He contemplated just skipping, but he knew that Slughorn wouldn't be happy. He wasn't Snape though, what's the worst Slughorn could do? Draco paced the dungeon halls. He had to confront Ron at some point. He was madly infatuated. Every thought that passed through his mind was of the redhead. It was just one class though, and he had plenty of protection. Even though he deserved it, Ron and Harry would unlikely ambush him mid-class. He breathed in and expelled a heavy sigh. He walked towards the potions classroom.
Shit. Draco spun around and turned a corner. He saw Ron and couldn't stand being near him. Maybe he would just play hooky. Would anyone really notice if he were gone? He knew that nothing good could come from being in a room with Ron. Deciding not to go to class, he walked down a corridor leading away from the classroom. Before he could get farther away, a hand wrapped firmly around his bicep and pulled him against the wall.
"Where do you think you're going?" Ron said. "You're going to be late for class." Ron put his face incredibly close to Draco's. Draco became hot, his face flush. He squeaked, but couldn't produce words. "You weren't going to skip were you?" Draco nodded, regret flashing on his face. "But we have so much to talk about, Malfoy." Ron tried to put all his anger into his voice, but he wasn't really angry. "I haven't been able to find you all day. You've been avoiding me, haven't you?"
"Yeah. You would too." Draco said, trying to loosen Ron's grip of his arm, but it only caused Ron to squeeze tighter. "I'm sorry. Please, I know what you want. Just let go, a little bit, it's starting to hurt."
"You think you know what I want?" Ron asked, just above a whisper, into Draco's left ear. Ron was so close now, his ear hovering near Draco's mouth. Heavy breathing escaped Draco's lips. He swallowed hard, frozen. Ron placed his hand against Draco's chest and held him against the wall. He leaned himself into the blond. He pressed his thigh in between Draco's legs. "Will you give me what I want?" Draco felt dizzy. Ron's seduction was making his head swim. Beads of sweat dripped from Draco's brow. "I feel you wanting this." Ron moved his hand down to where his thigh was.
Draco's breathing grew faster, he was panting. His eyes met with Ron's; he wanted to stare into him forever. "Give it to me, Draco." Ron's lips were less than an inch from Draco's. Draco could feel electricity dancing between the two. "Please." Draco parted his lips ever so slightly. Ron cocked his head. Draco leaned in to kiss him, but Ron pulled back. Draco frowned.
"I want the cloak back, Draco" Ron said, his look of lust melting to anger. His hand squeezed hard, Draco cried out, the pain seeping into his stomach and he bent over. Ron pushed him back against the wall. He kept his hand on Draco's chest, holding him in place. "You think you can take whatever you want and call it yours? You can't do it to Harry's cloak, and I won't let you do it to me." Ron swore he saw small tears filling into the corners of Draco's eyes, but they were blinked away. As much as Ron wanted to detest the boy, and his head was telling him to be pissed, angry, enraged, he couldn't stop from feeling his heart skip beats being so close to this horrible, beautiful boy. Before he could stop himself, he felt his lips crashing against Draco's. He kissed Draco with a frantic fervor. Their tongues entangled. Ron pressed his body closer to Draco's. Draco's eyes rolled up into the back of his head. He was melting into desire.
Ron kissed harder, he nibbled the bottom of Draco's lip, but shortly, it became stronger. He bit Draco's lip, and could taste the metallic bite of blood. His rage brewed again. Draco whimpered, he wanted to push Ron away, but even in pain, he wanted this kiss to last forever. He pulled Ron into him, trying to fit every curve into him; to be as close as possible with clothes on. Ron kissed harder. He pushed against Draco's chest and slowly his hand crept higher, and soon he found his fingers laced about Draco's neck. His arm muscles tensed, he felt Draco's lips being pulled away as he lifted Draco up against the wall. He didn't realize what he was doing until after their kiss was broken, and Draco was squirming wildly, his face turning purple from a lack of air. Ron let go; Draco dropped to the floor, breathing heavy, gasping. Ron was wide-eyed, unable to believe that he had just done that. "This is what you want?" Ron asked stoically. "I can't be anything to you." Ron started walking away, but was stopped.
"Wait!" Draco cried. "It is. It's you. I can't help but wanting you."
"You're serious?" Ron was flabbergasted. "I can't, Malfoy, I was just choking you, and I didn't even realize it until it separated us. What if there's a next time, and it's worse? What if I don't stop? I just can't." This time there were definitely tears in Malfoy's eyes.
"We don't always want what's best for us." Draco said. "Give me a chance."
Ron shook his head. "I hate you, Malfoy. Do you not understand? What happened last night, what happened just now. Mistakes, they were mistakes, this can't happen again. I'm going to class, are you?" Draco looked away, but nodded, forcing himself to remain emotionally composed. He looked again at the redhead who held out his hand for Draco to take, to help Draco up from the floor. Draco wobbled, an effect of the lack of oxygen, and fell into Ron. Ron, surprised, caught and held him for a moment, a flittering embrace. Draco pressed his face into Ron's chest. He breathed in heavily, an attempt to imprint Ron's scent into his mind. "What are you doing?" Ron asked, sternly, but with a hint of playfulness that Draco picked at.
"It's not my fault. I was dizzy from you choking me, and I needed to take a really deep breath." Draco stood up, Ron's face held a slight look of amusement, and Draco smiled a small smile. He sighed. "They weren't mistakes. At least mine wasn't when I kissed you last night. I shouldn't have taken the cloak, but the kiss was not a mistake."
Ron shook his head. "It won't work."
"Because you don't want it to." Draco retorted. Draco noted the furrowing of Ron's brow as he thought. "You have to think about it!" Draco said overenthusiastically. "Maybe it won't work, but how do we know it won't if we don't at least try. What's the harm in trying?"
"I could try killing you again?" Ron responded sarcastically.
Draco raised his fists and smiled. "Well now that I know you might try that, I'll be ready. I could take you."
Ron smiled back. "You're serious?" Draco nodded as he threw a soft punch at Ron. Ron easily caught the fist in his hand. "You think you can take me? I grew up with five older brothers, you don't stand a chance. I can get pretty rough."
"Maybe I like it rough." Draco growled lustily. He pounced onto Ron, who caught him, stepping back against the wall. Ron spun around, and Draco wrapped his legs around Ron's lithe waist. "Whether or not you want to admit it, you want me as much as I want you." In contrast to the intensity just exerted, Draco placed a chaste kiss on Ron's lips.
"We're going to be late for class." Ron whispered after they broke the kiss. "We…we can pick up where we left off later."
Draco dropped down to his feet. "Yeah? You're not just saying that?"
Ron shrugged. "I don't even know. Sometimes we say things just to get what we want." Draco pouted. "I want the cloak back, Draco. I need that back before anything else happens."
Draco sighed, but nodded. "Of course, I'll bring it to you…on our first date." A sly smile crossed his face. "That seems fair."
Ron shook his head, but laughed a little. He told Harry he would deal with it, and he was going to. Maybe it would be enjoyable. "Fine, we can meet at the prefect's bath tonight."
"You want me naked on the first date?" Draco asked, an eyebrow shooting up. "So much for not wanting it."
Ron groaned. "Just to meet there, I don't want to take a bath with you…yet." He smiled coyly.
Draco laughed and grabbed Ron's arm. "Well let's hurry up and get to class." Ron was led a few feet before he wriggled his arm loose. "What?" Draco asked.
"As far as everyone in our houses are concerned, we are enemies." Ron said. "I'm not going to show up with you. We can't be seen together"
Draco frowned. "I guess you're right." Draco responded tersely and walked briskly away toward the potions classroom.
Ron stood there for a few moments, confused that he felt bad because he knew that he just hurt Draco. He shook his head, he was overthinking, and if there was one thing Ron Weasley wasn't, it was an overthinker.
Ron ended up being the last of the students to show up to class. He quickly took a seat next to Neville just as Slughorn began his lecture. Neville turned to Ron and in a hushed voiced asked "What's up with Hermione?"
"What do you mean?" Ron replied.
"Look." He said gesturing to Hermione. She was listening to Slughorn and taking notes diligently.
"She's just sitting there taking notes, very Hermione." Ron said.
"Not that." Neville said. "Look who she's sitting next to." Blaise was sitting next to Hermione, comparing notes with her about the lecture. "Zabini, why would she sit next to him, he's a Slytherin, they're sharing. Why are they doing anything together?"
"What's wrong with him being a Slytherin?" Ron asked, thinking about Draco. "I mean, they're still people, right?" He was met with a confused look. "Well they are."
"They're arses, and you know it. Zabini is one of the worst. Not quite Malfoy, but still pretty bad." Neville said. "Why would she be talking to him? She could have sat next to me." Ron raised an eyebrow. "Well it was free, but she chose Zabini over me."
"Hmm, maybe she wanted to sit next to someone who wasn't totally clueless." Ron responded. "She can't really pay attention to Slughorn if she's busy paying all her attention to you." Ron looked around and noticed people gathering ingredients, and setting up their cauldrons. "Dammit, Neville. I have no idea what we're supposed to be making right now." He looked around the dungeon, and noticed everyone having paired up, except for Draco, Pansy, and Neville. Quick to make his move, he walked toward Draco.
"What happened to us not being seen together?" Draco asked the approaching Ron.
"Yeah, well I thought about it. You're smarter than Neville by leaps and bounds, and likely to have been paying attention, so you know, I'm doing it more for me than for you." Ron smiled.
Draco rolled his eyes "You know just the right thing to say. Why should I help you?" Draco asked, preparing his scales and cutting some roots.
"Even if you have the cloak, you want me to be with you, so my going on this date is as much for you as it is for me. So you help me with this, I'll take you out."
Draco was smiling large as he put the chopped roots into the cauldron. "Alright, just sit next to me and don't do anything stupid."
"So you don't want me to take you on that date then." Ron retorted.
"Hush, just pretend you're being helpful, since we both know you couldn't actually be when it comes to potions." Ron pulled up right next to Draco, swatting him playfully for his remark, but stayed silent as Draco continued to brew the potion Slughorn described.
Meanwhile, Neville and Pansy were stuck together. Neither of them knew what they were doing, and both were upset they had to be near the other. " Well, hurry up and make the potion." Pansy said, crossing her arms.
"I don't know what the hell I'm doing, I didn't pay any attention to the lecture; I don't even know the potion we're supposed to be making." Neville went to the ingredients cabinet grabbing some the things that he saw others taking, hoping that he'd be able to muddle his way through the class. He returned to his station, where Pansy had set up the cauldron. "Here just cut these up and I'll boil this and maybe it'll turn out." Pansy rolled her eyes. "I'm sure you're used to hearing this, Parkinson, but I don't really want to be with you, so let's finish this quickly."
"Go to hell, Longbottom." She started chopping, but stopped shortly and looked over at Draco and Ron, and then Blaise and Hermione. "What the hell is going on? Why are they working with those stupid Gryffindors?" Pansy sulked.
"Because their other choices were Slytherins. Look, I don't think we're doing this right." Neville said. "Ask Zabini for help, he's smart."
"Why don't you ask Granger?" Pansy said, throwing the cut roots into the cauldron, and continued seething at the sight of the two pairs.
"Fine, I'll have Hermione come over here." Neville said.
"Ugh, no." Pansy groaned and then called over her fellow Slytherin. Blaise left Hermione begrudgingly and appeared at Pansy's side.
"What do you want?" He asked.
"We just needed some help." Pansy answered, cutting more roots.
"Well you're missing a bezoar, you're going to need one before you move on with the potion. Were either of you paying attention?" They both shook their heads. "Well, go get it." Pansy left to the cabinet to retrieve the missing item.
Neville glared at Blaise. "What are you doing?"
"Helping a couple of brain-dead near-squibs to make a simple potion. Six years pass and you two never seem to know what's going on." Blaise replied.
"With Hermione." Neville clarified.
Blaise's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"
"You're up to something, I can tell. You don't get to spend time with my friend, you filthy Slytherin." Neville said.
"Oh, Longbottom. You sad, pathetic little boy, maybe if you were a real man, she'd look at you twice. Can you blame her, you're you, and I'm me; there's no contest."
"Fuck off, Zabini." Neville said. He pulled something from his pocket and threw it into the cauldron, ducking. The mixture became volatile and exploded, sending Blaise flying over the tables behind him. Neville stood up, as smoke began to clear. He watched Draco and Hermione rush to Blaise's side, followed by Slughorn, and the rest of the class surrounded. Neville and Ron's eyes met during the panic, and Neville smiled.
A/N: Thanks for the following and favoriting and reviewing. I'll try and get the next chapter up soon. :)