The whispers surrounding Gray and I were finally, finally settling down by the end of the week, it was Friday and I was sat at the Slytherin table with Blaise. I was facing towards the doors, keeping an eye out for Gray. "You know mate, you've been really preoccupied. I'm feeling neglected." He stuck his bottom lip out and I laughed at him.
"You're such a sensitive young man. It's not like you'd be hanging out with me if you had a girl on your line."
"You're right of course. I am jealous though. I need all of your attention." I looked at him and smirked.
"Come off it Blaise, I'm starting to think you actually mean that." He laughed and pushed me.
"Maybe your brilliant Ravenclaw knows someone from the wit beyond measure house looking for a sexy beast."
"You do realize that my brilliant Ravenclaw is Gray Angeline? The social recluse of the entire school; she has three friends, myself included. And I'm not looking for a sexy beast."
"Well who are the other two?" He asked.
"I don't know if you know her, but, Miranda Short and of course you know Luna Lovegood." I pointed out the girls who were sitting at opposite ends of the Ravenclaw table. Just then Gray walked into the Great Hall. She looked over at me and smiled with a little wave before sitting next to Luna.
"Miranda Short…she's pretty hot. She's at all the good parties, and man she can dance." He rubbed a hand over his chin and looked thoughtfully toward Luna. "Lovegood though…hmm…not too shabby either." He cocked his head to the side as he watched the unwitting blonde.
"Are you serious Zabini?" I asked I was a little flabbergasted by that.
"Yeah, I mean she's a little strange, but, she's growing into her looks and that's no doubt."
"A little strange, have you talked to her ever?"
"Why yes I have. She's cleverer than people know. How else did she get sorted into Ravenclaw?"
"You're barmy mate." I looked at Luna as well. "I'll concede that she's good looking…Although she looks rather a lot like me." Blaise jolted and then looked between me and Luna.
"Bloody hell; I never noticed before. You both have blonde hair, and grey eyes, and pale skin. Pretty much twins. Now I feel weird for fancying her." I laughed at his response.
"Oh come on Blaise, you know I'm the most attractive guy in this school."
"Ah no, I think I'm better looking than you." Blaise looked at me in what I assume was supposed to be a seductive manner.
"Don't waste your charms on me Blaise, I'm spoken for." I chuckled. "But if you really want me to see about Miranda or Loony I could."
"I'll keep that in mind."
"Alright gorgeous, I'll be off, have to go see my girlfriend." I grinned and stood up, clapping Blaise loudly on the back. Blaise made some sort of pithy remark, but I didn't quite catch what he said. I strode toward the Ravenclaw table and plopped myself down next to Gray. "Well, hey there good looking!" I said with a smile, putting an arm around Gray's waist.
"Hey Draco, how are you?" She asked. A small grin crossed her features as she looked towards me.
"Not bad and how are you?"
"I alright, kind of tired. What were you and Blaise talking about? I noticed you two looking at Luna while you were talking." I bit back a laugh.
"Well it seems that Blaise has a little crush on Luna. But then I pointed out that Luna and I are very similar looking, and he lost some of his ardor." I grinned. Gray looked at me carefully and then turned to look at Luna. She nodded.
"Oh yeah, I never noticed! The fact that you two look alike aside, I think they might actually make a nice couple."
"And why do you say that?" Draco asked. I shrugged.
"They would make a very charming looking couple. And I think their personalities make sense together. Granted I don't know Blaise very well, but he seems to have an odd sense of humor, just like Luna. He seems to just say things like they are, a realist, and she's got her head in the clouds. It could be a good match." I could see the gears working in her mind.
"Becoming a matchmaker now Gray?"
"Maybe, I might be good at it." She laughed.
"Maybe," I agreed with a smile. Gray finished eating and looked over at me.
"So what's the plan for tonight?" She asked me.
"I thought maybe we could just hang out in the library or in one of our rooms. Maybe you want to help me with transfiguration, because the essay McGonagall set today is impossible." I looked at her with my most charming grin. She laughed.
"Using me for my brain Malfoy? I suppose I could help you with transfiguration, if you help me with potions."
"Seems like a fair trade. So where is up to you really." She looked torn.
"Your room is private?" She asked. I nodded. "It's easier to get work done in a quiet space, but I'm afraid of incurring more gossip."
"Well if you went and got your things now and got down to my room pretty much no one would know. But if it makes you more comfortable we can just go to the library." I could see her weighing the options.
"Let's go then, I've always been curious about the Slytherin common room." I smiled. We stood and I took her hand as we walked out of the Great Hall and towards the Ravenclaw common room. I waited for her while she dashed inside and grabbed her study supplies. Soon enough we were headed down to the dungeons. When we got to the entrance of the common room I muttered the password and then ushered Gray in. Her eyes roved the surroundings, taking in all the details.
"Is that?" She asked pointing towards a section of the wall where there was thick glass, looking into the black lake.
"That's the black lake, yup."
"This is a very cool common room!" I let her look for a couple more seconds before pulling her towards the boy's dorms. "I mean I like my common room better, but this is nicer than I expected." I laughed.
"And what exactly did you expect?" I asked.
"Honestly…something a little more cramped and, uh dank." She grinned.
"Sorry to disappoint Gray." I smiled. We arrived outside my door and I unlocked it before opening the door and gesturing Gray into my room. Again her eyes took in the room. She walked towards my bed and put her bag on my bed before settling onto it herself.
"It's weird that you have your own room. I think this is the only house in the school with that amenity."
"Well being a Slytherin is kind of an honor." I grinned. She rolled her eyes at me.
"We should get to work." She announced. She started pulling notes and textbooks out of her bag. "I'm thinking that we should start with transfiguration, and then you can help me with potions, and then if we have time there's some charms revision I want to get done."
"You haven't put much thought into this, have you?" I asked sarcastically. I went to my desk and grabbed up my parchment, notes, and books before heading back to the bed and sitting opposite Gray. She had settled up by my pillows, so I sat by my footboard. Without even thinking Gray grabbed a pillow and threw it towards me. I caught it and tucked it behind me. We worked through the essay that was due for transfiguration, Gray actually helped me understand what it was about, and I managed to actually do the spell that accompanied the essay. After that I helped Gray with potions, although helping her was far easier, she knew what she was doing, she just needed some clarification.
When we got onto charms though, both of us were at a slight disadvantage. Charms was neither of our best subjects, but we managed to make sense of the assignment together. When that was done Gray looked over at me with a smile. "Well that takes care of most of this weekend's homework." She put all of her school supplies in her bag and then looked over at me. I raised an eyebrow at her.
"What now Gray?" I asked.
"I should get going before curfew." She replied. I glanced at the watch I wore on my right wrist.
"You've got an hour and a half before curfew." I gathered up my things and transferred them to my desk. I walked back towards my bed and came to stand by Gray. She turned and looked up at me. My hands came down and rested on her neck; I gently tilted her head upward and leaned down. My lips brushed over hers, lightly at first, and then with increasing intensity. Her hands fisted in my shirt and she pulled me closer towards her. She started to lean back and pull me on top of her. I had one leg in between hers and my hands resting on either side of her head. I pulled a moan from her as I started kissing down her neck, pausing where her neck met her shoulders and nipping lightly.
Her hands were running up and down my back, under my white button up shirt that I still had on from attending classes earlier in the day. Her hands slid around to the front of me and rested on my stomach. "Gray," I growled out. "You drive me crazy." She withdrew her hands and ran them through my hair, redirecting my mouth to hers. I could feel my arms tensing and rolled, so that Gray was straddling me, my fingers dug into her hips as she deepened our kiss. She sat up breathlessly and looked down at me.
"I should go." She breathed. It was the last thing I wanted her to do. My fingers traced up her sides and came to rest on her rib cage.
"I don't want you to go." My voice was lower than usual with a slight growl. She sighed and leant forward slightly, resting her hands on my chest.
"Draco…I like you, a lot, but I'm not ready for anything more right now." I nodded. My hands ran up to her shoulders and then ran the length down her arms. I put my hands over hers. I sat up, keeping Gray's legs around me, and gently resting my arms around her waist.
"I don't mind taking some time with this. Do you know how long I've waited for you?" She blushed and looked down. I moved a hand to her face and looked until she looked back at me. "I'm serious. I've waited a life time. Years for this; I can wait, I won't rush this." Her gaze softened.
"I promise I won't tell anyone what a decent guy you are." She grinned. I smiled and wrapped my arms back around waist.
"Please don't, I have a reputation to uphold." She laughed and leaned in for a kiss. I obliged, but all too soon she was pulling away again.
"I really ought to get going. It's getting late." She grabbed my arm and looked at my watch. "I've got half an hour to get back up to Ravenclaw tower."
"I'll walk you out of the dungeons."
"You're such a gentleman." She smiled. I stood up with Gray still wrapped around me, and hugged her to me for a second. She disentangled herself from me and set her feet on the ground. I let go of her and then picked up her bag slinging it over my shoulder. We were about to leave my room when I realized that Gray looked a mess. Her hair was awry and her clothes were rumpled. I figured I didn't look much better.
"We need to fix up before we go out." I told her. Her eyes widened and she rushed over to the mirror in my room. She ran her fingers quickly through her hair and then cast a smoothing charm over her hair and clothes. She looked at me and flicked her wand, I felt my appearance smooth. Gray cocked her head to the side as she regarded me.
"Your hair is too smooth, not like how you actually style it." She walked over to me and ran her hands through my hair a couple of times. "That's better." I opened the door and standing on the other side of it was Pansy Parkinson.
"Oh, sorry Draco, it looks like you've already got company."
"Yes…I do. How many times have I told you not to come to my room?" I asked through gritted teeth. "And we are just on the way out, if you'll excuse us." I knew this was going to be bad news. If anyone other than Pansy found Gray leaving my room I could smooth it over. But her jealousy would probably spur her mouth into action. I'd have to use force. "Wait for me in the common room." I told her. Gray looked at me suspiciously, but took the hand I offered her as I led her out of the boy's dorms and then the common room. "I'm sorry about that…Pansy has always had a thing for me."
"She's going to blab about this, isn't she?" She asked. Concern etched her features.
"I'm going to talk to her; hopefully I can get her to see sense." We walked quickly through the dungeons and when we got to the main level I quickly dipped toward Gray and kissed her. "I'll see you tomorrow. I'm really sorry if Pansy ends up spreading gossip about this."
"It's not your fault. But do try your hardest." She slid her arms around my waist and held on hugging me tightly. She leant up and pressed her lips to mine quickly. "See you later Draco." She waved and made her way towards the staircase. I sighed and turned back toward the dungeons, dreading my talk with Pansy. I soon found myself outside the common room and stalled for a second before uttering the password and entering. Pansy was sitting on a couch over in the corner, waiting for me with her arms crossed. I went and sat next to her.
"So what was that then?" She asked me. "Shagging Angeline already?" Her voice was vicious.
"No I am not shagging Gray. We were studying and we wanted some quiet. That's all."
"Just studying, huh?"
"Mostly, yeah, and I don't understand what the big deal is. You knew I was dating her. What were you doing coming to my room?"
"Well I….Draco I can't just let you go without putting up a fight."
"Pansy I was never yours. I know that you've had a crush on me for a long time, but it was never going to happen. You're a good friend, and I'll always be there in that capacity, but it was never going to be something more. I need you to show some discretion involving tonight."
"Why should I?"
"Because you are my friend, and I think you know what happens to people who cross me, Pansy." She shot a glare at me and crossed her arms.
"I don't care if you say anything, but Gray will. And I don't want her to be unhappy. So if you don't say anything, I'll owe you a favour. If you do say something, consider yourself my enemy. Is that what you want?" She sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Of course not, I'll just keep quiet about this." She replied at length. "But if you flake out on your favour…well there's no telling what could happen."
"As long as the favour is within reason we won't have an issue. Although if I find out that you've told anyone, and I do mean anyone, you'll find yourself in a bad situation. And I'll let Gray know that you've made a deal with me, so don't try to black mail her. If you do, I'll know."
"No use trying to pull one over on you." She muttered. I had done my fair share of covering my ass when someone knew something unsavoury about me.
"Just be good, and stick to our arrangement, and I'll be there when you need me someday." She frowned but nodded.
"I won't do anything, and I won't tell anyone, and I'll leave Gray alone. You have my word." I grinned and leant in kissing her quickly on the cheek.
"Thanks Pansy, pleasure doing business with you." I got up and walked towards my room, blowing out a breath. I hoped Pansy would stick to her word.
AN: Here we are, took a little bit longer than I anticipated, but I like it. Blaise always makes me chuckle. I had to get in some of Draco's devious nature. Anyway let me know what you think! I love reviews 3 Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed! ~WS