Bloodlines || A Draco Malfoy Romance Fanfiction

Hogwarts Express, Sixth Year - 142

Aphry

I boarded the Hogwarts Express alone, agreeing to find a compartment while Draco got everything settled with our trunks. I found Grabbe, Goyle, and Zabini, and chose to take the other seat of the compartment for myself and Draco.

"Ah, there's our darling Aphry," Blaise said teasingly as he helped me get the small trunk I carried on the overhead rack. "Since you're sitting with us, I'm guessing you're not feuding with Malfoy?"

A short scoff left me. "Please, Zabini. We're not that bad."

Crabbe and Goyle both laughed.

I raised a brow. "Disagree, boys?"

"Well, yeah," Crabbe said. "We've heard all of Malfoy's griping over the years to know how often you two bicker."

A protest was being prepared in my head, but I stopped when I heard a familiar, whiny voice coming from the corridors. "We could go to Hogsmeade together to get butterbeer," Pansy said. I rolled my eyes.

My boyfriend's voice was heard next, sounding irritated. "Pansy, I'm not going anywhere with you this year." He stopped when he saw me standing at the open compartment door. "Ah, darling, there you are." He said, stepping into the compartment. Without a single warning, he cupped my face in his hands and planted a firm kiss directly on my lips. I was surprised, but I wasn't complaining. It was the most straightforward way to tell Pansy that Draco Malfoy was off-limits this year.

The kiss didn't last long, but I saw two girls standing at the compartment door when we parted. Both had their mouths gaped open in surprise, yet their reactions were vastly different. Whereas Pansy's eyes were narrowed with jealous contempt, Daphne's eyes were lit with joy. 

"Oh Merlin, finally!" Daphne exclaimed excitedly. "Aphry, we'll catch up later. Right now, I have to tell everyone. Blaise, you all lost the bet. You owe me five galleons!" She said, before darting off. Pansy huffed, crossing her arms and following behind her.

Blaise gave a disappointed groan. Draco wrapped his arm around my shoulder and raised an eyebrow toward his friend. "You all had bets going?" Draco said. "On what?"

A guilty smile appeared on Blaise's face. "When or if you two were going to get together."

I rolled my eyes but smiled. "I can't believe you two would do that."

Blaise gave a short laugh. "It wasn't just the two of us, practically all of Slytherin was in on it. Daphne will have plenty of spending money, that's for sure."

We finally sat down across from Crabbe, Goyle, and Blaise. "So, you finally got the girl," Blaise said to Draco.

"I'm right here, Blaise," I said, teasingly scolding.

"That you are," he said with a smile, then turned back to Draco. "How'd you finally manage to convince Mr Cytheria? I thought he wasn't budging."

Draco and I looked at each other, both of us knowing there was so much about that story that shouldn't be said. I finally spoke up, smiling at the three in front of us. "Draco was finally able to persuade him," I said with a soft smile. Draco, still looking into my eyes, holding a similarly pleased smirk.

He lifted his brows cockily, breaking the short trance we were in, and I let out a short laugh playfully smacking his arm.

Blaise chuckled. "You guys are already more disgustingly cute than you were before."

"Shut it, Blaise," Draco said threateningly, but his voice still held a hint of amusement.

We settled down after that, catching up on each other's Summers. At some point, Draco rested his head on my lap, and I began playing with his hair. I could tell he enjoyed it, as I could quite visibly see the tension melting off of him.

Blaise and I were surprised when a third year dropped each of us an invitation to Professor Slughorn's compartment for lunch. I didn't want to go, but of course, it would have been improper to decline such an invitation.

When we got there, I deeply regretted my propriety. Especially considering a good portion of the guests were Dumbedore's Army members, particularly ex-friend Harry Potter. Thankfully,  Professor Slughorn commandeered the conversation, although he did seem to make everyone a bit uncomfortable talking about connections to famous family members. I thought I was going to get off easy discussing my father's contribution to the ministry, but he somehow also found a way to bring up my mother.

It was getting dark when he finally dismissed us. I left quickly, ahead of Blaise.

Before I got back to the compartment, my necklace start tingling. When I got in though, Draco was perfectly fine. But I knew better.

Blaise entered the compartment a moment later and struggled with closing the door. Inexplicably, the door sprung itself open, launching Zabini into Goyle's lap. As the both of them struggled, I noticed the flash of a white sneaker. Of course, it could have been a trick of the light, but my necklace told me differently. And there was at least one person on this train that possessed an article of clothing that made them invisible...

Draco seemed to have noticed as well and had taken a glance at me. I touched my necklace silently confirming that something was amiss. We needed to be careful.

Without the invisible obstruction, Gayle and Zabini finally managed to get the door closed. I returned to my seat next to the window, and Draco laid back across the seat, his head on my lap. I began playing with his hair again. For a fleeting moment, I smirked thinking about how Pansy would love to be in my place right now. But she wasn't, and I didn't feel a bit sorry for her.

Draco then asked what Slughorn wanted. Blaise explained he was trying to make his collection of well-connected students, and started listing off the list of attendants. I threw in that Belby was a prat and teased Blaise for thinking Ginny Weasley was attractive.

"Well, I pity Slughorn's taste," Draco said. I could detect his jealousy easily at this point. "Maybe he's going a bit senile. Shame, my father always said he was a good wizard in his day. My father used to be a bit of a favourite of his. Slughorn probably hasn't heard I'm on the train, or —"

Blaise interrupted him. "I wouldn't bank on an invitation. He asked me about Nott's father when I first arrived. They used to be old friends, apparently, but when he heard he'd been caught at the Ministry he didn't look happy, and Nott didn't get an invitation, did he? I don't think Slughorn's interested in Death Eaters."

I looked down at Draco. As was expected, his face contorted into anger. "Well, who cares what he's interested in? What is he, when you come down to it? Just some stupid teacher. I mean, I might not even be at Hogwarts next year, what's it matter to me if some fat old has-been likes me or not?"

My fingers stopped, and I removed it from Draco's hair. "What do you mean, you might not be at Hogwarts next year?" I said, trying to convey a subtle warning in my tone.

He had the audacity to smirk. "Well, you never know. I might have — er — moved on to bigger and better things."

Merlin, we have a stowaway in the compartment, and he has the nerve to say that. My heart raced as I worked to hide my increasing anger. As he talked, he was clearly throwing caution to the wind and trying to impress his mates. My necklace's tingling increased.

Soon enough, thankfully, we saw Hogwarts in the distance and our focus was getting out robes on.