Hell Tastes Sweet

Chapter Nineteen

Pansy started feeling slightly faint, the girl was wondering what was wrong with her when she realised that she was, unconsciously, holding her breath.

Everything around the three Slytherins was still, as if mother nature herself was waiting to see what happened next. Then, Draco pulled his wand out, with such a swift movement that Pansy, only realised he had done so when she heard:

"Petrificus Totalus!."

She then saw Blaise's face going from shocked to surprised to end with a petrified look, to match his own body's state, then, with a loud thump, he fell backwards hitting his head quite heavily against the ground. Unfortunately for him, the smack was not hard enough to knock him out.

Draco, smirking more than ever, started walking slowly towards him till he stood right next to Blaise. He then crouched to be a bit more level with the other boy and, with an ice-cold voice said:

"I heard about your pathetic attempts to take over me at school…I find it amusing how much effort you're putting into try to match me…I may have taken the whole thing's humorous side and just laugh at you, but...."

He stopped and looked up briefly at Pansy, the girl found herself, as every time he looked at her, magnetically attracted to the cold grey-bluish of his eyes. For a split second though, those eyes filled with some primitive, unidentified emotion.

Draco broke the eye contact and looked back at Blaise, who still laid there immobilised, then, with the same tone used before, Draco continued:

"Unfotunately for you…I've also heard that, along with my place at school, you wanted my girlfriend as well…"

Pansy's heart skipped a couple of beats. 'GIRLFRIEND? Draco's said I'm his girlfriend?' Pansy thought and her heart filled with so much emotion she thought it would explode inside her. Then, suddenly remembering what was going on, Pansy returned her attention back to Draco.

"…so, I decided I had to come here and made it clear to you that Pansy belongs to me…and, if you ever, and I mean ever, try to do as much as speak to her again, be sure I'll know about it…and you'll then be dead…but again, if you tell anyone about this, you'll die anyway…I'll personally see to it…."

The immobilising curse was slowly losing its effects and Blaise started moving a bit his limbs, as though as he was testing them. Draco, seeing this, pointed his wand lazily at the other boy and said:

"Incarcerous."

Rapidly, a thick rope came out Draco's wand and bound itself around Blaise's body making him completely unable to move. Blaise, getting desperate, tried to shout but Draco, again being much faster than Blaise, shouted:

"Quietus!."

Blaise's mouth opened but no noise came from it. Draco, who was getting bored by the whole thing, stood up and, this time speaking to Pansy said:

"I think he's not going to cause you any harm now…let's go somewhere nicer…."

The girl looked at Draco who, after placing a Disillusionment Charm on Blaise, started walking towards Hogsmeade. Pansy started following him and, finally finding her voice, the girl said:

"Draco…you're not supposed to use your magic outside the school…you're still underage…."

Draco looked at her surprised. Then, smiling with a truly amused smile, he said:

"Oh Pansy, Pansy…I missed your sense of humour…."

"Draco, I'm serious…you're going to get in trouble…" Pansy insisted not really seeing the fun in the whole thing.

"And tell me…what are they going to do? Expel me? Oh, hang on…news flash: I'm no longer going to school...I'm saved then…" Draco said sarcastically, almost laughing.

"I wasn't talking about expulsion…I was talking about imprisonment…" Pansy said getting even more serious.

"Pansy…now, seriously, do you really thing the Ministry has the resources to enforce the underage restriction on the use of magic? No, Pansy…they're too busy fighting us to be bothered about these little things…" Draco said with his usual confidence, the one that made Pansy just feel stupid.

"I guess you're right…" Pansy said finally getting at his level trying to keep up with his pace.

"Of course I am…" Draco said continuing to walk.

"Draco…what are we going to do with Blaise?" Pansy asked not really caring about the boy but more concerned about her personal safety.

"Oh don't worry about him…he's tied up, practically invisible and mute…no one is going to find him unless they just bump into him…an unlikely thing to happen at this time of the evening…talking of which, we don't have much time…you've to go back to school or you'll get detention…" Draco said making Pansy have the stupid notion that Draco was actually concerned about her wellbeing.

Draco left Pansy as close to the school's entrance as possible before leaving. Pansy was still surprised that Draco had already learnt to Apparate but again, now that he was no longer in school, as he had explained to her, he was quickly learning everything a dark wizard needed to know directly from the source of all Dark Arts: Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Pansy wasn't surprised about the amount of things he knew but again, he had been Slytherin's best student ever, only second to the Dark Lord himself, naturally.

Pansy, in exchange, had told him everything she had learned from the trio during the D.A. lesson and had filled Draco with the latest news from Hogwarts. Draco was thrilled to see that the divergences between Professor Dumbledore and the Ministry were still strong, at least strong enough for the Ministry to put some limitations on Dumbledore's teachings.

"Pansy…I..." Draco said while the pair were enjoying a brief moment of intimacy just before the young man had to leave.

"Yes?" Pansy said swearing she could sense Draco wanting to tell her he loved her but not being actually able to say it aloud. Probably admitting something like that would not only be a very un-Malfoy thing to do but, also, Pansy wasn't sure Draco was actually allowed to fall in love at this point of his training.

"I…I need to leave now…I'll be waiting for your messages, as always..." Draco said suddenly walking two steps away from her.

"Of course…" Pansy said sensing a huge feeling of disappointment creeping up her throat pinning it so tight she feared she would choke.

Draco seemed to notice that and, taking one single step towards her, he added:

"Don't worry…the final battle will take place soon, very soon…the only thing I can tell you now is that it will start here…in this very same spot…" he circled the area where they were standing with his wand.

"Draco…I'm scared…" Pansy admitted yearning more than ever for Draco to just hug her tight. Of course, that didn't happen.

"You don't need to be…we're going to be victorious…you'll see…we purebloods are predestined to rule…magic will go back to its origins and no more mudbloods nor halfbloods will be there to poison our purity, I just need you to be strong for the cause…."

"I will be…I will be strong…" Pansy said, promising herself that, no matter what it cost her, she wouldn't let Draco down.

Draco then took another step forward, placed one of his hands to the side of Pansy's head and bending down slightly, brushed her lips with his own. Pansy found her hands moving to the back of his head, she used them to push him towards her, to deepen the kiss. Draco then reacted by placing his free hand around her waist to crush her against his chest. Pansy abandoned herself to the wonderful feeling of belonging that being back in Draco's arms gave her.

Light as a cloud, Pansy walked back to the school…she had never been as happy as then.

To be continued…

A/N: I hope those that were missing Draco and Pansy together will be happy now…but, do not fear…there will be more moments like this soon…very soon!!

Ah, as usual, thanks for the reviews!! You guys are just amazing…