A Heavenly Betrayal (Draco Malfoy Love Story)

Disturbance in the Corridor

A loud clang detonated in the corridor. Maria let out a scream and Malfoy woke up, getting to his feet almost instantly. Maria looked angrily at him, thinking he had made the noise, but his expression clearly suggested otherwise. He was paler than before and bore an impenetrable expression. He had dark bags under his eyes; he seemed very tired, no wonder he had fallen asleep. She knew this face, and it reminded her of why she had gotten in trouble in the first place. He was up to something - and she still wanted to know what.

Another loud clang was heard and made Maria snap back to reality. Malfoy was slowly moving towards the noise but stopped beside Maria. Soon, a deafening symphony of metal clangs rose from the end of the corridor. 

"Get back," Malfoy said in a hushed voice.

At first, Maria thought it was a joke, for she had no intention of seeking refuge behind that coward’s back. She understood it was an order when Malfoy very ungracefully shoved her behind him. He was so strong she almost lost her balance, but her hands found a grip and she was able to steady. She looked down and saw that she was hanging on to Malfoy’s belt. Realising her subtle position, she quickly released his pants and backed up a few steps. The ruckus grew louder and louder as their hearts raced faster and faster, until-

"My my… In all my years at Hogwarts, I’ve never seen something quite like this!"

Peeves was floating over the decorative suit of armour he had apparently jinxed. 

"Not only is Clever Cleaver in detention, but the Amazing Bouncing Ferret is protecting her!"

Both Malfoy and Maria turned red in the face. Unconsciously, they swiftly distanced themselves from the other.

"Bounced out of bounds, haven’t we?"

"Shut up, Peeves!"

It was Maria who had spoken. Quickly and defiantly, she added:

"Unless you want to end up in a jar like you did three years ago…"

Although Peeves was a poltergeist, she could see him lose the bit of color he had left. 

"How much do you think I’d get this time? Two, maybe three galleons?"

Her smile was merciless. 

"How about we make a deal? You shut up about what just happened and in exchange I won’t put you in a jar. Oh and while we’re at it, could you clean the trophy cabinet too?"

Malfoy thought Maria was being sarcastic, but the poltergeist snapped his fingers and floated away without another word. He looked rather angry. The trophy cabinet was now so shiny he had to shield his eyes from the light it reflected. 

"What the bloody hell was that all about?" Malfoy asked.

"In third year, I hexed Peeves and trapped him in a jar that I had also hexed so that he couldn’t get out. I sold him to Fred and George Weasley for ten sickles. I don’t think he enjoyed it. Anyways, I should have asked for more…" she answered, gazing at the ceiling thoughtfully.

Malfoy simply stared at her, not knowing what to say. That girl was definitely full of surprises.

She was burning to ask him why he had over-reacted earlier - why he had ‘protected’ her. What was to fear here, at Hogwarts, of all places? She knew he would refuse to tell her and probably call her names like he did before. She had to get close to him if she wanted to know such a secret. Even then, nothing was certain - 'He's a Malfoy for Merlin's sake.'

"So, what are we going to do for the next two hours and forty-five minutes?"

"I dunno," Malfoy answered sounding uninterested and looking away. He too was reminiscing on his reaction: he should have known better than to expect them... just yet.

"We can’t really go anywhere, in case somebody comes to check on us. And we obviously – or rather I – don’t need to scrub the trophies. I don’t suspect you have any books with you, do you?"

He grunted something that sounded like a ‘no’. This was her chance; he wasn’t in the mood for talking back, so she could say anything without provoking a harsh response…

"Hey listen, I’m sorry about… the accidents. You have my apology."

Malfoy looked up at her with big eyes. Her plan was working, she was reeling him in. Although, she still wanted to sound remotely sane, so she added:

"I mean, on the spot I wasn’t sorry of course, but now I can see that you’re troubled so I was just thinking that you didn’t need my clumsiness on top of everything else you’re dealing with. Whatever that is…"

In her head, she could hear him say ‘I don’t need your pity, mudblood!’ but instead he remained silent, fixing her with large eyes. Feeling she had gone a bit too far a bit too fast and that she wasn’t all that subtle, she turned away pretending to study the numerous trophies. She had screwed up – again - and was too embarrassed to face him. Being very careful not to look at him, she sat against the cabinet and closed her eyes. 

"I’ll wake you up before Filch gets here."

Her eyes fluttered open before closing again. Malfoy thought he even saw the shadow of a smile on her lips. He didn’t know why he had said that. It probably was the nicest thing he had ever said to her, which was a great deal. Now that she was sleeping, he could finally get a good look at her. Her long hair reminded him of a mermaid’s: it was loose and wild, yet beautiful. Her skin seemed to glow in the dark that surrounded them, and her lips… Malfoy shook his head and forced his gaze somewhere else, but his eyes kept finding their way back. His mind filled with questions, but he didn’t want to answer them. For now, he just wanted to remember her every feature.