SIXTEEN
Saturday, 13 September 1944
Kerus had joined them towards the end of dinner and despite the healing potion, there was still a fair bit of bruising on both eyes and the bridge of his nose. The damage had made Draco smirk and then realize how lucky he was. Comparatively, the punches he'd received from Granger didn't feel so bad anymore. From the time he sat down to the time they all got up to leave, Kerus glared daggers at Granger from across the way where she sat with her roommates.
He was thinking of all the ways he was going to make it very clear to Kerus that he was to stay the hell away from her as well as the repercussions for failing to do so when he saw Riddle's face. He was staring at Kerus as if he were about to set the boy on fire. He had seen that look before many times. It was unnerving. It further disturbed him that Riddle might upstage him in sending a message to Kerus about Granger.
When dinner was over, Granger was waiting for him just outside the entrance. Riddle and his entourage stood off to the side as they waited for him to say goodbye as they were going to the meeting right after. Draco still wished he didn't have to go. He had meant what he said the previous week; that he had no intention of being back in the Dark Lord's inner circle. Yet, here he was…
"You sure you have to go?" she asked, echoing his thoughts, her gaze flickering over to the group.
He sighed in exasperation. "This is your fault, really."
"How so?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.
He stared at her with a smirk tugging at his lips. "It'll come to me." She snorted and rolled her eyes at him. "You know, if you come with, he'll get a rise out of you in five minutes or less and I'll have an excuse to leave and chase you through the castle."
She shoved at him with her left hand and shook her head again. "Just… Don't put your foot in your mouth," she warned, looking back to the group behind him again. "And whatever it is you're planning to do to Kerus afterwards; don't."
His eyes widened in surprise at that. "Why would I let him get off so easily?"
"Because I took care of it already. He's all talk, Malfoy," she said, lowering her voice. "I don't want any unnecessary drama for something that isn't real."
He stared at her, watching as her eyes dropped to the ground. "Fine," he bit out, not bothering to cover up the hurt in his voice. "If you want to be known as a frigid witch, so be it." He turned on his heel to face Riddle just as Granger lifted her head in surprise. He heard her storm off with a frustrated sigh and shrugged at Riddle's questioning gaze. "Witches," he muttered. "Shall we go?"
Riddle led them to a small classroom. One that clearly had not been used in a long time. It appeared to be more for storage now. However, off to the side, there was a round table with seven chairs that looked as though it were new to the space. Draco assumed this was where they came on a more regular basis. As they took their seats, Draco took the one that they left open.
"You look so much like Abraxas, mate," Avery said with a smirk as Rosier took a smile bundle from his pocket and enlarged it, passing out a week's worth of the Prophet.
Draco nodded. "So I'm told," he said, taking a look at the papers. Each one had a main article of Grindelwald and his whereabouts or his latest attacks. He only wished he had paid attention in A History of Magic. He wouldn't be able to offer much in the ways of politics. This was his father's domain.
And he was right. For the better part of an hour, they went over the antics of the current terror. Riddle sat and listened as his minions discussed tactics and what could have been done better. They spoke candidly, arguing with a politeness that could only come from someone trying to impress their superiors. It was somewhat refreshing from the conversations with the Dark Lord. Everyone here spoke their mind instead of saying what they had to in order to not have his wand pointed at them.
Draco noticed the way Riddle spoke and asked questions. The way he would steer the conversation to a realistic approach to the way he would run his regime someday. Every time a death was mentioned, his eyes would light with desire to be the one delivering the curse.
"Do politics bore you?" Riddle asked him when the conversation wound down for the evening.
Mulciber flashed him a smile. "I recon it's better than dealing with your witch when we get back," he said. "She seemed rather cross with you."
Draco snorted. "When is she not cross with me?"
A small chorus of chuckles sounded through the room followed by a few glances at Riddle. He inclined his head and they all stood up. "Kerus, a word?" Kerus stilled at the request and Draco looked between the two men. Avery, Mulciber, Rosier, and Lestrange said their goodbyes and parted the room. Riddle looked at Draco and nodded towards the door. "You should go too, Draco."
He hesitated. On one hand, he wanted to stay and see what happened; make sure Kerus got what was coming to him for saying what he did to Granger. But on the other hand, Riddle shouldn't be the one roughing Kerus up. Granger was supposed to be his to defend; not Riddle's. After a moment of staring at Riddle, he gave a curt nod of his head and took his leave.
He was barely out the door when he heard a muffled scream come from inside the room. Draco paused and turned around, his fists clenching at his side. As another one ripped through the air, he found himself running towards the dungeons. He had had enough of hearing the Dark Lord torture someone.
He slowed down outside the entrance to the common room and paced to catch his breath. He was torn between confronting Riddle about the fact that Granger was his to protect and the nagging voice in the back of his head, one that was awfully reminiscent of her voice, reminding him that she really wasn't his witch.
He was no match for the Dark Lord; not before and not even now. He was kidding himself and Granger into thinking he was.
He wasn't Potter or Weasley; he didn't have to do a damn thing for her. There was nothing stopping him from turning and running from the castle.
Nothing except for Granger.
He scrubbed at his face and scowled at thought, cursing her in his mind over and over again as he fought for control of his emotions. She would absolutely be the death of him.
When he was able to breathe normally, he stepped inside the common room. Granger was sitting on the couch reading by the fire, the green flames casting cool toned shadows over her skin. He studied her while she lost herself in her book. When she noticed his stare, she looked up and did a double take. She closed her book around her finger and got up to greet him. She rested against the back of the couch that faced the one she had vacated.
"How was it?" she asked.
"Not for me."
She nodded and set the book on the on top of the cushion next to her before pushing biting at her bottom lip. "About earlier-"
"There's nothing to discuss," he interrupted, his feet carrying him towards the dorm.
She followed after him, racing to step in front of him to block his path. "Will you just hear me out, please?"
He sighed, crossed his arms, and waited for her to continue.
She chewed on her bottom lip while she shifted nervously on her feet before him. Just when he was about to explode at her to stop, she took a deep breath and said, "I appreciate you wanting to defend me when it comes to Kerus, I do. It just… We…" She sighed in frustration as she fumbled for her words and he saw the way her hands balled into fists at her side.
She surprised him by stepping up on her tip toes and pressing her lips to his. It reminded him of the kiss they had shared upon their return from Hogsmeade the previous weekend. This one didn't last nearly as long though, much to his dismay, and she pulled back before it even registered what she had done.
"I know things have shifted between us, Malfoy," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "And I know you feel it too, but I'm not-"
He cut her off by capturing her lips with his own. His kiss was harder than hers, but he didn't take it any further. Didn't let his tongue stretch out to taste her lips or ask for permission he knew she wasn't ready to grant. "Take your time, Granger. I'm not going anywhere."
She let out a deep sigh of relief and smiled at him.
Her lips parted to speak when her gaze slid to something behind him and he watched the way her expression changed. The smile on her lips pulled into a tight one he knew she only used when she had to be polite, but didn't want to be. "Riddle," she said in greeting.
"Draco filling you in on how much we bored him?" he questioned.
Draco kept an eye on Granger's face, watching as her chin lifted ever so slightly. He had seen that look on her face a few times; it was one that was usually reserved for him and still was for the most part, but recently she had been giving it to Riddle as well. A knot formed in the pit of his stomach as he looked between the two of them.
He tortured Kerus a few minutes ago because he had said something vile to Granger.
He had tortured his aunt for hurting her with an Unforgivable and carving that slur onto her flesh.
A thought began to take shape in his mind, but the more he chased it, the faster it eluded him.
"Draco?"
Granger's voice was soft as it pulled him from his thoughts. From the look on her face, it was not the first time she had called for him. "Sorry, even thinking about it again is putting me to sleep," he said, forcing a smirk onto his face.
"Politics is not the only topics we discuss, Draco," he said, giving him a look that made his skin crawl. He held his gaze for a moment before sliding it to Granger. "Is the salve helping?"
She nodded. "Yes, thank you," she said and raised a hand to her lips to cover a yawn. "I think I'll call it a night."
Riddle nodded at her. "Good night, Miss Granger. Draco, I will see you soon," he said and took his leave.
Draco cringed at the way Granger's eyes lingered on him as he walked away. She smiled when she looked back at him as if she hadn't even realized what she was doing. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow."
She nodded and stepped into him, giving him a tentative hug. When he wrapped his arms around her, she relaxed against him and tightened her own hold. "Good night," she mumbled against his chest before she pulled away.
"Night," he said, watching her retreat down the corridor to the girls' dorms. When she was out of sight, she turned and marched down his own corridor and straight to his room. He slammed the door behind him and stood before Riddle with his wand clutched at his side. "Granger is not yours to defend, Riddle. I thought I made myself clear that she was mine."
Riddle's eyes were blazing at him as if they were amused with his possessive display. "Her mind is exquisite. Full of curiosity; always looking to expand her knowledge," he said, taking a step forward. Draco's fingers tightened on the hilt of his wand. Panic threatened to make him tremble as he wondered what Riddle had seen or if he was just fucking with him. "She tries so hard to keep me out, but she thinks so loudly that it is quite hard to resist."
"Stay away from her."
The smirk that took hold of Riddle's lips was one of the most disturbing things Draco had ever seen. It was malicious in nature. Even watching Nagini feast on his former teacher on his dining table didn't compare to the malevolence he felt now. Draco forced himself to remain perfectly still as Riddle took a step forward, not even bothering to pick up his wand from his bed side table. They both knew he didn't need it.
"I never planned on going anywhere near her, Mister Malory," he said. "She seems perfectly capable of coming to me on her own. And I suspect she will do so of her own free will. I am a patient man, but I doubt she will take long to see where she truly belongs."
"If you touch her-"
"It is not her body I want," he interrupted, yet his eyes betrayed his words when they darkened with lust. "Carnal pleasures of the flesh have never interested me. Her mind, on the other hand… What a powerful tool to have in one's arsenal."
His arm raised with the intention of firing a curse, but Riddle was faster. His wand flew out of his hand and clattered to the floor somewhere near his bed. Draco struggled against the pull of Riddle's magic as it forced him to his knees. Riddle approached and lowered himself to his haunches in front of Draco, head tipped to the side. "You should rest, Draco. I know I will sleep better knowing you will not remember this in the morning."
He waved his hand and the next thing Draco knew, he was waking up in his bed, staring up at the canopy. There was a fuzzy warmth in his mind along with the faintest of traces that something wasn't right, but as he tried to chase after it, the warmth prevailed and he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and getting to his feet to get ready for the day.
Completely unaware of what Riddle had made him forget from the night before.