Draco's Charm

3 - Painful Potions

I woke up around 5 am, my mind buzzing with nervousness about starting lectures at a new school today. Rain pattered against the windowpane, and I lay snuggled under my duvet for about 30 minutes, pondering life, my mum, the girls in my dorm, and that infuriating Malfoy.

Finally, I decided to slip out of bed, trying not to disturb my dorm-mates who were still peacefully asleep. I made my way to the bathroom, where I took a quick shower, followed by my morning skincare routine. A bit of makeup and some hair curling later, I felt ready to face the day.

Satisfied with my appearance, I changed into my uniform and applied my favorite perfume. It was still quite early, so I made sure to pack my beloved book. It was about a young witch discovering her newfound powers, and lately, it felt very personal, but I loved reading it nonetheless.

A quick glance in the mirror revealed that I looked stunning; Slytherin green suited me well. With a self-satisfied smile, I left the dorm.

As I descended to the Common room, to my surprise, I found no one else there except Draco Malfoy, sitting alone and engrossed in a book.

"You've got to be kidding me, you again?" he remarked, looking up from his book and giving me a once-over.

I met his gaze and allowed the spark to flash through his silver eyes. Ha! Gotcha, you little arrogant prick!

I flashed him an innocent smile. "Oh yes, it's me. Don't act like you're not happy to see me," I retorted cockily, well aware that I had him wrapped around my finger now.

"Well, Draco? Aren't you going to be a nice little boy and help me carry my bag?" I taunted.

"The hell do you think of yourself, blood traitor!" he snapped angrily.

"You think I want you? Oh, Merlin, that's pathetic, even for a dumb girl like you. If I wanted you, I'd have you already pinned against the wall. But here I am, doing nothing like that, so quit being so desperate and get lost."

I stood there, utterly dumbfounded, blinking at him a few times. Quickly regaining my composure, I turned on my heel and left the common room. Glancing back, I saw the little prick smirking at me.

What in the world had just happened? Why didn't my charm work on him? It only failed when a boy was already in love with someone else, and Malfoy didn't seem capable of love. Even if he were in love, why had there been a spark in his eyes? When a boy was in love with someone else, the charm never flashed through their eyes. It simply didn't.

I had read about it in a book and even tried it myself. It never worked on a man who was in love with another woman. So why didn't he react to it? How did he manage to reject me?

Lost in my thoughts about Malfoy, I took a stroll around the castle and with my luck I got lost. After almost an hour, I finally managed to arrive at the entrance of the Great Hall, where the Golden Trio stood.

"Hi, Romy," Hermione and Harry greeted me with smiles, while Ron dramatically dropped to his knees and began bowing to me.

"Oh, my Goddess! You, who dared to slap Malfoy in front of everyone and finally made the blonde ferret shut up. What should I bring you, my Goddess, for you to do that again?" Ron playfully exclaimed, still bowing.

We all burst into laughter.

"You poor wizard," I replied, playing along. "Just promise me I'll never have to suffer detention for my actions, and I'll slap your blonde ferret all night long."

Ron stood up, dusting off his knees. "You got detention for it? Oh, come on! I bet it was Snape or that new pink lady; they seem to kiss the ground Malfoy walks on," Ron said, rolling his eyes.