A.N: Still dedicated to all my dedicated readers and Draco lovers. I won't bore you with a long A.N in the start (there's a long one attached in the end), please enjoy the chapter! I promise next one will only get better. :D
Chapter 31
Draco:
"Do you know the next Hogmeade excursion date is also Valentine's Day?" Blaise said on Monday morning as I sat trying to style my hair with some Sleekeasy's potion that my mother had sent with me to school. Apparently my hair is getting too unruly these days.
"And what should I do with that titbit?" I asked, settling some flyways down.
"Well, now that Carina is officially your 'Girlfriend' I thought you might like to know that little titbit." Zabini said, giving me an incredulous face when I didn't respond.
"Alright." I murmured, finally satisfied with the outcome and turned to gesture the two of us out for breakfast.
"Why won't you look at least a little happy about the Hogsmeade visit?" Blaise asked after he told me about all the things I could do with Carina on the said visit, descriptions of which involved a tea shop.
A tea shop.
I wanted to bang his head on the wall.
Did he honestly think Carina and I will be sipping tea in a stuffy place with almost half the school present?
"Because I can go out on a limb and say I know my girlfriend, Zabini." I responded as I finally saw Great Hall in sight, "And as much as I would hope you and your little Ravenclaw enjoy it, that is precisely how much Carina would hate it."
"How do you know?" Blaise asked suspiciously as we crossed over to the Slytherin table, "Maybe she is a romantic at heart."
"Always need proof, don't you?" I teased, then walked over the few feet that separated me from Carina and dropped a kiss on her forehead, before taking my seat next to her.
A very unhappy face greeted me, "What have you done to your hair?"
"I tamed it." I replied, looking around to see if anyone else was looking at me funnily, some were. But I wasn't sure if they were looking at my hair or the newly publicised affection for my newly enemy-turned-girlfriend.
"No." Carina said, very empathetically, as she leaned closer to put both her hands up and thoroughly ruined the 20 minutes I wasted on this attempt. "Your hair looked like it was one with your pale face. And I would very much like to be seen with someone who has hair and not a shining bald scalp."
I sighed, brushing a few strands out of my eyes and I fixed my gaze on Zabini, "Romantic at heart, you said?"
Blaise's resounding laughter caught the attention of almost the entire Great Hall.
All except the dark haired girl, who sat studiously avoiding him, looking into her breakfast like it was made of gold.
I nudged Carina at Pansy's glum direction as Daphne admonished Blaise for being so loud so early in the morning on a Monday.
"We need to do something." I murmured into Care's ear as she smiled, her hand slipping into mine under the table as she finished a finger sandwich, "Why do you look so happy?"
"That's because I already have a plan." She replied, then leaned into give me a peck on the cheek as she got up, "Say Pansy, there's a sweet man called Roger Davies who was looking for you this morning."
Every single eye within earshot turned to Carina, their pupils bulging out of their sockets, and with the look I sneaked at Blaise's some also positively, ashen.
"What?"
"You know Roger, don't you?" my girlfriend asked, looking adorably confused as she pursed her lips. Pansy nodded slowly, her expression giving away the fact that she had absolutely no idea how to react to this information. "Well, that's swell, because he wanted to ask you something about the upcoming Hogsmeade visit?"
Pansy's face reddened like a tomato, as she rushed up, mumbled an excuse and fled, leaving the lot of us looking after her wake, especially someone who knew what the next Hogsmeade visit would bring.
"Isn't the next visit on Valentine's day?" Daphne asked, as we went back to breakfast, and Carina nodded smiling at the way Blaise now channelled Pansy's glum.
I sighed internally, realising maybe I didn't know my girlfriend that well after all.
*
I want to say it's amazing now that I'm finally able to snog Carina in public whenever I want, but looking at the pile of homework that stared back at me that night, I was seriously doubting this seemingly 'amazing' decision.
"You should really learn to manage your time better." Blaise commented and I threw a piece of balled up parchment on him, shouldn't he be more worried about losing Pansy?
"There you are!" Carina's voice floated over as we both looked up to see a grinning brunette make her way to us, she looked so happy today, I was almost tempted to kiss her again.
"Here we are!" Blaise said with fake enthusiasm, gesturing at the mound of homework we were submerged with.
"Pansy just met Roger," she said as she came to sit behind me on the sofa, swinging her legs on either side of my face and over my shoulders, her hands going to rest in my hair, "She seems ecstatic, if I do say so myself."
"Ecstatic?" Blaise echoed, homework now forgotten.
"Yes." Carina replied, "It means happy?"
Irritation immediately clouded Blaise's face, the firelight making it seem far graver than it usually is, "I know what it means, Hadley." He snapped, "I'm just wondering why."
"Well, she has been seeing him." Carina said slowly and I bit my lip from smiling at her coyness, this girl never really ceases to surprise me. "The late night sneaking out, messy hair, quiet blushes, I'm sure she likes him."
Zabini looked away.
"I'm just glad he finally grew a pair and decided to approach her," Carina continued, slowly massaging my scalp now, "It was getting tedious seeing Pansy be so distressed about his hesitance."
"What do you mean?"
"Oh, Pansy didn't tell you?" I cut in, feeling Carina's hands stop, "She said something about the guy she has been seeing be too boneheaded to realise that they would be great together."
Carina's hands resumed and I felt her breath on my ear then, "Bulls-eye" she murmured into my ear and then said out loud, "You should add the point where transfiguring a mouse is easier when the mouse is dead, in your essay."
I smiled at Blaise who looked like he had been punched in the gut, then tilted my head up at my lovely girlfriend and finally stole a kiss.
"Excuse me." A deep voice said and we broke apart to see Blaise collecting his stuff in a hurry.
"Sorry, we'll stop." I offered, although seeing as Carina winked at me, I doubted that was going to happen.
"No no." Blaise said, not even looking up as he zipped his bag, "By all means, continue I just realised I was supposed to be somewhere."
With that he was gone before either of us get another word in.
"Well, I honestly hope this works, I can't stand this petulance anymore." I offered, patting my lap for Carina to get on.
Her thoughtful expression greeted me, "Do you think we were like this?"
"No."
She laughed into our kiss, but right as I tried to bite her lip to change it into something better than a peck, she pulled back.
"You have homework." She reminded me, "Your father will have my head if I'm the reason, your grades slip."
I laughed, pecking her cheek, as I picked up a book to hand over, "Well we can't have that now, can we?" I mumbled then pulled her tight against me as she settled with her head overlooking my shoulder, the book I'm sure now open on the couch my back rested on, she always has been very good at finding reading positions, "Especially since he wrote to me saying how proud he was of this development."
"WHAT?"
"What can I say, Hadley?" I whispered, our faces inches from each other, "You know how to impress the Malfoys."
*
"Well, what do you know?" I murmured as I sorted through my letters, seeing one neatly addressed to my girlfriend in what can only be my mother's handwriting. "Have you seen Carina?" I asked Daphne as we exited the Great Hall with our letters and packages and she looked up at my face, offended.
"Wasn't she with you?" she asked, somewhat accusingly, but I'm going to let that slide for more important reasons right now.
"If she was, do you think I'll would be asking?" I asked in a bored tone, then sighed as I made my way to class, I was bound to run into her anyway.
Turns out, it wasn't until the end of the day that my girlfriend finally decided to act like I existed, looking obviously peeved out she took the only seat available next to me on the Commons couch and pouted at my winsome grin.
"What?" she asked, looing pointedly away from the open invitation I'm sure my eyes gave out, "I've had a long day."
I pursed my lips at her stubbornness, "I conceded to that, however I would like to know why I haven't even gotten as much as a kiss all day?"
She sighed, leaning forward to brush her lips against my jaw and was on her way to pull away as soon as it was done but I grabbed her waist, pulling her half onto my lap letting her fall against my chest with a pout, "You've taken to pouting today." I mused, immediately seeing her banish it away, "That's a shame" I amended, "I quite liked it."
"Oi!" a deep voice drawled behind us and I looked back to see a grinning Blaise sauntering to us, "I thought I would find you two here."
"What is it?" Carina asked tersely, looking annoyed at the interruption. I rolled my eyes, "Where is Daphne?"
"Daphne has been scouring the entire school for you." Zabini said as he took a seat on the opposite armchair, "Where have you been?"
Her shoulder jammed against mine as she went to shrug mumbling a small, "Just about."
If that doesn't cause alarm bells to go off in my head nothing else will. A warm hand pressed against my chest, curling around my pounding heart, as if she knew I went into overdrive on that response, but it wasn't calming, if anything her proximity always invoked a drum solo competition.
"The Inquisitional Squad!" Pansy said with flourish as she came up then, a triumphant grin on her face. "I have finally done it!"
You'd think she and Blaise finally made up but seeing her take the seat farthest away him made me reconsider, "The what now?" I asked, trying to speed up this process and understand what else can cause Pansy mind-numbing happiness.
"Remember the squad I was coaxing Umbridge to make?"
"You mean a way to laud over the Gryffindorks?" Carina supplied, and my eyebrows shot up.
The last time Pansy spoke about this was way before Christmas and to say I had completely forgotten about this little detail. Funny, a messed up family can do wonders.
"Not just Gryffindumbs!" she said, then turned around to wave, just in time to see Daphne stumble her way to us, obviously looking tired on her feet.
"So go on, tell us more." I urged, my interest spiking as I thought of all the ways I could take revenge on the Golden Trio.
"So I tried to convince her to appoint new Prefects at first, with most of them being Slytherin, however she had something much more conniving in mind." Pansy said, conversationally as Daphne took a seat next to her, looking at us with a small smile, "So there you have it the Inquisitional Squad!"
The warm fingers that were tracing imaginary patterns on my chest, stilled at her explanation.
"Move along, Parkinson." I said, adjusting Carina on my lap more securely, lest she decided to dash, "What else are you not telling us?"
Pansy sighed and I saw Blaise's hands move automatically until they stopped mid-air, looking quite comical, until he realised it a split second later and lowered them. I had previously hoped that Carina's innocuous plan about involving Roger Davies would help these two get on the right track, but after that exchange seems like these two have embraced splitsville, wholeheartedly.
"Well there's an added problem where she wants people from all houses." Pansy amended and I sighed, "She thinks it will look horribly biased otherwise."
"I thought it was supposed to look horribly biased." Carina spoke up, burrowing into me deeper as all eyes turned to us.
Pansy cocked her head to the side, "It's really going to take a lot of getting used to."
"I bet." I mumbled, but wrapped my remaining arm around Carina's waist, clasping it with the one her back, "So is that it?"
"I guess, yes." Pansy said, falling back into the couch, "We are all going to be a part of this right?"
"Hell yeah." Blaise said, smirking as he looked at something far away and I nudged Carina's head in that direction.
"Your little plan didn't work as well, darling." I whispered in her ear, smirking in satisfaction when she shivered lightly against me.
"Ew, you guys, at least control it when were are around." Daphne said, speaking up for the first time, then she stood, shaking her head I'm sure after a look from Carina. "Fine, I'll leave."
"Goodnight Greengrass." I offered, much more content as Pansy and Blaise took their leave after her.
"You think Daphne's lonely?" Carina asked, pulling apart to face me, a forlorn expression on her face.
"What makes you say that?"
"Well now that you and I spend most of our time together and with Pansy and Blaise off figuring their own problems, I think she is having a hard time." This time her pout seemed genuine.
I pulled her protruding lips in for a small kiss, humming in satisfaction at finally getting the chance to do so. "I think you worry too much." I mumbled before going on to drop small kisses over her jaw.
She shrugged, tilting her head to give me better access to her neck, "What are you going to do about it?" she murmured and then moaned very softly as I finally reached her pulse, a very responsive part of her anatomy, which in my little experience renders her quite thoughtless and worriless.
"Well Darling," I said, watching as a lazy grin lit her face, "Kiss you senseless of course."
*
Looking at Blaise's frankly prissy mood was getting to all of us, something Nott was very vocal about and for the life of me I couldn't figure out why someone wanted to block their own happiness, but to each his own.
Definitely dismayed I surveyed the Slytherin table as I took a seat next to my girlfriend who was having a rather heated whisper argument with Daphne and by the stealthy glances thrown across the table at Parkinson it didn't take long for me to figure out what they were arguing about.
Okay, that's it. Time to take matters into my own hands, If only I can have Carina's undivided attention at least. She's spoken about nothing else since this debacle started. Its time I ended it once and for all.
"Good morning, love." I mumbled, distracting the dark-haired siren for one hot second to give her a chaste kiss. Only half a smile greeted me back. I sighed, cocking my head in Pansy's desolate direction and whispered, "Why don't you three sit with Astoria this morning? I'll talk to Blaise."
She smiled, slighter brighter and some part of me warmed at the aspect. Carina and Pansy have had their differences but it has always been over the fact that Pansy liked to gossip too much and Carina couldn't be bothered, but to see her genuinely caring for her has been a first.
"Where is everyone going?" Blaise questioned just as my girlfriend vacated the seat next to me, looking dumbfounded as the three of them took their seats near Astoria and Millicent. I could almost hear Carina's rolling her eyes at the warm, squealing reception.
"Away from you Zabini." I answered, and watched as his face fell, before he recovered it, and turned his now questioning eyes at me.
"Why?"
"I think you know." I offered, tilting my head at Pansy's direction.
His face tightened, "You are really full of it." He murmured going back to his long forgotten breakfast, "We are just fighting that's something you should know about."
"You are breaking Pansy's heart." I stated, narrowing my eyes at his blank face. "And I would like to know why."
"There is nothing between Pansy and me." He answered, squaring his broad shoulders and levelling me with a withering look. "Stop gossiping."
"It's not gossiping if it's true." I replied, somewhat testily at his daftness, "This has gone too far now, and frankly is getting a little annoying."
"Fine." He relented, sighing as he went on, "I don't wish to be with Pansy, that's all."
"Sure, let's go with that." I murmured sceptically, making sure he saw the disbelief on my face, "And why is that?"
Blaise sighed again, sneaking a quick glance at the girls before he levelled me with his sober gaze, "You know who my mother is Draco, and I don't think this should really be surprising you."
"Humour me."
He faltered, "Well, my mother loves love. She loves being loved and loving someone." He stopped, exhaled and looked up at the enchanted ceiling seemingly to gather strength, I took the distraction to shoot a look at my girlfriend, who was quite frankly trying to lip read the conversation we were having instead of having breakfast. I motioned at the plate in front of me, to which she just scoffed, but spooned in a little bit of porridge. "Mum thinks love is exciting, and ever-growing and a stellar adventure. For her it's the thing that gives her life meaning and that's probably the reason why the minute it gets boring, stagnant, or a routine she bails."
I exhaled slowly, turns out Blaise has been thinking a lot more than we gave him credit for.
"Where does Pansy come in here, mate?" I asked softly, hoping to get to the bottom of this at least.
He looked at me like I was crazy, "Don't you see?" he asked, flabbergasted at my total nonchalance at his mother's love life apparently, "What if that happens with Pansy?"
I raised an eyebrow at his enunciation, "That you'll get bored of Pansy and leave her?"
He nodded looking stricken and I sighed.
"Blaise, I don't think this is the healthiest decision for either of you." I started slowly, trying to gauge if he was following me, "Your mother has her own life and experiences, whereas you are a different person with maybe an affinity to different ways and behaviours."
And I lost him.
"Fine." I conceded, "In words you'll understand then. Blaise you are still in school, love is a very big word especially at our age when we don't even understand it fully. And when it comes to the thing with Pansy, how will you ever know if you will get bored with her if you don't even give it a chance?"
He blanched at my statement, "So you are saying that we don't know what love is?" he echoed then his gaze turned to the direction my girlfriend sat in, looking at us like we were putting on a show, she gave us a tight smile when she saw us both turn in her direction. "Does she know that?" Blaise continued, then shook his head, abandoning his plate and standing up. "I appreciate the advice Malfoy, but I think I can handle this on my own."
I almost groaned at loud at how useless this conversation has been.
Fantastic. Zabini is now going to blabber about this foreign concept to my girlfriend and inadvertently put me on the spot.
How do I know, you ask?
Call it a hunch.
*
That hunch became a prophecy and a reality soon after.
Carina cornered me just after class as I was making my Prefect rounds, looking awfully angry and I sighed, "Evening, love." I murmured, yanking her arm as I ensconced us into an empty classroom. If only to keep our dirty laundry, private.
"Malfoy, I gave you one job!" she fumed, pushing me away as soon as I shut the door and crossed her arms under her chest, her tell-tale sign of shutting off, she was angry and even though I've had the entire day to come up with a proper answer, I realised, the entire English language cannot string together a perfect cohesive sentence that will ever help me with my current predicament.
"I tried." I ventured, "You should have heard him, Rina. He's gone bonkers."
A perfectly arched eyebrow met my reply, "And you went ahead and told him he's stupid?"
"What?"
She scoffed at my face, throwing her arms in the air, apparently frustrated?
"Draco." She said, shooting me daggers, "Blaise opened up to you, bared his insecurities and you essentially told him he didn't understand what was going on with him?"
"That's what you're mad at?" I spluttered out, oddly thankful, she knitted her eyebrows.
"Yes, obviously." She ground out, coming closer now, "What did you think I was mad about?"
I shrugged, "Doesn't matter." I dismissed, "Point is now that we know exactly what is wrong we can work together."
"Nope." She said, coming within touching distance and I took advantage of that fact immediately, I needed to hit her calming point before she blew up and I was in no fit state to take care of a Hadley shaped explosion. "We are not doing to anything."
"Why not?"
"Because I already fixed it no thanks to you." She mumbled, then sighed as my arms started rubbing soothing circles on her back. "You're really awful at conflict."
I laughed and swooped my head down to plant a lingering kiss on her cheek, breathing her in, orange shampoo and flowery perfume.
"Don't, Dray." She whispered, her hands landing on my chest but did nothing to push me away, so I smirked at her closed eyes, kissing her neck softly. "Please."
"Why?" I breathed into her ear, as she tried and failed to not groan against my hold, it was hilarious how she was failing.
She exhaled deeply, then barely pushed me away and said, "I have homework." Looking highly flustered she had almost turned around to leave when I caught her wrist, a new recognition gleaming in my eyes.
"Rina, did you meet Granger yesterday?" she stiffened immediately, the retort she was going to fire at my manhandling now dying a rapid death. She can lie all she wants but her eyes have always given her away, that and her nostrils flare. "Don't you dare deny it."
She stared at me with guarded eyes for a bit until I saw all the fight level her face, and she slumped shaking her head, "I ran into her and Weasel."
"And?" I prompted, pulling her closer to me, brushing her hair away from her face so that I could look at her properly, "He said a few hateful things."
"And?" I pressed, there's something more here, I just know it.
"And Hermione agreed." She mumbled, trying to look away from my heated gaze. Anger hot and hungry flared through me, instantly making my skin prickle. I've always hated their friendship but at least that has always given me the assurance that Granger will never be a danger to her.
"I won't say I'm sorry, Rina." I ground out and forced myself to take a deep breath as I buried her face in my chest, stroking her hair softly, "But I think it's high time you stopped hoping that this friendship will mend itself."
Hot palms went up and down my back at my sentence and I planted a soft kiss into her hair, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you this yesterday." Her muffled voice said to my shirt and I immediately lifted her face up to mine, eyes flashing.
"Don't apologise for getting hurt, Darling." I rasped, "I'm just glad you didn't do something dumb and broke up with me."
She smiled, rolling her eyes at my words, "I'm afraid you're stuck with me, Malfoy."
"Won't have it any other way, love." I said, sounding as resolute as I felt as warm lips claimed mine, barely giving me a second to recover before Carina's tongue invaded my mouth, needy, hot and absolutely capable of melting all remaining anger I had at this revelation.
"Someone's all eager now, are we?" I murmured as I continued kissing down her throat, she responded by painfully yanking my hair back enough to elicit a deep groan from me.
**
A.N: Happy Quarantine people! I'm sorry I haven't updated this story in a long time, but a new job and extra studying sometimes takes up my time.
Needless to say, I've only just recently read through all the lovely comments and messages you all have sent me and reading how much you all love my writing really, really, truly, spectacularly makes my day, month, year and probably life. But please know I will not be giving up on this book, I've had this story in mind for years and I will make it a point to see it through. Thankyou so very much for all the love and patience. <3