Quidditch practice starts back up.
~~~
Four more days went by, and while Draco didn't disappear again, you only saw him in passing until Quidditch practice started up.
The Slytherin team was once again gathered on the pitch, Arlie in front of the group as he surveyed everyone in line, their brooms in hand and practice uniforms on.
"Alright, team, first and foremost, I hope you had a wonderful Christmas break and start of term," he said by way of greeting. "However, remember our goal is to win the House Cup at the end of the year.
So I expect to see the same dedication, the same effort, the same everything in practices and games throughout this term. Understood?"
"Yes, Arlie!" you called back in unison.
You stole a glance over at Draco then, probably the fifteenth glance of the day. You couldn't help it. Even with a black long-sleeve t-shirt on instead of his normal practice jersey, he was breathtaking to you.
He was even more breathtaking when he had no shirt on, leaning over you as he moved to bite your neck again—
"Everglade, did you hear me?" Arlie called, breaking you out of your reverie. "Maybe stop staring into the sky above you and start listening into the team before you," he shouted.
You nodded, feeling your face burn red. You were grateful, at least, that he had thought you were staring into the sky and not at the white-blond boy at the end of the row.
"And you, Malfoy," Arlie said, his eyes narrowing. "Last time I checked, long sleeves were not part of the practice uniform. Care to explain why you're dressed improperly?"
You felt a pang of panic split through your chest as your gaze shot back over to Draco. At least this time it didn't matter that you were looking at him, since the rest of the team was too.
Arlie folded his arms impatiently as he awaited a response from the Slytherin Prince. "Today, please?" he said.
You could see the panic in the boy's eyes, it was as evident as the tension from the rest of the team as they stood in awkward silence.
"I—the rest of my practice clothes were dirty, sir," Draco choked out.
"That means you haven't washed them since our last game back in November, Malfoy," Arlie shot back. "Did you forget today's our first practice of the season?"
Draco swallowed heavily, nodding quickly. "Yes, I remembered. I just—put it on quickly and got food on it, so I couldn't wear it to practice today."
Arlie huffed. "So you didn't have time to wash it before practice, then?"
Draco nodded quickly, and even you could sense the bullshit. You knew Arlie wasn't buying it, but you also knew he wouldn't embarrass Draco more than necessary in front of the entire rest of the team.
"I'll be dressed in proper practice attire tomorrow, sir," Draco responded, his eyes still wide.
"Make sure of it, Malfoy," Arlie snapped, his tone still harsh. "On your brooms, everyone, we're doing Snitch drills!"
~~~
Practice went for an hour longer than usual, and your gut told you it was a team punishment being taken for Draco's refusal to dress properly for practice. Your mind was everywhere but practice, though, as Draco entered your room shortly after practice ended.
His hair was still wild and sweaty, as was the rest of his body, but he still latched himself onto you like you were about to disappear.
"I think I have to quit the team," he said quietly, and for once you heard no underlying emotion in the boy's voice. It was like he'd flipped a switch, he'd gone entirely monotonous.
"What?"
"I can't hide this mark, y/n. I either have to wear long sleeves all the time or get exposed to everyone on the Quidditch team. I can't do either."
"You can't just use the Disillusion Charm?"
Draco looked at you as if you were the dumbest person he'd ever had the displeasure of coming across. "Sure, y/n, I'll just use magic to obscure my Dark Mark, and then we'll get to deal with Voldemort showing up and accusing me of being a fake follower, and we'll get to watch me be murdered by the Dark Lord in the middle of the Great Hall! That's a fabulous plan."
You rolled your eyes, trying not to let on to how completely annoyed you were with the boy's antics. He was a lot more dramatic than other people tended to realize.
You had an idea then, running into your bathroom and pulling open Juniper's drawer.
"What are you doing?" he asked, poking his head into the bathroom.
"Juniper's Muggle-born," you pointed out, ignoring the expression of distaste that Draco's face contorted into at hearing that.
"Which means what?" he asked drily. "Besides the fact that, you know, she's a Mud—"
"You finish that word, and I will Incendio your ass," you threatened, the glare you threw at the Slytherin prince shutting him up more quickly than you'd ever seen happen before.
"Anyway," you said, returning your attention to the drawer in front of you. "Because she's Muggle-born, she wears this stuff called 'makeup'? It's some non-magic substance that covers up stuff without actually using magic. It's pretty neat if you ask me."
Draco held out his arm, pulling up the sleeve to reveal the Mark. A chill went down your spine as you looked down at it, but you shook it off as you opened up the liquid coverup stuff you had seen Juniper put on her face multiple times throughout your time at Hogwarts together.
You put some of it on your fingers and spread it over the Dark Mark. You cringed at the results, though—it covered it effectively enough, but Juniper's makeup did not match Draco's skin tone—it was like pouring brown paint onto a white canvas.
"Okay, so I might as well just show people the Dark Mark when they see this shit on my arm," Draco muttered angrily, waving his wand to remove the liquid makeup. You sighed, unsure of what to do next. You hadn't considered the possibility that it wouldn't match Draco's arm.
"Can we make it change colors with magic?" you asked then, and Draco's eyes lightened a bit at the suggestion.
"We could sure try, I guess," he said, his expression hopeful.
You poured a bit more onto your palm, holding your wand over it. "Colovaria," you whispered, and your heart leapt as it instantly changed colors.
You spread the new concoction over Draco's arm, and you breathed a huge sigh of relief when it covered the Dark Mark and matched his arm.
Draco moved his arm back and forth, surveying the once-more clean white skin. "This is actually pretty incredible," he commented lowly, pulling his shirt sleeve back down. "Thanks, y/n."
Your heart swelled at the words you'd never actually heard from the Slytherin boy standing before you. You couldn't help it, part of you hoped he genuinely was changing for the better, despite the mark on his arm claiming him as Voldemort's and stating otherwise.
You led him back into your room, out of the bathroom the two of you had just been holed up in.
"I hope that stuff isn't too expensive," you commented as you shut the bathroom door behind you. "I kind of used a good bit of it."
Draco rolled his eyes despite the smile on his face. "I'm sure Juniper will forgive you."
And despite your pleas for him to remain with you for just awhile longer, he placed a kiss on your forehead and was gone.