Stay || Draco Malfoy

four

February 1996

I lace up my skates as quickly as possible and push off on the ice. Skating is my passion now, the only thing that makes me happy these days. I wake up at the crack of dawn every morning just so I can skate without being disturbed.

Skating makes me feel like anything is possible when nearly nothing is. Professor Umbridge, the new Head Inquisitor or whatever makes sure that no one at Hogwarts gets to have any fun. She has all these regulations that students are expected to follow. It's terribly suffocating how dominating that woman is.

I glide around the lake a couple of times, pushing Umbridge out of my thoughts. I want to get in as much skating time as possible before the ice starts to melt. It's nearly March.

As I am circling the area where the ice is thickest, I hear the sound of foots steps and heavy panting. Turning around, I see Draco Malfoy trudging towards the lake, his winter cloak covered with snow, even though it isn't snowing.

More out of curiosity than anything else, I skate towards him and ask, "What are you doing?"

It has to be six o'clock by now, judging by the position of the sun.

"Skating," he replies, stepping on the ice in his boots.

"Don't you have a pair of skates?"

"Oh, right."

He digs through a tattered leather bag and retrieves a pair of brand-new skates that look way too small for him. Draco sits down on the bag and tugs the skates roughly on his feet, only getting half of his foot in. He struggles to yank the skates on for several minutes before grumbling, "Why are these skates so bloody tight?"

After he ultimately gets the skates on, he attempts to stomp over to the lake but trips over his own feet and goes sprawling into a snowbank, making me laugh against my own will. What was he doing here anyway? He obviously did not know how to skate. He hadn't even laced his skates up properly.

Being the wonderful person I am, I go over to help him up, stepping on a strange log when I get there. A strange log that turns out to be his leg.

"Sorry!" I cry when he lets out an ear-piercing yelp. I tug on his cold hand, pulling him up.

He doesn't thank me, but it's not like I expected him to.

Draco steps on the ice and attempts to move forward, instantly landing on his backside.

I glide around as he tries to stand again. This time, he makes it a few steps forward before falling again.

I try to skate on my own, but the amount of noise he is making is intolerable. He's crying out and collapsing and cursing and wheezing like an idiot. Finally, I give up and skate back to the dock where I sit down so I can take off my skates.

"Are you leaving?" Draco asks, brushing his white-blonde hair out of his eyes. For some strange reason, it makes me notice him. I've never noticed him like this before.

"Yes,"

"Could you show me how to skate? Before you leave. There's still time, it's fifteen minutes to seven."

"Why did you come here this morning?" I ask, ignoring his request.

"I come here every morning."

"How come I've never seen you around?"

"I hide," I scrunch up my nose in confusion. Hide? Why does he have to hide? Then he adds, "To watch you."

Watch me? He comes here every morning to watch me?

"Why?"

Draco shrugs and attempts to skate closer to me but falls over again. I wait for him to try again, but instead, he takes my hand and uses me to get back up. His cold touch makes my heart flutter in the most outrageous way. What is happening to me?

"Show me how to skate,"

I open my mouth to refuse, then close it. No one would know about this. I don't have anything to worry about.

I tug my skates back on and lace them up once more.

An hour ago, I would've never imagined that I would be skating hand in hand with a Slytherin, but that is exactly what I am doing right now. Draco Malfoy is holding onto my hand and I am dragging him along on the ice. It isn't even that bad. I kind of... like it.

"We should go to breakfast," Draco says thirty minutes later. I nod reluctantly and pack up my skates. When I finish, Draco is still removing his, so I stand there.

I don't know why I am standing here. Why am I waiting for him? Am I hoping he'll walk me back?

No, that's silly. Draco Malfoy would never walk a girl back to the castle.

I start walking back to the school on my own when I feel his shoulder brush past mine.

Why is he walking with me?

We walk in silence until we are at the entrance of the school. I really hope we won't run into any of my friends when we enter the Great Hall. Maybe I can shake him off somehow.

"You don't want anyone to see us together, He says, voicing my thoughts.

"Well, I –"

He cuts me off by pressing his cold lips to mine.

I am kissing Draco Malfoy.

I push my hands against his chest and push him away. Before I can say anything, he enters the school, leaving me standing at the entrance with my mouth agape.

~

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