Draco Part Three -- The Muggle Assassin
Gwendolyn continued to rebuke his attempts at affection. She returned the note he slipped her in Transfiguration unopened. She avoided him in the hallways, sat as far as possible from him in classes, and blatantly ignored him whenever possible. Draco was only so smitten as to think she was playing hard to get for a few days. Yet the more she withdrew from him, the more he desired her. It was an odd paradox, but not one he was entirely opposed to. He found himself watching for that steely glint that appeared in her eyes whenever he managed to catch her attention. It confused him a bit really, but thrilled him all the same.
The morning of the Daily Prophet article seemed to be going particularly well. New fodder for Potter taunting, his favorite pastime, was always reason to celebrate, and he'd managed to catch Gwendolyn's attention for a moment as they passed in the corridor on the way to breakfast. She and Potter seemed to have had some sort of falling out, and she was to be seen fraternizing with the Gryffindors less and less frequently lately.
When he read the line in the article about that old fraud Moody claiming that a Muggle assassin was after Potter, he almost laughed out loud with glee. It was too good to be true. He couldn't have come up with a better taunt himself. Feeling powerful and completely unstoppable, he sauntered over to the Gryffindor table, waving the paper in front of him.
"Oy, Potter!" he called. "You're telling people that Muggles are out to get you now?" He laughed at his own joke, and a chorus of snickers erupted from the Slytherins behind him. Right on cue, he though happily. Potter stared daggers at him, but it only made Draco feel stronger.
"Well if one of them is, it's a shame he missed," he added. Potter clenched his fists and turned his back. Granger was muttering at him, probably telling him to take the high road. Draco smiled to himself; little did she know, there was no high road when it came to him and Potter.
"Honestly though," he continued, "it's too bad that old fraud Moody croaked him. Might have been the only Muggle in history I would have had something in common with."
"Harry?" Draco whirled around and spotted Gwendolyn advancing towards them, a paper clutched in her hands. This morning kept getting better and better. He grinned wildly as she passed him.
"Don't worry, Gwendolyn," he said suddenly. He dropped his paper and caught her easily in one arm. She froze, her eyes flashing angrily, and Draco felt a surge of power. "I'll protect you from Prissy Potter and his Muggle assassins," he whispered in her ear. He reached up and ran one finger down her cheek, delighted by the way she shivered at his touch.
"Take your hands off of me," she said in a low throaty voice. It thrilled him and he laughed out loud, pulling her closer to him, her body pressed up against his, a warm heat flowing through him.
"Aww... I just thought you might like the attention of a real man for once," he suggested. Gwendolyn began to struggle, trying to evade his grasp, but he only pulled her closer. Everything else was forgotten, it was all about the game now. He felt high on the heady perfume of her fear.
"Let me go, Draco, or I swear -- I will make you a soprano!" Gwendolyn threatened, still trying to push away from him.
He gave her another little laugh. "I love it when you talk dirty..." he whispered.
"You heard her, Malfoy," Potter said suddenly, his wand aimed at Draco's head. "Let her go."
He had completely forgotten that Potter was even there, but now, he gloated inwardly. It was obvious now that Gwendolyn was his and his alone. But with his arms wrapped around her, Draco had no way of fighting back. He glared at Harry triumphantly.
"Go ahead, Potter. There's nothing you can do that scares me." He squeezed Gwendolyn even tighter and she moaned slightly, still pushing against him. The sound made him dizzy and he smiled with pleasure. He wanted to...
"Do what he says!" another voice cried. Draco's smile faltered slightly. He recognized the voice. It was Longbottom's. He almost laughed at the inanity of it.
"Harry!" Granger said suddenly in a warning tone. Potter glanced where she was looking and began to lower his wand. Draco couldn't see what they were looking at, but he hoped it was Crabbe and Goyle coming to his assistance.
"What's going on here?" a stern female voice demanded. Draco glanced up at Professor McGonagall's expression, as hard and impassive as a Gargoyle's. Slowly, deliberately, Draco let his hands slide down off of Gwendolyn's body, savouring the contact. She pushed his hands away at the last moment, and he took a deep steadying breath.
No one moved or spoke. "Back to your house tables," McGonagall said finally. Draco smiled munificently around at each of them before turning to head back to his house table.
A/N: This is the end of the Draco exercises for a bit, but there will be more to come. The Harry/Gwyn/Draco triangle is tricky! So I need all the help on it I can get. Please review if you've liked it, or even if you haven't!! And if you want to read more, check out the full fiction called Harry Potter and the Sect of the Serpent.