was that she really, really found him attractive. And if it had been bad before, knowing what he looked like in the middle of having sex was making it a lot worse.

Especially because she had seen the girl standing behind him. She was nothing short of gorgeous - all dark confidence and a steady gaze.

Which made Iris's mounting attraction to him seem even more childish and embarrassing - he had someone else, someone who looked like she was perfect for him.

Iris avoided looking at her reflection in the lift's mirrored doors as it rose quickly upwards. She drummed her fingers on her thigh, resolving not to fall for any of Draco's usual bait as it clicked to a stop.

"Level nine," the elevator's voice trilled happily, "Department of Mysteries."

The atrium was busier than usual, but Iris didn't bother to see whether any of her friends were chatting outside. She knew she'd have to go into the Love Chamber sooner or later, and she'd rather get seeing Draco over with.

She paused for a second in front of the door, taking a deep breath and murmuring the nose-blocking charm so that she wouldn't waste a second once she got inside.

She pushed open the door as silently as possible, quickly scanning the room before putting her head down and making a beeline for her desk.

Luckily, he had his back to her. He was doing something over by the hearts - squeezing liquid out of a bulb and maintaining some sort of charm at the same time. If he noticed her coming in, he made no move to acknowledge it.

It annoyed Iris to no end how collected Draco always seemed to be, especially when Iris was the complete opposite.

The image of him casually leaning against his doorframe popped into Iris's mind unbidden, and she ducked her head even lower as she put her bag down on the floor next to her desk. Her face had been bright red, her speech stilted and stuttered, and he had known just what to do to provoke her while remaining completely calm himself.