Chapter 23: Preparation
A week after exams, Seraphim and Draco sat in Seraphim's empty classroom discussing the future. It was drizzling outside, one thing that had been a constant in the otherwise hectic end of school rush. Also a perfect backdrop to the unhappy plan the couple was concocting.
Draco slammed his fist down on a desk. "It isn't fair."
Seraphim sighed and walked over to assess the damage to both the desk and Draco's hand. "Life's not fair, Draco."
"I wish we didn't have to go through with this," he huffed. Pacing back and forth in the front of the classroom, he began muttering to himself.
Shaking her head, Seraphim grabbed hold of his shoulders and led him to a chair. "I don't like it any better than you do, but it's the only way…and you suggested it."
"I know that," he protested, "it just doesn't seem…right."
Seraphim slumped down in the seat beside him. "It doesn't. I don't know what to say to make you feel better. I don't even know what to tell myself." She fingered the chain around her neck. "I'm scared, Draco."
"I know. Me too," he slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer.
"What are we going to do?" Seraphim stared blankly across the room. "How will we make it work? I don't-"
"Shh," Draco placed a finger over her lips. "I've got it all worked out." He smiled shakily. "I'm going to pick a fight with you tomorrow in class, just to let you know."
"Draco," Seraphim rolled her eyes, "a single fight wouldn't be enough to…well, you know." She gestured wildly. "You know that."
Draco winced inwardly. "Don't worry, I've got it taken care of. I promise," his smile turned lopsided.
Seraphim regarded him skeptically. "Draco…"
"Trust me," he implored. "Just…just trust me."
"I do trust you; it's just, sometime you worry me." Seraphim closed her eyes, rubbing her temples with one hand while reaching for Draco with the other. She sent him a doleful look when his fingers began stroking her cheek.
Pulling Seraphim onto his lap, Draco wrapped his arms around her and kissed her neck. "I told you, it's all taken care of. I'll make it believable."
"What are you planning?"
"Don't worry." Draco smirked, patting her hip, "There will be no doubts that we'll have…parted ways when I'm through."
"There are people we won't be able to fool," Seraphim replied seriously. Standing, she turned to face him, "It's not as simple as that."
Draco stood, moved to sit on her desk, and looked her in the eye. "I know it isn't that simple. But I'm asking you to trust me."
Seraphim raised an eyebrow. "I don't know…"
Grabbing her wrist, Draco pulled her closer until she bumped the desk's edge. "Please?" he implored, giving her a shot of puppy dog eyes and wrapping his legs around her waist, effectively trapping her.
Draco was rewarded with a disapproving stare. "Not here, Draco."
"All right," he said jokingly, kissing her neck again and locking his ankles around her knees instead, "where?"
That coaxed a small smile from Seraphim. "That's not what I mean."
Serious now, Draco took Seraphim's hands in his own. "Please, I'm just asking you to trust me for a while. I promise it'll work out the way we need it to."
After a long moment of silence, Seraphim dropped her eyes to the floor. "All right. Whatever it is you have up your sleeve, I trust you. I'm not saying it's a good idea since you don't want to tell me what it is, but I trust you." She pulled away and turned to exit the room. "But I'm not happy with you keeping secrets like this, especially at such a crucial point in time." Sighing, she looked back to face him at the doorway and bit her lip; "I'll see you at dinner."
When she was finally gone, Draco let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. 'Well, that's over with,' he thought to himself. Leaning back on the desk, he ran his fingers shakily through his hair. 'I hate complications.'
Later that evening, Draco crept into Seraphim's bedroom. The fireplace was nothing but softly glowing embers and Seraphim had fallen asleep in her chair again, glasses sliding down her nose, a book falling out of her hands, wrapped in the quilt he'd given her. Smiling wryly, Draco scooped her up in his arms, put her book away, removed her glasses, and set her down on the bed.
"Mmphh," she muttered, snuggling closer to him and successfully sealing off Draco's escape route.
Slowly detaching one of her arms from his waist, Draco shook her lightly. "Seraphim…Seraphim, you have to let me go now," he whispered.
Eyes squeezed shut, Seraphim shook her head once and held him tighter.
"Seraphim…" Draco tried again, still attempting to pry her arms off of him.
"No…" she mumbled, the corners of her mouth threatening to turn upward. She peeked at him through half-closed eyelids. "Stay."
"Seraphim, I have to go to sleep," Draco bent down to kiss her forehead. "Let me go…please?"
"No, stay with me. It's our last night…we're supposed to…" she made an incomprehensible noise, "tomorrow."
Draco sighed, kicking off his slippers and climbing under the quilt with her. "Happy now?"
Seraphim shook her head. "I never want to let you go." She nuzzled his chest and pressed herself closer to him.
Kissing the top of her head, Draco lifted Seraphim's chin and smiled. "I don't know what I did you deserve you," he kissed her nose, "but I'm glad I decided to do it." He began nibbling her lower lip. "I love you."
Giggling, Seraphim kissed him back. "I love you too."
Suddenly, Draco began tickling Seraphim's ribs. In an attempt to escape, Seraphim very nearly missed kicking Draco's nose which resulted in both of them tumbling to the floor. Not to be outdone, Draco made a grab for Seraphim's ankle, but she scuttled away to her desk and, finding some owl treats, began throwing them at her pseudo-attacker.
"Ow!" Draco hid behind Seraphim's bed as the little bombs exploded on the hardwood floor around him. He smirked; a schoolteacher in her nightdress was chucking owl treats at him.
Grabbing a pillow for a shield, Draco made a mad dash across the room to Seraphim's base of operations. Snatching the bag of pet nibbles from her with one hand, he grabbed Seraphim's waist and threw her over his shoulder caveman-style with the other and began carrying her back to bed.
Tossing the owl treats on the bedside table and swiping his wand from the surface in one swift movement, Draco dumped Seraphim unceremoniously on the bed, face down, and muttered 'petrificus totalus.' Seraphim couldn't move. Smirking to himself and summoning a feather, Draco began where he left off: tickling Seraphim to bits. Sitting on her butt with his long legs on either side of her, he drew the tip of the feather across the soles of her feet. Seeing her muscles tense, Draco chuckled soundlessly; Seraphim was so much fun to tease sometimes.
Drawing circular patterns over her feet, he continued up her calves and to the backs of her knees. Draco was sure that, if movement were possible, Seraphim would be kicking him. Savoring the moment, he then hopped off the bed and flipped her over, simultaneously performing the countercharm for the body-bind and a spell for paralysis.
Seraphim glared at him.
Draco only smiled mischievously. "No," he chortled, "I'm not finished with you yet."
Nuzzling her neck, Draco brushed his hands lightly down Seraphim's sides. An attempt to communicate was thwarted by the temporary paralysis and Seraphim could only look at Draco with pleading eyes.
"Do you promise to be good?" he asked playfully.
Seraphim gave him what she hoped was a meaningful look.
"Give me tonight," he whispered, trailing his fingers over her jaw line, down her neck, tracing her shoulder. Draco thought he heard Seraphim's breath catch in her throat. "Please," he added.
Seraphim blinked; Draco had lifted the paralysis spell and crouched over her on the bed with a look of longing and vulnerability she'd never seen before.
"Please," he whispered again. The brush of warm air against her neck sent her pulse racing.
In a single movement, Seraphim lifted herself up on her elbows and prepared to give Draco the snogging of his life.
The next morning, when Seraphim woke up, she was confused. There was an arm draped over her. She blinked. The torso connected to the arm was currently unclothed. Blinking again, Seraphim realized she was in a dangerous state of undress. Glancing at her bedmate, hoping for answers to her questions, Seraphim spied familiar blonde hair. Draco. The previous night came back in a flood of memories.
Kisses, caresses, honest-to-God magic sparking between them. Running the back of her hand down Draco's face, Seraphim sighed and shook him awake. "Draco," she murmured. "Draco, you have to get up, we've both got class in half an hour."
An unintelligible sound came from him half parted lips. "Five more minutes, Zabini, I promise."
"Draco. You're not in your dormitory, you have to get up now." Seraphim shook him again.
His eyes shot open. "Huh?" Sitting straight up, he blinked his eyes sleepily and looked over at Seraphim, his cheeks coloring slightly. "Sorry."
She kissed his cheek. "It's okay. Hurry up and shower. I'll get your clothes clean."
Draco climbed out of the bed and blushed again, realizing he'd lost his trousers sometime during the previous night.
Giggling, Seraphim gave him a look. "It's not like I didn't see that about seven hours ago."
Draco grinned sheepishly and headed to Seraphim's bathroom.
Something tugged at Seraphim's heartstrings. In a couple hours, 'Seraphim and Draco' would be no more.
With the disconcerting thought in her mind, she gathered Draco's clothes and proceeded to literally charm the dirt off them.