Author's Note: Technically this isn't a love story, it's more of a one-sided crush due to Draco being underage.

Written for…

Fanfic Dominoes Challenge. Pairing: Draco/Remus

There Will be Blood

Somebody was going to die, that much was clear.

The picture on the wall was winking at anyone who passed by, annoying Draco more by the second. He hadn't meant for it to move when he sketched it the previous night. And while he admired the spell caster's work on the piece, he would have preferred the portrait stay where he'd left it, hidden at the bottom of his trunk. Not plastered to every third column with the words DRACO MALFOY IS INFATUATED WITH REMUS LUPIN written at the bottom.

Pansy was the first person to approach him all morning, rushing up to his side and latching onto his arm even as he tried to squirm away. "Oh, Draco, how could someone do this to you?"

He didn't answer, just gave a lame excuse about needing to fetch his school bag and made a mad dash for the dungeons. He wasn't even safe in the common room. Someone had tacked the poster up on the bulletin board while he'd been at breakfast.

"As good a day as any to skip classes," he muttered to the empty room, slinking down the hall to his dorm.

He had planned to get back in bed and maybe sleep until the whole ordeal passed, which he figured would take about a year or so. Instead he found the object of his desire sitting at the foot of his bed.

"You're quite a good artist, Mr. Malfoy," Professor Lupin said, gesturing to the original, motionless copy lying atop Draco's closed trunk.

"Um, thank you?"

"Of course, I understand how these things can get blown out of proportion. I'm having Filch remove all the posters during the morning classes. And this-" he held up the original "-I found in the prefects' lounge. I'll be having a word with them to find out who stole your property."

"Thank you, Professor." It was good to know someone would be punished for all the trouble it caused, but it didn't help Draco's wish for the floor to swallow him up. "I suppose I'm going to have to obliviate everyone now." The professor surprised him by laughing.

"I wouldn't worry too much about it, honestly. These rumors fade with time. I know better than anyone. And there's quite a lot of notable things happening around the school. Dementors roaming, prisoner sightings … something tells me this will disappear quickly."

Lupin patted his shoulder on his way out of the room. Draco waited until he heard the common room door close before he snatched the picture from his trunk and held his wand out to it.

He stood like that for a few moments, a fire spell on his lips, but unable to destroy his masterpiece. Instead he transfigured it, turning it into something resembling Pansy. If anyone found it again, they wouldn't bat a lash at it anymore. Still, he hid it in back in his trunk and curled up on the bed, trying to wrap his brain around seeing Lupin sitting on his bed.