𝐅𝐑𝐔𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 | Draco Malfoy

𝐓 𝐇 𝐈 𝐑 𝐓 𝐘 𝐎 𝐍 𝐄

He was suffocating me, taking all my oxygen away to keep for himself.

"You're not stupid, are you?" From the corner of my eye, I could see Danielle barely regard him as she took a bite of her toast.

A scoff. I heard it too clearly. "What?"

"Your grades."

"What about them?"

I could feel him slightly shift from behind me. It was as if the air moved with him every time he did.

"They're not bad, right?"

"I don't understand-"

"Maybe you can help Clem here,"

My body stiffened, even more than it already had the moment she mentioned his name. Suddenly the feeling of his presence diminished—as if he stiffened too.

I turned my head slightly, just enough so my eyes could only see Danielle. "I'm good, actually-"

"No. No you're not," Danielle snorted, placing the last bite of her toast in her mouth and finally looking between me and the immobilized boy behind me. "You've been rambling all morning about how much you need to do, and how much a fourth of Granger's brain would help yours, and though I want to help you—I really do—we both know I can't."

She sighed. "So, as much as I appreciate you trying to make me a study-buddy, I need sleep. I could just join the both of you when i've had my share of it."

There was a pause, and none of us spoke. Until he did.

"I still don't quite understand what i'm supposed to be doing here."

Another sigh from Danielle, her eyes rolling. "You're supposed to help my best friend."

"Why?" There was a bit of hesitation in his voice, just a grain of it; but it was enough for me to recognize. His hesitation is just as familiar to me as his surety is.

"Because I can't."

"Why me?" A tinge of irritation now. I felt a slight pang of pain in my chest.

"You're next to Granger in the ranks. I can't ask her, now, can I?"

A snort, and I could feel him switch his weight between his two feet. "I don't have all the time in the world, Danielle."

"Right. But you do have time to drink a whole bottle of firewhisky every-"

"I don't." His voice turned hard. I kept my gaze away from him still.

"Yes, you do. I don't think Lucius would be too happy with that piece of information. Neither would be Aunt Cissy. Don't you think so?" Danielle cocked her head to the side.

If I knew ranting to her about being stupid and unintelligent would lead to this, I would have just shut my mouth and left our dorm room on my own. Damn it, Dani. You are so not my best friend right now.

"Ah." Something that sounded amused and bemused at the same time—like he knew she would say it, but didn't expect that she actually would. I bit the inside of my cheek. It's ridiculous how much I know him. "Blackmail. For what? Does she even want to be helped?"