A/N: Thanks to Kazzy for being a great beta. YOU! Go read her fic.

Chapter Four – Not my Day

"Rome did not create a great empire by having meetings, they did it by killing all those who opposed them."

P.O.V. Draco Jnr.

I hadn't been able to get to sleep till the early hours of the morning. I was tired before, but now I couldn't even think straight and from that very second I could tell that today was going to be a bitch. I rolled out of bed and looked around at the other sleeping Slytherin – idiots. I moved to the shower wondering where the first few weeks had gone. I could only hope that the rest would be as fast.

Down in the common room, I was surprised to see that three people were already up. I looked at my watch, Shit! I had been in the shower for almost an hour. The three people were a fifth year, reading; and two first years, stirring something that looked like a poison. And just to make my mood better, as I walked past the poison it exposed in my face, showering me with goo.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" I screamed. I looked down at my clothes, then at them. They both looked like they were going to piss their pants.

"S-s-orr-rry," one stammered.

I waved my hand for them to shut up. "Next time, you better watch it or you'll get it." As I went to push open the door I saw a slight disappointed look on the fifth year's face. I walked out and slammed the door shut.

Taking my wand out, I waved a spell to clean myself. I can tell you, whatever it was they were doing was done wrong. There was no effect, well, apart from my mood, which now was sky high.

I didn't want breakfast. So I headed for a walk around the castle. I just wanted to get away from everyone. The next person I ran into I would be sorry, so of course, fate had me run into some idiot first year Hufflepuffs – or first years from a house that wasn't Slytherin, anyway. I made a plan: walk past them, and not say anything. I was doing fine, until I was just about past and they had to open their mouths, making me have to move to plan B.

"Excuse me, I was wondering if you could tell us the way to the second floor, we got lost," one asked.

"How about I turn around and you can kiss my ass," I growled.

They both looked like they were going to cry; this was kind of fun.

"Now, that is not the way a prefect should talk."

Could my day get any worse? I turned to see Potter. "You wouldn't know, you're not one," I growled deeper.

"Oh… now that hurts." She looked past me to the first years. "Keep walking to the end of this corridor, take a left, walk right to the end of that corridor, take a right and go down the stairs, you will be in the entrance way," she said nicely. "Do you know the rest?"

"Yes." As they walked past, I heard one thank her.

I waited till they were at the end out of sight, and we could not hear them any more – finally someone I could release my anger on.

"I just remembered that we never got the finish our conversation from before we got on the train. I mean, we have talked, but I did promise you I would show you something, didn't I? It will do us good getting to go one on one." I took a step forward, and she stayed where she was eyeing me. I took another step forward, and to my delight she took one back. This gave me an upper hand. I gave her a twisted smile of triumph.

"Why don't I get us a cup of tea and some biscuits, make it a bit more homey," she said as she looking me right in the eye. She was trying to gain her ground back, but it was mine now. My mood wasn't changing, though. I needed more.

"It's all right. All I need is you." I took two more steps and now I was right in front of her. She went for her wand in her pocket, but I was too fast. I grabbed her arm, and with the other hand got her wand.

"Now, now, you wont be needing this." I threw it down the corridor, watching as her eyes followed it to were it landed. I grabbed her other hand. At the same time as I went to push her back, her knee went into my crotch, so I didn't get to hear her head as it hit the cold hard wall. She had got me, but not as bad as I got her.

When I let go of her wrist for two seconds, though, she got the upper hand and pushed me back. She went after her wand, but I wasn't in the mood for this. Grabbing her ankle, I pulled her down. I lifted myself up as she fell. I got her wrist again, and lifted her up, slamming her into the wall. This time I heard the sound of her head hitting. If it didn't do any damage last time, I definitely did this time. I placed my feet on hers, so she couldn't get me again.

"Look, this has been fun and all, but I have to run. You know, people to see." She laughed at me, but I was close enough to feel her heavy deep breaths.

"Don't give me shit, girl. I can smell the fear off you, your covered in it," I sneered at her.

"Oh yeah." She tried to laugh again, but it didn't work, and we both could see how lame her answer was.

I pulled her arm above her head and put her little wrists into one of my hands. Grabbing my wand, I pointed it at her. An invisible rope shot out and tied her hands together. By pointing it at the ceiling, I locked her into place. Well, the top half was done. Snapping her feet together in the same method, I locked them to the floor.

Once I had put my wand back into my pocket, I placed a hand on her neck. I tested it, making sure she could still breath. From her neck my eyes worked their way up, and I looked into her face. Her eyes where watching me carefully. I pushed the hair out of her face, which had come undone from her ponytail during the fighting. I leaned in and whispered, "Now what can we play."

She pulled her face away from mine, so I lifted my arm and backhanded her, hard. Bringing her face equal to mine, I felt a ripple of guilt shoot though my body. Quickly, though, the guilt turned to anger. I hated Potter. It was part of being a Malfoy. This was nothing, she could handle a little snap around, we gave each other crap every day. I slapped her hard again, trying to get rid of my anger. Her head slowly came back up, starting to look at me again, so I lifted my hand again.

"Don't," she whispered.

She begged. That would the first time I had ever heard her beg. I looked her in the eyes and then I looked at the rest of her face. She was pretty, one of the pretty things I have ever seen. Once again, the guilt started to flow through me. How could anyone hurt something so pretty? I started to get angry at myself, because it was me who was doing this? But she was a Potter, somebody – something – that I hated. I lead forward and put my lips near her ear.

I paused trying to think of something to say, but nothing came. I could not think of any insults, anything bad, but then that wasn't what I was trying to do. I was trying to think of something that would make her feel better. The thought disgusted me.

My hand lifted for the fourth time, trying not to look at her, but my eyes landed on her cheek, which was reddened from my earlier abuse. The guilt hit me again, worse than before.

That is when we heard it. I wasn't sure who got the sound first, but there it was: very quiet foot falls in the distance. And then it was gone. I was going to hit her again, but this time my hands returned to her neck. I held her tightly, still giving her room to breathe, but I was making her take smaller breaths.

I started to move the hair out of her face again, and that is when her smell hit me for the first time. It was sweet, so sweet I could eat it. I just couldn't put my finger on it. I looked back into her eyes to see she was in pain. The guilt was in every part of my body. I could not get the feeling out, I hated her I hated every thing about her. We had fought before, even if we were in our groups. Once again the footsteps returned in the distance, but they where making they way closer to us. I pushed harder around her neck, but still gave her room. I waited to see if they turn off, but it didn't seem as if they were going to. I looked up, and moved her hair out of her face.

"Let's see who has the better luck," I told her softly.

I waited for a second, then let go and moved to the opposite wall and leaned on it, not taking my eyes off her. She was doing the same for me. We both listened for the steps, and that was when I realized how deep and quick she was breathing. The steps were coming closer, so I brought my wand out and pointed at her undoing the spell. But I didn't move my wand; it stayed facing her. She kept her eyes on me as she tried to fix her hair. At the last minute I lowered my wand. The feet came around the corner.

Professor Snape. As he came upon us, his eye narrowed. He knew something was up. I mean, anyone with half a brain would.

I let him speak first. "What's going on here?"

I waited for her to answer, waited to see if she would tell, but schoolyard rules came in. Never tell.

"So Mr. Malfoy, Miss Potter cat got your tongue?" He walked right in front of us and waited for the answer, but she stayed quiet.

"Nothing," I chocked out.

He eyed me then her. "Miss Potter, anything you would like to add to 'nothing'?"

She watched him and then shook her head. Snape looked from her to me, and back again. I was standing there untouched and she was a mess.

"Are you sure, Miss Potter?" he asked again. I think this was the first time he had ever asked a Gryffindor, or a Potter, if they were all right and meant it, because he sound funny.

She nodded.

"You both should be at breakfast, standing around makes it look like you have done something wrong," He snapped out. "I might follow you there, to make sure nothing happens."

"Yes sir," I said. Potter just looked at him, I saw her cheek was beginning to swell up.

He started to walk, and I followed. I heard her footsteps behind me. Her breathing was still deep and uneven. Looking ahead, I saw her wand still in the place it had landed. I wonder if Snape would see it, but that was a stupid question; it was right there for everyone to see. He went over to it and bent down to retrieve it. Turning form the snake to us, he asked, "Does this belong to one of you?"

I turned to her, and she was just looking at the wand. She took two seconds, and then walked over. When she went to take it, however, Snape pulled his hand away with the wand.

"Is this your Miss Potter?"

She nodded.

"What is it doing all the way down here?"

She straightened her shoulders, and brought her hand back in.

"Your month is usually so fast, and today it seems unable to work."

She just watched him.

"Well, speak."

"But I was always told that if I couldn't say anything nice, I shouldn't say anything at all," she said in her usual sarcastic voice.

Snape didn't say anything, just gave her wand, turned and started walking. I didn't move. I wanted her to go first, but she stay there waiting for me. Neither of us was willing to let the other have the advantage of seeing our backs.

"We are moving," Snape called to us. At this, she moved past me and followed Snape.

That walk was the longest walk in my life. I felt like it would never stop. Finally, we got to the Great Hall and by then I wanted to yell. Never in my life had Jessica Potter been quite so special when Snape and a Malfoy were present.

At the Great Hall he turned and looked at us. "First class, I believe you have is mine. It is about to start. If one of you is late, you will get a detention and fifty points will be taken off your house." Turning, he headed towards the dungeons.

Before he turned off around the corner, though, he looked about at us and spoke one more time. "If you decide to meet in the corridor by yourselves, you might want to think about it. It doesn't look good and next time someone might look into what went on." At this he turned and walked on.

I turned to see what the girl next to me was doing. She had her eye on the door where Snape had just left. She turned and looked at me watching her, but she didn't stay like that. She turned and started to head upstairs. But I had to say something, so I grabbed her arm. She turned fast and looked straight into my eyes and waited for me to do something, but I was stuck. I didn't know what to say or what to do. I just looked at her, and noticed her eyes were a deeper green than they had been before.

"What, do you want to hit me again, Malfoy?" she asked bluntly.

I dropped her wrist. This shocked me, I didn't know what to say, but she didn't wait for me to answer. She just took off up the stairs.

For some reason, I felt worst than I did at the beginning. What had I done?

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