ELARA HATED HERSELF.
She had always prided herself on being a rather confident individual, although she had her insecurities.
But following her realisation that she had exhibited absolutely zero self control around Draco, she dove into a chasm of self-loathing.
Over a month ago, he'd told her he never wanted to speak to her again. He'd used an Unforgivable Curse on Harry, had lashed out at her and called her names, hurt her feelings just because he was - jealous.
And she had let him do whatever he wanted to her a few nights ago in his room.
How could she have let him get away with it? Without any consequences for the things he'd said to her before?
Yet, no matter how wrong she knew it was, her mind kept replaying it.
His groans low in her ear, the sensation of his body moving against hers, his hands cold and rings biting into her skin -
And his voice.
The way it had rasped in her ear - the words he'd said.
She was all he had.
She remembered the way he'd looked above her, his eyes clouded over due to lust and alcohol, his soft hair tousled as his chest heaved against hers.
And she'd wanted him so bad, it was unbelievable.
Was she really that desperate?
" - Miss Jacobs here duel with Mr. Banks while I go attend to some business."
Elara stiffened, jolted out of her thoughts by Snape's bored voice.
The class was on their feet, crowded around Millicent Bulstrode and Padma Patil who had just finished dueling each other.
Elara's stomach sank. She had to duel with Stuart?
She hadn't even known Snape had noticed their falling out - if he had, that was borderline creepy and kind of sick.
But she didn't dare speak up in the middle of class and instead, moved into the middle of the classroom as Stuart did the same.
He didn't look very happy about this either - the scowl on his face was telltale enough.
The students began to murmur, placing harmless bets on who would win.
Elara caught a movement by the doorway, slid her eyes over to see Draco leaning against the frame, his arms crossed over his chest, shoulders relaxed.
He was taller than anyone else in class and so she had a clear view of him, despite him being all the way at the back, separate from the others.
His eyes bore into hers before dragging up and down her body, the beginning of a smirk on his lips, and she glanced away, focusing back onto Stuart who was getting into dueling position.
"Bow, Banks," Snape ordered and Stuart gritted his teeth. Both Elara and him bowed.
"Only Expelliarmuses. Begin." With that, Snape turned on his heel and exited the room, for whatever business he had to attend to.
Stuart's hand slashed through the air but Elara blocked his spell, easily, sending two conescutive ones spiralling at his side.
He barely managed to dodge both but came back with a ferocity she hadn't seen before, his movements quick and sharp. Elara ducked, countered another and sent one at his feet.
It barely grazed his shoes, exploding with a pop, and Stuart jumped back.
Elara took the opportunity and flicked her wand, sending an Expelliarmus his way. He swiveled off balance, falling to his knees on the ground to dodge it and sent one her way.
She batted it away, almost bored, and countered another one.
Draco was watching her - she could feel his eyes on her the entire time but had refused to look up at him, her eyes fixed on her opponent.
And when she sent three consecutive spells rapid-fire towards Stuart in a way only Draco had taught her, she couldn't resist catching his eye.
He was smiling, a slow, lazy grin on his lips, and he raised his eyebrows at her, his tongue running along his teeth.
Elara faltered. And it only took that one second for Stuart to jump to his feet and send a spell at her.
She knew she'd lost as soon as she saw it coming towards her but hadn't expected the burning sensation that spread through her shoulder where the hex hit her.
She gasped in pain, falling to her knees, her head spinning, just as Draco pushed off the wall.
They weren't supposed to use any other spell except for Expelliarmus.
And the burn that was now fading in her shoulder was definitely not an Expelliarmus.
The next spell was though and her wand went skittering out of her hand as the students around them hushed in stunned silence.
Elara saw the crowd suddenly part and caught Draco's tall frame striding towards them.
His expression was murderous as he drew his wand and she scrambled to her feet, throwing herself in front of him.
"Move."
Elara tried to ignore the dozen pairs of eyes on them. "It's my duel, Malfoy. Not your turn yet."
She sent him a look that told him to back off and his jaw clenched, his eyes sliding over to Stuart who was standing behind her.
Is he fucking insane?
Everyone would gossip about this - about how Draco Malfoy had come to Elara's defense.
"I said," Elara ground out under her breath. "Wait your turn."
Draco looked back down at her, disdainfully, before scoffing and pocketing his wand.
He turned and disappeared, the crowd scuttling apart, as he strode through, relaxed and nonchalant.
"You lose, Jacobs," drawled Stuart.
Elara turned to find him holding her wand out to her. She took it, cautiously.
"You did well," she told him before turning and pushing her way through the crowd, her shoulder still aching.
Elara sprinted after Draco, finding him about to turn the corner of the dungeon corridor and grabbed his arm.
"What the fuck was that, Malfoy?" she hissed, jerking him back.
He was unfazed, shrugging her off and continuing his rapid pace. "Go back to class."
"No!" She jogged to keep up with his long strides before swerving in front of him to stop him. "You almost exposed us -"
"Us?" he demanded, narrowing his eyes at her.
"You! Whatever!" Elara said, frustrated. She glanced around at the looks a nearby group of first years were giving her and seized his arms again, dragging him into an empty classroom and slamming the door behind them. "Do you know what people are going to say?"
"Why the fuck should I care?" Draco hissed back, rubbing his arm where her nails had dug in. He stood with his back to the door as Elara paced in front of him.
"Draco Malfoy tries to save Elara Jacobs," she spat, bitterly. "Are you fucking insane? People are going to think there's something going on -"
"Well, there's nothing going on so you don't have to fucking worry about being seen with me."
"None of this would've happened - Wait, what?" Elara gaped at him before shaking her head.
He looked at her, emotionless. "It's pretty obvious."
Elara laughed, picking up a coin on the desk and then chucking it at him. He caught it without a glance. "You're the one who's so fucking touchy about being seen with me!" she protested, folding her arms across her chest.
"I don't have time for this, Jacobs," Draco rolled his eyes and grasped the doorknob behind him.
"No!" She whipped out her wand and shot a spell at the doorknob, making it heat up. Draco hissed in pain, dropped his hand.
"You little witch," he hissed and she looked at him. He was glaring at her, his silver eyes dangerous, his jaw tight.
"You think people aren't going to talk? You don't realise that just by you coming to my defense, people are going to make up rumours and -"
"Why do you fucking care?" Draco threw up his hands, let them drop back to his side. "No one's going to truly believe you're fucking a Death Eater's son."
Elara's breath hitched in her throat. That tragic look in his eyes was back.
But she wouldn't fall for it. She would not hold him and whisper to him how he was not his father. She would not kiss away his pains.
Not after everything he'd said that night in the infirmary.
"They better not," she hissed, stepping closer, her dark eyes flashing. "Or I'll make you pay. That's a promise."
She reached for the door knob.
His hand shot out, grabbed her arm and he pulled her close, his lips to her ear. "Don't fucking play with me, Elara. I can make your life miserable."
Elara's nails dug into her palms.
Do you have any fucking idea how much I wanted you to stay?
You're all I fucking have.
Mine.
His words from that night in her room echoed in her mind, so in contrast to what he was saying now.
Draco Malfoy was the definition of mental whiplash.
She tilted her chin up, met his eyes stoically. "Get in line."
With that, she ripped her arm from his grip and left the classroom.
|
Elara was going insane.
Because of a stupid ball.
It had been all people had been talking about for weeks now.
And she had no one to go with.
That didn't necessarily bother her - she'd gone to balls alone before - but it bothered her immensely when she found out Draco was taking Pansy.
And so, that automatically meant that she had to have a date.
But considering that she'd been so focused on Draco for the past eight months, it seemed she'd driven away any of the other suitors who would've been interested in her.
And the ball was next week.
"You can always go with me if you want to," Luna was telling her as they sat in Charms Class. "I think it'd be fun."
"Aren't you going with Neville?" Elara asked, looking sideways at her.
"We can always go as a trio."
Elara stifled a smile. "Luna, you're too sweet for this world."
"What did I say?"
In Potions, Elara was glad not to be paired up with Draco again - but immediately, wished she had been when she saw him and Pansy bent over the cauldron together.
He didn't spare her a glance and she could do nothing but watch in envy as he brushed Pansy's silky dark hair out of her face, tucked it behind her ear.
She leaned on him from time to time and it made Elara want to stuff her own face into the burning cauldron in front of her.
When the class was finally over, Elara bid goodbye to Parvati and snatched her bag up, storming out of the room.
The chest she collided with was hard and bony and she gasped, stumbling back, only for a hand to grasp her elbow.
"Harry?" she inquired, furrowing her eyebrows. "Were you waiting for me?"
Harry and her had made up shortly after the fight she had with Draco in the infirmary but she still hadn't returned to the sessions in the Room of Requirement, feeling too swamped with work to bother.
"I was," Harry said, sheepishly, making sure she was steady before pulling away - but not before Draco exited the classroom.
Elara watched his silver eyes fall on Harry and her.
"What's up?" Elara asked, reaching to brush an imaginary piece of lint off Harry's robes.
From the corner of her eye, she noticed Draco slanting himself against the wall, settling in to watch.
She almost smirked in triumph.
Harry seemed unaware of Draco's presence nearby. "I just wanted to ask - if you had someone to go with to the Ball."
Elara looked at him, questioningly. "Something happen with you and Ginny?"
Harry shook his head. "Oh, Merlin, no. We're fine. She's just got dreadfully sick and can't attend next week. She heard that you weren't going with anyone either and told me to ask you - as friends, of course."
Harry winced, suddenly, reaching up to touch his scar, quickly.
Just then, Draco pushed off the wall, stalked closer to them. "Scar bothering you, Potter?" he sneered as he approached. "Still having nightmares about poor Mumsy and Daddy?"
Harry clenched his fists. "Shut up, Malfoy."
"Or was it Diggory this time?" Draco taunted, coming to a stop next to Elara and looking down at Harry with a smirk. "Honestly, I don't see why anyone wants to hang around you, seeing as you always end up getting them killed -"
"I'd love to go to the ball with you, Harry," Elara interrupted, stepping forward and linking her arm through her friend's. "Would you like to coordinate colours?"
She looked back at Draco whose sneer had slid off his face. Instead, his eyes were two glittering diamonds, hard as stone. Satisfaction purred in Elara's chest.
She could see the rage, the jealousy all over his features - his usual mask of cold indifference dropping for just a moment.
Elara shot him a sweet smile over her shoulder and continued to walk with Harry.