My Father Can't Hear About This | Draco Malfoy

Tutoring

"Professor McGonagall, are you sure I can't just skip the tutoring? Or can I be tutored by you instead?" I ask.

"No no, dear. I feel you may learn best by reviewing with a peer, and a peer from your own house! Dumbledore's requested that you be tutored, so we will do just that." She smiles with her lips shut, looking between both me and Draco.

"Come on, Granger, just sit down and let's get this done." Draco suggested.

 I hesitantly lower myself into the other seat of the double desk, right next to Draco. Merlin, he smelled so good. 

"Now students, I have laid out a review sheet for you to go over - those are written test questions that you need to be familiar with for your O.W.L." Professor McGonagall explained. "And next week, I will have spells for you to practice - rather challenging ones at that. So make sure you study up Miss Granger!"

"Wait, Professor, did you say next week?" I interrupt.

"Yes, you'll be back next Monday at the same time. Did Professor Dumbledore not tell you that?" I shake my head. "Well, I'll leave you two to review, and I'll be back soon if you have any questions." She walked herself out of the classroom, leaving me and Draco alone.

"I have to be back here next week too? How fucking bad am I failing?" 

"Probably pretty fucking bad." Draco laughs, then stops once he sees I don't find it amusing. "Let's just go over the questions and get this over with." I nod as he pulls the review paper forward, not allowing me to see the answers written on it. 

"Question one, what does 'Reparifarge' mean?" He asks, then looks up at me with those deadly blue eyes. 

"Easy, it will undo a transfiguration." 

He nods and continues: "What does the spell 'Colovaria' do?"

"Changes the color of something." I huff. "This is stupid, I know these. This is basic magic."

"McGonagall's orders, sorry." He sneers, and continues reading without hesitation. "What is an item that can't be conjured?"

"Food, even though I wish you could conjure it." I look around sighing. "These are stupid questions. Are there any harder ones on that sheet?"

He flips the paper front and back and skims over each side. "No." He bluntly stated. 

"Well then give me that paper and I can study it on my own." I stand up, extending my hand out flat awaiting the sheet. 

"No. Sit down, and let's get this finished." I knew Draco wasn't into tutoring, but he seemed very persistent on getting this session done. Giving in, I sat down, and awaited the next question. "Will Eleanor ever forgive me?" He peered up at me with submissive eyes, his platinum hair hanging over his forehead. 

"That's not on the paper. Next question."

"Don't avoid the question." He stares back at me. 

"I don't know. Will Draco ever not be an ass to the people that care about him?" He does not respond. "I thought so. Next question."

"I want to."

"Want to what?"

"I want to be better. I wish it could be different."

"Draco, we've had this conversation a million times before, and nothing has changed. Repeating it is exhausting. Give up on me already."

"I don't want to. You're the only girl, the only person really, that seems to care about me. No matter how much I used to bully you or pick on you, you always came back. You never gave me a reaction that I didn't like. That's why I kept doing it. I know it was wrong, but I couldn't stop finding mean things to say to you just to hear your voice. Just to hear the next rebuttal you could come up with. I found you so fascinating, and still do."

"That's why you just play with me when you want for your amusement now right? Because I'm fascinating? And you don't have to make any commitments."

"No, Eleanor. I-"

The echo of Professor McGonagall's footsteps entered the classroom. "So how is everything going in here so far?"

"It's great. Eleanor is doing fine on all these questions so far." He nodded with a soft smile. I nodded silently to her. 

"Good good, I'll be back shortly." She left again, leaving us to continue our bickering.

That's when I began to wonder, did she hear any of that conversation? Did she come in at the perfect time to stop the conversation from becoming a full on argument? Was Draco really at the top of the class, or did she specifically choose him to tutor me? Did she know about Dumbledore's request of me? Did she know about us?

"Elle." Draco woke me from my trance. 

"Don't call me that. Only people that actually care about me give me a nickname like Elle."

He furrowed his brows. "What the fuck is the matter with you? Did that Hufflepuff boyfriend of yours get to your head? Is that why you're being so cold with me?"

My laxed hands quickly became fists. "He has nothing to do with our love-hate relationship, Draco. Leave him out of it."

"Oh so you love me?" He smiles as if he were teasing me.

"Are you out of your fucking mind?" I shove him as if he disgusted me, but he didn't disgust me. That smile actually made my stomach turn, in a good way. It was hard to resist smiling back. 

"I didn't hear a no." He lightly pushes my shoulder to tease me more. 

"Fuck no, Draco. You are an indecisive dick and it doesn't seem like you'll ever understand what the word 'love' really means. You're incapable of letting someone get close to you. So don't expect the same in return." He stares at me in disbelief, like a deer in headlights. "You and I aren't dating. Cedric and I aren't dating. But you're an asshole and Cedric is compassionate and considerate and actually has feelings for other humans. So consider that fact."

Draco's eyes fill with frustration. His smirk quickly turned into a pout. He pursed his lips as the wheels in his brain turned and churned, thinking of what to say back to me to not piss me off. 

"I have feelings, Eleanor. Damn." He stands up, and begins pacing behind his seat, avoiding eye contact with me. "I do have feelings." He repeats. 

"Then why don't you act like it? What are those feelings? You can't continue to be a bully the rest of your life. What other emotions does the Draco Malfoy have?"

"I do feel for you. And it angers me seeing you with.. him." A scowl emerges on his face, but he has yet to look at me since he stood up.

"Cedric?" He nods. "Are you.. jealous?" I begin to taunt. I hear him sigh. I stand up to come eye to eye with him, halting his pace immediately. "And what would you do if Cedric and I did have a thing going on? I mean, he's way nicer to me than you've ever been. He's been a better friend. What would you have to offer me that he couldn't give me?"

"Don't provoke me, Eleanor. I don't want to hurt the poor git." He sneers. 

"You don't have to if you really want me." 

He eases closer to me. Without another word between us, and without a second thought, I reach my hand behind his head and pull him in for a kiss. Our lips graze each other's. He releases a tense breath and relaxes into me, pulling me closer. I pull away before the kiss progressed. His cheeks were flushed and his eyebrows were slightly raised in awe of what had just happened. I gaze into his light eyes and softly say: "Just don't bury the thoughts that you really want, Draco. I'm right here." And with that, I took the review paper from the desk and left the room, leaving him alone to process my last words.