"So...I heard you don't have a date for Saturday," a cocky drawl settled on
her ears and her nerves bristled slightly. Bronwyn did not look up from the
table and continued to gather her Arithmancy books and notes from the
tutoring session she had just finished.
"Can I help you, Draco?" she asked coldly. He slid into the chair beside her.
"I don't think you could ever possibly help me. But I believe I may be able to offer you a proposal that would be rather beneficial to you," he stretched and leaned his chair back on its hind legs.
"A proposal? What is this, Malfoy? A business meeting?" Bronwyn laughed and earned a harsh glare from Madame Pince. "Sorry..." she whispered, gathering the last of her things and pulling her bag to her shoulder. She headed out of the library, the tall boy close at her heels.
"More like a business arrangement."
"Business arrangement? I have no earthly idea what you could possibly be babbling about, but as it is not sounding like anything I would be remotely interested in agreeing to, I have a somewhere else I need to be." Draco grabbed her arm and stopped her, pulling Bronwyn into an empty classroom. She leveled her eyes on him. "What do you want, Malfoy?"
"You don't have a date to the dance on Saturday. I don't –– " Draco cut himself off and Bronwyn could see him backtrack himself. "I would be willing to take you."
"Willing? You would lower yourself to going to a school function with me just so that I don't have to be alone? That's so sweet of you Draco," Bronwyn sugar coated her voice, but there was not a single hint of a smile. "And so unlike you. Besides, what in Merlin's name would make you think I would want to go to the bloody ball anyway? Especially with the likes of you?" Draco laughed as Bronwyn turned on her heel, heading towards the door.
"Because though I may not like you, I know you, Bronwyn, and you wouldn't want to be the only one in the school not at the ball. Even Mudbloods have dates and I know you can't stand the thought of them being at the dance if you are not there. And because I have nothing better to do and I think the 'party' will be a bloody riot and I would hate to have to miss it."
"Draco Malfoy, do you honestly think you know me so well that you can presume to know what I think? You haven't said so much as a 'hello' to me since you hit puberty and noticed that Tracy and Daphne and your little groupies had breasts. Why don't you go bother one of them?"
"Bronwyn, dear, I have no idea what you could possibly be talking about," Draco grinned widely and Bronwyn just rolled her eyes, hiking her bad onto her shoulder and resituating the books in her arms.
"Tracey. Pansy. Millicent." Bronwyn hissed. "Go bother them for a date and leave me alone. Unless," a glimmer of recognition crept across Bronwyn's eyes and a smile tugged at her lips as Draco's eyes clouded over, "they already have dates, don't they?" Draco said nothing in response. "Ah, so I do have it right. I assumed as much, considering that you are here with some lame excuse and horribly veiled attempt to get me to go to the ball with you just so that you won't have to show up somewhere alone and admit that you aren't as wonderful as you think you are." Bronwyn laughed harshly. "You are just like your father, Draco, expecting people to worship you and cater to your every whim. Well guess what. I won't." Bronwyn shook her head and turned away from him, stalking towards the door and throwing it open. She stopped and turned back, leveling her glare with Draco's.
"I would rather not go to any ball ever again and be alone for the rest of my life than go anywhere in public with you." Bronwyn turned on her heel and hurried down the hallway, leaving Draco alone in the empty classroom, stunned. He had just been turned down by a girl, not because she already had a date, but because she didn't want to go anywhere with him. He decided right there that he wasn't going to let this rest until he showed up Saturday night with her on his arm.
"Can I help you, Draco?" she asked coldly. He slid into the chair beside her.
"I don't think you could ever possibly help me. But I believe I may be able to offer you a proposal that would be rather beneficial to you," he stretched and leaned his chair back on its hind legs.
"A proposal? What is this, Malfoy? A business meeting?" Bronwyn laughed and earned a harsh glare from Madame Pince. "Sorry..." she whispered, gathering the last of her things and pulling her bag to her shoulder. She headed out of the library, the tall boy close at her heels.
"More like a business arrangement."
"Business arrangement? I have no earthly idea what you could possibly be babbling about, but as it is not sounding like anything I would be remotely interested in agreeing to, I have a somewhere else I need to be." Draco grabbed her arm and stopped her, pulling Bronwyn into an empty classroom. She leveled her eyes on him. "What do you want, Malfoy?"
"You don't have a date to the dance on Saturday. I don't –– " Draco cut himself off and Bronwyn could see him backtrack himself. "I would be willing to take you."
"Willing? You would lower yourself to going to a school function with me just so that I don't have to be alone? That's so sweet of you Draco," Bronwyn sugar coated her voice, but there was not a single hint of a smile. "And so unlike you. Besides, what in Merlin's name would make you think I would want to go to the bloody ball anyway? Especially with the likes of you?" Draco laughed as Bronwyn turned on her heel, heading towards the door.
"Because though I may not like you, I know you, Bronwyn, and you wouldn't want to be the only one in the school not at the ball. Even Mudbloods have dates and I know you can't stand the thought of them being at the dance if you are not there. And because I have nothing better to do and I think the 'party' will be a bloody riot and I would hate to have to miss it."
"Draco Malfoy, do you honestly think you know me so well that you can presume to know what I think? You haven't said so much as a 'hello' to me since you hit puberty and noticed that Tracy and Daphne and your little groupies had breasts. Why don't you go bother one of them?"
"Bronwyn, dear, I have no idea what you could possibly be talking about," Draco grinned widely and Bronwyn just rolled her eyes, hiking her bad onto her shoulder and resituating the books in her arms.
"Tracey. Pansy. Millicent." Bronwyn hissed. "Go bother them for a date and leave me alone. Unless," a glimmer of recognition crept across Bronwyn's eyes and a smile tugged at her lips as Draco's eyes clouded over, "they already have dates, don't they?" Draco said nothing in response. "Ah, so I do have it right. I assumed as much, considering that you are here with some lame excuse and horribly veiled attempt to get me to go to the ball with you just so that you won't have to show up somewhere alone and admit that you aren't as wonderful as you think you are." Bronwyn laughed harshly. "You are just like your father, Draco, expecting people to worship you and cater to your every whim. Well guess what. I won't." Bronwyn shook her head and turned away from him, stalking towards the door and throwing it open. She stopped and turned back, leveling her glare with Draco's.
"I would rather not go to any ball ever again and be alone for the rest of my life than go anywhere in public with you." Bronwyn turned on her heel and hurried down the hallway, leaving Draco alone in the empty classroom, stunned. He had just been turned down by a girl, not because she already had a date, but because she didn't want to go anywhere with him. He decided right there that he wasn't going to let this rest until he showed up Saturday night with her on his arm.