Cut.

Chapter 10 | Nicole

Edited: 2/6/2021

Nicole.

"Miss Black." stated Snape, just pointing across the room.

I rose an eyebrow, considering he wasn't the Professor that gave myself and Malfoy detention, but I shrugged it off, thinking it had something to do with the Order by the way he nodded and left myself and Malfoy alone.

Our detention was scrubbing the owl cages in the Owlry, and it wasn't a pretty job, but it at least it got me closer to my target. 

Draco kept glancing up, as if he had something to say, it made me look up through my curls that had fallen into my face. 

"So, Black." sighed Draco, after a few moments of starting to scrub the cages.

"What is it Malfoy?" I questioned, finally breaking our session of silent.

"I'm sorry, you know, that I got you detention." He stated, shoving his sponge down into his bucket and twisting it to get the excess water out of it.

"Its fine." I waved it off as I continued to scrub. I could barley breath, so I decided to start a conversation. "Can I ask you something...?"

Draco looked up and glanced at the door and then nodded slowly. "You just did, but I'll give you another try..."

 I looked from him and shoved my sponge into my bucket and twisted the water out and turned back to Draco and started to scrub more. "...why were you asking what was different about me? Is it a bad different? And, why do you seem more interested in me this year...?"

We exchanged small smiles and giggle or two in unison.

"What's so funny?" I questioned, as I let go of my sponge and placed my hands on my hips, even if I was on my knees, it still looked like I was being serious.

"That," He giggled, looking up at me from his sponge. "was more than one question, Black."

"So, is there a limit I don't know about?" I giggled a little as well.

"No, of course not." He paused for a moment, then pushed, "Don't you hate that...though?" He questioned, making me looking up at once more, from my sponge at which I was debating on whether to get back to work.

"What?" I sighed, grabbing my sponge and beginning to scrub once more.

"When two people, that really don't know each other, laugh and giggle at stupid shit in order to feel comfortable around each other..." He started, and that's when I realized he had stopped cleaning. "...now, how do we make sure that we aren't uncomfortable around each other?"

"Hell if I know." I shrugged, finishing that cage and going to stand up, as Draco followed my action. "What are you doing?" I questioned, finding my heart racing. 

I felt my cheeks flush red.

"Am I right or wrong, when I say that you and Potter about got together at one point in time?" He asked, moving towards me, making me even more nervous.

"At one point in time, but not anymore." I shrugged, stepping back. "Malfoy..."

"Yes?" He replied as I realized he had moved the opposite direction across the room and was now exchanging my cages. My clean one for a dirty one. "You're welcome." He muttered as he placed the dirty cage on the floor and leaned against it, waiting for me to go further with our conversation.

"Why are you so interested in me this year? Who I've been with...what's so different?" I asked, as he shrugged in mid question and started back on his own cage. I frowned slightly, I felt a part of my heart wanting the attention from him.

I felt disgusted with myself. This was Draco Lucius Malfoy and he was playing peek'a'boo with sex politics.

That's when it hit me, I needed to know if he was the one I needed to target. I may have been wasting my time and efforts

"You look different..." He stated, as I crawled back into my cage and he hadn't returned to cleaning at all, he was just sitting there on his knees, starring at me. "...is that natural?"

"My hair?" I questioned, rasing an eyebrow. This was officially, the weirdest conversation I had ever had with anyone, especially someone with Draco's preference. I looked up and began to play with my hair a little. "Yeah." I finally answered him.

"I just wish - " He cut himself off. He looked as if he was having some internal conflict, but he silenced himself before he could say anything else.

"What?" I piped up, looking up a little more excited than I wanted to be.

"Its foolish." He stated, as he shook his head, as if he had someone else on his mind or heart. That was a problem for me and even though this was my job...I found another part of me that I didn't recognize. speak up.

"Wishing isn't foolish Draco," I started, making him look up at me from his sponge he had started to play with. "Wishing is being human, is being a true Wizard or Witch. Do you know how many Muggles wish they were us...wish that people like us existed?"

I found that Draco was smiling at my words and that his eyes were asking my eyes to dance with them, but I found something shoving my eyes away from his. I had no clue where that wish stuff sounded like or my next sentence came from;

"Sorry, that was pretty childish, wasn't it?" I asked, as if I was fishing for complements.

"No," He stated, making me look up at him as we heard a door creak behind us, as we both glanced behind us, but there was no one there.

"The wind." I muttered as he continued to speak.

"No, it wasn't childish, that was the most human...most beautiful thing I've heard in a while." He smiled, looking down as he rose out of the cage and sighed. "Black, you can cut out early, I'll finish this stuff."

"What!?" I gasped, crawling out and standing up to him. "This is our detention, not yours silly, I'll finish my side and if you need help, I'll help you."

Mentally I was shaking my head.

What the fuck is going on with me?

Was I under the Malfoy Trance?

"No, I insist, you've given me plenty of advice for the night. Why not give me more at the next Hogsmeade trip?" He questioned, that's when his eyes landed on my Gryffindor patch on my robes. 

The sparkle in his eyes seem to dim.

I felt my heart drop, oddly, and I found myself grinning. "You might want to take someone of the green, silver and black type."

Draco starred at my patch and his eyes traveled back up to my eyes and he shook his head, "No, we'll be fine...if you don't mind being seen with me...?"

I felt my heart jump for joy, I felt my veins feel as if they were boiling from blushing so damn hard. I couldn't help, but smile at him.

"Okay." I simply stated. "I owe you though." I stated, before I headed to the door.

"For what?" He questioned, grinning at me.

"Finishing my detention." I winked and I slide through the door that was now ajar and found that the corridor was empty. I shook off that conversation.

What was going on with me?

Why was I basically all over that opportunity to go out with him, so willingly?

Was it just my Female instincts kicking in to help with my mission or was I actually...no...