Poison Ivy || Draco Malfoy

16 - An English Gentleman

A/N: Another update for you - as you can tell, I'm back from my holiday! Enjoy.

*****

Thanks to the scandal surrounding Draco Malfoy and my exhibit; all my classes were fully booked.

It was proving so popular that I decided to hold two classes a night to fit in the high demand, plus two on a Saturday morning.

I wasn't sure how Draco was going to take this. The conditions of the Unbreakable Vow meant he had to attend each and every one of them from the first day of September all the way until the Christmas break.

And it was on that first day of September when I was awoken by an early morning phone call.

"Hullo," I said groggily, blearily looking at my clock which read half past three in the morning.

"Happy birthday, sister!" Pansy's jubilant voice came screeching merrily down through the receiver. "It's not too early is it?! Edgar did say something about time differences but I could never get my head around calculating it. You know how numbers simply bore me so."

Pansy and Edgar were at that moment on a round the world cruise. Where they were at that moment in time was anyone's guess, least of all my sister's.

"Umm, no... it's alright." I mumbled sleepily as I wearily eyed Percy snoring soundly next to me.

It had been a bad night and I was just happy to hear a friendly and comforting voice.

"And I wanted to wish you luck on your first art class," Pansy continued. "Try not to let the Draco thing ruin it for you. I know it must be a pain having a Death Eater there casting a shadow over your new career; but just remember, it's only for one term and then you never have to see him again. To think, of all the people you could have gotten on that day in court, it had to be my ex boyfriend! What a crazy world!"

Later, when I tried getting back to sleep, I found I couldn't. Too much was on my mind.

I quietly snuck out of the bedroom, trying my hardest not to wake Percy; tiptoeing across the landing to the bathroom. I climbed into the empty bathtub and softly wept until the gnawing pain in my gut faded enough for me to be able to fall back asleep.

******

I looked up at the clock, anxiously chewing my bottom lip.

My first ever class was about to start in five minutes and there was still no sign of Draco Malfoy.

I considered phoning Harry to check that Draco had been given the correct information, but I was afraid of getting him into trouble.

And besides, surely Draco knew if he didn't show up then that would mean death?

A loud clap of thunder sounded and I glanced up at the window as rain spattered angrily against it. As beautiful as this early evening storm was; it was not ideal for my first class. I had been hoping that the studio could be lit with the natural glow of the evening sun.

There was a spell, I was certain, that could achieve this. But at this time I had no idea how to cast it. It was the kind of thing that Draco could have helped me out with if only he had been here twenty five minutes earlier as planned.

And then, two minutes before I was about to give up and let the class enter, the door swung open and a dripping wet and extremely disgruntled white-blond haired Slytherin stormed in.

"Draco!" I gasped, looking up horrified at him. "Where have you-"

"I've had it with this fucking country and it's fucking weather!" Draco snarled, glaring at me as if it was somehow my fault that it was raining.

"Did you- um... walk?" I asked, perplexed at the sight of his normally immaculate white-blond hair flattened damply down over his brow.

"No, I fucking swam here," he spat, throwing off his sodden overcoat. "Of course I fucking walked. It's not like anyone can get a fucking taxi in this god forsaken city every time it even so much as slightly rains. Now pass me your wand."

"My... uh-?" I stuttered, shocked at his fierce demeanour.

"Your wand," Draco said aggressively holding out an empty hand and talking to me as though I was deaf. "Give me your wand so I can dry myself. Unless you want a sodding wet model? It might even be a good theme: One Pissed Off English Gentleman."

Feeling a flicker of fury bolt through me, I wrenched my wand from my pocket and angrily slammed it into his outstretched hand.

"A gentleman doesn't behave this vile," I snapped. "If I knew this is what you were going to be like towards me then I would have told Harry to lock you up, after all. And what's wrong with your own wand? Left it at home with your manners?"

"They snapped it in half before I was sent to Azkaban," Draco muttered bitterly as he aimed my wand at his clothes, silently using it to dry his suit. "If it wasn't enough that I was thrown in that hell hole for two years, Potter thought it would be ironic to force me to live like a fucking Muggle for the rest of my life."

Ouch. No wonder he was so bitter.

"Look," I said gently, my anger vanishing upon suddenly feeling desperately sorry for him. "I've got to let the students in now. Why don't you go in the kitchen and make yourself a cup of tea or something whilst I'll do the introductions. We might not even need you in the first session. And then perhaps you can help me reset for the next class."

He paused, the fierce scowl that had been etched deeply on his face softening slightly as silver grey eyes pierced mine. I swallowed; my heart giving an unexpected flutter.

"Are you sure?" he asked, his eyes narrowing suspiciously as if he suspected me of testing him.

"Of course," I attempted a smile, "you're not going to be much use to me if you're ill. Come on, I'll show you where everything is."

"It's alright," he said, stepping over to hand me my wand back, "I can work it out. Just point me in the right direction."

I beckoned over to a door at the back of the studio where a small kitchenette lay beyond. A now dry Draco immediately strode over to it, pausing as his hand rested on the handle.

"I'm sorry, by the way," he murmured, his voice low and silky as he looked back over his shoulder at me. "I shouldn't have spoken to you like that. Especially not on your birthday."

Before I could answer, he slipped through the door, closing it firmly behind him.

And, as my first ever students filled the room, each one taking a seat next to a freshly laid out easel, I couldn't help but feel a warm glow in my stomach that slowly spread throughout my entire body.

Draco Malfoy had remembered my birthday.

*****