I'm back! This is the next chapter to this story, which is slowly coming to a close. I had all my ideas written out before school ended, but what with the cleaning of bags and whatnot, it got lost. So, I'm making it back up as I go along. Each pairing is slowly realizing feelings (I can almost hear you all saying, "Finally!") and soon enough, they'll happily ever after together! Or will they?

At first, Annabelle just thought that he was insane. Completely and utterly insane. And she said as much, too, followed by a sharp slap across the cheek. He hissed as her hand made contact with his face and held the place that stung. Glaring at her slightly, he straightened up.

"Can I explain why I gave that proposition?" he asked, hoping to keep his temper. She stared up at him, still incredibly confused, but nodded slightly. He sighed. "Because Harriet got chlamydia while I didn't, I want to see if it was just a fluke. So, by sleeping with you, and you getting tested, we can f-"

Slap!

He reeled yet again as she stood, taller than most girls at 5'9, yet she was dwarfed when he stood at 6'2. Her blue eyes were ablaze with anger and he saw that her hand was clenched now, so if he said one more wrong thing, he'd get a heavy throw of her fist to his nose.

"You're out of your mind if you think I'm gonna be your STI guinea pig!" she hissed. "That's just sick, Zabini! Sick and disgusting and just… horrible!"

"Oh please, like you'll have another lay ever again," he grumbled, rolling his eyes. Unfortunately, she heard him, and shrieked under her breath. Her hand rose again to clock him, but he caught her wrist before she could.

Her furious eyes met his calming ones, and her breathing instantly hitched. She couldn't help but bite her lip as she watched his irises plunge into hers without even trying. His palm was surprisingly soft, the long fingers wrapped round her wrist loose enough that it didn't hurt, but tight enough to show he had the power here.

But the moment she batted her eyelashes at him, he melted inside. He let go of her quickly at the sudden lack of control he held and looked at the ground for a moment before aiming his gaze back at hers.

"I'm sorry," he said smoothly, voice like silk. "I didn't mean that truly. But you cannot blame me for wanting to get you between my sheets."

She tried to rework her rage and knock him down, but she couldn't find the will. Everything he said seemed so flattering and tempting. She couldn't imagine anything better at that moment that crawling in bed with him. She shook her head, making her ruby red curls bounce a bit, and looked at the ground.

"Please, Annabelle?" he murmured. The way her name sounded on his tongue was almost sinful, and she couldn't believe herself when she nodded her assent. The smile that broke across his dark face was worth it.

"Where and when?"

"This Saturday night. Be in the Slytherin boy's dorm at midnight. You're friends with Thorne, she can let you in."

She nodded again, biting her lip as she thought. And he easily strode away, suddenly feeling both excited and a bit worried.

Kenzie would've given anything to be able to talk about the way she felt right then. All the Draco Malfoy drama was getting to her, she decided. Because he was suddenly always on her mind. She realized that getting that kiss from him wasn't just for the wager anymore.

And that scared her shitless.

All her friends that she could possibly talk to her were the girls, and they'd all instantly tease her wholeheartedly for her little crush. So she knocked them off as people to talk to. She needed someone she could confide in, but who knew nothing of the bet.

So, she found Theodore Nott, a 6th year Slytherin who just so happened to be the most unbiased person she knew. He was, like almost all Slytherins, a bit of a prick, but towards her, he was kind and understanding. And he didn't mock her like most people would. He was the perfect guy friend.

She found him in the library, reading Hogwarts: A History for probably the thousandth time in his life, and he looked up at her when she nearly fell into the chair next to his. Dropping her satchel in the centre of the table with a loud thunk, she received a number of angry glares from Madam Pince and studious students. As her cheeks heated, she looked over at her friend, who was smirking almost inconspicuously.

"You always manage to make an entrance, Thorne," he said. His voice was always this quiet, as though he were afraid to be overheard. Not that she minded, especially given that they were in the library.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," she muttered in response. Theo flipped the page of his book, keeping still and calm as though she hadn't just barged in on his reading to talk. After a few moments of silence, she let out a frustrated sigh, and leaned against the table. "I've got a question."

"I may or may not have the answer," he replied evenly.

"About Malfoy."

He looked over the top of his book and quirked an eyebrow at her. "As in Draco Malfoy, your sworn enemy." She nodded and he chuckled under his breath, moving his novel aside. "Do continue. This sounds like it could be intriguing."

"Well," she fidgeted a bit while saying, playing with the hem of her starched school-regulation skirt, "I… may not hate him as much as I thought I did. I think… maybe my hating him was… a misconstrued emotion. And maybe… I may actually… sorta… kinda… like him?"

This instantly made Theo gawk a bit, which was difficult to do, as he was always cool and collected. But he straightened himself quickly. "You mean romantically, I take it?"

Kenzie nodded.

"Well, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. In hindsight, this is actually rather regular among people who hate one another. Take your friend Carson and Weasley. Why, they were horrified with one another at the start of the year. But now –"

"Theo! Focus!" Kenzie practically had to yell. "I know about Rose's infinite love for Ron! That's not what I'm here to discuss!" Several people around her made shushing noises, which she ignored.

"My apologies," he said with ease. "What do you wish to happen now that you have told me you're in love with Malfoy?"

"I don't kno– I never said I was in love with the git!" she cried frantically, grasping the edge of the table and standing. Her eyes were instantly ablaze, trying to make him swallow his words. But his gaze was as calm as ever.

"Well, do you?"

She slowly sat down again, biting her lip and staring at the table. "Well… maybe… I don't know…" She looked at him desperately. "Help me, Theo!"

He sighed slightly and leaned on the table, taking her hand very gently. "I realize how cliché this will sound, but it's been true for eons. You need to tell him how you feel, Kenzie. Living your life without sharing these emotions will end tragically. And I want you to be happy." He let a rare, genuine smile cross his face, and couldn't help but grin a bit herself. The curving of his lips was so rare that it was contagious at the very sight of it.

Getting up, she scurried to his side and hugged him tight, kissing his cheek very softly. "Thank you so much, Theo," she murmured, then grabbed her bag and left the library.

Theo's hand raised to the place where her warm lips had been just for a moment before raising his book again and continuing his reading.

"That backstabbing wanker!"

Blaise slapped Draco in the back of the head at the language used so loudly in such a quiet place. But this didn't lessen his friend's anger.

For the past several minutes, they'd been peeking through the bookshelves at Nott and Thorne, and while neither of them had said a word while eavesdropping on their little exchange, now that the latter had left, Draco's full fury left him.

"Nott knows that I'm interested in Thorne!" he cried. Blaise rolled his eyes.

"Did you tell him as much?" he asked, his tone lower.

"I shouldn't need to! I'm the bloody Prince of Slytherin. What I think goes." He turned his enraged eyes from the space between the books and instead to Blaise. The dark boy had to recoil slightly.

He'd never seen Draco like this. While he'd dated and snogged Pansy Parkinson a thousand times, and had his fair share of shags in broom cupboards, Blaise had never seen this kind of reaction from his friend. The absolute fire in his eyes was practically tangible.

"Nott will pay for this dearly. Mark my words," Draco muttered heatedly before turning on his heel and marching out of the library with Blaise behind him, who couldn't help but roll his eyes a bit at the antics displayed before him.

In the back of Draco's blonde little mind, he could imagine how he would kill his Housemate. Nothing would stop him from eliminating any competition he had to make Kenzie Thorne be his.

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