Never • The Lost Daughter | A Draco Malfoy Love Story

Chapter 8 - Like You Meant It

Draco became ruthless. He rolled up his sleeves and got to work. For the first two weeks of our third year, he left aside all his projects and focused only on making my life a living hell.

Funny thing my trip down paranoia lane made me notice; Draco would waste a minimal amount of time when people were looking. His bullying was more often but otherwise milder – as if he didn't find it in his heart to do it and was only mustering it forcefully. Yes, tripping me or pushing me was something frequently seen in the busy halls of Hogwarts. But Draco's bullying practices got interesting when he saw that there weren't many people around. Then, he would get creative with the names he called me or tried to find something time-consuming. The guy was almost trying to start a conversation.

And was it just me or the more I resisted, the more frequent these sessions would get.

There was one such bullying session, however, that was to change everything.

We had finished our Potions class with the Slytherins - Draco's favourite class since Harry was not around in order to save me - and I was taking my time filling my empty vials with the remainder of my potion. Draco's friends were on their way out the door and I sensed that Draco was in the mood for teasing me again so I braced myself and took a deep breath.

Draco decided to cross the corridor just as I was carefully picking up my potions, with the terrible result of spilling the purple liquid on my desk.

"Don't think that you're going to leave without cleaning that up, miss Wallis!" said professor Snape from the back of the classroom when he heard the breaking glass but then quickly continued writing on his notebook.

I pulled out my wand and was ready to conjure a cleaning spell.

"Why are you always in my way?" said Draco quickly. He could have already left but seeing that no one was around, he stayed behind to watch me clumsily kneeling next to the mess he had created.

"I don't know, Malfoy. Why does your way always include knocking my books down?" I answered. I waved my wand and watched the vails forming clear again. Then I used a cleaning spell and to make the purple stains disappear. "Is it just me or are you getting clumsier these days?"

"Since when do you have a mouth?"

"Ever since you think no one is allowed to insult you!" I told him heatedly. The only other person that opposed to him in school was Harry Potter. Now I was rapidly becoming Harry's best competitor in that sport and Draco seemed to be furious about it.

As I made my way to the door, Draco put a hand against my shoulder and held me back with force.

"Won't you have to wash that hand now that you've touched the filthy mudblood?" I said and tilted my head sideways before he had the chance to say something provocatively insulting.

"Is this how you thank me for not letting you fall down after a bloody Dementor attacked you?" he said. He sounded hostile but I could feel his hand lazy still on my shoulder.

"If you want me to thank you, Malfoy, you have to start acting like you meant it."

I don't know what came over me when I winked.

Draco locked his cold eye-contact with mine steadily. I could hear him breathing in deeply. He clenched his jaw and didn't reply – his way of being at loss with words.

"Take your teenage angst elsewhere!" Snape's iced voice echoed in the classroom and woke us up from our hateful glaring.

Draco's ears turned red with embarrassment; the only sign that he had been caught red-handed, so to speak.