Daphne ran toward Prudence at full speed, looking as if she might tackle her friend whilst screaming frantically, "Quick Pru, come quick! You got to see this!"
"Merlin Daph, what's going on?" Pru asked as her friend began to drag her down the hall. Her and Draco were just returning to the castle from walking in from the pitch.
It took a stern yell from Draco to actually get Daphne to halt. Finally she seemed to compose herself a little bit as she turned to look at her bewildered friends. "Out with it!" Draco hollered, annoyed by the bouncing blonde girls giddy squeals.
"We got our own room!"
Draco trailed the two girls as they were now both running toward their dormitory. He listened as Daphne explained in excited huffs how Professor Snape found her after class to inform her that their quarters were changing due to not wanting Parkison sleeping in the same room with Pru. Draco quite liked the idea.
At the end of the hall on the girls side of the Slytherin House, a door had appeared that lead to a brand new room. Daphne pulled Pru inside to reveal their new dorm adorned with two green and silver canopy beds, two black marble desks and matching wardrobes with an impressive marble fireplace. "Isn't this amazing!"
Pru was beyond excited to get out of a room with a girl that wanted her dead. She was so excited she found herself jumping up in down in a circle with Daphne as they both screamed with joy.
As much as Draco wanted to roll his eyes as his girlfriend's breech in maturity, he couldn't. It was just too cute to see her jumping up and down on her new bed, "I'll just leave you two alone then..."
Pru jumped off her bed to grab his hand quickly, "Don't be a party pooper..." When Draco's face didn't soften up she pouted her lip, "You're not excited that there isn't any other girls is here that may... I don't know... tell on me if I have a boy stay the night in my room..." That changed his entire demeanor like she knew it would. It also changed Daphne's mood.
Daphne hopped off her bed and landed with a thud as she 'Awed' like a little kid seeing another do something bad, "No way, no boys allowed!"
Draco didn't hear her though, he was too busy being bombarded with images of laying in bed holding Pru to his body tightly.
Pru smiled, "I thought so... go shower and then come back so we can go over your runes homework."
He was emotionally confused with her statement. On one end she spoke of showers... the other... homework. "I don't need your help-"
"You're rubbish at runes," she told him flatly.
"Fine," he buckled as he gave her an adoring smirk. He was painfully aware that he just let Pru boss him around in front of Daphne, but he didn't care.
"Wow," Daphne said breathlessly after she watched Draco peck Pru on the lips and leave the room.
"What?" Pru asked as she ran to her bed so she could continue to jump on it.
"It's... so crazy to see Draco listen to someone... while smiling..."
Pru let her own smile spread. She knew that Draco had a hard exterior that was practically non-existent when it came to her, but she would never take it for granted.
.
Pansy watched Draco come from the quarters for the new girl. She wondered why that girl even got her own room with Greengrass... As a matter of fact, why was Daphne so close with her as well? Pansy has always hated Daphne, but kept her close and tried to be her friend. The truth was, Pansy was just bitterly jealous of the beautiful blonde girl with a casual ease about her that made people always like her despite being a Slytherin.
Draco's genuine smile made her insides clench nauseously... she had never saw him that way, looking so... happy? What did that other girl give him that she never could? The tears began to well up behind her eyes as her every heartbeat felt like a punch to her chest. He wouldn't even look at her, or talk to her... why did he hate her so much?
Draco heard the soft voice of a female call him as he crossed the common room. When he turned to look he found Pansy looking feeble sitting in a chair in the corner. The sight of her sickened him, "What?" he growled.
His lethal glare shocked her and she momentarily froze. Finally she heaved, "Why... why do you hate me so much?"
He wanted to scream at her all the many, many reasons he hated her as his eyes flared with rage. Except he wasn't allowed to speak of the incident or Pru's previous curse, all he could do was shake his head and continue walking away.
Draco wondered if she remembered anything at all about their relationship. Keeping track of what happened in the previous year between him and Pansy was complicated to keep up with, he thought hard about where the two of them stood exactly one year ago...
He was never really interested in her romantically. She was so far into her delusional love with him that he just used it to his advantage as best he could. She knew a long time ago that he could never love her and yet, she still continued on to pursue him with a reckless disregard for everything and everyone around her. Even when he was consumed with helping his mother and killing his Headmaster, when he never even gave Pansy's existence a second look, the stupid girl still made herself believe that Draco cared about her. So, she had to remember that, Draco thought. But she doesn't know Prudence, she doesn't remember the end of year party, or what she did to Daphne, she doesn't remember trying to hurt Pru or even when he told her he would never marry her.
Draco could tell by the look in Pansy's eyes as she tried to speak to him just a moment before, that she was still madly in love with him. He would never tell Pru, but he was going to take great pleasure and crushing Pansy's heart all over again.
Pansy was screaming at the top of her burning lungs. She couldn't handle the pain that poured from her aching soul for Draco, or the hatred she harbored for the fucking new girl, or all the damn fuzzy details that floated painfully around her head. Professor Snape didn't say it would be this terrible, he never warned her that she would feel like her head would combust and her chest would implode. Maybe he never took into consideration the ways her body would deceive her once she saw Draco with a girl that was not her! He must not have understood how much she needed to have Draco.
She began throwing everything she could reach across the room as her wand spit random spells in anger. She smashed anything breakable against the walls and kept screaming until he throat felt like it was bleeding! Why was this happening to her, she was so incredibly confused! Today was the worst day of her life... and nobody would give her any answers! She roared one last scream with her last ounce of energy before she collapsed on the floor next to her shattered bedside table in a heap of tears.
From beneath Pansy's dripping eyes she spotted an odd brown leather book poking from beneath a split drawer. Something in her mind clicked that made her immediately snatch it up, but as she searched through the pages hungrily she found that every page was completely blank. Just another disappointment... She let the book fall from her hands as she let defeat consume her and the tears fall from her swollen eyes freely. The fat droplets rolled down her cheeks and off her chin to splash gently onto the open book in her lap.
Suddenly, a soft glow began to emit from Pansy's lap. When she looked down to see what was causing the light she was shocked to find that the pages of the book were now filled with black scrawled words.
.
Millie's first thought when she entered the room that was reduced to rubble was 'Oh shit, Pansy offed herself.' Upon further inspection though, she found her small black-bobbed friend hovering over a book in the corner, sitting among tattered pillows with a maniacal smile on her face.
"Pansy?" Millie asked with caution, "Are you alright?"
Although it was hard to tell by the state of the room, Pansy was alright. In fact, she was better than alright! She was marvelous! The small glowing book in her hands was her most private and secret possession. It was her incredibly thorough diary. The book was enchanted to be so private that it seemed even it knew that Pansy was in some forms a stranger to it and it was her tears that gave utter proof it was actually her.
"What is that?" Milliie asked when her friend still didn't answer her. She was frightened when Pansy looked up with a scary gleam in her eyes.
"It's my diary."
Pansy had already read it from front to back, back to front. It was all there, everything she wanted and needed to know. From tricking Blaise to hurt Daphne and Draco, all the way to meeting that bitch and trying to kill her with her curse. Also... there were the things that Draco said to her before he was even with that slag... everything...
Prudence sat against the back board of her new bed as Draco's head lay casually in her lap. She was discussing with him, Blaise and Daphne their Pansy predicament. Blasie and Daphne didn't have any real answers either, but they understood too well that they should always take Pru's intuition seriously. There had to be some reason she stayed in school...
"Even so Pru," Blaise was saying, "Your powers are unlimited, whatever she intends to do there's still no way she'll be able to go through with it, you'll stop her."
He was right. Ever since she broke her curse, her powers had attuned to almost perfection. There were things she knew she were capable of that even she was scared to say out loud, but Pansy wasn't going to attack her. She was going to change tactics and go after Draco... She was just too scared to say that out loud to her friends, it hurt too bad to think that something may happen to him.
Draco didn't like the weary look in Pru's eyes, he could tell that she wasn't telling him everything.
Saturday morning arrived and Pru used her magical ways to sneak into the boys dorm very early. Today was Draco's first match and she wanted to make sure that he had a good start to his day.
.
Draco grinned like a bloody fool as he saw Prudence standing at the end of his bed completely nude. He pulled her roughly into his arms so he could kiss her madly. He could instantly feel something wasn't right... that's when he noticed Pansy there too, glaring at the two of them with coal black eyes.
Pru giggled when he groaned in his sleep and his eyes fluttered, "Good morning love," she whispered to him gently while snuggling into his side. He looked so peaceful when he slept, like a slumbering angel.
Draco could hear her voice and feel her small warm body against him... this time it wasn't a dream... "Please tell me you're real," he whispered as he kept his heavy lids tight.
Her heart melted, it was only a faint whisper, but she could sense his uncertainty. So she ran her hand up his chest to his neck, relishing the grooves of his perfect lithe muscles, "I'm real," she told him. She watched his lips curl into a lazy smile as his brain woke up to realize that she was really there next to him.
"Good." His eyes finally opened only to see hers looking back up at him adoringly. He would swear in this early light she had an ethereal glow. It could be just his eyes, or it could be real, she is a goddess. No matter, he wrapped his arms around her to tuck her head under his chin and squeeze her tighter. "I could get use to waking up next to you."
"Me too," she said softly. She nuzzled her face into the side of his ribs, her entire being content.
They lay together for a few blissful moments, just listening to one another breath, before Pru asked, "So are you ready for your match today?"
"Am I ready to pulverize Potter? Yes. Yes I am," he told her with his morning gravelly voice. He was positive that he was ready for absolutely anything now that his first waking moments were spent holding Prudence in his bed.
A few hours later Draco was holding Pru's hand, guiding her though the main hall out towards the pitch. Students and professors bustled around everywhere, excited for the first game of the season. They had only taken a few steps toward the large front doors before a booming voice echoed from across the room, beckoning Prudence.
"Prudence, Prudence dear!"
Draco felt the blood steam up inside him, his hands instantly curled into fist as he laid eyes on the Minister of Magic, Professor Dumbledore, and Harry Fucking Potter standing in a small group near the entrance to the Great Hall. Pru's grandfather was the one calling her name. He glanced at her face and was relieved and amused to find that it looked much like how his probably did. She heaved a breath and turned her back on the annoying trio to look at him.
"I have to go over there," she grumbled.
He had to smirk, she was adorable when she was annoyed. She pouted her lip at him, "And I wanted to give you a good luck kiss, but if I do I'll be forced to hex my own grandfather after he falls into a blinding fit and tries to kill you..."
Although he wouldn't get to feel her lips then, he still smiled because the things that came out of her mouth were rather silly sometimes, "I understand." Her honey eyes bore into his fiercely and he knew she was fighting the urge. He could tell by the way she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth slowly.
Pru smiled at him wickedly, "Fuck it."
Draco was surprised when she quickly stood up her toes to give him a long firm kiss right on his lips, "Good luck," she whispered airily over his lips before turning to walk confidently over to her grandfather.
.
Harry Potter's mood changed considerably after he watched Pru kiss Malfoy right in front of everyone. He was all smiles as the Minister praised him on his accomplishments and even vaguely mentioned allowing him to escort Prudence to the Minister's Ball... then she kissed him and his world went dark. Even though he told himself over and over again that he did not need to be chasing girls at this point in his life, he still couldn't shake his feelings for her. She has only continuously embarrassed him, why would he still yearn to be in her presence? It was especially a blow to him that she was still dating Malfoy, he just couldn't comprehend her... That didn't mean he still wouldn't scrounge for every possible chance there was to be close to her... or better yet embarrass Malfoy in front of her...
The minister clasped his beloved grand daughter into his arms. He was biting his tongue hard, fighting not to mention the fact that she just kissed the Malfoy boy right in front of him. So she was still insisting that that boy was good enough for her... "Good morning Prudence my dear, I was just wishing young Mister Potter well for his first match."
"That's... swell granddad..."
The old man didn't seem to notice nor care that she wasn't interested in being a part of that conversation.
"He's been Gryffidor's seeker since his first year, that's quite impressive I'd say, wouldn't you Prudence?"
Prudence couldn't fake a smile, she was thoroughly disgusted with her grandfather's tactics to talk Potter up to her. No words came from her rigid set mouth. She looked at Potter who wore a goofy pleased smile and Dumbledore who had a poker face, this was nutter.
"Did you know that Mr. Potter has the honor of attending the Minister's Ball this year? His accomplishments from the past few years have earned him the prestigious ticket."
Prudence wanted to out right groan like an annoyed child. Now her grandfather was getting somewhere with his obvious intentions, "Does he now?" she asked in a bored tone.
"Yes, and I told him that we would be delighted to have him escort you," the Minister smiled jovially and winked at Potter as if what he just said wasn't incredibly disturbing.
Pru hoped that her face was as composed as she was trying to project, her inside were currently screaming and rolling around having a tantrum. She tried not to yell, "Grandfather, I'm sure an escort isn't necess-"
"Nonence, it's no problem at all. Mr. Potter already said he would be delighted."
She looked around at the three men again, trying to control her body from bursting into flames of rage. Her grandfather had a smile so large his eyes crinkled, the Headmaster looked cautious, and Potter seemed to wear a smirk if wicked satisfaction. She wasn't sure how to escape the situation gracefully. So she weighed her options out and found the problem inescapable... Draco was going to be furious. She knew she had to attend that damn ball, but she was hoping she could mange to get Draco to come with her. She now knew the Minister wouldn't allow it.
"Very well..." she heard her voice sound coldly as she looked away into the distance.
"Marvelous!" Her grandfather exclaimed.
"Splendid," Professor Dumbledore said quietly. "Come Mr. Potter, I'm sure Prudence can use some quality time with her grandfather, besides, you have a match to get to."
"Of course," Harry smiled, his grin too wide for Pru's liking. The Minister clapped his hands good bye and gave him a nod farewell.
Immediately Pru turned a stern eye on her grandfather. His boisterous facade had dropped and he looked at Pru calmly. "You think you're clever? You know I have a boyfriend."
"Boyfriend?" He asked as if personally offended.
"Yes Granddad! Draco is my boyfriend and this little thing you just tried to pull is going to cause us an argument... which is of course what you no doubt intended in hopes to split us up completely..."
The Minister stared at his entirely too mature and insightful granddaughter. She was able to see through him, there was no need for him to pretend to be naive anymore, "It's best."
The old man actually trembled slightly when Pru's cold gaze bore into him,"You're the Minister of Magic, so maybe you know what's good for your people, but you seem to not have the slightest clue as to what's best for me." Then she turned on her heel leaving him fuming. He will never have any control over her, he never has.
Draco didn't like the way Potter was smirking at him as the Slytherin and Gryffidor teams took positions on the pitch. The bastard looked smug, and too happy... and Draco just knew that it had something to do with the conversation he just had with Prudence and the M.o.M. Soon they would be in the air and Draco would be able to wipe the twisted grin off his face.
Draco rose high into the air once the whistle blew. He wanted to search for the snitch, but more importantly he needed to see where Pru was and if she was alright. His eyes flicked around the arena. He spotted the Minister, he was sitting with Dumbledore. Then he looked at the Slytherin towers, it wasn't hard to spot Prudence and Daphne talking in the farthest corner. He was enraged to see that Prudence didn't look happy at all, so yes, something was definitely going on.
"She is lovely..."
Draco was annoyed that Potter was actually able to sneak up on him, he still responded smoothly, "Lovely and mine." He turned to be face to face with the flying boy-idiot.
Potter's eyes darkened, "Maybe she's yours now, but the night of the Minister's Ball she's mine..."
Draco's stomach lurched and his hands gripped onto his broom tighter. He felt a vigorous rage trying to rumble his chest, and if he let it escape he would kill Potter dead where he hovered... "Do you think that matter's to her Potter? Do you think that she gives a fuck about you?"
The pieces came together as he calmed himself enough to still taunt Potter. Her grandfather, the Minister, had wormed his way into the situation and somehow manipulated her into going to the ball with that twat.
"I guess I'll find out when I'm sweeping her across the dance floor."
The mental image that flared in Draco's mind was enough to make him catch fire. He couldn't let Potter get to him, it was just hard when it came to Prudence. "I'd threaten to kill you and you're feeble attempts at baiting me into a fight, but Pru will do that for me. I wish you luck." In that instant Draco watched the snitch flicker not far behind the now stunned idiot's head. He casually floated off with out Potter's notice.
Prudence watched her gorgeous boyfriend's every move as he sped around the pitch at alarming speeds chasing something she could barely see. When the game started she was venting to Daphne about how insufferable her grandfather can be, but now that she got all that out and witnessed Draco in action, she just couldn't look away...
It seemed like only minutes passed before Pru was on her feet watching Draco speed toward the ground, reaching for the golden snitch with Potter nipping at his heels. Her heart was sticking to her ribs as she held her breath in anticipation. She knew he wouldn't hit the ground, but that didn't stop her brain from imagining that he still might... He was going to catch it, he was going to win.
Silence thrummed in Pru's ears when Draco seemed to move in slow motion and come dramatically close to the green grass. She was able to watch carefully as his long, thin fingers almost wrapped around the tiny winged ball and he simultaneously barrel rolled to the left, avoiding a deadly collision with the ground. She felt herself thud back on the bench as she suddenly felt parched... Merlin, that was attractive.
Now where did the snitch go? Draco felt slightly manic after he lost sight of the ball once he was right side up again. The better man, the man that Pru brought out of him, he wouldn't care about winning this game for such petty reasons. But the man that a large chunk of him still was, the man that craved vengeance and retaliation... he wanted to crush Potter, rub his win in the Minister's face, prove to them that there's no reason Pru shouldn't be with him... he had to win for Pru.
Draco took in a steady breath and glanced at his beautiful girlfriend in the stands.
Pru looked into his determined eyes and just nodded, letting him know that she knew he could do it, he was capable of winning this.
And that's all it took, he was off, zooming toward the rings where he just spotted the small golden devil.
Prudence watched Draco blur across the open pitch, with Potter once again right behind him.
There wasn't any fear of losing in Draco's head, just pure confidence coursing through him as he stretched out his hand. He could feel the presence of Potter gaining on his left side, his heart thumping loudly only to be matched by air rushing through his ears. It was inches from his fingertips, he stretched farther and felt his muscles groan at his insistent pushing. He ignored his body's protests and kicked his heels to fly even faster... Then he felt it, the cold and smooth metal, so close...
Harry wouldn't be able to live down the humiliation, but he felt his win slipping away. With a final angry burst of frustration he leveled his body down to his broom to gain more speed. As he became neck and neck with Malfoy he gave his enemy a hard shove to the ribs.
But Draco's concentration could not be broke. The winged ball was close enough for him to finally wrap his hand around it and feel it thrum with life against his palm. He instantly heard the crowds thundering screams of excitement that eventually just blurred into one continuous hum in his head. He did it, he actually did it, and everyone saw...
Pru's heart soared in a proud way that she's never felt before. He won! He caught the snitch, he outraced Potter and he really won! She smiled like a fool as her house began to empty from the box so they could rush the field and congratulate their team.
.
Draco searched through the crowd that engulfed him for one particular person, his girlfriend. People clapped his shoulders and congratulated him as he did his best to make it through his excited house mates. He couldn't reel in his smile, he felt great, so when he spotted her searching for him just as frantically as he was for her, he wanted to burst from the overwhelming joy.
It took a mere second for him to race to her and pull her into his arms. He placed a kiss in her hair, the high of his win still buzzing through him. The luscious smell of her hair brought him back to earth and he suddenly remembered Potter's words in the sky. But she was smiling when he finally gave her enough room to look up at him and kiss his lips slow and sensually, her way of saying good job... so he forgot again.
"That was amazing!" She hollered once they parted again, "You beat Potter!"
He chuckled at her jumping excitement for him, but soon again remembered he needed to talk to her about that idiot. He knew his face became grim as he asked, "So you have a date I hear?"
Pru's eyes flooded with anger, she knew he was just teasing her, but she was very upset by it, "Can you believe the Minister put me up to that? Even I couldn't talk my way out of it! And I'm a goddess!"
There wasn't one bit of him that was mad or jealous. In the deepest bowels of his heart he fully trusted her and he knew she trusted him. There was no need to pester her about the ball, they would just deal with it. He pulled her back against his chest, "You can handle this, I know you can. Besides... I already told Potter he would need luck if he actually thought he could get through an entire night with you..." He was surprised how unperturbed he was by the whole thing with Potter and the Minister, but it was honestly no concern.
As he held her tightly to his chest and let her get out some muffled frustrated screams he inadvertently made eye contact with the Minister of Magic who stood near the end of the grass. The old man stood motionless, his chest puffed out and his chin in the air as if informing Draco that it still wasn't over. Draco refused to cower at the man's silent threat, so he lifted his own chin and narrowed his eyes. Nobody would be taking her from him, not even the Minister.
Pru's mind had drifted to somewhere she couldn't understand or control as she pressed her face into Draco's hard chest. Something was wrong... The very instant after she had her mini tantrum her senses became completely cut off, she heard nothing, saw nothing... felt nothing...
But she was wise enough to know that something was about to happen. She took a few deep breaths as the blackness began to flicker with a distant light and she could vaguely make out two figures. Suddenly, she was looking at a room, a room in the dungeons with two girls and a cauldron. With just another blink everything was crystal clear and vividly real. It was Pansy and Millie and they were brewing a potion... An unrecognizable fear tried to choke her, whatever potion they were brewing was going to change everything...
Then in a flash, as of nothing happened at all, Pru was back on the field in Draco's arms, crowds of roaring people all around them.
Draco felt her body stiffen to stone in his arms so he pulled away to look at her. He was horrified to find she looked ghostly pale with large frightened eyes. "Prudence, what's wrong?" Why did she look so scared? Why wasn't she answering him?!
Pru couldn't speak or move... she didn't know what Pansy was brewing, but she knew it was intended for Draco. She didn't know if it would physically hurt him, steal him away, or if it was a forbidden love potion to make him fall in love with Pansy. The uncertainty was scaring her half to death. She couldn't lose Draco! If she did it would kill her, she would spiral out of control from a broken heart and literally die...
After a few moments of Draco hollering at her, trying his best to get her to talk, she finally mumbled, "P-Pansy..."