Hey guys! I've been working on this a lot of the free time I get, it's hard to upload and write with all of the homework I'm getting. Thanks for sticking around and reading!
***
When I wake up, I feel Draco's fingers playing with the ends of my hair. I shift slightly, and he takes notice of my awakening. He looks down into my eyes with his grey ones, not ceasing his actions and remaining speechless. For a minute, I worry that he won't want me the way that he did last night.
"Mornin'." He smirks in a gravelly voice, soothing my fear. I return his words with a small wave of my hand, and he throws his head back against his pillow, letting out a soft chuckle.
"You're wearing my shirt." He says, looking down again, and I feel a slight blush come to my face. I hadn't even realized it. I must have put it on the night before. "I think I like it better on you than me."
I smile up at him, my head still resting on his chest. The house seems to linger in a peaceful silence, morning light filtering through the blinds of his window. I realize I would give anything to be able to wake up with him like this every single morning. I reach my hand up towards his face, and boop his nose with my finger.
His eyes screw shut for a minute, but then he opens them, and tilts his head in curiosity as he looks down at me. "Did you just tap my nose?"
"Yep." I say, unable to control my smile. He allows a small smile, looking up at the ceiling, his arm still loosely wound around my waist. It looks strange on him, but good nevertheless.
I feel his hand trail up my bare thigh, and he slips it beneath the fabric of his shirt, pressing it against the small of my back and drawing me closer to him. His touch sends a chill rippling up through my spine.
"You're so beautiful, you know that?" His voice is a husky whisper. He plants a kiss on my forehead. My heart unravels at his words, and I can't manage to respond in any way. Who is this guy? "Thank you." He adds on, leaving me in confusion.
"For what?" I ask, trailing my finger across his collarbone.
"For...coming in here last night." He says, avoiding eye contact. I realize that there is a slight blush in his cheeks.
He's embarrassed. This boy never ceases to amaze me.
Draco rolls over, so he is hovering above me, propped up on his elbows. "So, what do you want to do today? And don't say that stupid ass project."
"If you don't say anything perverted." I smirk, and he chuckles, looking up at the ceiling. "Hmm...what about that snowball fight?" I suggest deviously, secretly hoping he will agree.
He rolls his eyes, biting back a smile. "No, I am not snowball fighting you, Jen."
"That's cause you're too scared to take me on." I say, crossing my arms.
He tilts his head, observing me as I lay beneath him. "Well...we'll see about that. You're on, Mania." He says, leaning down and planting another kiss on my cheek.
I leap out of his bed and skip across his room, heading for the entryway. "Prepare to be destroyed." I sing as I pass through the frame of the door.
***
Five minutes have come and gone, and I'm waiting on him to come outside, my arms wrapped around my body in attempt to keep warm. I knew it would be cold, but I had no idea it would be this cold.
What did I expect? It's snowing, after all.
The door opens, and Draco slides through it. I have to admit he looks very good in his coat and scarf, which just reminds me of how much I wish I had brought mine out into this blizzard. He seems to take notice of my unusual choice in clothing as well, and chokes back a laugh.
"You're kidding, right? You look like you're on your way to the damn beach." He grins mischievously, and I swat his arm as he walks past me.
"No I don't. I am actually very warm right now, thanks." I defend, but a telltale shiver runs from my toes to my head, causing Draco to smirk.
"Do you want my coat? Hell, you look freezing." He says, beginning to shake the sleeves off of his shoulders.
"No thanks, I'm not a loser. Besides, you might need it, considering the fact that you're going to be buried in the snow within the next five minutes." I say boldly, my teeth still chattering a bit as I speak.
He raises an eyebrow, holding back a smile. "Wow, look at you."
I spit my tongue out at him, and he laughs again, even harder this time. The sound floats through the air like a melody, and it makes me want to hear it over and over again. "How old are you, Mania?"
"Shush, you." I say, holding back a grin of my own. I don't know what brought this feeling on between us, but I love it.
***
Turns out, I am not as good at making snowballs as I predicted. Draco, however, seems to be producing twenty or more a minute, which isn't exactly a help to my whole freezing to death situation.
"C-Can you give me a break." I say, my voice quivering as he hurls another snowball at my leg. I note that he hasn't thrown any at my face, yet.
"What happened to you kicking my ass?" He says, and I roll my eyes. He begins to roll up another ball of snow, and suddenly, a terrible idea rushes into my mind. I grin to myself at the thought of it, and pull my wand out of my pocket.
As he stands up to throw another snow ball at me, I take my wand, point it at a large mass of snow sitting on the thick branches of a nearby tree, and carefully direct it right above his head.
He looks up, his arm frozen in mid-throw, and a look of pure horror crosses his face. "Jennifer, don't you-"
What he was going to say next, I'll never know, for it was at that moment that I allowed the entire pile of snow to plunge directly onto the top of his head, muffling the rest of his sentence.
"Take that!" I shout victoriously. "Revenge is mine." My words are quiet this time, and I mentally pat myself on the back as he struggles out from underneath the snow.
"The hell was that?" He says, but doesn't make a respectable attempt to sound angry.
"That was payback. Now, can we please go inside? I think my hands are frozen solid." I say, examining my fingers as I wiggle them back and forth.
"Okay, c'mon." He says, strolling past me with his hands shoved deep in the pockets of his coats. I jog after him to catch up a little bit, ready to finally be out of this frosty snow fall.
***
"So, what's up next, Mania?" Draco says with a relaxed sigh as he lays back on his pillow, his head behind his hands.
I sit on the edge of his bed and fold my hands in my lap, fully aware that he will deny what I'm about to suggest we should do, but it's still worth a try. "Work on the project?" I say hopefully. My words rushed, so he can't cut me off before I finish my sentence.
"Fuck no." He says immediately. I sigh, and lean my head back against the wall. I should've seen it coming.
"Well, we could watch a movie." I suggest, pressing the pad of my thumb to my lower lip."Do you have any?"
"A movie?" Draco says, confusion etched throughout his tone. He sits up rather slowly, looking me in the eyes.
"Yeah, do you know what a movie is?" I say, remembering that we were raised in very different worlds. Do pure-bloods know what movies are?
"Yes, I know what a movie is." He says, like it's the most discernible thing known to mankind. I roll my eyes at him, and wring my hands in my lap.
"Okay, well, we can watch one on my computer, if you want too." I suggest, and he throws me yet another confused look. "Nevermind it, I'll be back in a second." I sing, prancing out of his room to go and fetch my laptop. I hear him chuckle a little bit behind me, but choose to ignore it.
When I return to his room, he's still sitting in the same spot, his hands folded in his lap as he stares up at the ceiling. He looks as if he's lost in thought. Normally, I would ask what's on his mind, but I don't want to ruin whatever this is going on between us right now.
I plop down on the bed, rather far away from him, and he finally looks at me, appearing as if he's just returned from a distant state of mind.
"So, have you ever watched Rocky?" I say as I press the pad of my finger against the power button. It's been my favorite movie ever since Josefina's father introduced me to it when I was about ten years old.
"What's that." Draco responds bluntly, and I roll my eyes.
"Well, prepare to be amazed, cause this is going to be the best movie you've ever seen." I say, my words bubbling with excitement. He raises an eyebrow, doubting my predictions, but I casually ignore him.
He doesn't bother to ask what Netflix is when I open the program, and I don't bother to explain.
I click the play button, my eyes sparkling with anticipation. I absentmindedly hum along with the opening credits as they begin to roll across the screen, and hear Draco snicker behind me.
"You really get into this stuff, don't you, Mania?" He grins, and I look back at him, swatting his arm.
"Give it ten minutes and so will you." I say, turning my focus back to the screen of my laptop.
"I never really took you for the type to go crazy about movies and shit like that." He says, his words ringing with curiosity. I bite my lip, rolling the small castle charm on my bracelet back and forth between my fingers as the movie begins to play.
'Well, I'm just full of surprises, aren't I?" I say, and he laughs a little bit.
"I guess you are."
"Now, hush up, I'm trying to watch this movie." I say, raising one finger up to signal silence, and I can practically feel him roll his eyes behind me.
***
Twenty minutes of the movie have gone by, and he hasn't said a word to me, which means he could actually be liking this. I know that he's too arrogant to admit that I may have actually introduced him to something he thoroughly enjoys, though. I, however, have not moved an inch closer to him. There has to be at least three feet of space in between us.
Is he growing tired of me? Does he even want to be sitting here with me, now? He probably would rather be doing something else at the moment.
All of these thoughts pick at the back of my mind like vultures, and I gently tap my fingers across the keyboard to soothe them.
Suddenly, I feel his hands fasten around my hips, and he tugs me back, pulling me to his side and snaking his arm around my waist. I lean my head against his shoulder, and can't manage to control the small smile that tugs at the corners of my mouth as a wave of relief washes through me.
I rest the computer between us, eternally bewildered by how beautiful this crude and arrogant boy makes me feel.
***
Draco's POV -
"So, how did you like it?" Jennifer grins uncontrollably, clicking the lid of her computer shut. She moves to sit on the other side of the bed, facing me.
It was a good movie, but I wasn't watching it that much. I was too busy staring at her most of the time.
The way she laughed and smiled and cried throughout the scenes of the movie made me happy - a lot damn happier than I'm used to being.
"I guess it was okay." I say, not willing to admit to what I'd spent my time doing instead of watching the movie.
She furrows her eyebrows, studying me intensely. " 'I guess it was okay' ." She repeats my words, looking at me like I'm insane.
I chuckle, glancing down at my lap, and look up at her. "Yeah." I say, pausing in between my words. "It was."
I reach out and wrap my hands around her small waist, pulling her onto my lap so her legs are folded on either side of my thighs.
She blushes softly, looking down at her lap. I loosely wind my arms around her waist. She's still so nervous around me; I don't want her to be.
"Relax." I say, a soft smile pulling at the edges of my mouth. I press the pads of my fingers into her back and gently rub circles into her soft skin.
I can feel her melt into my chest, and allow myself a satisfactory grin.
"Supper is ready, you two!" I hear my mother shout from down the stairs, and roll my eyes.
Jennifer looks up at me, her eyelids appearing heavy. "To be continued?" She suggests sleepily.
"To be continued." I laugh, and stand up off of the bed, with her following closely behind me.
***
We both shuffle down the stairs, and Jennifer almost trips over her own feet. She grabs the railing, her face resembling a deer caught in headlights, and I hold in a laugh.
As we continue to make our way to the bottom floor, I hear three voices, opposed to one, or even two. I look down at Jennifer, hoping she'll recognize them, but she tilts her head, in just as much a state of confusion as I am.
I shrug mindlessly, and we continue our way down the staircase, an uneasy feeling resting in my stomach.
When we arrive on the landing, Jennifer comes to a complete halt next to me. She takes a few careful steps back, and looks at me with panic in her eyes.
Naturally, I scan the room, curious as to why she's suddenly so frightened, and my heart skips a beat.
Standing right in the middle of the living room is not only my mother and Goyle, but Blaise Zabini, a smug look etched across his face.
***
Jennifer's POV -
I can feel Draco's entire body quite literally stiffen next to me as his eyes lay upon Blaise.
Fear is pulsing through my body, and Draco's arm slips around my waist instinctively. My face feels so hot, almost as if it's on fire.
"Draco, I've invited some of your friends over for dinner." Narcissa smiles. Of course, Draco would never tell his mother about everything that went down with Blaise.
Blaise walks up to me with a smug look on his face, and I feel as if my feet are frozen to the ground. I can feel Draco's fist tighten around the fabric of my sweater.
"Jennifer, how have you been." Blaise says, reaching out his hand, and I swallow down some vomit.
"She's been fine." Draco says coldly, his voice stiff, as he pulls me toward the dining room, straight past Goyle, who's looking back at Draco with concern.
"Sit down." Draco says through clenched teeth as the rest of our company enters the dining room behind us.
I stare uncomfortably at my lap as Blaise takes a seat directly across from me. Draco's hand flies to my knee underneath the table.
"Draco, have you introduced your friends to Jennifer here?" Narcissa smiles, and I can feel Draco's grip on my knee tighten intensely. He nods, unable to say a word.
I look down at my lap, my breath hitched in my throat, unaware of the food being placed in front of me, and barely able to hear the conversation going on around me. It feels almost as if as I am listening in from another room; as if I'm not actually there.
"So, how have you two been doing over break?" Narcissa cheers, her hands folded neatly in her lap.
"Pre'y Good." Goyle says, his mouth stuffed full of food.
"Wonderfully." Blaise replies with a charming smile, and I can see Narcissa's heart melt. She has absolutely no idea. Blaise does pull off a great "good guy" persona, and I know that if anyone does, considering the fact that I fell for it less than 5 months ago.
"And school? I expect you two are both getting good marks." She smiles, urging them to answer.
Goyle looks at Blaise expectantly, and Blasie nods enthusiastically, leaving a satisfied look on Narcissa's face.
"You've met Jennifer, I assume?" Mrs. Malfoy questions as a group of house elves bring a few more platters out to the table. I bite the inside of my cheek so hard that I draw blood, my heart pounding. Even sitting a few feet away from Blaise draws vomit to my throat. "She's quite the young lady, from what Draco tells me."
"Oh, yes, of course. I hear all about her, every day." Blaise laughs, and Narcissa joins him. He shoots a mischievous wink my way while Narcissa is looking the other direction, and I look at Draco, panic stricken.
His eyes are closed, and he appears to be holding in his breath. His grip is extremely tight on my knee, his fingernails digging into my skin.
"Please excuse me for a moment, I'll be in the restroom." Blaise smiles, standing up and walking around the back of the table. As he approaches me, my heart skips a beat. His fingers gently graze the back of my neck, and his touch freezes me, bringing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand up straight.
Draco goes unnaturally still next to me, and I don't dare look at him. I am aware of the tremendous amount of anger he is holding back right now, and I don't want to add to the fire.
"You two are awfully quiet." Narcissa laughs, concern laced through her voice that is detectable from even across the table. Draco doesn't move an inch.
"Yeah." I say, the words coming out in the form of a squeak. I am not as good of an actor as Blaise.
"Alright then, well, I think I shall go ask the house elves about a second course. Do me a favor and inform your dear friend Blaise that dinner is not over yet, if he returns before I do." Narcissa says with a warm grin, and rushes out of the room in an excited hurry. I can tell she worked very hard to put all of this together, and it makes me feel very bad for her.
I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding in, and look at Draco, opening my mouth to whisper a few reassuring words to try and calm him down. After all, Blaise is only messing with me to infuriate him, and it's working. But I'm too late.
Draco slams his fist down on the table, shooting Goyle a murderous glare. "What the hell is this." He growls in a low voice, causing Goyle to jump back in his seat a little bit.
Goyle, a startled look plastered on his face, begins to open his mouth. "Hell, I don't know what's-"
Just then, Blaise walks back in, a smirk adorning his sharp features. As soon as his foot connects with the dark marble coating the dining room floor, Draco shoots out of his chair, sending the thing sliding back across the floor at least 15 feet. A horrible screeching noise fills the room as Draco storms over to Blaise, his fests clenched at his sides.
He slams Blaise against the wall, and I flinch.
"What the fuck do you think you're playing at. Don't fucking touch her, you hear me." Draco spits through gritted teeth, gripping Blaise's collar between his fingers so hard that his knuckles turn white with rage. The smirk that previously pulled at Blaise's face has dissolved. "Stay the fuck away from her, got it?"
Blaise pushes Draco off of him, dusting off his shoulder, and Draco raises a fist, his face white hot with anger. I let out a squeak of a plea, gripping the back of my chair. It's all I can manage.
Just then, Narcissa strolls back in, and the smile fades off of her face immediately as she sees what's happening in front of her. "Is everything okay, boys?"
"Fine." Blaise says, recovering quickly with a reassuring grin. Narcissa shrugs, and returns to her seat. While she's turned the other way, Draco throws Blaise a look that could set the entire room up in flames, and stiffly returns to his seat.
The tension in the room is palpable, and I can't handle it anymore.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Malfoy, but I think I'll have to be going now." I say, choking out my first few words a little bit. She tilts her head in confusion. "You see-" I stutter, trying to come up with a believable excuse on the spot, which I'm not known for. "-I didn't get much sleep last night, and I think I'd like to go to bed now."
"Oh, dear. Are you sure? We haven't even gotten to dessert yet." Narcissa said, disappointment ringing in her tone.
I nod my head, standing up quickly. "Yes. Thank you so much for dinner, it was delicious." I say, barely able to manage a weak smile. I hear her call goodnight over my shoulder, but I can't turn around. I'm praying, dying, to get out of that horrid room.
I stumble up to my bedroom, and shut the door behind me, making sure to lock it. I slide down against the frame of the door, my fingers trembling as they curl around my knees. My entire body is numb with shock, all from sitting only 4 feet away from the boy who attempted to violate me.
***
Draco's POV -
"Damnit, Jennifer! Please open the door!" I shout. No sound emits from the other side of the wall that separates us.
"Fuck!" I exclaim, pacing back and forth angrily across the hall. I've been trying to get her to let me in for ten minutes now, and she hasn't responded once, not even a single noise. I know she's in there, however, because the damn door is locked.
"Open the door, damnit. I know you're in there." I growl, my lips so close to the peephole that my breath fogs up the tiny area of glass. Nothing. I slam my fist against the wall in rage, another swear word escaping my lips.
"Mate, I don't think she's gonna let you in there." Goyle says, his voice quiet and laced with concern. Right, he's been standing behind me the entire time.
"Shut the fuck up, idiot." I say, clenching my fist at my side to control my need to slap him across the face.
"Just sayin..." He says shortly, his words trailing off. I shoot him another vile glare. He looks at me, raising his hands in the air, as if he's surrendering. "Hey, if she was my girl, and Blaise did that to her, I'd be pissed, too, man. I mean, fuck, she's hot as-"
I have him pressed to the wall before another word can leave his foul mouth, my wand pushing against his throat so hard that a few drops of blood blossom from the tip. His eyes are clouded with fear.
"Get the hell out of my house." I say, unable to control my fury.
He does.
***
I've been awake for hours now. I've tried to fall asleep, several times, but I can't even close my eyes. Where is Jennifer, and what the hell is she thinking?
I run a hand through my hair, and let out an involuntary sigh. My eyes are stinging; it's got to be at least 2:00 in the damn morning.
Just then, I hear soft footsteps outside of my room, and my doorknob clicks gently. The door slowly swings open. Jennifer is standing in the doorway. I sit up instantly, relief and concern pulsing through my body.
"Hey." She says quietly, looking at me, and then at her feet. She's wearing one of my shirts again.
"Where have you been?" I ask, my voice harsh.
"Couldn't sleep." She says, and to my dismay, walks over to the other side of my room, sitting down in the chair in front of my desk. "Are you okay?"
"No, I'm fine. Don't ask about me, hell, you're the one who you should be worrying about right now, if anyone." I say, leaning back against my pillow.
"He only did it to make you angry, you know that, right?" She asks, looking up at me from her lap.
I nod, sighing. "Well, it fucking worked."
"I know." She responds softly, rubbing her forearm. She looks as if something is picking at the back of her mind. It better not be another one of her damn stupid questions. "Why didn't you come in, earlier today? You know, to my room."
I look up at her in disbelief. "Jen, I'm not Blaise. The damn door was locked, I wasn't just going to bust in like I owned the place."
"Oh." She says, and I can tell I've only put more questions into her head. "You kind of do, though."
"Hey." I say suddenly, and she looks up at me, as if to respond. "C'mere."
"Hm?" She questions, apparently confused.
"C'mere." I say, more insistently this time, reaching out my hand and motioning her over to the bed.
She looks down, trying to conceal a smile, and stands up off of the chair, beginning to pad towards me.
The bed slightly sinks down next to me as she falls down by my side. "You're a better guy than you give yourself credit for, y'know that?" She says, and rests her head on my shoulder.
I stay quiet, and pull her to my side. I can practically feel my dark Mark burning beneath my shirt.
If only she knew.
****
Thanks so much for your patience with me! Hope you enjoyed! See you all soon :)