Madam Pomfrey refused to let Draco leave the next day, waking me up at 7 to go back to the dungeons to get ready for classes.
The day dragged by, my fatigue not helping. The only class that piqued my interest even slightly that day was potions, Slughorn had placed a cauldron of Amortentia at the top of the classroom and we all had gotten a chance to go up and smell what attracted us most. Ryan said hers was parchment, lavender and freshly mowed grass. When I went up it was weirdly familiar, the smell after of rain, autumn leaves and mint. I wondered what was so familiar about it but I couldn't quite place it.
At lunch Blaise, Ryan, Pansy all went up to Draco who was in a mood and told them to leave before they could say hi.
"I think he was pissed that Madam Pomfrey's making him stay another night," explained Blaise.
I had skipped out on that visit because I knew Draco had seen enough of me in these past 24 hours, outdoing his quota of Fiadh hours.
But Draco was back in fine form the next day and by fine form I mean back to his usual mean ways. I was greeted with, "What're you looking at, Rose?"
"Nice to see you too, Malfoy."
It almost seemed like Draco had forgotten about everything we'd nearly talked about. Everything was back to normal. Or at least, that's how it seemed.
A couple of weeks later Blaise, Malfoy, Pansy, Ryan and I had taken over the Slytherin common room to work on a six page essay Professor Snape had given us. None of us were happy about the length especially since it had been Potter who had had the length extended by arguing with Snape in class.
"What're you writing for why the Merpeople rejected the status of full beings?" Pansy asked Ryan, peering over her shoulder but Ryan's parchment was blank.
"I have literally no idea what is going on in that class," she laughed opening her text book and searching for anything that would help.
"Snape must really hate us for this essay," Blaise groaned as he threw his second draft of his opening paragraph into the flames.
I glanced up at the clock on the wall, 11pm already and we had a combined one roll of parchment written between us.
"It's not due until next week and we've double potions in the morning, I say we sleep on it and come back and try tomorrow," I suggested, slamming my DADA textbook shut, enforcing my stance on the issue.
We all shuffled back to our dorms, cursing Snape and falling into bed. But I couldn't sleep. I don't know what it was because my brain had been crying out for sleep all day and now I was finally in bed it had seemed to have a new lease on life. I tossed and turned but to no avail. I sighed, annoyed with myself and went into the common room to try get a bit of the dratted essay done. As my luck would have it, I entered the common room just as I saw Draco leaving the dorms.
What the hell was he doing? I internally screamed. This boy was trying so hard to get expelled, sneaking off at midnight, duelling with Potter. I knew I had to follow him, my curiosity was too much, but I really, really didn't want to. Making sure I had my wand, I headed out of the common room.
I waited at the blank wall, urging it to opened up. I spotted Draco rounding a corridor just down the hall as I stepped out and I quickly took to followed him. I expected he was heading to the Room of Requirement but took a different turn, we were now heading towards the teacher's rooms. I frowned, what the hell? I noticed Draco had some sort of parcel in his hand, was he delivering a present...? Who would he even be gifting, especially at this time at night?
Draco came to a sudden stop in the corridor adjacent to the Professor's wing and if I had been paying attention I wouldn't have made my biggest mistake yet. I walked right into him, I was really off my game tonight, huh?
Draco spun around, nearly dropping whatever he had in his hand.
"Stalking me now, is it, Rose?" he said, raising his eyebrows.
"What the hell are you doing Draco? Delivering presents? Didn't you get the memo? Christmas over."
He scowled, "Rose you are getting on my last nerves. I am not your dog, you don't need to follow me all the time. Frankly ,it's getting fucking annoying."
"Well where would you be now if I hadn't turned up at the bathrooms?" I hissed.
"You probably lead Potter to me, ever think of that?"
I frowned at him, he was gripping that parcel awfully tight.
"You're an ungrateful weasel," I spat, "If it wasn't for me, you'd be dead."
"If it wasn't for you I'd be absolutely fine, Rose. You've no idea what I'm capable of."
I smirked, "What? Like using Unforgivable Curses?"
He took a step towards me, leaving little room between us.
"I would've used it on Potter and I won't hesitate to use it on you, Rose, if you don't leave me the hell alone."
Without thinking I reached for the package in his hands, he wasn't expecting it and I easily wheedled it out of his hands. He darted towards me snatching at the parcel pushing me with such forced the parcel was knocked from my hands, smashing to the ground.
"You've gone and done it now, Rose, you absolute idiot!" he whisper yelled, closing the space between us
I could smell him now he was so close. It occurred to me that I had never actually been this close to Draco before. He smelled like ... rain... and was that... autumn leaves. I shivered, I must've made that up, no one smells like that.
"Go on then Malfoy, show me how evil you really are," I muttered.
He blinked, looking confused that I was actually pushing him to use it, I could see in his eyes that he wouldn't.
I put my face up to his, "See, you're not that evil are you?"
"Don't test me, Rose," he growled, so close I could feel his breath. Mint.
"Go on," I muttered, "do it."
He raised his wand, I knew he wouldn't do it but my heart was beating so hard, adrenaline flowing through me. He jabbed the wand up under my chin, his breathing becoming heavy now.
"I know you want to," I whispered.
"You dirty little-"
"Mr Malfoy, Ms Rose, what on earth are you doing out of bed?" Draco dropped his wand quickly so Professor McGonagall didn't see what he was about to do. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.
"Professor we were just heading back to the dorms now," I said, slightly out of breath.
"I would hope so, I would hope you wouldn't be off on some night time gallivant." The professor was dressed in her dressing gown, clearly we had woken her up, making her mood 10 times worse.
"20 points each from Slytherin and detention with me on Saturday."
"Professor McGonagall, next Saturday-"
"Is the first Quidditch match of the year, yes I'm very aware, Mr Malfoy. It is unfortunate that your own stupid decisions would end you up in such a predicament." She raised her eyebrows, arms crossed tightly across her body.
"Now back to bed the both of you."
We did as we were told, neither of us speaking all the way back.
I collapsed into my bed, not able to get my mind off Draco's breath on my face, our closeness, the adrenaline that pumped through my body. It was something I had never felt before and I hated to admit it but I craved more.
Malfoy managed to avoid me successfully for the next few days leading up to our detention. I had seen him once, begging Snape to do something about his detention but the moment he ran off.
Ryan had asked me many times if Draco seemed off to me but I'd shrugged it off saying he was probably stressed over classes. This didn't satisfy her but she had other things to worry about now, such as Hermione. Your best friend's attention being divided so many ways might have annoyed any other person, but not me. I was busy thinking back to the midnight confrontation and trying to do the many essays that were now piling up on us that I was glad to not have any extra attention on me, examining anything that may have seemed out of the ordinary.
On Saturday McGonagall walked up to me at Breakfast, Malfoy in toe and gestured for me to follow her. We silently followed her down to the potions classroom where she had laid out all the school's cauldrons.
"You will clean these cauldrons - no magic - until they shine. Is that clear?" McGonagall said sharply.
We both nodded and watched as she left, her Gryffindor scarf indicating that she was on her way to watch the match.
"How do you suggest we go about this?" Draco asked, gesturing towards the pots.
I shrugged, "I don't come from a muggle family, remember? But we probably use these sponges?" I picked up a bucket off the floor, full of different kinds of sponges.
"This is bullshit, we aren't dirty muggles, we should be allowed use magic," Draco snarled disgusted by the thought of being anything like a muggle.
"Well we wouldn't be here if you didn't try use an Unforgivable Curse on me," I mocked, picking up a sponge and picking a cauldron to start on.
"We wouldn't be here if you hadn't followed me, I had it under control."
I rolled my eyes, "Start cleaning a cauldron, will you?"
He scowled, reluctantly taking a sponge. I set about filling a bucket full of hot water, removing my jumper and rolling up my shirtsleeves. Draco refused to roll up his sleeves, allowing his shirt to get soaked in the water.
We cleaned in silence for a while before he broke it.
"Why're you so obsessed with knowing what I'm doing anyway?"
I looked away, trying to hide my red cheeks.
"I'm not, I just don't need anymore drama like the bathroom."
"You're always just there, waiting in the background. Don't you get bored? Don't you have anything else to do?"
My head snapped around, "I do not just wait around and follow you like some... puppy dog. I have other things going on." I said, defensively.
"Like Potter? Like Casey? Oh, I forgot, they both dropped you for other girls," he said, not even looking up from the cauldron he was scrubbing.
Before I knew what I was doing I was over beside him, wand drawn.
"Say that again, Malfoy."
He looked me up and down, laughing, "You think I'm scared of you, Rose? You don't think I've faced darker things than a Hogwarts student?"
"You don't know what I'm capable of, Draco."
He stood up now, drawing his own wand now.
I took a step back as he smirked in my face.
"You're not as evil as you think you are, Malfoy."
"Really?" He said, closing the space between us placing his wand under my chin again, looking me dead in the eyes.
"No, I know you're good; deep, deep down."
"Is that so?" he said softly. I couldn't help but glance down at his lips. Why the hell did I want to kiss him? I hated him but I couldn't stop myself.
He shoved his wand harder into my chin, making me look up at him.
"You've no idea." Then, without hesitation, he kissed me. I don't know what I was expecting but kissing Draco Malfoy had not been on my to do list. His kiss wasn't soft and gentle like any of the boys in Beauxbatons but strong, anger fuelling the kiss, his wand staying right under my chin as he pushed me backwards against a table. There would be a bruise tomorrow, not that I was complaining. He started kissing down my neck, his hands on my thighs, his cold rings giving me shivers.
But it didn't get any further because suddenly we heard footsteps coming down towards the dungeon. I pushed Malfoy away and scrambled over to the cauldron I'd been scrubbing and tried to look busy.
Professor Flitwick walked in, a pile of parchment floating behind him.
"Ah Mr Malfoy, Ms Rose, I've come to supervise your detention," he squeaked, plodding up to the desk at the top of the classroom.
I sighed in frustration, careful not to let him hear. He settled himself and I forced myself to concentrate on the task, not daring to look at Malfoy for the rest of the time we spent cleaning.