𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐄 𝐀 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐑 | draco malfoy

18. yours

"Have you been revising for the Herbology mock tomorrow?" Rowan asked, desperately trying to forget all about the pathetic, jealous moment that she had just had — and nearly taken out on a genuinely innocent Draco Malfoy.

Draco shrugged. "I've been trying to. I've been more focused on other stuff."

"Quidditch stuff?" Rowan suggested knowingly as they headed up a flight of stairs.

He gave a small laugh. "Mostly, I suppose. I've been reading Eunice Murray's biography. You said she was your all-time favourite Quidditch player, right?"

"Yeah," Rowan replied, surprised he had remembered. "She's great."

"She is," Draco agreed, "I read about how she petitioned for the Snitch to be faster because she was catching it too easily."

Rowan laughed at the reminder. "That's why she's my favourite. And because being a woman in the most successful Quidditch team in the early 1900s must have been... rough. So for her to say that..." Rowan shook her head with a grin. "She's everything I want to be."

Draco hummed at the thought. "My mother often says she wished she had tried Quidditch whilst she was at Hogwarts. She never did though. Slytherin Pureblood tradition and all that."

"Oh, yes," Rowan said knowingly, "My father wasn't too pleased when he found out, but I never really cared. Nothing beats flying. Or winning. When I realised I was actually decent at Chasing, there was no way I was ever quitting. Not for him or for anything else."

"Well it's a good thing you never did give up," Draco said, "It's a stupid belief — that Slytherin women are to be so proper as to not play Quidditch."

"I always think about how different our games would be if that had never been the case," Rowan said, "If Slytherin girls had always been let on the team with no discrimination. We could be ten times better, maybe. But we'll never know now."

Draco was about to reply when there was a bang from the other corridor. They froze in place, then Draco's hand quickly reached for his wand. When they heard the giggles he rolled his eyes, sharing a knowing look with Rowan.

Rowan huffed and moved forwards with him, turning the corner only to stop in place. Draco did too, an eyebrow quirking up curiously when they saw Daphne with Clay. She had him pressed up against a wall, her mouth moving against his quickly. Draco glanced down at Rowan, and relief filled his chest when he saw nothing but disgust. Not an ounce of jealousy or hurt.

"You do realise there's other places to do that shit, right?" Draco drawled, causing both teenagers to freeze, looking at him with wide eyes, their arms still wrapped around one another.

Rowan couldn't help thinking about how hypocritical the two of them were, considering they'd both fooled around in these corridors before. Rowan's partner in crime was even standing right in front of them, being accused.

Clay looked pale upon seeing Rowan.

"Rowan." He moved away from Daphne. "I didn't — I was —"

Rowan furrowed her eyebrows. "Just hurry back to the common room," she warned. Everyone knew that Slytherins didn't take house points off of other Slytherins. It would be like shooting yourself in the foot.

Daphne glanced over at Draco, her jaw clenched, and then she marched on, making sure to huff as she passed Draco and Rowan. Clay followed, hesitantly pausing in front of them.

"Rowan, just so you know, that didn't mean anything to me. I was just —"

"Inkwood..." Rowan said, "You're not my boyfriend. I don't care who you kiss. All I will say is that there are definitely better options than Greengrass."