Jo // [Draco Malfoy]

Chapter 25 - Part 1

His face is stoic except for the dark shimmer within his gaze as he says, "I didn't say it looked bad on you. Now come on. The party has already started, and I'd rather not waste anymore time."

"I just said I wasn't going."

He rolls his eyes, letting go of my shoulder before grabbing my hand. "Come on."

He tugs at my hand, and I find myself instinctively following him. Granted, I don't think I could wriggle out of his tight grasp anyway, so trudging along is all I'm left to do.

We weave through the halls before making it to the large stairwell leading to the dungeons. He turns to me briefly before we head down, whispering, "take off your shoes."

I give him an incredulous look. "Excuse me?"

He lets out a huff before bending down to take off his shoes. "Take off your shoes, Jo."

"Are you mad? Why do I need to take off my shoes?"

He lets out another dramatic huff before untying his shoes, taking them off and leaving him in his socks as he looks up at me and says, "Snape isn't asleep, and is incredibly alert at night. He knows about our party, don't get me wrong, but he doesn't approve of others not in Slytherin joining in."

"I still don't understand?"

Before I can get the chance to take them off myself, Draco is already undoing the clasps of my heels. He seems to take his time as he slips them off my feet, and I can't help but feel a bit like Cinderella in this moment. I bite my lip as his hands slowly move up my legs before I see him let out something between a groan and sigh, shaking his head as he does so. He takes his hands away, grabbing my shoes and handing them to me. I grab them hesitantly, not liking the feeling of the cold, stone ground underneath my bare feet. He, at least, has socks on.

"Your heels are loud on the floors...as are my shoes. Snape would hear us almost immediately once we made it down these stairs." I quirk an eyebrow at his explanation, still weirded out that we don't have our shoes on.

"This floor is disgusting though. You at least have something covering your feet." I scrunch up my face, looking back down at my bare feet on the grime-covered floors. He lets out a dramatic sigh, before I feel one of his hands move around my waist and the other on the backside of my legs. He, then, hoists me up so I'm now in his arms, being held bridal-style.

"Dear Merlin, Draco!" I tense up in his arms; not because I hate it, but because I'm liking it a bit too much. I keep forgetting how strong he actually is underneath it all: his leaner, tall physique doesn't help exemplify it either.

I turn my head, looking at him as I say, "I didn't mean for you to carry me." He flickers his eyes at my face before bringing his gaze forward again.

I feel him begin to head down the stairs, so I circle my arms around his neck. The muscles in his face are taut as he continues down the stairs. His eyes, although trained mainly ahead, keep stealing glances at me. I feel him tense more as we carefully walk past Snape's office. He has a dim light on in there, and I can't help but to wonder how he would react if he saw Draco carrying me down the hall like this: without our shoes on too!

He would probably send us to detention immediately with Filch and take away Hufflepuff house points while giving some extra to Slytherin.

He's so unfair like that.

Once we finally make it past his office and to the entrance of the Slytherin common room, Draco sets me down on the ground again. I can't help to feel a bit upset that I'm not in his arms anymore, but I'm happy to finally be at the entrance.