Double Trouble || Draco Malfoy x Reader

a win for the weasleys || chapter sixty-eight

"I can't do this." I declared at last. Their first exam, Theory of Charms, was scheduled on this very far-from-fine, Monday morning.

Draco looked up from the moleskin notebook his fingers had been thrumming through. Now slumped on the edge of the bed, my face in my hands, Draco's grey eyes slid from the spread of parchment I'd dropped to where I sat in defeat.

"Y/N," Draco set his notebook aside and moved across the room towards me. I didn't look up, even when I could hear the last of his footsteps pause right in front of me. "M/N L/N."

Draco's hands pressed into either side of my face and forced me to look up. His light grey eyes bore into my own. "You're the most brilliant witch I know." He insisted, "If anyone can do this, it's you."

"I'm no Hermione Granger." I frowned. There was a warning look in Draco's eyes as he shook his head, telling me not to even go there. "She's the brightest witch in our year, even you can't—,"

"This is the problem." Malfoy scoffed. He let go of my face and slumped down on the bed beside me, instead reaching over to take my hands in his. "These Muggle-borns with their odd technology, strange teachings and deadly weapons, are the reason the Ministry has to go through so many extensive procedures to keep our existence a secret from their society. But the second a 'brilliant' muggle like Granger with no real magic in her bloodline comes along, me and you have to sit and accept her. Why? Why does she supposedly get to be the brightest witch? Why not someone with an actual magical trace in their blood? Just because someone can obsess and memorize information out of a textbook doesn't truly make her brighter. I've seen you do fantastic spellwork. Something which takes more than just reading a book."

Draco squeezed my hands between his.

"Come on, trouble. Prove to everyone that you can do it. Prove to everyone that you are the true, brightest witch of our age."

Draco straightened when a slight, reassured smile drew across my face. "I'll try." I whispered, "It's just remembering all this stuff..."

"You'll be okay, Y/N." Draco insisted before I could start to self-doubt again. "And remember, the things you can do are much more impressive and valuable than being able to recite perfectly from The Standard Book of Spells: Grade 5."

My smile seemed to have expanded even more. Draco affectionately swiped his thumb across my cheek and leaned in to peck my lips. "Come on, let's get some breakfast in you before the exam."

~

Once breakfast was over, all of the fifth and seventh year students milled around in the entrance hall while the other years went off to lessons. Draco drew me aside and quizzed me on some last minute questions when at half-past nine, everyone was called forward, class by class.

The Great Hall had already changed in the ten minutes since breakfast had ended. The four House tables had been removed and replaced with many tables for one, all facing the staff-table end of the Hall where Professor McGonagall and Umbridge stood facing them.

My stress levels were through the roof. I could feel my heart thumping hard in my chest as I walked down one of the many aisles, eyes grazing the numbers on the oak surfaces for my seat. At last, I found mine and sunk into it, my legs almost numb.

Glancing left and right, I scanned the hall, unable to find Draco's head of blond hair in the sea of bodies. Slightly turning in my seat, I searched those in the desks behind me. That's when I spotted him.