Warning: Mature content in chapter.
...
Chapter 18
…
With the hotel full of holiday guests and the kitchens busy with New Years orders, their food was taking a while. It had been nearly an hour and Malinda hoped it would come soon because she was growing tired of Draco's repetitive questions.
"So you're Muggleborn?"
"Yes."
"You're sure?" He pressed. "How could someone of your power be born to… to…"
"Muggles?" She supplied dryly.
"But you don't know who your father is," Draco countered, continuing to pace the small hotel room. She was surprised he hadn't worn a path through the carpet yet.
"No, but he was definitely a Muggle."
"You don't know that. Obviously, he was from a powerful magical bloodline," Draco dismissed her words.
Malinda watched him from the bed. She sat against the headboard, supported by a mountain of pillows. "They were both Muggles. I know for a fact and Dumbledore confirmed."
"It makes no sense that two Muggles could produce a powerful witch!"
Well, Malinda wanted to say, they didn't. I had a little help from Merlin on the witch part. While she had told Hermione the total truth, she held back with Draco. A nagging voice in the back of her head warned against it. He was still not fully committed to turning, not until he agreed to Dumbledore's terms. And, if she was being honest with herself, she was scared to tell him. Being Muggleborn was one thing, but to admit that she was a Muggle was entirely different.
He would hate her for it.
"It just happens sometimes, I guess," Malinda lied.
"And it's unheard of for magic to show itself at sixteen. It's always during childhood."
"I told you, I'm complicated."
"Also, a sixth year student being able to apparate across the bloody ocean shouldn't be possible."
Malinda grinned. "Sort of like knowing the future."
He shot her a dark look. "If I hadn't seen it for myself, I would think you're full of shit."
"Know any purebloods that can do what I can do? I'll take your silence as a no. Guess blood doesn't really matter, huh?"
Malfoy flushed but ignored the jab. "No wonder you've been having so many lessons with Snape and Dumbledore. Did they teach you how to apparate too?"
"Yes."
"Didn't they explain the underage tracking?"
"Yes but apparently since I didn't manifest as a child, the Ministry never registered me as a witch. Well, at least that's what Snape told me."
"So you can use magic whenever, wherever?"
"Apparently."
"Does the old man know you can apparate across an ocean?"
"Yes," Malinda sighed. "Why does that matter to you so much?"
"So he knows how powerful you are," Draco stopped his pacing. "Don't you wonder why he's training you? He's using you."
"What?"
"Do you know what Potter and his worshippers called themselves last year? They formed a little fighting group and called themselves Dumbledore's Army. Forget the army, Dumbledore has you now. No wonder he's kept you so secret."
"That little fighting group is going to give some people a fighting shot in the war. Too bad you and your little worshippers snitched for Umbitch."
"How-" Draco exhaled deeply, displaying surprising control over himself. "Seer, right."
"Anyway, Dumbledore isn't using me," Malinda adjusted a pillow. "If anything, I'm using him."
Draco rolled his eyes. "Of course. Do tell."
"I'm the one who knows the future but alone, I can't do much. By guiding Dumbledore, I can make a difference through him and the Order."
"Guess that means you're using me too."
"That's different. We're working together."
"Oh fuck you. You're using me for information."
"What information?" She threw the pillow at him but his Quidditch reflexes were too fast and he easily caught it. "You idiot! I don't need information from you. I already know what's going to happen!"
"Then why ask me to spy?"
"The Order wants you to spy. Not everyone takes me seriously when I tell them what's coming, they want you to confirm with intel. Look, I just want to be your friend."
Draco tossed the pillow onto the bed and frowned deeply. "My friend."
"Yes, your friend. Why is that so bloody hard for you to understand? Draco, you've been surrounded by people lying to you your whole life. It's time someone opened your eyes and gave you a choice to choose your own way. I'm trying to help you!"
"That's what you're doing? Helping me? Were you helping me when you nearly killed Bellatrix by burning her alive? Were you helping me when you knew Voldemort would retaliate, torturing anyone near him? Were you helping me when he knocked my mother to the floor today?"
"War is difficult," Malinda tried. "I can't stop everything from-"
"War is difficult? You haven't been tortured by a maniac. I'm still being tortured by being in the same room as the Mudblood who ruined my life!"
She scooted to the edge of the bed and stood slowly. Malinda felt exhausted and drained. The conversation hadn't been easy, but she could sense the building rage within him. Soon, there would be no conversation, just more fighting.
"When did he torture you?"
"Which time?"
She closed her eyes. "I'm sorry, Draco. It's my fault, I antagonized him. I'll make him pay for hurting you and your mother."
"Right, maybe you can apparate him over a volcano," he sneered. "Fuck your apology."
Malinda opened her eyes and balled her hands into fists. "I'm going to take a walk and give you some space." She walked towards the door but a hand grabbed her arm and yanked her back. She slammed into Draco's chest, immediately pushing away until he held her at arm's length. "Let me go."
"Where are you going?" Draco demanded suspiciously.
"I don't know!" She exclaimed, patience finally spent. "I don't know what else to say to you! I told you the truth, I told you why I want to help you but no matter what I say you'll always hate me. You'll always blame the dirty little Mudblood for everything. You know what? Fuck YOU Draco! Fuck you and your blood hypocrisy! Fuck you and your family's beliefs! Fuck you and all your Death Eater friends! Fuck you and-"
The distance between them vanished as he kissed her. Draco kissed her desperately and hard, his tongue lashing out, angrily exploring her mouth.
And she let him.
Malinda let him push her backwards until she was pinned against the wall. She let him slide his hands up and down her sides. She let him grab her thighs and hoist her up, instinctively she wrapped her legs around him. She let him carry her to the bed until he lay over her. Draco nipped her lips before moving them to her neck, kissing along the way. Malinda stared up at the ceiling, watching the fan blades spin as Draco made his way lazily down her neck and then to her chest. She inhaled sharply when he kissed the curve of her left breast before doing the same to her right. His fingers came to the edge of her dress, pulling it down to reveal the start of her strapless bra. His fingers tugged and Malinda didn't stop him.
Just as her dress straps fell and he pulled more of the dress away to fully reveal her bra, someone knocked on the door.
Instantly, they were both up and Malinda had her dress pulled back up. Draco blocked her from the door, his wand out and at the ready. Soon, she too gripped her wand and in a shaky voice said, "It's probably just room service."
"I'll check-"
"No," Malinda swallowed, hating how breathless she sounded. "No, I'll do it. We can't have Muggles seeing you dressed like that."
Draco glanced down at his tailored robes in offense.
Cautiously, she went to the door and checked the peephole. Sure enough, a woman in a hotel uniform stood on the other side with a food trolley. "Draco, grab a few pounds from my purse."
"What?"
"Just do it," Malinda ordered before opening the door. "Hello!"
"Apologies for the delay, miss" the woman greeted before pushing the trolley a few inches. "Shall I bring it in for you?"
"No, no," Malinda tucked her wand back into her thigh holster sneakily behind the door. Stepping out fully, she took hold of the trolley, "I'll do it. Let me just grab a tip."
Pulling the trolley in, Malinda glanced over the Draco who stood by the nightstand with several large bills in hand. He held them out and asked awkwardly, "Is this enough?"
She kept forgetting how little he knew about the Muggle world. Malinda grabbed the smallest note and ran back to the door, handing the generous tip over. Before the woman could react, the door was shut and Malinda found herself alone again with Draco Malfoy.
Damn it. She had kissed him again and this time, she had no alcohol to blame.
Worse, they'd nearly gone farther than kissing and she had wanted it. Admitting it shamed her and Malinda silently moved the trolley fully into the room. Lifting the plate covers, she quietly said, "Help yourself, I already ate."
"Don't do that."
"What?"
"Don't overthink things," Draco didn't even glance at the trolley, smoothly moving past it until he was standing close to her. He was considerably taller than her and she had to peer upwards to see his expression darken.
"You're always angry with me," she noted.
Surprised passed over him and Draco visibly relaxed. He reached out and this time, pulled her gently to him. His chin rested on her head and he whispered, "I'm angry… but not at you. Not really."
Malinda leaned into his chest, not liking how thin he felt. Despite being afraid of the answer, she asked, "What about me then? How do you feel?"
He said nothing at first which made Malinda nervous. Dread filled her, her stomach twisting in realization and she tried to move away but Draco held her in place. In a low voice he said, "I-I feel like for the first time, someone sees the real me and isn't afraid."
"Oh," she murmured, not sure what else to say. When he continued to hold her, Malinda lifted her own arms and wrapped them around his torso.
"You're not scary, you know," Malinda eventually said. "Are you an asshole sometimes? Sure. Are you a snob? Absolutely. Are you a bully? Without a doubt-"
"Yes, please continue to sing your praises."
She laughed. "I'm serious. I'm not afraid because there's no reason to be."
"Many would disagree with you. Your precious Dumbledore doesn't even like me."
"I think you'll be surprised to learn how much Dumbledore cares. But it doesn't matter. I can't speak for everyone else, but I know that…" Malinda blushed. "I know how I feel."
Her embarrassment seemed to please him. Draco leaned down, his face just an inch away. "And how do you feel exactly?"
Instead of telling him, Malinda kissed him instead, reigniting the fire between them. Once again, she found herself pushed and dropped onto the bed. Draco stood over her, appraising her body with new found energy.
She recognized that look. Her body flushed with desire and Malinda propped herself up. "Hold on."
Draco's eyes met hers.
"I want to make something absolutely clear," Malinda said seriously. "If we do this, we're all in."
"I have no intention of entering another betrothal agreement," Draco told her, equally as serious. "For once, I'm a free man."
Malinda rolled her eyes. "You purebloods. I'm not asking for a ring, you arrogant prick. I'm asking for an actual try at a relationship. You know, dating? Because I am not the type of girl that you fuck and never talk to you again. Got it?"
Draco leaned down and kissed her neck. She shoved him away and snapped, "Got it?"
"Dating," Draco said, testing the word. "I've never actually dated anyone."
"Yes, I'm aware. That means being exclusive, that means dates in the library and Hogsmeade, and that means actually being nice to me."
"The horror."
"I know, you can't be a dick to me anymore."
"No, not that part," he smirked. "Dates in the library? You really should've been sorted into Ravenclaw."
"Shut up!"
"It would be wise to keep our dreadfully dull dates to ourselves, though."
"Why? Ashamed of dating a Muggleborn?"
"No," he said and he sounded honest. "But Pansy will be displeased. There will be many people displeased actually. Contrary to what you believe, you are a rather popular witch."
"Actually, you're probably right but not because of Pansy. War is coming and until we know which side everyone is on, we should probably keep this a secret. I wouldn't want to be used against you."
"Shame. I would've loved to see Jones' face."
"Careful. You're close to being an asshole."
Draco chuckled and resumed kissing her neck and his fingers came to the top of her dress again, tugging. Malinda knew she was killing the mood, but she added, "We are not having sex tonight or anytime soon."
"Not with that attitude we won't."
"Date first, perks later," Malinda tilted her head as a thought occurred to her. "Draco, are you a virgin?"
Instantly, his lips pulled away and he was staring at her startled. "Why the fuck would you think that?"
Clearly, she had insulted him. Malinda threw her head back as she howled with laughter. "Calm down. I had to ask. You purebloods are so strict with sex and marriage-"
"Witches are expected to be pure," Draco said stiffly, still not happy about her question. "Wizards are expected to… please their wife and produce heirs. That often takes practice."
"So women can't have sex but men are encouraged to," she summarized. "That is beyond stupid, but okay, not a virgin. Still, no sex tonight."
"Fine," Draco's fingers left her dress alone. "Doesn't mean we can't have some fun tonight."
"What- Oh!"
Draco gripped her sides and slid her down until her hips sat on the edge of the bed. He pushed her dress up until her plain, cotton underwear was on full display. He stared at them morosely, "Do all Muggleborns wear such ugly things?"
"I wasn't exactly expecting company, now was I?" She snapped.
"So says the seer," Draco murmured before he carefully took hold on the displeasing garment and pulled slowly. Malinda couldn't help but tense as her underwear slid away and discarded to the side. She lay bare before him, her bottom half completely exposed. How was this happening? How were they here, in this hotel room of all places, together? On New Years Eve no less? How were they so far from the original story? Could she get back back on track? What if she couldn't? The questions grew in her mind and she began to panic.
It must've shown on her face because Draco kissed her quickly and murmured, "Stop overthinking everything."
"We really shouldn't do this."
"No, but it's what I want," he told her, his blue eyes clear and honest. "But is it what you want?"
She should've said no. She should've stopped him. Merlin had sent her here to help Draco, not get irreversibly entangled with him.
"Yes," she whispered, unable to lie. Then, she was gasping as his head ducked back down and fell between her legs. There was no foreplay, there was no build up. His tongue moved with undeniable expertise and she tried hard not to think about how much had indeed practiced. Malinda twisted, pleasure sweeping over her. He held onto her legs, keeping her in place as he continued to taste and tease her. She whimpered, looking down to see him watching her, his expression filled with haughty, male pride. She could only meet his eyes for a few seconds before her head fell back as she struggled to stay quiet. But when release found her, Malinda couldn't help but moan loudly.
She lay on the bed panting and gathering her thoughts as Draco stood, walked to the trolley, picked up a napkin and cleaned his mouth with aristocratic grace. Then he popped a potato into his mouth and asked casually, "So, will there be fireworks or do Muggles not have those?"
…
…
At midnight, she and Draco stood on the balcony and watched the fireworks light up the sky. He was pleased to learn Muggles did indeed have fireworks, but disappointed when they did not last long or animate impressively.
"I suppose it's better than nothing," Draco remarked as the crowd cheered below, music playing as the clock struck twelve.
Malinda glanced at him slyly, "Muggles kiss at midnight."
"Wizards do the same."
"Guess we're not so different after all."
In contrast to his earlier heated kisses, Draco only gave her a modest peck then nodded, "It would seem not."
As the fireworks show came to an end, they walked back into the hotel room. They were both tense, knowing their time together was over. Malinda bit her lip. "I'll try to apparate you as close to Malfoy Manor as possible. Where is it?"
"Wiltshire."
She lit up. "Any chance you're close to Salisbury?"
"I suppose it makes sense you would only know the Muggle cities," Draco sighed. "Yes, that'll be a short flight home."
"Does your mother know you're gone?"
"Most likely, but she won't tell anyone. After today, I doubt she'll even speak to Bellatrix unless forced."
"Be careful, Draco. Do as he wishes, buy yourself time until you can meet with Dumbledore and keep your mental defenses up at all times."
"Obviously," he said tiredly. "Severus did teach me occlumency so if You-Know-Who hasn't broken his, then I should survive."
"You will survive, Draco," she corrected him. "And you'll have a good life afterwards."
She held out a hand, already mentally picturing a good place to apparate to, but Draco stepped close. Wrapped one arm around her he kissed her cheek, "Don't linger when we get there. No need to risk being seen so close to the manor."
"Alright," Malinda tried to smile but it was more of a grimace. "Guess this is goodbye then. I hate that you're going back to… I am sorry."
Draco lifted his chin defiantly. "It's my home and I'll take it back from him."
Malinda apparated and brought them to the edge of Salisbury, in a field near the road she'd once driven into the city during a weekend away from Oxford. This late, all was quiet except for the distant cracks of far away fireworks.
With one last look at her, Draco mounted his broom and took off, speeding into the chilly night. Heeding his warning, Malinda immediately apparated away, hiding her tears from him.
She had changed too much, she realized. These past few hours had changed everything for Draco and she had been a fool to let it happen. Yet, she knew that her selfish heart would continue to make a fool of her. Because... Because no matter how different the story was, this time it would be their story. Books be damned.
