Hello, this chapter is for those of you that review, thank you for taking the time, it makes sitting up until 3am this morning to get this finished seem worthwhile!
This chapter is kinda long and is purely Draco. The next one will be purely Hermione. In order for the story to progress I needed to establish a few things.
Enjoy!
BC.
"Passssssssword?"
Draco wondered for the 100th time how cliché it was that the portrait guarding the Slytherin common room was of a snake.
"I doubt the Ravenclaw's have a bird, and I know the Gryffindor's don't have a lion, they have a fat lady... Perhaps these portraits represent us," he thought smugly. An image flashed in his head, a certain bushy haired Gryffindor stretching in the library...
Perhaps not.
"Vipera." He answered bluntly whilst smoothing down his hair. He cursed as a few strands knotted themselves around his fingers.
"Note to self – change hair potion. This one seems to be effected by the cold."
The snake portrait (or "Jake" as he had nick-named him on his arrival at Hogwarts) hissed at him, then slowly moved revealing the concealed entrance to his common room. He took a few steps forward before the portrait slammed shut behind him.
"Arrogant bastard," Draco muttered waiting for his eyes to adjust to the dark. He could have taken out his wand and lit the path ahead but he didn't bother, he found the dark to be quite comforting. Besides, all he'd see were walls and his own breath.
"Fuck its cold."
He could always tell when winter was approaching at Hogwarts. There were the obvious signs; nights were longer and days shorter, meals were made up of casseroles, stews and other warm, tasty delights. The common room fireplaces crackled and flickered whilst the flames they accommodated provided much needed light and warmth.
Draco had a tendency to notice the less obvious signs.
The birds migrating were always his first and most favoured sign.
He knew that many thought he hated playing quidditch in the summer due to the hot and humid air, little did they know it was more to do with dodging the vile winged rats. Not that he'd tell anyone, he could just imagine his father's reaction to that. A small shiver passed down his spine as he pushed the thought aside and focused his attention on his least favourite sign that the castle was getting colder;
Girls started to wear trousers. Or, to be more precise, the girls he was engaging in social activities with (i.e. "screwing") wore layers of clothing to keep the heat in and the cold out, which was great for them but irritating as hell for him. Try seeing the sense in that when you've got a free period (i.e. "library time") with a female acquaintance (i.e. "fuck buddy") and it takes her half an hour to take off her tights, socks, leggings and trousers. Go figure.
Draco stepped into his common room and found his eyes drawn to the fireplace.
More specifically, to a particular chair by the fire place.
The most obvious sign for him that winter was indeed here was that the common room was always empty at this hour. No matter how warm the fire was, it was never enough to fill the cold dungeon.
Which is exactly was seeing anyone up at this hour was unusual.
"I thought I'd wait up for you."
Add those words to the fact that it was a cheerful Blaise Zabini speaking them made Draco feel uneasy.
"Blaise doesn't 'do' cheerful... I wonder who died?" he pondered to himself whilst making his way over to his friend and taking the seat opposite him. They sat in silence for a moment whilst Draco felt the heat from the flames wash over him, helping ease the day's tension away.
"Not that I don't appreciate it Blaise, but I know you... What happened?" Draco studied his friends face whilst waiting for his reply. Looks wise they were polar opposites, it was the first thing he'd noticed when they'd met on the Hogwarts express almost 7 years ago. Blaise Zabini's Mocha coloured complexion had made Draco's pale alabaster skin look almost translucent, and the pale fine blonde hair that covered his head made Blaise's thick tight curls seem almost black. They really only had one thing in common, and although Draco's were light grey and Blaise's were almost black, both pairs of eyes were as cold as ice. Each trying to intimidate the other, neither wanting to show their hand. Blaise had eventually broken the ice;
"I hope the sorting hat puts me in Slytherin..."
As far as Draco was concerned there wasn't a better ice breaker. Draco got the conversation going by telling Blaise about his family.
Growing up he had spent most of his time in or around Malfoy Manor and had never really been allowed to venture far from his father (the one time he'd broken away from his mother to explore Diagon Alley his father had reminded him he was replaceable – he wasn't planning on sharing that with Blaise anytime soon). Blaise had told him of his mother, a beautiful coco skinned model who seemed to have the looks ("and potions no doubt," Blaise had sniggered to Draco) to snare any man she wanted. Blaise's father, an Italian business man whom Blaise referred to as "Paolo" mysteriously died when Blaise was a child. After his death, Blaise's mother had married 4 more times, all husbands ended up dead or missing. All leaving everything to her.
One had been a muggle.
When he'd first met Blaise he had been shocked to hear about the muggle world. His father had often told him of mudbloods but Blaise told him things his father had left out, like the way they lived and how they got around without magic. During that 3 hour train journey Draco learned more about wizards and muggles and their relationships from Blaise then from 12 years with his father. Blaise felt the same way that Draco himself had been taught to feel towards muggles and mudbloods but he had made the choice on his own... Towards the end of the journey the then 12 year old Draco had a felt something he never had before.
Jealousy.
The child who had everything he could ever want and all the money he'd ever need was jealous.
It was a revelation for Draco. He quickly absorbed all that Blaise could tell him about Muggles, their marrying into pureblood families and how some of the offspring became witches and wizards but some didn't. Everything that Blaise knew, Draco wanted to know.
And so their friendship was forged. They didn't always agree on everything; Blaise found Draco's friendship with Crabbe and Goyle "disturbing" ("Draco they are thick as shit, why bother?"), and Draco found Blaise's nocturnal activities with mudbloods "disgusting" ("It's not like there aren't enough purebloods to screw Blaise, one day you'll catch something").
7 years of being Blaise Zabini's friend taught him a thing or two. In particular regarding how unpredictable and sadistic he could be if he put his mind to it.
"How's Granger?" Draco rolled his eyes
"We can talk about anything but her," he drawled, "I've had enough of her for one day. I don't understand why her mother didn't drown her at birth. Isn't that what you supposed to do with weak, mongrel bitches?" Blaise laughed, turning his attention away from the fire and to Draco.
"That good huh?" Draco waved his hand dismissively.
"We'll talk about my delightful evening with Granger in a minute, first you tell me what's made you so happy and eager to wait up for me?" Blaise yawned and leaned back in his chair lazily stretching his legs out in front of him.
"Maybe tomorrow, I'm tired, not all of us had such 'energising' activities this evening..."
"If you go to bed you won't hear all the juicy details about my detention with Granger," Draco started yawning himself, "However, I'm feeling tired myself so..."
"Ok ok ok," Blaise replied quickly sitting up, "It's nothing major... I finally cracked Pansy today." Draco's eyes widened
"No shit? She's been in love with me since 1st year. You must've done something pretty sick for her to jump into bed with you." At this Blaise's eyes lit up.
"I took her to the library this morning, whilst you and Granger were there." Draco looked confused.
"And?" Now it was Blaise's turn to smirk.
"At breakfast she said I looked like shit, I told her its cause you kept me up all night moaning about Granger," he started laughing at Draco's face, "It's not like I was lying." Draco thought about what he said for a moment before nodding his head for Blaise to continue.
"Anyway I was in the library when Pansy came in moaning about you, I went towards the restricted section, thinking I could throw her off but she followed me jabbering away..." a scowl appeared on Blaise's features whilst Draco chuckled, knowing only too well what Pansy was like once she got talking, "Glad you think it's funny. Anyway, I saw you walking over to Granger so I told Pansy to leave because you were there to meet your new 'acquaintance' so obviously she didn't... We couldn't hear what you were saying to each other so I filled in the blanks with my own script." Blaise looked at Draco trying to gauge his reaction. As usual nothing showed but Blaise knew him well enough to know the wheels were turning in his head.
"Blaise, did you tell Pansy I was fucking Granger?" Blaise thought about the question before replying.
"No," he said slowly, "but I think she came to her own conclusions, I just..." he paused for a moment to think of the right word, "...helped." Draco could see the corners of Blaise's mouth twitching, "I told her to go slit her wrists, she cried, and cried," He rolled his eyes, "and cried some more. I waited until earlier on this evening... We didn't get to my bed, I bent her over the chair you're sitting on, the irritating thing was she carried on crying whilst we were..."
"You son of a bitch! You sick son of a bitch!" Draco jumped out of the chair like it had bitten him. At this point Blaise couldn't control the smile or the laughter that had been threatening to erupt.
"I'm sorry mate!" he said between gasps, "I didn't realise Pansy meant so much to you!" Draco glared at his friend.
"Pansy means fuck all to me, literally," Draco stopped and smirked at his own words before scowling at Blaise, "But I don't want her telling everyone I'm fucking Granger!" Draco looked up suddenly towards the stairs. "Did you hear something?"
"Paranoid much?" Blaise scoffed, "Look, whose gonna believe her? Besides you'd never touch Granger, you've got this whole 'she's a mudblood' complex going on." Blaise paused for a moment as if in deep thought, "You know I would."
"Would what," Draco replied lazily resting his hands behind his head before lowering himself back into the offensive chair.
"Do Granger." Draco looked as though someone had force fed him beetle dung.
"I think that's enough for one night Zabini, the thought of anyone, no scratch that, anything touching any part of Granger is just plain nasty." He stood up and stretched, "I'm off to bed, no more talk of Granger please." Blaise stood up and followed Draco upstairs.
"I still would."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Pansy lay awake in bed crying her heart out.
She had crept out of out bed because she'd heard Draco and Blaise talking...
"Hopefully Blaise will tell him we had sex and he'll be crazy with jealousy" Pansy thought as she made her way to the top of the stairs. She crouched down and listened carefully to the conversation;
"That good huh?"
"We'll talk about my delightful evening with Granger in a minute, first you tell me what's made you so happy and eager to wait up for me?"
"Maybe tomorrow, I'm tired, not all of us had such 'energising' activities this evening..."
"What energising activities could Draco have possibly gotten up to with the mudblood?" Pansy wondered to herself,
"...juicy details about my detention with Granger. However, I'm feeling tired myself so..."
Pansy felt something cold grab her heart. How had Draco ended up in detention with Granger?
What could Draco mean by "juicy details?"
"It's nothing major... I finally cracked Pansy today."
Pansy held her breath waiting to see how Draco would react.
"No shit? She's been in love with me since 1st year. You must've done something pretty sick for her to jump into bed with you."
"I took her to the library, whilst you and Granger were there."
"And?"
Blaise's voice floated up the stairs.
"At breakfast she said I looked like shit, I told her its cause you kept me up all night moaning about Granger,"
Blaise was laughing...
Why?
"It's not like I was lying."
The cold hand was back again, grasping her heart.
Blaise had been telling the truth...
What did that mean?
She was so caught up in her thoughts she missed the start of Blaise's explanation.
"...Glad you think it's funny. Anyway, I saw you walking over to Granger so I told Pansy to leave because you were there to meet your new 'acquaintance' and obviously she didn't... We couldn't hear what you were saying to each other so I filled in the blanks with my own script."
His own script?
Had Blaise been lying?
"Blaise, did you tell Pansy I was fucking Granger?"
Pansy covered her mouth with her hands...
No... No he wouldn't
He couldn't.
"...she came to her own conclusions, I just... helped. I told her to go slit her wrists, she cried, and cried... and cried some more. I waited until earlier on this evening... We didn't get to my bed, I bent her over the chair you're sitting on, the irritating thing was she carried on crying whilst we were..."
"You son of a bitch! You sick son of a bitch!"
Pansy's heart leapt.
He cared! He did care!
"I'm sorry mate! I didn't realise Pansy meant so much to you!"
"Blaise will pay, Draco will make sure of it" she thought smugly.
And then...
"Pansy means fuck all to me, literally... I just don't want her telling everyone I'm fucking Granger..."
Everything went cold. And she felt it, it didn't just break.
Her heart shattered.
Granger? All he cared about was Hermione Granger?!
How??
Why??
A sob escaped her lips as her tears feel freely.
"Did you hear something?"
Draco's voice followed her as she made her way from the top of the stairs and back into bed.
Her tears had soaked the pillow; Pansy sat up and wiped her face. They were going to pay. Draco belonged to her, not some filthy mudblood. She'd show them.
Blaise Zabini and Hermione Granger were going to pay.