Author's Note: Oookay. I hope this is the edited version, lol. Microsoft Word was giving me a bit of a hassle with the returned version from my beta, Inkfire. *crosses fingers hopefully* Also, I want to thank EVERYONE for their reviews. It means a lot. Enjoy this chapter... =]
Disclaimer: The line "What say you, Draco? Will you babysit the cubs?" is all JK Rowling's work. Not mine. I give her full credit. It is on page 10 of the American version of Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows.
Chapter Two: Definitely, Maybe… Not
As usual, the classes were quite boring. The teachers went on and on and then promptly assigned massive loads of homework. Draco attempted to concentrate (even though he did well without paying much attention), but he found himself letting his mind wander. He thought of the summer: his failed mission, his father returning home, his manor now being used as headquarters, the Dark Lord's taunting tone...
"What say you, Draco? Will you babysit the cubs?"
The shame, the humiliation, the devotion… The people, the torture, the murders… There was no turning back; no way out. His Mark reminded him of that each passing day. This is what he'd chosen. This would be his life. Sighing, Draco shifted in his chair, snapping out of memories he didn't wish to recall. He stared blankly at the front of the classroom, his eyes gazing steadily on Professor McGonagall. He still didn't hear a word she was saying. He tuned out everyone around him, but refused to allow his thoughts to carry him back to the summer.
Pansy was sitting beside him. She'd created both of their schedule so they would be together every single second of every single day. Except for the last class of the day. Draco had his last class free, but Pansy had to fill it with an elective. This was Draco's only solace to get through the day.
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Pansy jotting down notes. He sighed once again and leaned back in his chair, watching her. She was pretty enough with her dark hair that came down to her shoulders. Her body was beautifully shaped, something he liked to admire. She was smart, too, but often pretended to be daft. He wasn't entirely sure why, but he assumed it had something to do with the way she was raised. Most pureblood women were stay-at-home mothers (like his own) and acted as though they didn't have anything but air between their ears (not his mother at all.) Her eyes were dark and mysterious; he loved staring into them when she was nearing her climax. It was the only time they actually seemed vulnerable to him. Her face resembled his; only it contained more petite features.
Pansy must have felt him staring at her because she looked over her shoulder. She smiled. He smiled back and reached out to gently tuck her hair behind her ear.
"Mr. Malfoy, should you like to tell the class what's so interesting about Ms. Parkinson?" Professor McGonagall's voice echoed across the stone room. Draco recoiled his hand away from his girlfriend and sat forward. He looked straight at the professor, his eyes slightly narrowed.
"I don't think that'd be appropriate conversation for the classroom, Professor," Vincent Crabbe sneered from the other side of the room.
Pansy ducked her head, but not before Draco saw the heat rise in her cheeks. The classroom had erupted into laughter. Draco found himself feeling very defensive over his girlfriend.
"You're just bitter because no girl will ever want to be with you, Crabbe," Draco spat, glaring at the young man whom he called his best friend. The class continued to laugh, the sound filling Draco's ear. Mocking.
"Enough! That's enough!" Professor McGonagall hollered. It took a few moments, but the students eventually quieted down, only giggling quietly now. McGonagall looked at Draco and Crabbe. "Detention, both of you. Tonight in my office at seven. Fifteen points for Slytherin, each, for your crude remarks."
Draco groaned and leaned back in his chair once more. He averted his gaze to Crabbe, glaring. Pansy placed a hand on his thigh. He slowly slid his gaze to her.
"It's alright, Draco," she said. "Crabbe is a pig."
He stared at her evenly. "He upset you," he stated matter-of-factly.
Pansy shrugged and returned to her class work. "It's fine," she replied. "It's nothing I'm not used to."
Draco felt like a dagger had been stabbed into his heart. Had he really never noticed the remarks that she had endured all these years? He stared at the back of her head, wondering. Maybe she was worth keeping after all.
When the break for lunch rolled around, Pansy moved away from Draco to sit with a group of her girlfriends. Apparently, Blaise Zabini and a fourth year Ravenclaw girl were caught snogging and groping in the dungeons, skipping the second class of the day.
Draco merely rolled his eyes and waved her away, happy to be free. He let out the breath he'd been holding and looked around the Great Hall. Potter and his filthy friends were gone; they weren't at school. No one was quite sure where they were or what they were up to, but Draco could only imagine that the Dark Lord was angry. In fact, he was quite sure of it. He winced at the memories, glad that he was finally at school.
"Are you okay?" a voice asked from behind him.
Draco turned to his side to see Astoria standing next to him, gripping her books to her chest. She eyed him suspiciously, biting her bottom lip. He had a flash of fantasy, her lip between his teeth, before he nodded.
"I'm fine," he said, more gruffly than he had intended. "I just… didn't sleep well last night."
Not that I need to justify myself to you, he added quietly to himself.
They stared at each other for a while before Astoria gestured to the empty spot beside him. "Do you mind if I sit down?" she asked. She then tossed her head backward towards the group Pansy was in, her long curls falling over her shoulder. "I can only take so much of gossip." She smiled.
Draco continued at stare at her and then reminded himself to smile back. It was forced and he wondered if she could tell. But then he nodded and moved over just slightly. "Have a seat," he replied.
Astoria murmured a "thank you" and then sat down on the bench beside him, careful to keep the student population from seeing up her skirt. She offered Draco a nervous smile; one which he didn't return. Instead, he turned away from him and took a sip of his juice. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Astoria crack open a schoolbook and begin to read.
"You have O.W.L's this year," he said. It was more a statement than a question, but Astoria looked up and nodded anyway. "How many are you taking?"
"Seven."
Draco's eyebrows shot up. He took another sip of his juice thoughtfully. "That's not a lot," he responded.
Astoria narrowed her eyes. "How many did you take?" she inquired.
"Ten." Draco grinned. She regarded him for a moment, but then smiled softly. He wondered if she were impressed. "If you need help studying, just ask. I received all passing grades."
Astoria smiled and looked back down at her book. She flipped a page, but Draco was positive she hadn't read any of the previous one. "I can see you haven't changed at all from when we were younger," she replied tightly.
Draco was taken aback. Had he been nothing but nice to this girl? He narrowed his smoky eyes at her, mystified by her behavior. He wasn't angry (which was a surprise), but he was completely baffled. She looked up at him and he quickly closed his mouth, realizing that it was slightly agape.
"Excuse me?" he questioned.
She narrowed her eyes, her lips in a tight line. She took a deep breath. "Always so eager to help out," she stated, "so long as there's something in it for you. Personal gain. The only reason you're being nice to me is because you saw me at the party last night, found me attractive and now you want to get into my knickers." Her face flushed at her last statement. Draco wasn't sure if it was from anger or embarrassment… maybe both. He also couldn't believe that she had claimed herself to be attractive. Yes, it was certainly true, but most women Draco knew could hardly stand to be complicated in such a manner, let alone admit it out loud themselves.
"Who said anything about getting into your knickers?" he spat angrily, trying to hide his shock.
Astoria rolled her pretty eyes. "Oh, please," she retorted. "You're not the first guy – and you most certainly won't be the last!"
"Awful proud, aren't we?" Anger danced across her face quickly. But before she could respond, Draco continued: "I merely offered my help. I don't see what that's got to do with your knickers."
She stared at him, breathing heavily through her nose. Neither of them spoke for a while; they only stared at each other. Finally, Astoria broke the silence. "It's got everything to do with it," she said in a quiet, but defensive voice. "Sure, it starts out as studying. But then it leads to little touches, which lead to small kisses and that leads to snogging; which then leads to bigger touches and then… before I know it, I'm pregnant at seventeen!" The last bit came out in a rush and Draco smirked.
"I have a girlfriend," he reminded her.
"Yes. He does," a stiff voice came from behind them.
Both fair-haired students turned to see Pansy standing behind them. She looked grim and she shot Astoria a dirty look. The younger girl turned around, blushing, and buried her nose into her book. Pansy turned her attention to Draco.
"Come on, Draco," she ordered. "It's time we left."
He hated being bossed around. He hated being bossed around by any woman other than his mother. He hated being bossed around by his girlfriend. But, he let her do it. He glanced at Astoria one last time and then stood up, collecting his own books.
"My offer still stands," he told her as he moved to stand by Pansy's side. Astoria nodded, but refused to look up from her book. Pansy reached down to grab Draco's hand and laced her fingers through his. Then they set off out of the Great Hall.
"What offer?" she asked in a small voice as they left the large dining hall, though Draco was sure she'd heard the entire conversation.
Draco glanced at her. "I offered to help her study for her O.W.L's," he stated.
Pansy nodded. They turned in the direction of their next class. "She's right you know," she said softly. "Studying does lead to pregnancy." She looked up at her boyfriend. Her brown eyes almost looked hopeful.
Draco bent down to kiss her gently. "Then I guess it's good I've never offered to help you study," he replied in a low voice. She looked away. He thought he heard her sigh.
That night, he sent an owl to his Aunt Bellatrix, asking her to send him some more condoms. Pansy usually cast an anti-conception spell on herself before their intercourse (in addition to taking a daily potion to prevent pregnancy), but her behavior this afternoon worried him.
Maybe, after all, she wasn't worth keeping.
