by Perr - still no paragraphing! :/ Thanks for the reviews so far!

Draco's POV

Clouds of mist swirl in perfect spirals from the teacher's wand.

"If any of you have the time, have a look at the extra references to what we've done today."

I've never heard of advanced hexing, so the lessons now seem almost ludicrous and irrelevant. They might as well teach us how to defend ourselves from Unforgivable Curses.

I spend the remaining minutes of the lesson staring at the back of Potter's head. Oh come on, you should at least believe me when I say it. He's always in the front, always the hero, always the Gryffindor to step up to the face of danger. He may be courageous, but he certainly isn't very well off in the noggin, is he? Up until now, he still hasn't done anything about me, or my feelings, or my biting zipper, or our situation. And he's still hanging around that girl.

She doesn't take the double DAs, so she isn't here for me to observe with an evil eye. But I know that she probably takes classes with him that I don't attend. This makes me very compelled to get to know him better.

Something ticks in my brain. Feelings! Hormones! Horrific, horrific control of emotions, Draco. I shove the part of my mind away.

"Hey," Goyle nudges me as we finally step out of class. "Just saw Granger and Weasley's hands together."

"Mmm," I say, not really listening, just thinking of Potter and where he's going to head to next. To his insolent girlfriend, a bitter voice seethes, making me shudder at the thought.

"Saw you looking pretty dazed too. What were you looking at?"

I was noticed? "Nothing interesting." ---that you would like to know anyway. I increase my pace.

Potter isn't completely straight, is he? He isn't. He can't be.

Can he?

All the thinking almost runs me into a wall. It runs me into Blaise. He narrows his eyes. "I saw you..." he begins. The moment dies when Pansy steps inbetween us.

You saw me what?

"Have I ever told you how much I HATE Granger?" she exclaims in a shrill remark. Blaise heads off into another direction.

"More than enough times," I reply her. With my wand clasped tightly in my fist, I'm just about ready to zap her into oblivion. Saw me WHAT? I think in frustration. I pray deep in my heart that Blaise didn't see me concentrating on Potter instead of the lesson.

In fact, when Potter walks slowly in the hall in my direction, my attention bolts to him. He's alone, trying hard to avert his eyes (but to no avail) from me. What I hope will make him frown is the sudden smile I fake to Pansy. "I do suppose I've got some spare time to listen."

"I feel a scheme boiling up, you know?" she says, and she starts to walk. I automatically follow. Since when am I a follower? I've forgotten that Goyle was following me. He's disappeared.

"At the same time, I guess you could dish some dirt on Harry Potter."

"What dirt is there to dish? He's clean." Unless you count me as the dirt, then yeah, shovel away.

You know, I only dream about being open to the world with my teenage boy horniness. I honestly wish I could climb atop a grand table and scream my utmost desire for Potter, and all the things I want to do to him, or have him do to me.

As I walk by Pansy's side, I notice people in open grass next to the fountain waving their wands. They've turned the fountain water pink and purple, but the colours don't mingle, just like oil and water. All of them seem to be practicing.

Ah, I see Crabbe and Goyle... with Blaise?

Blaise shrugs and waves his wand. "Confundus!", and he points it to the people revising. I can't stay to see what happens because Pansy yanks my hand to make me keep up. Well, excellent stuff boys, I praise with a half-smile.

She stops at a dark corner, discreet enough to be sheltered away from the public eye. Suspicion consumes me.

"I need to talk to you about something," she says softly, "It's important."

"What, you're pregnant or something?"
Her silence stuns me.
"...No." She finally answers, not amused. For those two brief seconds, I could've sworn I almost threw up my stomach. "Don't make fun of this, Draco!"

"Ok, ok," I defend with both hands up. "Don't have to be such a nit about it."

"Draco," she sucks in a huge breath, "I really, really, really like you."

Why am I not surprised?

"You mean, you could tell?"

Must have thought of that aloud! Bugger.

"Well, um," I shove my hands into my pockets. The mirror brushes my knuckles and I take them out. I'm reminded of Potter again at the most inopportune times. This is not good. "Pansy, I think everyone can tell. Since Yule Ball, even before that."
An attractive blush washes over her porcelain features. Can someone un-hex me some Confundus now? I must have been hit, because I just put 'attractive' and 'Pansy' in the same sentence.

"You know and you didn't do anything about it?"

What a fix she's putting me in. If I said yes, she'd never talk to me again. I need her to spite that dark-haired monkey, the challenging git. How dare he try to make Draco Malfoy jealous!

"I knew, but I didn't tell you because I wasn't sure if I was ready or you were ready." Trying to be politically correct is such a difficult feat.

Her eyes brighten and a toothy grin emerges. I feel like yelling, "Nox!", but she isn't even remotely close to being a wand. I believe I just put myself in an unobvious truckload of shit.

Too much to think about, about 'breaking up' with her, about resolving my needs by using that Potter. Sometimes I even wonder... if... if my feelings went any deeper than that.

"So... You're saying... We're together?" She snaps my thought into half.

My mouth opens and closes, and opens again, experiencing this rarity of a loss for words. Before I can reply, she emits a high-pitched noise and runs off.

"...No?"

It's a little bloody late, isn't that, Malfoy?

My palm covers my face. No number of Dark Arts Defense lessons is going to save me now.