Black Rose (Draco Malfoy)

Friendship

Draco immediately dropped his hand. Scowling, he turned around and took a few paces forward. "Why would you go and do something like that?" He turned to fix his hard gaze on me.

I narrowed my eyes slightly. "Maybe because I like him?" Really, hadn't I explained this all to him before?

"But you want me," Draco challenged.

I swallowed. I couldn't deny it. I tried hard to keep my voice steady. "That's why it's more dangerous."

Draco let out a dry laugh. "I thought Gryffindors weren't supposed to be afraid."

I rolled my eyes. "There's a difference between being brave and being stupid."

Draco's eyes narrowed. "Going out with me is stupid?"

I faltered. "That's not what I meant." Why was it so hard to deal with him? How was I supposed to look after myself and give him a fair chance? It seemed impossible in regards to the world of romance. Maybe that was where I was supposed to draw the line... "I know George better. I know we're compatible and get along. I'm not saying that could never be you and me. I just want us to be friends first so that I will know if pursuing a relationship would be worth it." I looked at him with desperate eyes, pleading with him to understand.

Draco crossed his arms and looked away, clearly not happy about the situation. "Fine. But why did you have to go out with Weasley? Am I not worth waiting for?"

I let out a heavy sigh. "We like each other, Draco. I didn't want to miss out on something great just because I'm waiting on you. If it's not meant to be, it won't work out. So don't worry. If you want, we can meet here to talk and get to know each other." I cast him a hopeful glance. I liked him. I really was sincere in my attempt to be his friend. It was what I had wanted from the beginning.

Draco groaned and ran a hand through his blond hair. "Ok," he mumbled. He stepped closer to me again so that he was nearly towering over me. He gazed at me with intense, heated eyes. "But I'm not giving up on you."

A shiver ran down my spine. Did I want him to give up on me? That was what I should have wanted... I had to swallow before I could speak. "Just don't do anything to ruin my relationship with George."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Yeah, fine."

I smiled weakly at him. "Good." I paused, unsure of what else to say. My work there was done. "Well, I'll see you later." I turned to leave, but Draco grabbed my arm to pull me back. I looked at him questioningly.

"Why can't we start this 'friendship' thing now?" he asked with raised eyebrows.

I blinked at him. Truthfully, I didn't think he would want to start talking now. I thought he would be too upset about everything else. "Ok," I said coolly. "What do you want to talk about?" His hand was still on my arm. I glanced at it and he let go.

"What are we going to do about our first years?" he asked coolly.

I thought about this for a few seconds. "Well, we've already taught them a lot, so I think we should give them this semester to go off on their own and show us what they've learned. No more debates unless needed. I think it will be simpler that way." I shrugged. I wasn't too interested in arguing with him anymore. At least not like that. I would prefer private, intelligent discussions.

Draco nodded. "That sounds fair enough." He smirked. "But I'm still going to win." I rolled my eyes as I watched him walk over to the couch and sit down. He motioned for me to do the same. I sat on the other end of the couch, leaving the middle seat in between us. He frowned but didn't say anything. "So, who do you think is going to win the Tri-Wizard Competition?"