"Daphne, get off me!"
I struggled to get out from under her; Daphne was sitting on me. Somehow she had managed to get me on the ground with my arms under me so it was harder to shake her off. For someone as thin as her, she was surprisingly heavy. We were in the common room but no one gave us more than a second glance. It was surprisingly common for Slytherins to get into this kind of confrontation in the middle of the place so more often than not it was overlooked by anyone uninvolved.
"I will get off when you give it back!" she snapped back, crossing her arms and proving how little effort she was putting into keeping me down.
"I don't know what you're talking about" I complained, trying once more to lift her from me. Once more I failed. "How much do you weigh?"
"Greengrass, are you trying to kill her?" Draco smirked as he and Blaise came into view. They both walked calmly to us, as if we were doing nothing more than sitting around having tea.
"Shut up, I'm not fat" Daphne narrowed her eyes at him making both boys grin.
"Technically he didn't say that" Blaise reminded her sitting on the couch near us and not bothering to even attempt to help. I shot him a look, he smiled back at me.
"It's funny how you got the meaning anyway though" said Draco stepping closer to us. He looked down at me for a second then then looked back to her. Daphne crossed her arm.
"I am not fat! It's her own fault she's weak."
"I am not weak!" I screamed but failed to prove my point. Draco and Blaise laughed as Daphne's face turn a little nervous, wondering if she had pushed me too far. Not yet but she was getting close.
"You are; physically at least" Draco informed me, looking down at me.
"Shut up!" I yelled and tried getting out again, still with no effect.
"What do you expect when you weigh about half what everyone else does" Draco chuckled, crouching down to be at a closer eye level.
"I will hurt you" I growled in return. He gave me one more smile before returning his attention to Daphne.
"Why are you on her anyway?" he asked.
"She took my hair supplies without asking!"
"That's it?" Blaise smirked
"That's it?" I screamed at her. She looked a little startled again by my suddenly raised voice but still made no attempt to move. "That's why you're on me?!"
"Hey they were very expensive and smelled really nice" Daphne protested in a tone that suggested she believed that was a good enough reason. "Plus it made my hair really soft and straight and look amazing. And do you have any idea how long it took me to find a product as good as that?"
"Why do you need hair supplies? You usually just have a 'the hell with it' attitude about your looks" Blaise commented. I felt as though I should be insulted by that but was too preoccupied with Daphne's inept logic to reply to reply.
"She gave it to that know-it-all Gryffindor" Daphne informed him making the boys turn to give me a look.
"Oh, well then it's your own fault you're down there" Draco commented smiling down at me. I shot him back a look. He sighed at me before turning to Daphne. "Get off her; I'll buy you a new… whatever that was."
"Okay! The other one was running low anyway" Daphne called back happily. She jumped up and off me, outstretching her hand to me. I shot her a look and thinking with her basic survival skills she quickly left towards the stairs with only a small wave our way.
"Why did you give it to the mudblood?" Blaise asked making a face as I sat up.
"Probably because those Gryffindors are too poor to afford anything good" Draco laughed, still standing but not bothering to offer his hand. Although, in his defense, that was probably because he knew that if he tried he would get the same treatment as Daphne had.
"It is none of your business what I do!" I snapped at him and stood up. "And for the record I did tell her about it but seeing as her brain is filled with pretty lace and shiny things it's no wonder she forgot. And you'd think she would at least have told me what her problem was but no instead she decides to sit on me! Who thinks like that?!"
"Someone's a little catty today eh kitty" Blaise teased, smiling in my direction.
"Shut up" I told him and sat down next to him on the sofa. Both of them laughed and Draco moved to sit on the other side of me.
"Where do I find that, whatever, she wants?" he asked me and I shrugged.
"How should I know?" I scowled in reply. "Ask my mother, I'm sure she'd know. Or ask just her. Or just give her some money, she can buy it herself. I really don't care what you do."
"You okay?" Draco asked, putting a hand on my head.
"No, I'm not okay!" I snapped at him again, shaking his hand off my head. I turned and glared at him. "She's been sitting on me for the past hour; or at least it felt like it."
"You really are weak" Blaise chuckled beside me. I turned my glare from Draco to him.
"I may be weak but I know of at least seven ways to legally torture you painfully enough to have you begging for death" I snapped. Blaise smiled in reply which did not help my temper.
"Have you had breakfast yet?" Draco asked. I turned around confused at the equally suddenty and stupidity of his question.
"What—no" I narrowed my eyes at him.
"That's why" Draco replied, standing up and smiling to himself. He reached over and grabbed my arm. "Come on, let's get some food in you."
""Shut up and let me go" I complained as he stood me up. Once standing, he hooked one of his arms around my waist for better leverage and proceeded to half-drag me out of the dungeon. As he did this I saw Blaise smile and wave at us not even attempting to appear as though he cared. I scowled at him until he was out of view.
Draco dragged me a good portion of the way to the dining room, enough to make me decide to go where he told me. There weren't nearly as many people as there usual were in the Great Hall. We were in that timeframe between early morning and 'hard to still consider morning'. Classes were out now so most of the students had been taking advantage of their newfound free time by staying up late and sleeping in. Like on weekends students either got up and got breakfast early, those 'early bird' types, or waited until the very last moment to leave their beds. I usually woke up fairly early but didn't get hungry until a few hours later, as in now. While normally I would have gotten something to eat by now Daphne had kept me otherwise occupied. I wouldn't admit that to Draco though.
We sat down and had a quick meal in the hall. It was a basic breakfast but it helped me feel better. Draco smiled at me knowing it was but I made an effort to ignore him. According to him I was always angrier when I felt hungry. Also apparently I was sweeter when sleepy and energetic when bored. None of those made any rational sense to me, especially the latter of the three, but he swore by all of them. I doubted any were true but then again he knew me better than anyone else…
Once done we took a few pieces of toast for the road and headed back down to the dungeon. We didn't go straight into the common room though, nor did we head to the Room which was usually our second choice, instead we just walked. Draco and I wandered the halls for a bit, finishing our last few bites of breakfast. It's not that I was necessarily stil hungry but toast were actually quite satisfying breakfast time snacks.
The Slytherin Dungeon was very big, probably the biggest of all the dungeons in the castle. But unlike the rest of the dungeons this one was a lot nicer to look at. Nobody outside of Slytherin really took the time to look around the place though so it wasn't very common knowledge. The corridors were designed just like the ones that looked onto the courtyards except that instead of seeing the grounds you saw the lake; also there was a lot of glass. But the place was actually very nice and peaceful. If there were more benches or such places to sit I would pick this over the courtyard any day. Admittedly, there were a few sitting areas here and there but not with enough variety to keep me interested.
"You seem a lot less irritable" Draco commented suddenly, making me jump a little. He laughed at that but I chose to ignore it.
"For the last time I am not irritable when I'm hungry" I rolled my eyes at him. Draco smiled.
"That's not true, you're irritable all the time" he took a pause to look at my reaction. Draco laughed when I glared and went on. "But being hungry does make you more so, you just don't realize it"
Abruptly Draco stopped walking, confusing me for a moment. He gestured next to him to show me one of the few sitting areas of the dungeon. I shrugged in reply and we both moved towards the seats. Knowing each other for as long as we did came with its advantages, one of which being silent conversations. The room was an extension of the dungeon's corridor. Two of the walls were solid and lined with seats while the middle one continued the glass siding like the corridor. If one was looking ahead and left only their peripheral vision to find the sitting rooms they were sure to miss them. I made my way to a particular sofa and Draco followed after me.
"I'm not" I continued our conversation once comfortably sat. "Also, I'm not nicer when I'm tired or energetic when I'm bored, which I still don't understand your logic on that last one."
"I have a theory on all of them, if you want to hear it" he smirked at me, resting his arm on the back of the sofa behind me.
"Go on" I said as I narrowed my eyes at him. Draco's smile grew and he nodded.
"When you're hungry you're uncomfortable, for obvious reasons, and can't really do anything about it. I mean, sure you can eat but besides that it's not really something that you can control. Since you can't control it subconsciously you start to lose it because that's something you just can't stand. In other words when you're hungry you get irritated, don't know why, and because of that you take it out on everyone else."
"What about the other two?" I asked skeptically, ignoring the fact that his reasoning actually made sense.
"When you're tired you are practically already asleep. It's a weird habit you have of going to extremes but you're basically falling asleep while doing other stuff. Because of that you're not constantly thinking with that oversized brain of yours so you're more understanding of peoples mistakes and other such things. Over all you're just nicer. And when you're bored you get energetic because your brain is just overcompensating; again because of your whole over controlling personality" Draco concluded with a shrug. I gave him a look.
"That's stupid" I told him but he smiled.
"You're just mad that it makes sense" Draco smirked back.
"No" I muttered and he laughed.
"Here this should put away that last bit of irritability from you" Draco smiled, handing me the last piece of toast. I gave him another look but took it anyway.
We sat for a while just letting our stomachs settle. I turned to the large window onto the lake. It was always calm out there. Though many people worried about the Giant Squid, or some of the other creatures of the lake, not many realized that they weren't so bad. Sure they could kill someone but the real danger was if they chose to and hardly any of them ever tried. I thought it very fitting to compare it to Slytherin sometimes. Sure not everyone in the house was nice, actually just a very small percentage would earn that title from me, but they weren't nearly as bad as we were made out to be.
I liked to think of Slytherins as ambitious; we knew what we wanted and we made sure we got it, no matter what the cost. Personally I believed that to be a good trait rather than a bad one but not everyone thought what I did.
Gryffindors were really the only ones I could think of that purposely put us under that light but I believed that to be more having to do with the house rivalries than the actual students themselves. Many Gryffindors judged us without having even spoken to a Slytherin before. Not that Slytherins would be much for having a nice cup of tea with them either though. There were a few exceptions of course such as Hermione, although I believed that to be more of a timing issue than actual open-mindedness. She liked me sure but when referring to any other Slytherin she wasn't much different than any other Gryffindor. When we had spoken she was still fairly new to non-muggle all subjects and wasn't too keyed in on Slytherins or our apparently many flaws.
Fred and George were the only true exception I could think of. I wasn't too sure if their kindness had anything to do with the fact that I met them before being declared an official Slytherin but regardless of that they remained the sweet boys I now knew them to be. But, somewhat like Hermione, they were selective of what Slytherins they liked. While they liked me just fine, and were nice to Daphne whenever she was with me, when dealing with others such as Draco they were less than enthusiastic, much less. I wasn't sure if that was due to the house or just personal preference but it happened.
Remembering that Draco was sitting next to me I turned to look at him. Just like I had been he was looking to the glass comfortably, as if having forgotten I was with him too. We had a habit of doing that from time to time when with each other. It just felt comfortable being together, so much so that we forgot we were together most of the time. Daphne sometimes asked me what the point of us being together was if we didn't speak to each other but we really didn't need to, that's what I liked about our relationship.
Draco must have felt my gaze as he looked to me too. I smiled and shrugged in his direction not really feeling like saying anything. He sighed and removed his arm from behind me. Casually, he sat forward and looked to me. I answered his unspoken question and stood up. Following my lead Draco stood up too and we made our way back to common room.
As we walked I brushed off the crumbs of toast that had fallen on my shirt while eating. I had probably eaten more than I usually did but I had been really hungry, for which I blamed Daphne. She did not have to sit on me. A rational person would have just talked. Even if she had screamed her head off that would have still been a more rational response than sitting on a person.
After a few conversations Hermione and Vik had gotten along a bit better and decided to go to the Yule Ball together. She had asked if I knew of anything that she could use on her hair for the ball. I asked Daphne if I could take her dumb hair product and she had said yes. Unless she had gotten some form of head trauma which would cause irrationality and memory loss between then to the morning after I didn't understand her reaction. Why did it matter so much anyway? It was a basic hair product and it's not like she didn't have a million different ones to use.
"What?" Draco asked me, looking at my frowning face with a smile.
"I don't get it."
"Get what?"
"Why do girls put so much attention to how they look?" I frowned still.
"How should I know?" Draco chuckled and turned to his side, glancing at the window. I turned from the front to look at him.
"I'm serious, why do they care so much?" I insisted. He sighed but didn't move his gaze away from the lake view.
"You're not really one to talk" Draco mumbled still looking into the lake.
"What does that mean?" I grumbled to him.
"You don't have to worry about what they worry about" Draco shrugged and turned back to me. He didn't say much more than that. I gave him a look but he continued to walk, not elaborating.
"Like…?" I asked when he still refused to go into detail.
"Well, tell me one example of what you mean" he suggested.
"How about their obsession with their hair" I complained, thinking about Daphne's irrational behavior in the morning. All that over some needless hair product…
"Your hair looks nice even right after you wake up" he muttered. Normally I would have dismissed it but we've had enough sleep overs that probably had a pretty good idea what I looked like in the morning. If it was true, however absurd it sounded, he would know. I decided to move on.
"They put excessive amounts of perfume on."
"You already smell nice" he replied making me roll my eyes at that one. He wasn't being very helpful.
"They obsess over weight" I offered and he turned to look at me.
"A skinny little girl like you, really?" Draco asked me with a look. I frowned back.
"Don't call me little" I complained as we reached the Slytherin common room entrance. Draco stopped in front of the entrance and smirked at me.
"Face it, you're basically perfect" Draco told me with a smile. He really wasn't being helpful, most likely on purpose. I frowned at him and turned into the entrance.
"Am not" I whined as he followed behind me. I could tell Draco was still smiling as we walked. He waited until we were fully inside the common room to continue with his point.
"Name one thing you don't like about yourself" Draco said simply though with a look.
I opened my mouth but couldn't think of one thing to say. I closed it and sat down on a nearby sofa. Draco sat down next to me, leaning back comfortably as if to emphasize the fact that he was still waiting for my response. I knew there had to be something wrong with me, there were already several I could think of for my personality alone, but that didn't mean I didn't like them. Those imperfections are what made me who I was and I wouldn't change a single one of them. Just because I wasn't perfect didn't mean I couldn't like me.
"What is she thinking so hard about?" I heard Theo ask sitting down in front of us. Blaise sat next to him apparently having stayed in the common room after we had left.
"I asked her to name something wrong about herself" Draco replied with the same smirk on his face.
"No, you asked me to tell you something I didn't like about myself. There are plenty of things wrong with me, I just happen to like all of them" I told them, crossing my arms against my chest. Draco's smirk widened.
"You're too thin" Blaise offered. He looked me up and down for a moment then shrugged. "Other than that you're actually quite good looking."
"I can't tell if you're on my side or his side" I said slowly not understanding his point. Theo shook his head next to him as Blaise shrugged at me with an indifferent expression on his face and turned to Draco. He was frowning.
"No one asked you Zabini so keep your thoughts to yourself. Besides don't you have a girlfriend" Draco complained seeming more bothered by his insult than I was.
"It's just a date. When are you going to get yours?" Blaise replied, now the one wearing the smirk, and Draco's frown deepened.
"Why don't you just go with Pansy?" I asked him. It seemed like an obvious solution. She had been dropping some not-so-subtle hints of it since September.
"Or why don't you go with Katerina" Blaise offered Draco with a look. Draco gave him a look back.
"Actually I'm already going with someone."
"What?" Draco asked turning to me nearly as soon as I had said the words out. Blaise looked surprised too, so did Theo.
"Don't look so surprised" I frowned at them. From the look on their face you'd imagine I said I was a Muggle. "George asked me."
"When?" Draco asked, his voice raising a little.
"The other day…" I answered slowly, not understanding his tone. "I ran into him on the grounds, he asked me and I said yes."
"Why would you say yes to him?" he asked still sounding upset.
"Because he's my friend and he asked so why not?" I replied with a shrug.
"Why would you say yes to him?"
"I told you because he's my friend and he asked"
"But why would you say yes to him?" Draco's voice picked up again.
"I told you already! Why do you keep asking the same question?" I frowned back.
"Because I can't believe you're that big of an idiot!"
"Alright," Theo intervene before I could yell back. "What you're saying is that since he was already your friend and he happened to ask you said yes."
"Yes, that's what I've been saying" I told him already frustrated but he kept his calm demeanor.
"So if I, or let's say Malfoy, had asked you you would've most likely said yes" Theo asked me but looked over to Draco. He was still frowning at me.
"Sure, why not?" I answered although it felt as if he was asking a different question.
"'Why not'!" Draco repeated standing up. I looked up at him slightly surprised. "'Why not' she says! Do you have any standards?!"
Draco gave me one more scowl before turning away and rushing up the stairs to his room. I frowned in confusion as I watched him leave. In front of me Theo and Blaise shared a look. Theo stood up with a sigh and went to the stairs after Draco leaving me with Blaise.
"What is his problem?" I asked Blaise as he came to sit in the now empty seat beside me.
"Well my guess is now he doesn't have many excuses to ward off Pansy" Blaise joked.
"I'm serious" I told him, though allowing myself a smile.
"So am I" he returned it. I giggled but sighed and looked towards stairs. "Did you ever think that maybe he wanted to take you himself?"
"If he wanted to go with me he could've just asked" I mumbled turning back to him.
"I know. That's what we've been telling him for years."
"Years?" I asked with a frown. Blaise smiled at me and shook his head.
"Just an expression" he said looking to the stairs too. "This is in part your fault but he shouldn't be acting like such a child. It's his fault too."
"Do you think I should talk to him?" I asked hoping for an honest answer. They teased each other and often played around with each other but they were still friends. I wouldn't put them on the same level of friendship that Draco and I shared but it was still friendship.
"Give him a bit to cool down first. I doubt anything you say will make him happy though. Unless you were thinking of canceling with the Gryffindor..." Blaise paused for a second, waiting for my answer. I shook my head in reply. "Then there's not much you can do."
"How long should I give it?"
"Who's to say..." he sighed sitting up and resting his elbows on his knees. "As often as you two fight I'm at a loss. You two can have the stupidest arguments over the most meaningless things and not talk for days. Sometimes I think the two of you may never talk again and you make up in a minute's time. I have no answer for you"
I sighed. Sometimes we could communicate with nothing more than a few looks and gestures. Other times I didn't understand Draco at all. Deciding it was probably the best decision I did as Blaise suggested and let Draco calm down a bit. I knew he didn't like George so it was to be expected that he would be upset I suppose. He wasn't going to be happy of course but his reaction was still something I didn't much understand.
I made my way up the steps and to my dormitory to study. Daphne was there. She looked worried that I was going to do something to her as payback for her actions in the morning but I didn't, not now at least. Sure I was still upset but not nearly as much as I had been at the time. Instead I sat in bed and filed through the holiday homework. After a while she left and Lev came to join me on my bed as I began to organize what to do and when. It was very useful to give one's self deadlines; it makes things more organized and makes for a lower chance of procrastinating.
We sat there for a while and even made some decent progress with Arithmancy but I couldn't completely stop thinking about Draco. He should be over it by now, it was only a dance. It had been a while since I began my work, so much so that Lev had fallen asleep next to me. Noting from the amount of work I had accomplished it afternoon now. Not only that but the light from the lake made the time change more profound as it was more green than blue indicating darker skies outside. I moved my puppy slowly off my lap not wanting to wake him. Once sure Lev would stay asleep I put my things away and headed downstairs.
Down in the common room I found Draco sitting near the fireplace staring into the flames. His face was turned making it difficult to see if he was still annoyed. I moved closer to him. Draco continued to sit, ignoring my presence. His face remained annoyed but vacant. I sighed but decided to try again.
"Draco," I called but he ignored me. Blaise was right, he was being a baby. "Draco!"
"What!" he snapped, turning to face me. A few of the students nearby turned to look at us. I let out a breath to calm myself down; I didn't like to be talked to that way and he knew that. There had already been one confrontation in common room and I didn't want another. With a grunt I grabbed Draco's arm and pulled him to me. "Let go!"
"Just come here!" I hissed back. I pulled him out of the common room and to the dungeon corridors. Once I made sure no one was around I lead him forward towards the Room.
"What do you want, Katerina" Draco frowned at me as I dragged him the rest of the way into the opening of the Room. Once inside the vines closed behind us, forming the fourth of the room's walls. It was just us two, neither very happy with the other.
"What I want is to know why you're acting like this" I frowned back letting go of his arm.
"How do you want me to be acting? Do you want me to cheer for you? Or better yet how about I throw you a parade" he replied sarcastically. Both our frowns deepened.
"Stop acting like a child" I told him.
"I'm not acting like a child. I just can't understand why you would be such an idiot as to say yes to him."
"George is my friend, why wouldn't I say yes?"
"I can think of several reasons!" Draco's voice picked up. "Would you like me to name them all?"
"Draco" I warned, crossing my arms against my chest. That didn't stop him.
"Reason number one: he's a dirt-poor, good for nothing, pitiful runt!"
"Draco stop."
"Reason number two: he'll never be anything more than a dirt-poor, good for nothing, pitiful runt!"
"What is with you?" I snapped at him, tired of his behavior. "I know you don't like George but I do, okay? And so what if I want to go to the Yule Ball with him—"
"That's just it!" Draco interrupted loudly. "Why would you even want to go with him?"
"How much longer are you going to act like a prat!" I raised my voice too, not being able to take the calm route anymore. He mirrored my actions.
"As long as I feel like it! Stop trying to change me into the good little boy you want me to be!"
"I'm not trying to change you, I'm trying to get you to act your age!" I yelled back finally having had enough. Draco walked closer to me but didn't lower his volume.
"In case you forgot I'm older than you!" he screamed in my face.
"Then maybe you should start acting like it!" I screamed back at his.
I let out a frustrated breath and paused. The walls were not made of concrete, someone could hear our argument. It's not like we were making it difficult what with all the screaming. But to think such a little thing could start such an argument. I wouldn't be this angry at him if he had told me he was going with Pansy. I could honestly say I despised that girl but I wouldn't be yelling at him about his decision. Draco continued to look at me with anger in his eyes as if everything was my fault. Although I'm sure that was what he believed.
"Stop that" Draco growled at me but turned to look to the side.
"Stop what?" I asked in soft voice. I wasn't sure why it sounded like that but not like I could control everything my body did.
"Stop making that face."
"What face?" I frowned at him, not understanding if he was being serious or subtly insulting me.
"That face," Draco said turning back to me, "like I'm the bad guy for not being happy."
"You don't have to be happy about it but why are you so angry at me?" I replied with the same low voice. He sighed.
"You said yes to him" Draco said quietly too, imitating my tone.
"So? If I had said yes to Blaise or Theo, if they had asked, would you still be this upset?"
"They wouldn't have asked" Draco muttered, almost as if to himself.
"I know they already have dates I was being hypothetical" I said with a sigh. Draco looked down at me with a seemingly calm expression, though I knew it wasn't true. "Why is it so bad that I said yes to George?"
"Just the fact that you can't tell even after all these years is enough…" he said and turned away from me again. It was true we had known each other many years but that didn't mean I could read his mind. If it were that simple then there wouldn't be a need to fight in the first place.
"Well unless you want to explain it to me I'm at a loss" I grumbled, watching as he avoided my gaze.
"You're that much of an idiot, are you?" Draco smiled to himself. But it wasn't the sweet smile I was used to. I continued to look at him, seeing if I could make him turn to face me again. When he still refused to turn I started towards him stopping only when I was directly in front of him.
"Draco… Do you really think it's worth it, being this angry?" I kept my sight fixed forward as I grabbed onto the front of his robes. He didn't move. "Even if I said yes and even if you hate him is it really worth all of this?"
"You don't understand…" he muttered a reply.
"No, I don't. I don't understand how such a simple thing could be causing this reaction from you." I leaned closer against his chest, my hands between us. "You know I hate it when you raise your voice at me and now you're screaming at me, over something this trivial… I don't understand it at all."
There was another pause. I remained holding Draco's robes. He didn't hug me like he normally would have but he didn't pull away either. Instead we just stood there. Both our breaths were deep as we tried to calm ourselves down, his more so than mine. He was angrier while I was just angry at his anger.
"Katerina…" Draco began but drifted off. I repositioned myself against his chest, turning my head so he would hear me better.
"You never talk to me like this you know. You never yell or anything. We argue a lot sure but not like this… Why is this time so different?"
"It just is…" Draco said but finally held me. He placed a hand on my head and the other against my back.
"Is it really so simple for you to yell at me over something like this?" I asked inching closer to him. He sighed.
"Who said it was simple?" Draco pulled away to look at me. His expression was angry but only for a second. He let out another sigh when he saw my face and let go of me. "Stop making that face."
"I'm not making a face, this is my face" I frowned at him a little annoyed. Draco smiled a little at me and shook his head.
"I hate you so much sometimes" Draco said softly, running a hand through my hair. I stood still and let him. It took a few seconds but he turned back to me and looked at my eyes. "You irritating, self-centered, spoiled brat, do you have any idea what you put me through?"
"I would if you told me, you idiot" I whined. Draco gave me a small smile and I took it as an opening. "So you'll stop yelling at me?"
"Yeah, I'll stop. There's only so much I can match you in before you get an advantage over me. I don't want to wake up with a tail" he chuckled a little, I smiled at him.
"We can end this here but… does that mean you're okay with me going with George too?" I asked a little hopeful that it would really end there. Draco let out a breath and closed his eyes.
"I wouldn't go that far but I don't want to keep fighting with you" he told me after a moment of silence. I smiled up at him and he gave me a half smile in return. "Besides, I don't want to give him the satisfaction of putting a wedge between us."
"Whatever you need to tell yourself" I giggled a little, relieved.
I extended my arms to him signaling for a hug. Draco stepped closer to me and held me, wrapping his arms against my back and placing his head on my shoulder. It wasn't the kind I had been expecting but I didn't bring it up. He already wasn't happy with my actions but was trying to keep it to himself, for the most part at least. I felt him smile against the fabric of my clothes and his head moved slightly as if from laughter. I tilted my head curious to look at his face but all I could see was his blond hair.
"Do you know what I hate most about you?" Draco asked me sounding slightly amused.
"'Most'? As in more than one?" I asked though not really offended by it. He nodded against my shoulder and shifted his head to look at me.
Draco pulled back, standing up straight in front of me. He loosened his grip on me to put a little more space between us but didn't entirely let go. I was about to ask him what he was thinking but there was something about his expression that stopped me. It wasn't happy or sad or any simple emotion, it was something I could not quite place.
"Yes as in more than one" he answered with that same half smile. "There are things I really hate about you, several in fact. But the one that I absolutely loath is that, no matter how hard I try, I can never stay truly angry with you."
"That's it?" I asked smiling back. He smirked a little and nodded
"There are so many things that you do which annoy me to no end, this being a more recent example" he said waving his hand as if gesturing to the moment itself. "But again, no matter how much I wish to, I can't stay angry with you. It aggravates me in ways you could never understand."
"I bet you wish I had that problem." Draco pulled me abruptly to him. He tightened his grip on me again and returned us to our previous position, except this time he placed his face closer to my neck.
"No I don't, not really. Sure it would come in handy from time to time but I like you, just as you are now... I've seen you act with various personalities. Some were atrocious while other I kind of liked. But I'll always be favorable to this you, the real you. Something about this stubborn, bossy, hardheaded brat will always be special to me," Draco mumbled against my skin. I ran my fingers through his hair and smiled.
"You know when you're not being all those things yourself you can be real sweet."
"Shut up, who asked you?" Draco pulled away to frown at me. I giggled and he smile a little before letting out a sigh. "See, no matter how much I want to..."
"You can't stay mad at me" I finished his sentence as he made a face. Leaning closer I gave him a kiss on the cheek. Draco smiled and let go with one hand, the other still held on so we don't spread too far apart. He took a moment to look at it then glanced back up at me. After a second he frowned again.
"But seriously, did it have to be that Weasley?" He asked in a serious but whiny voice.
"Shut up" I giggled as I hit him lightly in the stomach. He sighed and smiled at me as I touched his face. Draco leaned in to me and placed a kiss on my forehead. When he pulled away Draco groaned.
"I really hate you."
"I love you too."
Draco smiled down at me and let out a sigh just before letting go. He began to walk away but didn't head for the door. Instead he moved to my chair, falling back against it looking exhausted. His legs extended out farther than mine would as he slouched against my seat. For a second he wiggled around in it making sure he was comfortable then let out a breath.
"I think I'm going to stay here for a while. Go away now" Draco informed me, leaning back against the chair. I smiled and moved to him.
"You do realize this is my room" I informed him and sat on the arm of the chair. He looked up at me with a tired expression. A second passed before he did anything but once he did Draco rested his head on my lap. I took me by surprise at first, making me freeze. Once over the initial shock I ran my fingers through his hair and I heard him let out a long breath. "Are you okay Deedee?"
"It's been a long week; let's just leave it at that" he sighed at me still resting on my lap.
"Why? What—"
"I said leave it" Draco snapped at me. I sighed but let it go. Whatever was bothering him was probably not being helping by me.
"Fine," I grumbled a little in reply. "But since you've decided to keep me here with you could you at least hand me the book on the table."
"I could" Draco emphasized looking up long enough for me to see his smirk. I hit him in the head lightly.
"Hand me my book, Draco" I told him.
"Ask nicely" Draco responded. I knew he was smiling at that, even if I couldn't see it.
"Now."
"Not what I had in mind but that's probably as close as you're going to get" Draco smiled and reached over to the far corner of my desk. I had to smile too at his change in mood.
"Look, I'm still using your book mark" I said as Draco handed me the book wrapped in what looked like miniature vines and laid his head back on my lap.
"The one I gave you last Christmas" Draco said, remembering .
"Yes" I agreed with a nod. "Oh, speaking of which, have you bought me my gift yet?"
"I'm not answering that" Draco said, turning so he could look up at me.
"Why not?" I pouted in reply.
"Because with you even simple questions have some deeper annoying speculation within."
"You know me too well" I frowned at him. Draco smirked as if proud of the fact.
"So what would my answers have told you?" he asked a little curious. I sighed but told him.
"Well I would imagine that if you already bought it there is a higher chance that I'll like it and also one that it's not easily accessible meaning it's likely I don't already have it. That's the one I'm hoping you did. If you hadn't bought it yet, or only recently purchased the gift, then it was most likely a last minute thought and I would have to prepare my fake smile to give you."
"You would fake smile my gift?" he asked me with a look. I giggled and swatted at him lightly with my book.
"Yes but that has yet to happen so I'm assuming you already bought the gift" I said with a hopeful tone in my voice. Draco smiled knowing what I was doing but complied.
"Ordered it during the summer, arrived last month." He answered matter-of-factly and closed his eyes still resting on my lap.
"Now I'm curious."
"Too bad" Draco told me, eyes still closed.
"You won't tell me?" I pouted at him though it wasn't much help since he couldn't see it. Still, he sighed.
"If I tell you you'll just get mad that I ruined the surprise."
"You do know me too well" I grumbled but he looked pleased again.
"You're the one who brought it up anyway. Don't be getting mad at me."
I'm not" I sighed looking down at him, one of the few times I was able. "I'm just a curious person. It's my fatal flaw."
"What are you, a failed inspirational speaker?"
Draco turned back to his side, repositioning himself to get more comfortable. I smiled at him happy we were over that argument; over me going to the Yule Ball with George. I knew that if I brought it up again a similar argument would come of it but hopefully not as bad. Either way it was probably for the best to avoid the topic altogether.
I ran my fingers through Draco's hair softly. He was a good boy really, regardless of what he and other people may think, he was just selfish. I was too so I wasn't really in a place to judge. He didn't want to share me with George seemed to be the problem, or at least one of them. Even as children we didn't have many people we relied on besides each other; it's always just been me and him. Bringing someone else into the picture now was upsetting for someone as selfish as him. Still he had been pretty upset and there was probably more than one single thing bothering him…
I turned my gaze towards my book for a second and at the bookmark wrapped around it. It was the bookmark Draco had gifted me the Christmas prior. I loved that thing. Originally I had decided on leaving it at home for safekeeping but decided it would be of better use at Hogwarts. It was only used in the Room however since I didn't want to deal with the various reactions of my roommates. But I owed a lot to this bookmark. The stem wrapped around the book had taken a hand in helping me come up with the idea of the Room.
I ran my finger along the stem, stopping at the single leaf of the bloomed rose on the cover, pulling it and opening the book. The vines receded back into a stem and the book parted, exposing a single un-bloomed rose in the center of the pages. I stretched over and placed the flower on a small vase I kept on the desk solely for that purpose. Draco shifted as I did but made no comment. Draco was resting his eyes. He had looked tired, and not just from our argument, so I let him be.
I ran my fingers through his hair again as I read from my book of potions. They were not only interesting brews on their own but also contained a bit of backstory as to how they came to be discovered. Most hadn't been planned and were either the result of accidents or incompetence. I enjoyed reading such books, ones that were not only informative but amusing. It wasn't that hard to put the two together.
I read for a bit until I felt something slither against my leg. I froze, only being able to imagine one creature that slithered. After a second I decided to look at the source. With a deep breath I moved my book and found not a snake but Draco's arm wrapped around my leg. I let out a deep sigh but paused again, this time from confusion.
"Draco?" I asked and felt his hand tighten its grip on my thigh, moving up slightly. I looked down at him but he hadn't moved otherwise and his eyes were still closed. Draco snuggled against my legs and his hand's grip tightened again.
Oh. He was sleeping.
I lifted his hair to confirm, his eyes were closed. I poked his cheek for a bit knowing that if he was awake he would get annoyed and tell me to stop. Nothing. I moved on and pulled at a little strand of his hair. That made him move but still he didn't say a thing. Leaning a bit I looked down at him with curiosity as held me. Suddenly I let out a giggle realizing why that was.
I was his pillow
Draco had a habit of hugging his pillows when he slept. He always denied it but we had enough sleepovers growing up for me to be aware of that fact. Personally I thought it was cute that he did that. He couldn't go to sleep if he didn't, or if already asleep he moved and became restless until he found something to hold. Once as a gift I tried to get him a teddy bear because of it but he took it as an insult and refused to accept it. Admittedly I had partly given it to him as a joke but still he could've at least said thank you.
I smiled down at him and let him sleep. He'd had a hard week, he could use the rest.