One

Draco watched with interest as Leda entered the Great Hall and took her usual place beside Tracey Davis. He'd spent the majority of his free time for the past few days observing her, carefully cataloguing any and everything that he could use, and outlining the beginnings of a plan. Draco could date exactly where is interest in her began exactly. It had begun when his two goons, Crabbe and Goyle, bantered over the girls in their house.

"Do you know who has changed the most over the summer?" Goyle asked Crabbe from across their room.

"Who?" Crabbe dutifully responded.

Draco perked up a little in his own bed and even condescended to look up from his Potions essay to witness Goyle's confession. He found it very amusing that Crabbe and Goyle were just now beginning to explore the world of women. He and Blaise had started to take notice, at least to those girls deserving of their notice, ages ago. He didn't know about Teddy who was friendly with his dorm mates but quite and apart from the other boys.

Teddy acted as though he wasn't listening to the other boys' nighttime conversation, but Draco could tell that he was paying attention. Blaise was lying on his stomach atop his bedcovers reading. He looked up for a moment and shared a look with Draco in the pause before Goyle's great revelation which showed he found the same amusement in this as Draco felt.

"Leda Vieson," Goyle said appreciatively nodding his head with a leer on his face.

Although Draco had to agree, it sickened him to see Goyle's ugly, fat face express his desire for the girl. He told himself his horror was general rather than particular. Draco believed it would make him ill to think of either Goyle or Crabbe with any girl no matter how pretty or ugly. He hid this and was silent and expressionless as both Crabbe and Goyle turned to him looking for approval, a habit formed after years of following Draco's lead.

Draco returned to his work ignoring their comments on Leda's now more developed attributes. He focused carefully on his text and parchment but still managed to see out of the corners of his eyes the hand motions his two friends used to discuss the girl.

His mind made him ill as mental pictures formed as he half-listened to Crabbe and Goyle's vulgar conversation about Leda. He struggled to maintain an air of indifference, but he felt the blood draining from his face. Thankfully, Blaise put an end to it telling the two that they were disgusting and to shut their mouths before he got into bed and went to sleep. The boys around him slowly followed suit one by one until he alone was left laboring over his essay by the dim light of his wand.

Of all the Slytherin girls in his year, Leda Vieson was the one he knew the least. She came from a wealthy, respectable family as far as he knew, but there was some sort of scandal that hung around them. There was something about them that was known but never discussed. He'd heard his father mention something to his mother years ago about it but had been unsuccessful in learning details from either parent. Draco believed she lived with her grandmother, but he'd never seen the woman before. Leda was always dropped off at King's Cross Station by one servant or another. Beyond that he knew nothing of her home life.

As much as he knew about her family, he felt he knew the girl even less. In the four plus year they'd been attending the same school, Draco had never seen her utter a single declaration on any topic one way or the other. She remained neutral on every topic: blood purity, house superiority, and even the rumors that had spread about Voldemort's return after the Triwizard tournament last year. Every Slytherin had proudly declared their opinions on the first two, and suggested their feelings quietly of the last. Draco knew only that she was a talented witch giving Hermione Granger a run for her money in their classes and that Leda was particularly good at Potions and Charms. He didn't know, though, which were her favorite classes or if she preferred any over the others. As far as Draco was concerned, she was a blank slate with no ideas, opinions, or preferences which both intrigued and unsettled him.

He stared at her that morning at breakfast. She sat three seats down across from him affording a good view for his position. Draco took the time to seriously appreciate the changes the few months of summer had made in her appearance. Her straight, blonde hair had gotten longer as though she'd quite trimming it quite as regularly as she did in the past. Her face had lost its baby fat revealing the strong cheek bones, accentuating her plump, rose-colored lips, and showcasing her startling almond-shaped, violet eyes. She'd always been thin, but the summer had seen the growth of her womanly curves. Her school robes couldn't hide her more mature chest and flaring hips. She'd grown a little, too, but to Draco's eyes it had only been in her legs which seemed to extend down past her school skirt for forever. She was undeniably attractive, and Draco found himself compelled to know her better.

She seemed to be a reserved person, however. She was cautious and kept people at a distance. Tracey was the only person Leda seemed to prefer, but this favor could barely be called a friendship. Leda was polite towards everyone in their house, and Draco had no doubt that many Slytherins would consider themselves her friend. Tracey was only given the title in his mind, because Leda seemed to speak more with her than anyone else and partnered with her in class when they were given a choice. Beyond those slight familiarities, Draco couldn't discern any particular loyalty between the two girls. This interested him.

Slytherins were known for their ambition, but where it suited them curiosity was a trait just as strong. Leda was a beautiful enigma. His interest was captured by her aristocratic exterior, but his curiosity was flamed by what may lay beneath. He detected the possibility that inside that delectable body was a spirit that might match and come as close as humanly possible to worthy of his own.

"Draco," Pansy whined in his ear, "why do you keep staring at Leda?"

He hid his annoyance at the jealousy in her voice. He should have known that partaking of the physical favors she offered him would lead her to believe she had some claim over him. It was becoming rather annoying, though, at how clingy and possessive she'd become.

At the mention of her name, whispered though it was, Leda looked over in Draco and Pansy's direction. Draco refused to give in to her pointed stare and wouldn't hide that he'd been observing her. They shared a long, charged look over the table that Pansy recognized indignantly. She began to see she had competition in keeping Draco's attention.

Draco looked directly into Leda's violet eyes with his grey ones and said in response to Pansy's question, "I like what I see."

To her credit and to further intrigue Draco, Leda did not look away, blush, or show any sort of emotion at the direct way he had complimented her beauty. She held the unreadable eye contact with the boy until he looked away deliberately to regard Pansy who was turning purple with anger.

He was pleased with himself. He had accomplished two goals with an economical five-word-sentence. He had shown Pansy that he would not be limited by her and signaled to Leda that he was going to pursue her, a decision he hadn't made consciously but recognized later. It was a good morning's work, and he turned his attention to the Qudditich conversation at the other end of the Slytherin table effectively ignoring both girls.

Draco was assured of his success with Leda. There was no girl in his house who would or could deny him if he wanted them. He was the Malfoy, Slytherin royalty, the Slytherin Prince according to some. He ruled like a monarch, too, leading the rest of his house wherever he wished. He held the power of their house, and he knew it. He also knew girls were drawn to this power which was why he'd never have to fight for a girl…they would come when he called.

It was this knowledge and the knowledge of the effect his actions had set into motion that morning at the breakfast table that allowed him to observe with amusement a scene in Potions later that morning.

"Opps!" Pansy exclaimed quietly in a false tone behind Draco's table.

"Bitch!" Leda accused getting his attention completely. "You did that on purpose!"

Draco elbowed Blaise, and they two boys turned to watch the girls' argument. Crabbe and Goyle took several seconds to comprehend what was happening, but followed suit when they did.

"I did not! The root simply," Pansy paused and shrugged in mock innocence, "slipped."

Leda was obviously angry and held her knife threateningly towards the other girl. "Directly into my cauldron? I don't think so. Don't let it happen again."

"Or what?" Pansy stepped towards her dorm mate confrontationally.

"Or I'll make it very clear why you shouldn't stand between me and my scores just because you're a jealous twit."

Despite their keeping their voices down, the entire classroom had, by this time, become aware of the tension between the two which promised to break out into an all in all cat fight. Everyone, Gryffindors and Slytherins alike, had paused in their work to watch which was why no one noticed Snape's approach and impending interruption.

"What is going on here?" He demanded in a harsh voice verbally slapping every to attention with his commanding voice. He looked from Leda holding her knife ready to stab Pansy to Pansy reaching for her wand but not drawn it yet. "Why are you not working?"

"Pansy ruined my potion by putting in too much root," Leda explained relaxing her pose first.

"It was an accident," the other defended looking at their professor slowly.

Snape examined Leda's potion using his wand to stir the too purple liquid simmering over a light fire. He then looked into Pansy's still clear potion sitting cold on the table.

"As Miss Parkinson can't be more careful," he vanished her potion with a wave of his wand, "and Miss Vieson can't be more cautious," he vanished hers away as well, "you will both fail today's assignment."

Draco noticed Leda's knuckles turning white as she gripped her knife tightly were she had placed it on the table without releasing it. He wasn't sure the girl would attack Pansy despite their Head of House standing as a witness to her violence.

"You will both also write an essay detailing the special uses and challenges of making the potion due next week." Pansy's face turned white. "No minimum requirements. I want a through discussion of the topic."

Pansy winced at their professor's punishment. No requirements meant that no matter how long you made the essay you would still fail. Snape was an exacting professor, and, no matter how through you believed you were, it was never enough for him.

Leda did not betray her distress beyond the grip on her knife which she held for a long time after Snape had moved away from the girls' table to terrorize the other students preferably Gryffindors who sniggered at the punishment given to his own house. Pansy turned her attention promptly to cleaning her utensils and portion of the desk. There was nothing else to do but leave after being failed for the day as quickly as possible. Draco wondered for a moment if Leda would stab her neighbor in the back with the knife out of anger yet. Instead, she turned to her own utensils and began cleaning.

Pansy left first deliberately walking quickly, a smart move Draco believed. If Leda had the chance to attack her dorm mate without a teacher present, Draco couldn't be sure she wouldn't take it. There was no question who would have ended up more battered by the end of a wand between the two of them. Lead was a brilliant witch. Leda left several minutes later at a leisurely pace, a choice to keep her from attacking the other girl.

As Draco finished his own potion, he couldn't help but feel pleased with himself causing a fight between the two. Leda hadn't really defended her claim to him with Pansy. She'd only defended her ruin potion and scores, but Draco was certain that would change soon. Leda would be as lovesick as Pansy in no time if he had anything to do with it.

With these thoughts in mind, Draco understandably believed Leda's stance just outside the classroom was favorable towards that end. She was obviously waiting for him leaning against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest and one foot pressed to the wall behind her. She pushed away from the stone wall of the dungeons and approached him exaggerating the sway of her hips. She'd given in sooner than he'd planned, but the timing made little difference to him and only served to puff up his ego further.

"Like what you see now?" She asked provocatively stepping up to him only inches away.

Draco had admired the show and hadn't hidden his appreciation. He heard Goyle and Crabbe giggling behind him, but he pushed their immaturity from his mind. "Perhaps."

"Good," she cooed seductively lowering her voice so only he could hear her. "The next time you use me to get your girlfriend," she knew very well that he refused to call Pansy his girlfriend despite her belief they were a couple, "jealous I'll make sure that you can't ever enjoy what I or any other girl can offer for the rest of your life." She motioned downward with her eyes, and Draco followed the direction of her gaze..

In the small gap between their bodies, Draco could see Leda's wand positioned threateningly at his crotch. When had she drawn her wand? He understood her intent and nodded smoothly hiding the panic at her threatening his manhood.

"I don't know what your game is, Malfoy, but leave me out of it. I'm not interested in dealing with your problem's jealousy."

She dropped her wand, gave him a defiant look, and turned on her heel quickly before walking away without another look or consideration.

Intrigued wasn't a strong enough word to describe the curiosity and desire to know this woman better that ignited inside of Draco like an explosion in Charms. He recognized that here was a woman who was stronger than anyone else he'd known, a possible equal to be unmatched by anyone else attending Hogwarts.