"Malfoy!"
Nearly jumping from his skin, Draco let out a loud breath and turned to glare at his roommates. They'd disappeared at some point, only to reappear shaking a flask in his direction.
"Firewhisky for the road?" Blaise's smile gleaned in the dim light of their dungeon dormitory as he skulked across the floor.
"I'm good. Not tonight."
"Merlin, what's crawled up your arse and died, Malfoy? I swear you used to be fun and this little pet project of yours happened with Granger and you've turned into a fucking bore." Blaise scoffed, leaning on the stone wall just a few paces away. As usual, Theo stayed stoically quiet behind. The bloke had less backbone than a snake.
Indignation coloured his cheeks as he returned his gaze to the mirror and fussed with his tie. "Maybe I'm just sick of this same old shite. We're gonna be graduating soon. It's time to stop just looking for a pair of legs to chase after."
Snorting, Blaise pushed off the wall and came to stand just over his shoulder, staring at him through the reflection."This coming from the bloke who is willfully taming the Dragon Queen just so you have someone to serve your detention. I call bollocks, mate."
Fussing with his hair a final time, Malfoy turned and fixed his most charming smile on his lips, praying the falsity of it seeped into Zabini's skin. "That's all over. I'm telling her tonight and I'm going to give it an honest go. She's nothing like I thought and I'm sorry, but I'm just sick of playing these games. I'll see you up there."
Clapping a palm over Blaise's shoulder, the corner of Draco's lip turned down and he left, grabbing the parcel on his bed and ignoring the scoffs aimed at his back,
xXx
Without a shadow of a doubt, Draco was positive that Granger was not standing him up. Positive.
But as couple after couple descended the stairs and entered the Great Hall, that non-existent shadow grew and grew. He turned, holding the ridiculous little box that his mother had sent him and cursing to himself.
Then, the weight of stare fell heavy on his back and with bated breath, he peeked over his shoulder, only to have that very breath stolen from his lungs. Granger descended, an absolute vision if he ever saw one, a silver dress kissed the stairs at her feet, swirling in loose pleats of chiffon. Thin straps graced her shoulders that were marvelously on display thanks to her hair being piled up on the top of her head.
In a ridiculous display of affection, his hand came up and clutched at his chest, feigning pain upon seeing her, as if his heart had ceased beating—which he could argue it had—and she stifled a playful giggle. As her heel touched the final stair, he crossed the few long strides to her side, a grin threatening to take over his normally stoic facade.
"Malfoy."
"Granger. You look stunning." His throat felt all at once too tight and when a smile graced her perfect lips, he felt his heart finally begin beating again, now taking up a frantic staccato.
"You don't clean up so bad yourself." She bloody winked and his cheeks coloured like a child.
"I got you this. It might be ridiculous but it's what stuffy Purebloods do for these sorts of things." He held out the package, watching as curiosity slid over her features as she peeled back the cover. Inside was a cluster of winter white roses, nestled in winter berries and a few sprigs of evergreen. "Well, Mum picked it out. I'm rubbish at things like that."
Her warm gaze shot to his, and for a moment he felt sheer and utter panic. "You told your mum about me?"
With a lopsided smirk, he nodded. "Yeah. Is that okay?"
"Yes." The apples of her cheeks pinkened as Draco lifted the corsage from its packaging and slipped it on her wrist. "Please tell her she did a wonderful job. It's really lovely."
"Maybe you could tell her yourself over tea. You could come to the Manor over holiday, if you wanted—if you had time, that is."
Winding her arm through his, Draco couldn't help but stare at the pretty pink staining her cheeks. With a deep, fortifying breath, he led them into the Great Hall.
Everywhere he looked, people were staring. Maybe they were staring at the sight of Draco Malfoy with the Dragon Queen, but most likely they were staring at the staggering beauty on his arm. He'd resolved, since the kiss to end all kisses, that this little charade was done. He needed to come clean to Granger about his original motivations and let her know that he had done gone and fallen head over heels for the charming little swot.
But day after day passed, and whenever she looked at him with that sparkle in her eye or a blush to her cheeks, he couldn't summon the courage. It was possible she'd understand, maybe not hex him into oblivion, but it was far more likely she'd remove his bollocks and keep them in a little glass jar. But he'd make up for it—he had too.
Once inside, Granger's breath hitched as the scene before them unfolded. Innumerable evergreen trees dusted in white lined the room; it looked like they had stepped straight into the forest. Above, hundreds of candles floated overhead, mixing with small glowing orbs to create a soft ambient light, that made the snow falling from the enchanted ceiling glitter.
The music was slow, lilting through the air as the students made their way to the dozens of round tables filling the room.
"Do you want to sit with your friends?" Granger asked, turning to him with her brows lifted high.
"Merlin, no. Definitely not. My friends are horrible company." Hiding a shiver, Draco shook his head. He'd have to be bloody mad to march Granger into the snake pit. Especially with Zabini being as pissy as he was.
"Oh." There was a sense of dejectedness lingering in her tone but she smiled softly and jerked her chin in the opposite direction of where the majority of Slytherin's were gathering. "Well, with mine then. C'mon, Harry and Ron have a table."
Why had he not had the foresight to consider that he would be at dinner with the idiots-extraordinaire. It reeked of bad decision, especially when they approached the table and both the twits froze in mid-sentence, eyes rounding as if they'd seen a ghost.
"Malfoy?" Potter choked. "I didn't realize you'd be joining us."
"Neither did I. Guess we're all in for a surprise." Sliding an empty chair from the table, Draco gestured for his date to sit and then took the seat next to her.
His arm came up, resting across the back of her chair as he awaited the first course, and kicking himself for not imbibing in the firewhisky when he'd had the chance.
Dinner passed most uneventfully. Ginny joined them, meaning that Potter stared starry-eyed at her through the meal. And finally, the pudding was cleared and the music began to pick up its tempo. Student's gravitated towards the dance floor and clumped together in various groups and at last, Draco had the full attention of his witch.
She turned to him, hiding a playful smile before leaning in and kissing him quickly on the lips. Without a thought, his hands moved of their own accord, shooting forward and cradling her jaw, deepening the kiss for a fraction of a moment before releasing her. His lips parted, ready to ask her to get some air so they could talk, but she spoke first. "Do you want to dance? I mean, I don't know if you like dancing. As a rule, I don't. But, we could—if you wanted. Or we could not, that would be equally—"
Surprising them both with a throaty laugh, Draco kissed the tip of her nose and rose swiftly to his feet, buttoning his jacket and then holding his palm out for hers. "Let's do it, Granger."
xXx
The night wore on a delightful pace; it was filled with Granger's trilling laughter and stolen kisses. A few dances where his hand had slid just beyond what his mother would deem appropriate.
Sitting at their table now, the night finally winding towards its inevitable close, Draco realized he'd yet to fess up. Granger had snuck off to the bathroom and in her absence, he practiced how best to phrase it so that he could perhaps not only keep his bollocks intact, but hopefully keep his witch as well.
Through the crowds, a shock of ginger hair and a messy mop of black came into his view and Draco was off his feet, cutting through the crowd until he was breathless in front of them.
"I need to talk to you twits." Narrowing his gaze over his shoulder, he pushed past them. Once the three of them were out of earshot, his voice dropped and he poked each of them hard in the sternum, noticing for the first time the dated, plum dress robes Weasley was sporting. "Merlin's tits, what the fuck are you wearing? Nevermind. In a shocking twist of events, I ended up actually getting on with Granger. The whole thing is off."
Harry took a quick step towards him, his eyes blowing wide behind his crooked glasses. "Wait, what do you mean?"
"I mean, you moron, I'm telling Granger. Tonight. I'll cover your dumbarses, but no more cauldrons or carrying my bag. Everything ends now. Got it?"
The two Gryffindors shared a meaningful look, a silent conversation happening with just the twitching of their brows. Seemingly coming to an agreement, they grinned back at him. "Got it, Malfoy."
The smallest fraction of his worry lifted and he let out a long breath. "Okay. I just need to find—"
Just then the crowd parted, and his gaze fell on the scooping back of Granger's silver dress. But a dark hand slithered around her thin waist as they made a slow rotation on the dance floor.
Sharp pain shot through his chest as he studied the scene in front of him. Blaise's hazel eyes locked on Draco's over his shoulder, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he continued speaking far too closely to his witch's ear for his liking.
They made another slow turn and Draco caught sight of Granger's face, brows furrowed and her brown eyes misty. Her hands fell away from Blaise's shoulders, confusion dripping over her features.
Cursing through clenched teeth, Draco pushed through the dancing couples, chasing the tendrils of chiffon now marching off the dance floor.
"Granger!" To his utter surprise, she stopped. To his even bigger surprise, she turned on her heel, palm flashing through the air and meeting his cheek with a deafening slap.
Reality crashed down on him and when he managed a tentative look back at her, he realized just how horribly he'd fucked everything up.
"Granger, you have to let me explain. It's not what you think…" Pain blossomed on his cheek and he fought his instinct to soothe it away.
Indignation coloured her cheeks and chest, her brows rising high on her forehead."Tell me it's not true, then."
He couldn't. Lying at this point would be futile and foolish and he kicked himself for not just fucking telling her sooner.
"Granger, I wasn't expecting to—"
"Wasn't expecting what?" She screamed, her voice shaking with the tears she refused to shed. Around them, couples stopped their swaying and the music died. Brilliant, his humiliation would be on display for all of bleeding Hogwarts. "Wasn't expecting to like me?"
Draco took a quick step towards her, dropping his voice and reaching for her elbow. "Could we just go and talk?"
Just as his fingertips brushed the soft skin of her arm, she wrenched it back, a single tear streaking down her freckled cheek. "Don't fucking touch me. Tell me the truth—now."
Filtering through a dozen excuses he might be able to pull off, his consciousness kept settling on the truth, crushing his chest until his breath felt tight. "Please, just let's just talk."
Her shoulders fell, a hollowness spreading across her beautiful face. "I told you. I told you all about what happened before with Cormac and you blamed it on me. You told me that it was me who wouldn't let people get close when you were doing the same bloody thing he was!"
"No, I wasn't!" A misguided sneer pulled at his lip and he took a sharp step towards her. "Not even close; this was never about getting into your bloody knickers, Granger. You know me!"
She scoffed, fresh tears joining the ones now staining the dance floor. "I don't know you, Malfoy. I never did. I never will."
Turning on her heel, Draco's heart lurched, hands hanging heavy at his side and the truth blurted past his lips before he could stop it. "I love you."
Freezing, stiff shoulders rising, she barely managed a glance over her shoulder. "People like you don't know what it's like to love. You're cold. Heartless. Selfish. Nothing like the person you pretended to be."
With that, she was gone, leaving nothing but an ache in his chest and an icy chill in her wake. Their audience dispersed, mumbling about the scene under their breaths as the band started up again. Draco couldn't move. Moving meant he'd lost and that was a defeat he couldn't stomach.
A loud obnoxious laugh startled him from his trance and suddenly Blaise was there, resting his arms around his shoulders and shaking him. "I'm sorry, Mate. It had to be done. You were getting whipped! Now we can go back to enjoying our last bloody year at Hogwarts."
Instinct drove Draco's fist as he turned, clipping Blaise in his square jaw, sending him stumbling to the ground. Theo sunk to the floor, tending to their injured friend before getting shoved off as Blaise scrambled back to his feet.
"The fuck, Malfoy! You forget who I am? I've been there through it all and you're gonna throw it away from some slag?"
His lips pulled back in a sneer and his hands darted out, curling in Zabini's robes as he yanked his friend closer until they were almost nose to nose. "Don't you dare fucking talk about her like that. And don't talk to me, either. We're done."
Releasing his robes with a little too much force, Draco turned and stormed from the Great Hall, ignoring all the eyes boring into his back.
xXx
The final whistle of the train pierced through the cold December air and Draco felt the pit in his stomach expand, swelling the ache in his chest until he felt absolutely nothing at all.
He'd waited. Not only had he searched every car but then he'd waited until the last of the students had boarded the train and still no sign of her.
"All aboard!"
With a heavy step, Draco boarded the train, searching out the car that housed the two idiots who had gotten him into this whole mess. Pushing the door open, he didn't have a second to get a single word out.
"She took a Portkey," Potter mumbled, his hands shoved under his thighs and his chin tucked in chagrin. "She's fucking livid at the lot of us—"
"As she should be! You're all idiots." With a huff, Ginny crossed her arms and narrowed her glare, before her features softened and she scooted closer to her boyfriend. "But, it was rather romantic, if not idiotic."
"Portkey?" Draco rushed. "What are you talking about?"
"Her parents," Weasley interjected. "They live in Australia, moved there a while back. She took a Portkey early this morning. She won't be back until term resumes."
The ginger fuck had the good sense to at least seem contrite and for some unknown reason, Draco took a step into the car and fell into the seat across from Potter. He had nowhere else to go and at least these idiots understood the bloody mess he was in.
Two weeks.
He had two weeks to figure out how in the hell he was going to woo Hermione Granger for real. Merlin, it'd been hard enough the first time.