Training wasn't the best it's ever been. Tom Macklin, our Captain, let training run over, we were that bad. Well, I say we, but I was on top form, actually. I was doing fine, doing my little laps, catching the Snitch over and over. It was the Chasers he was having trouble with. Charlie's on the team, as well, he's a Beater. After it got past the time we should have ended training, we both just ended up chatting. It's not as if Tom was going to notice. He was busy.

When I finally get to the changing rooms, it's already half an hour since I was meant to be on duty. Malfoy's going to be fuming. I don't really have time to change, and I just grab my bag, and try to head on out, but Charlie stops me. He's half dressed, wearing his Quidditch trousers, but no top. He grabs my arm.

'So eager to get to duty?' He asks me, but there's another level in his voice. He's saying it accusingly. I shake my arm out of his clutches.

'Get dressed, Charlie.' I tell him with a glare.

'I'm just trying to look out for you, Bliss,' he says sweetly. 'I don't want Malfoy to hurt you.'

I stare at him for a moment. His dark hair is all messy from the wind outside, and his deep brown eyes show nothing but compassion.

'Thanks, Charlie.' I say, then finally make my exit.

When I eventually reach the dungeons, Malfoy's waiting for me, sitting on the stone bench doing absolutely nothing. He looks bored out of his mind. The second he hears my footsteps, his eyes are on me. He's taking me in as I step closer, my Quidditch kit. I know there's a comment going to come sooner or later. It's at this moment, I wish I'd spent the time to get changed. My yellow Hufflepuff t-shirt is clinging to me, because it was raining on and off the whole time on the pitch, and I usually wear skinny jeans to practice anyway. I wish I hadn't, because I feel like I'm exposing too much.

'Nice kit.' He says with a smirk, his eyes doing one final lap over me, before they return to my eyes. It seems like any trace of the guy I was with last night, was left by the lake.

'Thanks.' I say frostily, sitting down next to him, but leaving a considerable gap.

'I take it it's raining, then?' He asks casually.

'And what would give you that impression?' I reply sarcastically. But he either misses the sarcasm, or ignores it.

'The fact that I can see your bra through your t-shirt.' He says bluntly. I instantly bring my legs up to sit curled up, so he can't see my chest at all. He laughs almost delicately. 'Didn't say it was a bad thing.'

'It is.' I tell him strongly, and when I finally force myself to look at him, I have to catch my breath from the look in his eyes. When I thought his eyes were pure passion the other night, I could never have envisaged this. It's like the meaning of passion, let alone pure passion. Draco Malfoy could be passion itself, for all I know.

That's completely shattered when the unnaturally whiny voice of Pansy Parkinson appears.

'Draco!' She exclaims, almost in shock. 'Fancy seeing you here.' I roll my eyes, I just can't help it, and he smirks at me.

'Well, it is my duty.' He tells her flatly.

'Yeah,' she says, still maintaining her smile. 'I was just thinking, it's the Hogsmeade trip this weekend.' She stops the sentence there, like the rest was self explanatory.

'Yes.' Malfoy answers, waiting for her to continue.

'Oh, and I was wondering if you wanted to do something?'

'Not really.' He says quickly, his voice lacking in any emotion.

'Already got plans?' Pansy asks, almost hopeful that he hasn't just said no because it's her that asked.

'Not yet.' He says, aiming a sideways glance at me, that Pansy remains completely oblivious to.

'Oh,' she sighs. 'okay. I'll see you later.' And she slopes back off down the corridor, clearly disheartened by his response. I, on the other hand, am very confused by his response. Why did he look at me when he said he didn't have plans… yet.

'She's so annoying,' he mutters to himself, not even bothering to check if she's out of earshot yet. I just look at him, not really sure how to answer that. 'so, it's Hogsmeade this weekend.' He says with a smirk. I can't help but laugh, partly because I really have no clue how to actually answer that.

'Made any plans?' He asks me casually, leaning back onto the wall behind the bench.

'Not really.' I say honestly. 'Not yet.' I can't resist throwing that in, but I'm inwardly kicking myself for doing it. His eyes have practically lit up on hearing that, it's like confirmation that I want to do something with him. And I don't know if I do.

'Interesting,' he says with his famous smirk. 'so, let's get this straight. Neither of us have plans, and we both intend on making some?'

'Yeah.' I say quietly.

'So,' he continues. 'here's a little suggestion. How about we do something together?' Is it me, or was that nerves I detected there? Maybe a faint tone of insecurity?

Do I want to go with him, though? People will talk. If anyone sees us together… It could end really, really badly. I mean, I'm no Gryffindor, but still. And why is he willing to take that risk? I thought house pride meant the earth to him.

'What if someone sees?' I ask him, although it sounds like I've accepted his offer. I guess I can make do. Might as well see what happens. 'Surely you don't want to be seen with a Hufflepuff.'

He shrugs. 'I think I've learned that it doesn't matter so much.' I stare at him in shock as he says it. It doesn't matter? Surely no one can change this quickly!

'I'm kidding,' he says with a grin. 'I'll meet you there and we'll go and find somewhere quiet.' That's more like him.

'Okay,' I answer quietly, not sure what else to say. So, there it is. I've practically gone and got myself a date with Draco Malfoy. Is that a good thing, or not? And how am I ever going to explain this to Ash and Charlie? As far as they're concerned, Slytherins are just like I used to think they were. The guys are players, and the girls are sluts. Simple as. But the thing is, it isn't like that. As I've discovered. It takes me this long, but I'm actually blushing. Why am I blushing? Please don't notice-

'Aw, look at you,' he smirks at me, a hint of pity in his voice. 'all sweet and innocent. Careful, people are going to think I'm trying to corrupt you.'

'Are you?' I ask him playfully, a smirk of my own on my face, I know.

He's got that seductive smile on again, the one that makes my insides melt. I can't do anything else when he does that. I just have to look at him. It's like the other options aren't even there, there is nothing else to do but watch him. I know he likes it, as well, otherwise he wouldn't do it. There's always going to be that side of him that likes to be in control. He gets off on it, I'm sure.

'Maybe.' He answers my question finally, as he draws impossibly close to me. I can't find the strength to reply, all I can do is watch him. 'Do you want me to?' If I had the strength to answer him, my instant response is yes. And inwardly I'm cursing myself for thinking it. At that moment, seeing his eyes like that, and smelling his skin so close to me, I just… I can't even make myself recount what I want him to do.

He pulls away from me and sits back, a look of accomplishment on his face at seeing what he can do to me with just his expression and words. Does he do this to every girl? I finally tear my eyes away from him, desperate for a break, even though we haven't actually done anything.

'That was inappropriate,' he decides after a moment. 'didn't mean that.'

'It's okay,' I answer quietly. I want to say I didn't mind, but I don't. I'm not going to hand his arrogance back on a plate.

'Just feeling a bit…' He stops himself saying whatever he was about to. 'Not really your concern.' He decides after thinking it over.

'Feeling a bit what?' I question. He's said it now, and let's face it, if he's not well, I don't want him near me. I catch things like wildfire. And I don't want to come down with a bug right before Quidditch season.

He laughs to himself, then looks back at me with a smirk. 'A bit horny.'

'Oh.' He was right. It wasn't my concern. And now it's more than a little bit awkward. 'You're right. That really is nothing to do with me.'

'I wouldn't say nothing,' he says, the infamous smirk making another appearance. 'Oh?'

'You waltz on in here with your see-through shirt, bound to make me feel like that, isn't it?' He says with a grin. I know my cheeks must be scarlet right now. I've never even considered that kind of thing before. That something I do, maybe I considered it harmless, or didn't even notice, might make a guy feel that way. Might… turn them on. I never thought about it. Ever. God, now I'm going to be careful about everything I do or say.

'Right… er, sorry?' I try to only response I can attempt to make fit the situation, never having had to answer to anything like that before.

He shrugs. 'It's a combination of things. Haven't been with a girl in a while, it's probably mostly that.' He says it like it's nothing. Some passing comment. It's crazy, his whole world is crazy.

I subconsciously edge a little further away from him, maybe moving temptation out of his grasp. He looks back up and smirks at me.

'No need for that,' he says, taking a little offence at it. 'I'm not an animal.'

'Sure?' I say with a small smile.

'Well,' he smirks at me and shrugs slightly. 'not out of the bedroom.'

'Too much info.' I tell him quickly, but we're both laughing at it. It seems difficult to stop now, actually, we keep catching each other's eye and then bursting into fits of giggles again.

'It's late,' He says finally, glancing at his expensive watch. 'y'know we've done an extra half an hour of duty?'

'Shame we can't get paid overtime.' I say with a smile.

'Shame we can't get paid.' He corrects me, accompanied by a slick smirk.

'Like you need the money,' I retort, but it's still friendly.

He shrugs. 'True.'

I get up off the bench, only then realising that I let my legs slip back down a long time ago, exposing my transparent t-shirt for at least an hour. He didn't comment, though, which I guess, internally, I should thank him for.

'So,' I say, before I turn to leave. 'what's the plan for this weekend?'

'Okay, how about I meet you in the Three Broomsticks, at eleven?' He suggests, evidently plucking ideas out of thin air.

'Sure.' I say with a grin I had no idea was on my lips. Why is this making me so happy? This is Draco Malfoy – a serial player. And this is just one little Hogsmeade trip. Hardly even a date. It's just… getting to know each other. It's friendly. Maybe he just wants a female friend who he knows he's never going to sleep with. That's it. Never? Maybe not never. What?

I'm glad I'm alone while I'm thinking this, as I walk back to my common room. Would I ever do that? And with him? Under normal circumstances, I'd say no, every time. But it's just when he looks at me like he did earlier, all my normal traits seem to fly out of the window. Along with my morals. I have no idea what I'd do if he came onto me, I mean, actually came onto me. I have this strange feeling that I would let him do it. Hell, I think I'd want him to. And that's bad.

I get back to the common room, and it's pretty much empty. Half an hour was an exaggeration. We spent almost an hour on duty that we shouldn't have. There's a few seventh years sitting at the back of the common room, seemingly studying, but they don't look mildly interested. Charlie and Ash are the only other people up. Charlie's strumming the odd note on his guitar, and Ash has fallen asleep on the sofa, with an astronomy book over her chest, that she'd evidently been reading before she fell asleep.

Charlie meets my gaze, and practically drops his plectrum.

'Tell me you've not been with Malfoy looking like that.' He says quietly, careful not to wake Ash. I make my way over to him, feeling slightly sheepish.

'Yeah…' I say slowly. 'Is it that bad?'

'Pretty much,' Charlie replies, placing his guitar noiselessly at the side of his chair. 'you know you can see everything?' He glances towards my t-shirt.

'I know, thanks,' I tell him stonily. 'he said that as well.'

'Malfoy?'

'Yeah.'

Charlie rolls his eyes in disgust. 'Pervert.'

'You noticed, too!' I retort, suddenly wondering why I'm protecting Draco Malfoy. It seems that Charlie is wondering the same thing as well, and he's giving me that strange look. The one that tells me he's worried about me.

'Bliss,' he starts, getting up from his chair and stepping closer to me, to look me in the eyes. 'don't get drawn in by him. You know what he's like. He'll do you, and never acknowledge you again.'

'I won't let him do that.' I growl back at Charlie, slightly offended that he thinks I'd let Draco Malfoy shag me, just like that.

'You might not get a choice.' Charlie tells me softly, placing his hands on my shoulders.

'He's not going to rape me, Charlie.' I shoot back, shocked he'd even suggest it. He just looks back at me, though, trying to get me to really think about my answer. I'm positive, though, he would not rape me. Why should he? He's got a load of Slytherin girls who'll do whatever he wants if he just says the word. Why bother with me? Exactly. He wouldn't. It's too much effort.

I shake myself free of Charlie's grasp, and step back.

'I can look out for myself, thanks.' I force myself to say it like I really appreciate his help. I turn away from him, to go up to my dorm, but he stops me once more.

'Bliss,' he calls after me. I turn back to him. 'what's the plan for this weekend?' Oh, no. Please not now. I'd tell them, obviously, but in my own time. Charlie will go mad if I tell him now.

'Er,' I start. Yeah, nice one. 'how about you and Ash do something together?'

He raises his eyebrows at me. 'You got a better offer?'

I shift slightly, moving my weight from one foot to the other nervously. I don't want to answer him. I can't even look at him.

'It's him, isn't it?' Charlie says sourly, ordering me to look at him without saying it. I finally lock eye contact with him, and I can see the disappointment in his eyes. 'Malfoy.' He practically spits his name out with venom.

I nod, because I don't want to speak. I'm scared I'll cry if I do. The look he's giving shows me exactly what's in his head, he doesn't even need to say it, but he says it anyway.

'I thought you were better than that.' Then storms past me, grabbing his guitar, and stalking off into his dorm, slamming the door as he does so.