Obsession and Her Trappings
(Pairing, summary, and ratings can be found in chapter one.)
*****
Chapter Three// Draco 1— Green EyesIt was a Thursday, Potions had just ended, and Draco Malfoy's world was just as it should be. A bit of chaos when the inept Gryffindor imbeciles managed to destroy four of their cauldrons, a show of superiority when Draco had finished the potion in fifteen minutes (the fastest time for a fifth-year in recent history), even a little humor when Neville spontaneously morphed into a small bald dog after spilling the wrong fluid on himself— perfect. And although Professor Snape had been quick to reverse the change— Draco had thought it a significant improvement— today had been wonderful.
Walking out the door, Draco smirked when he heard that Messrs. Thomas, Finnegan, Weasley, and Potter were to spend the next hour cleaning everything up. That would knock those oh-so-valiant Gryffindor snobs down a notch. He couldn't have asked for a better ending.
Fifty-nine minutes later, though, Draco was back in front of the entrance to the Potions dungeon, skulking in the shadows and feeling decidedly less smug. He had spent the time looking for something to do, and, much as Draco was loathe to admit it, the absence of the Eminent Boy Who Lived and his trusty sidekick had put a severe damper on his fun.
After all, where was the enjoyment in being superior and nasty if there was no one around to bother with it? Why should he spend the effort to be cruel to unimportant people? He would rather wait, thank you, until his usual prey arrived on the scene. Draco Malfoy no longer had either the time or the inclination to be indiscriminately evil.
At six precisely, the weary detainees trudged out of the room. Draco watched them pass, waiting for his pair to appear. They were sure to be the last ones Snape released. There was Ron now, rubbing his grubby palms on his second- (or third, or fourth-) hand robes.
But where was the Great Harry Potter? What could be separating him from his closest friend? Perhaps he had been so foolish as to be insolent to Snape. If that was the case, then there was little point in Draco waiting for him. Harry wouldn't be done with his penance until midnight. Perhaps it was in Draco's best interest to follow Ron.
However tempting a confrontation with the tempestuous redhead was, Draco let him pass by. There really was no comparison, after all. Antagonizing Harry Potter was more that just sport; it was electrifying. The only feeling he had ever been able to liken it to was standing atop the hills surrounding Malfoy Manor, and screaming at the storm clouds as they rolled in, heavy and swollen with rain.
So he waited, crouched and ready. It didn't matter how long, or whether he had to spend the entire night here. A tiger on the prowl would wait days for his prey to come. This wasn't just something to occupy his time anymore. No, Obsession had reared her screaming head, and found a consort in Draco Malfoy. He would wait for as long as he had to.
At last, the door opened, and Draco peered into the great gaping maw that was the Potions classroom. A figure appeared, materializing from the darkness inside. Harry. His head was down, black hair obstructing the scar. His feet skidded across the stone floor; they were barely raised off the ground. His robes were dusty, his hands dirty. His figure was one great, exhausted curve. Quite a sight.
Draco stepped out of the darkness and into the center of the corridor. "Potter." Ooh, he liked the way the stone played with his voice.
Green eyes met his. "What do you want, Malfoy?" There was anger behind those words, trailing them warily. Draco could smell it, and he was determined to bring it out, to dig and dig at him until those eyes were glinting with fury.
"Poor Potter's had to stay late, cleaning up spills?" He took a step closer. "How degrading. Oh, I bet you were seething, Potter. On your knees like that? I bet it must have been beastly for you."
Draco leaned forward, and touched Harry's sleeve with a finger. Before he could be batted away, though, Draco had pulled back. "Did we soil our pretty robes?" He tutted. "Can't have that now." Actually, these robes were already something of a mess; worn thin in places, mended in others. Obviously his spare set.
Yes— there it was! Anger in those eyes. Marvelous. "Sod off!" And now it had spilled over into his voice, corrupting it. He almost sounded like Draco.
This was much better than Ron.
"Unless," Draco continued, "Oh yes— unless you enjoyed it. Tell me, Potter. Did it feel good? Did you like being on your hands and knees? Did having to look up like some sort of slave—" he allowed his gaze to flicker over Harry's midsection— "excite you? I bet it did. I bet you were loving every single second of it, you…."
Draco found himself flat on his back. "Fucking sod off!" This had gone too far. Potter was really enraged; otherwise, he wouldn't have gotten violent. It simply wasn't his style. Obviously, Harry was in no mood for their usual oral battles. Draco could feel the heat in his face rising as he kicked Potter's feet out from under him, and he tumbled down with a thud. Scratching, slashing, Harry fought back, savaging arm, face— anything. Draco yelped, feeling nails scrape against his cheek.
Draco tried to stand, but Harry grabbed the hem of his robe, and he collapsed back down on top of him. The boy was all bones, and his angular frame stabbed into Draco. "You goddamned wanker! Let me the fuck go!"
They wrestled for control, rolling over and over on the cold floor. Draco's head spun; Harry's eyes were above him, then below him, then above him again. Heaven and hell, heaven and hell. Draco's limbs banged as they struggled, his elbow smashing against the stones. He sucked in a deep breath, biting his lip.
This would have to end, and there was only one way that Draco could think of to do it. He cocked back his fist, and punched Potter square in the face like he had seen Crabbe and Goyle do to first ears thousands of times. His hand gave a scream of pain, but he didn't care. There was something satisfying about the action, something that felt so good that made Draco wonder why he had never done this before. In any case, he wanted to do it again and again, to pound Harry until that ivory skin split beneath his fingers, until Harry's face looked like a squashed plum, and those beautiful green eyes were the only things recognizable. He wanted Harry to scream, to wail as his glasses became tinted red with blood.
Draco thought he might like to try it again, to see if Harry's skin against his fist would feel the same, if maybe he'd get a noise out of the boy. But, this time, Harry was too fast. Before he could finish winding up his fist, he had elbowed him in the stomach. Draco gasped, coughing.
Although they fought savagely for dominance, neither could gain the upper hand. Draco found himself at an impasse; all he could do was glare daggers at Harry. And though he tried to channel his rage to his eyes, Draco found that he couldn't hold a candle to the look Harry was giving him. Pure hatred. The green was blinding. Fuck him again!
A noise at the end of the corridor. A door opening? They released their hold on one another and sprang to their feet. Neither was enough of a stranger to punishment to welcome it. Draco's lower lip was throbbing, probably swollen. When he put a hand up to his face, he felt something sticky. Blood. Harry's left eye was turning a lovely shade of purple, and he saw him wince as he tried to straighten his arm.
"I bet that was Snape." Draco spat the words. "Wait 'till he sees what you've done to me."
Harry, with a look that could have come from a basilisk, gathered his books from where they had fallen. "You are a waste of time," he said, his face expressionless. "And someday, you're going to realize just how pathetic you really are. And then I'll be sorry for you, Draco Malfoy." He turned on his heel, and walked away, leaving Draco alone.
*****
(end part three)
((E.H.- Much thanks to Moi, who pointed out that horrible error in my summary. It was a bit of a nitpicking point, but one that would have galled me as a reader. All fixed!))