Chapter 29
There was something a little manic about the crowd's enthusiasm. Almost as if they were desperate for an excuse to enjoy themselves. Maybe no one was having fun in this new world. Players flew, the crowd cheered. Streamers floated down to the ground below. For a moment she wanted to be down there, where no one looked or paid attention. Unlucky players fell to the ground.
A sense of vertigo hit her. It was so far down, so far to fall. Being here did remind her of the time she'd come here before. A different time, a different world.
Tightly, she tucked her arms to her and tried to conserve heat. This dress wasn't made for the weather, and she was feeling it more and more.
"I'm cold."
"That is unfortunate," Draco said with complete lack of empathy.
"You could warm me."
"I could, but throughout our relationship, over years and years, your comfort has never been a concern of mine. I'd go so far as to say your lack of comfort has been more important to me. Wouldn't you say that was true in return?"
He had her there. "Lack of comfort has always been something you've assured against."
"You don't know me anymore," he said darkly. Whatever lightness that had been was gone now. At times she forgot that there was a distinct difference in the Draco that was now to the one who'd been.
"Then let us bargain," she said.
His eyebrows rose, and then that infuriating smirk appeared. It had been a while since she'd seen it. "What do you have to bargain with? Don't you recall that your discomfort pleases me, so what do you have to bargain with?"
Again, he had a point. That he wanted something from her was assured. He didn't know what it was, and he wouldn't admit it. It competed with an urge to reject and thwart her. "I don't know. I would have thought this would be the perfect avenue for some form of revenge for you. Wouldn't you like to hear me say how you were right all along and how much better you are than me?"
"You just did."
Her mind was working, trying to think of something he wanted, but he was so hard to understand. He was irrational. "A kiss then."
Draco raised his eyebrows again in surprise. "If I wanted you, I would have had you. And if you think you have anything to offer me in the way of sexual services to manipulate me, you couldn't be more wrong. Frankly, I'm disappointed."
"We are being watched by someone who does want me."
Something flashed through his eyes. At least his competitiveness could be depended on. Chewing the inside of his cheek, he looked away.
It happened before she knew it. His lips were on hers. A mix between softness and not. Part of her felt revolted, and another thrilled. This was the ultimate in forbidden, on every level, including her own sense of right and justice.
The taste of him was subtle, but somehow not surprising. A certain sweetness that was opposing to his actual personality. Not to mention the warmth. She was soaking it up, wanting more as the kiss ended. There had been an inkling of threat of simply forgetting herself. A kiss was nice in it's own sake, irrespective of who gave it.
And then the jarring understanding that she'd just shared a kiss with Draco Malfoy. Her teenage nightmare would have involved this, but it was done now, and her lips stung with the strange energy of it.
His attention was immediately on the match happening before them, seemingly entirely unaffected by it. Not that she was affected by it, just disturbed.
Then he turned to her, his wand in hand. Oh how she hated seeing his wand in his hand, pointed at her. The incantation was silent, but she felt the warmth spread from the point where his wand touched her stomach. The warmth was amazing, making her close her eyes with the soothing sweetness of it. The same kind of soothing sweetness that would have been in that kiss if she'd allowed it.
No, there was something more than warmth, because she could barely open her eyes. "What have you done?"
"Just gave you something to make you a little less uptight," he said, his voice having a singing quality.
He'd fucking done something to her. Something with a narcotic effect, because the lights sparkled, the sound was clangy and she felt absolutely amazing.
"I hate you," she muttered.
Oh and she was holding onto his belt, because she didn't entirely trust herself right now. Could very much envision herself falling down to the ground, and she didn't half mind. His form was solid under her knuckles. Nothing soft about him, but how would there be? Curiously, the lips were. No, not thinking about that.
Someone was talking and Hermione watched. He was shiny, his skin like porcelain. "You have better skin than you deserve."
He ignored her as he spoke to someone. A ministry man. She couldn't even focus on identifying him. In her mind, she knew she could be distressed about this, about being so out of control, but it also felt really nice. The not caring. In a way, she knew he wouldn't hurt her like this. He'd even protect her.
If it was them, eye to eye, they repelled each other, but like this, with one of them 'suboptimal', there was a different relationship between them. His hand was on her shoulder. She felt touch sending out radiating energy through her—energy she could even see in her mind's eye.
Right now, this was the cool Draco. The one who had everything under control. The statesman, a working member of the Malfoy empire. This was business Malfoy. Suaver than the soldier, who was entirely cold. Wearing a mask of quiet competence. Kind of attractive, if she'd ever admit it. Competence had always been attractive to her.
The diametric opposite of the mess he really was. A fucking mess.
What did she mean to him? She meant something, but sober and squaring off, it was something neither of them could admit.
"You're so… ugh," she said, feeling anger steal through her. This brought his attention to her. Those cool eyes.
"Hush," he said. "Smile and look pretty. Look at all the pretty colors."
"I hate you." But unfortunately, things distracted her everywhere. Everything sparkled. The colors were amazing. Things had their own glow. He glowed, but he was behind her now, his arm around her shoulders. His body gave her strength. Like this, they seemed to fit so perfectly together. Were they going to have sex? She wouldn't mind. It would only add to how she was feeling.
Blinking, she tried to clear her head. On some level she knew she was losing it. The narcotic effect was becoming stronger. The colors were invading her reality.
Next thing she knew, she was drooling, having no idea where she was. All she saw was black, but there was flesh underneath her.
"Welcome back," a familiar voice said.
Crap, she was lying with her head in his lap.
"You have absolutely no tolerance. Didn't you do any experimenting in school?"
"No," she said, trying to sit up, but was still feeling boneless, and ended up leaning against him with her head on his shoulder—a position that looked normal for a close couple. Honestly, she couldn't make herself move. "You drugged me."
"I wouldn't have if I'd known you'd be lost to this world."
The match was still happening, so she couldn't have been out for that long. They were sitting on some kind of sofa. Luckily, no one seemed to pay much attention to them. Neither of them seemed to move.
"Maybe it's your blood that makes you so susceptible," he said. "Interesting."
"Maybe you could let me know if you're planning on drugging me."
"Why? You are mine to do with as I wish."
Honestly, she didn't understand him at all. She tried to move, but fell right back into him. Partially, it was the way she was sitting. Were they just going to stay like this? Seemed so. He showed no inclination to move.
Maybe if she was an utter mess, he had things together.
In some ways, this was an interesting development from the perspective that the only way to get him to release her, was for him to lose interest. Ideally, with him caring enough not to leave her in a dark hole somewhere.
He'd kissed her—for the reason of rubbing it in Flint's face. It'd been so hard to read him, how he'd reacted to it. Beyond drugging her afterwards. Was this supposed intimacy between them just for show too? Because he wasn't rushing to get away. Did he like this? Everything so far suggested he really didn't want to touch her, but here they were, practically snuggling on a sofa.
"How's the game going?"
"Neither team seems to be getting the upper hand."
Harry flashed through her mind, but she pushed him away. Being here with Malfoy tended to bring memories back. Malfoy was her link to the past too, and it was harder to keep that hurtful nostalgia away when she was with him. And somewhere in that link to the past was Draco's reasoning for all this.
"Please don't drug me again."
"Why not?"
"It brought to mind the idea of us fucking."
"Noted."