Malfoy

Chapter 12

I avoided Draco for a few days after that, his angry looks from across the room enough to repel me for now. While pleased with myself for getting a petty sort of revenge, I so did not fancy the conversation that was going to follow. Draco being all moody and self important, acting like he was the only one allowed to play games, I just didn't fancy that just yet.

"Is it just me, or is Draco Malfoy glaring at you from across the classroom?" Hermione asked suddenly, drawing me out of my thoughts.

"It isn't just you... I might be avoiding him?" I replied sheepishly, rubbing the back of my neck, "I might have left him... Compromised?... Last time him and I..." I trailed off.

"You know what, I don't want to know!" Hermione panicked, assuming the worst and to be honest, she probably wasn't far off in her assumptions. Her eyes shot up towards Professor Flitwick, worried her outburst hadn't gone unnoticed, he continued without even glancing our way.

"Listen," I began in a hushed tone, "he was being Draco, acting like he had all the power, I just took him down a peg..." I whispered, Hermione nodded knowingly.

"Well he does not look happy," she eyed him warily and I nodded in agreement.

Class went by like this, Draco looking moody and me trying not to pay him any attention. I was nervous to even face him, certain that avoidance was the best policy on this occasion. Soon class came to an end and I rushed out the door with Hermione, Draco followed.

"Hermione! Help me!" I hissed, rushing out of the door with her. She huffed and rolled her eyes but quickly dragged me along after her, weaving through crowds of students and losing Draco in the process. 

The next few days continued like this, Draco storming down halls towards me and me dodging away in a desperate attempt to avoid his bad mood. He would glare across classrooms at me, waiting for his moment to grab me after class and drag me away, probably to growl angry words at me and make sure I understood he was the big man in these situations and was not to be played with. 

It wasn't until a few days later that I let my guard down and finally decided to relax. I had decided to skip my last class and take a walk, heading outside and straight for the grassy slopes that lined the running water leading to the lake. I took cover under a small cluster of trees by the water and admired the view, a smile creeping onto my face as I enjoyed the sunshine on my skin. It still wasn't warm but Spring was clearly making its way in and so the sunshine and greenery was a refreshing sight. I swallowed slightly, looking out at the lake where I had nearly drowned in the distance. A shiver went down my spine and my heart sped up, I was struggling to sleep at night with nightmares of drowning in that lake. I blinked a couple of times and shook my head, trying hard not to let myself get dragged down into thoughts of nightmares and drowning. It was then that I turned my head to look behind me, only to see a head of platinum hair marching across the green grass. I choked on a gasp and quickly threw myself behind a tree in the hopes he was just on a strangely determined walk and hadn't seen me. My hopes were crushed as a hand reached around the tree and grabbed my arm hard, pulling me out from behind the tree.

"Avoiding me, y/l/n?" Draco spat, tugging hard on my arm so that I faced him before pushing me against the tree and giving me no route of escape.

"Me? Avoiding you?" I asked innocently, a sweet smile on my face but panic in my eyes.

"Don't act stupid, you know what you're doing." He growled, fixing me with a hard stare, "you made me look a fool," Draco continued, "a bloody fool, and I will not be played with, Hufflepuff,".

"You won't be played with?" I asked incredulously, "have you forgotten that you did the exact same to me?" I questioned, my eyebrows shooting up.

"I'm a Malfoy, I'll do as I please but I will not have a Hufflepuff get the better of me," he snapped, slamming a hand on the tree behind my head. My brows creased in irritation. 

"I don't bloody care who you are! I'm not your bit of fun that you can just play with when you like, I'm an equal and I will not be treated like any less!" I demanded, fixing Draco with an angry look and giving his chest a shove.

"You're not just a bit of fun!" He shot back, this time it was his turn to crease his brows at me.

"Then what am I, Draco?" I asked, "I'm not allowed to tease you back so I'm clearly not an equal to you, if not your bit of fun then what am I?" I was angry now, angry that he felt he could have all the power in whatever this was, and angry because, to me, he wasn't just a bit of fun.

"I don't know! You're the silly little Hufflepuff that I like seeing and that I'm angry at for having any effect on me at all, angry that you have the ability to leave me like a bloody fool," he seethed, his cold grey eyes burning holes through me. I was silent for a moment before looking him in the eyes again.

"You left me like a fool too..." I trailed off, more softly now, "I'm not the silly girl from last year anymore, I'm not an inferior for you to play with,".

"I'm not playing with you and I don't think you're inferior," he dragged a hand through his hair with an irritated sigh. 

"Take me on a date then," I responded suddenly, my brain screaming at me for what I had just said, "I'm not asking you to be my bloody boyfriend Draco, don't give me that look!" I ordered with a role of my eyes. He was silent for a moment and I panicked, realising I had pushed it too far, Draco Malfoy didn't do dates and he didn't want to date the Hufflepuff he had sex with one time. Why did I even want to go on a date with Draco Malfoy? My brain was in overdrive as the confident look left my face and was replaced with a look of panic.

"Okay," was all Draco said in response, I choked, staring up at him.

"Okay?" I asked, afraid he might take it back but needing to know.

"Yeah fine, meet me here, two hours," he shrugged, trying to look unaffected and shifting his gaze off to the lake.

"Are you-" I began to ask but he interrupted me.

"Did I stutter?" he rolled his eyes, stepping away from me, I swallowed, unsure what was happening. I coughed, blinking a little before snapping myself out of my confusion.

"See you in a bit then..." I trailed off, a strange awkward tension forming, still so unsure of the situation I had created. Draco nodded before striding away.