I loved you since I was young - Draco Malfoy

Chapter 14 - the Amortentia potion

The morning sunlight filtered through the emerald curtains, casting a gentle glow on the unfamiliar room as Kate stirred, momentarily disoriented. The events of the previous night flooded her consciousness, causing an uncontrollable blush to tinge her cheeks. She surveyed the room, a silent witness to the unfolding emotions.

Draco lay beside her, his features softened in sleep. For a moment, Kate's nerves eclipsed the room, inadvertently affecting a crows nest that happened to be by Draco's window. Unbeknownst to her, the eggs in the nest started to dry up and die. 

Determined to seize control of the situation and her heart, Kate decided to slip away without disturbing Draco. They weren't together, she knew Draco had never done relationships and she was not going to be the one that begs him. She felt like she had to accept that this was all just a one-time thing before she got more attached. She looked over at Draco, still peacefully sleeping, kissed his forehead and decided to make her move, first, by moving his hand covering her off. Once she did that, she was able to wiggle away and sit up on the bed. However, her plans to escape were futile as Draco, still half-asleep, sensed her movement. Swiftly, he grabbed her wrist, pulling her back into the warmth of his embrace. The unexpected embrace elicited a giggle from Kate, caught between embarrassment and amusement.

With his husky morning voice, Draco questioned, "Where are you going?" Kate blushed under his gaze, stammering, "Well, you know, we have lessons, and I need to get ready and all my stuff is in my room. Also I want to check on um... Astoria." Her mind raced as she added, "I don't have anything to wear, and we have class—"

Draco silenced her with a gentle shush, pulling her closer, "I'll give you something to wear. Your robes are taken care of. I have an extra toothbrush; go use that. You can easily magic some makeup on your face if that's what you want. Hairbrush and anything else I have. Astoria is fine, Blaise is still there. How do I know? Because he's not here and I doubt you want to disturb their morning activities. So, yeah, you are not going anywhere right now," he declared, enfolding her in his arms.

Kate smiled and couldn't help but think, 'Heaven on Earth does exist,' as the warmth and security of Draco's embrace enveloped her, momentarily dispelling the uncertainties of the morning. The tree outside Draco's window suddenly seemed to bloom fully, buds bursting all over the huge tree, strange for this time of year, since it's not even in its blooming season yet. 

.......

Malfoy's room, once a sanctuary, became a passage to the inevitable confrontation awaiting them in the common area. Kate and Draco emerged, impeccably dressed, only to collide with Blaise and Astoria. The tension was palpable as silent exchanges took place—glaring reproach from Kate and a remorseful apologetic look from Astoria.

The quartet descended the stairs together, an uneasy truce hanging in the air. However, Kate, never one to let an opportunity for provocation pass, broke the silence. "So, are you two a couple now?" she inquired, directing a pointed glare at Blaise, who responded with a sheepish look. Caught off guard, he erupted into a fit of coughing. Draco, in contrast, found amusement in the situation and chuckled.

As Blaise regained composure, he proposed a counter-question, "How about we'll tell you if you tell us. You two are more than friends, right? So, how do you define your relationship?" His smirk indicated a challenge as he leaned back on the green wooden sofa. 

Caught off guard and feeling the heat rising to her cheeks, Kate turned to Draco for support. His stunned expression mirrored her own confusion and caused her to feel hurt. So, in retaliation with a nervous laugh, she deflected, "I have no idea what you are implying. Draco and I are barely even friends."

The moment the words left her lips, regret settled in. Draco's reaction was swift, his gaze turned cold, and a subtle pain flashed across his face. In that heartbeat, she understood the gravity of her words. Draco sighed, his disappointment lingering in the air. He rose from his seat, affectionately ruffling Kate's hair, but his eyes conveyed a different sentiment. "Yeah. Enemies would be more accurate than barely friends," he declared with a frosty look before leaving, the resonance of his coldness still echoing in Kate's ears.

Kate stood there, the weight of her words sinking in, realizing she might have just pushed Draco further away.

..........

The classroom seemed colder than usual as Draco's steadfast refusal to acknowledge Kate stretched into its third day. He navigated through the throng of admirers, reveling in the attention that still clung to him like a magnet. Astoria, ever attentive, approached Kate, concern etched on her face. "Kate, I'm worrying about you..." Astoria's voice sliced through Kate's thoughts, snapping her back to reality. She feigned ignorance, "What on Earth do you mean?" Astoria, determined to pierce through the facade, guided Kate's gaze to hers, pulling her face closer. "Blaise is so sorry for what happened. We were both caught off guard by your question, but now he sees that all we have done is push a bigger divide between you and Malfoy. I'm sorry."

Wiping away an unseen tear, Kate managed a smile, "It's alright. Something that breaks so easily was not meant to be, right?" She turned away, leaving Astoria with a lingering worry etched across her features.

Pansy and Astoria sent Blaise and Kate off to their next class, choosing to wait for Malfoy's appearance. When he finally emerged, a legion of fangirls followed, they intercepted him. Astoria questioned, "Draco, what are you doing?" He chuckled dismissively, "Whatever do you mean?" 

Pansy, with genuine concern, spoke up: "Draco, this is not okay. Kate, she... she is really hurting." Draco's laughter cut through the air, "Now why would she be hurting? Certainly, it has got nothing to do with me; we are barely even friends." His cold words hung in the air as he brushed past them, leaving Pansy and Astoria bewildered. "What do we do now?" Pansy pondered.

.........

In the potions class that followed, anticipation buzzed through the air. They were tasked with brewing Amortentia, the most powerful love potion. This was the potion that created Voldemort. The professor explained the procedure, announcing pairs for the task. They had to brew the potion and then write on a piece of paper all the smells that they could identify, then share the list with their partner. Kate found herself paired with Blaise, Astoria with Pansy, and Draco with an unfamiliar boobied blonde, whose company seemed to captivate him. The sting of jealousy pricked Kate's thoughts.

As they brewed, the scent of the potion filled the room. The fastest brewing accolade went to Hermione and Neville, a fact that surprised no one. The smelling phase commenced, with Kate listing her distinct scents: green apples, spearmint toothpaste, expensive cologne, her mom's hot chocolate, and grass. A smirk played on her lips as she realized that most smells she was smelling belonged to Draco. Uninterested in even glancing at Blaise's list, once class ended she got up and tried to leave. Blaise offered her the list back and she declined its return, muttering, "No, it's fine, just chuck it out. I don't need it," before sauntering off to her next class. The lingering scent of the love potion seemed to mock the complexities of her tangled emotions.

.....

As the day's classes concluded, Blaise confronted Draco in the Slytherin common room, his frustration obvious. Draco, seemingly indifferent, responded with a nonchalant, "What now, Zabini?" Blaise tossed a piece of paper onto Draco's chest, as he was laying sprawled out on the green common room couch. Some random girl was resting her head on his shoulder, oblivious to the unfolding drama in front of her. Raising an eyebrow, Draco queried, "What is this?" 

Blaise's reply cut through the air with cold precision, "That's Kate's Amortentia potion smell list. You still think she doesn't care for you? Then take a look. But I suggest you man up and go talk this shit out, because in the end, the one regretting it will be you." With that, Blaise left to go on his date with Astoria, leaving Draco to scoff at the scene. He told the girl laying beside him to leave, as he reluctantly opened the piece of paper, only to discover that four out of the five scents Kate had listed were inexplicably linked to him, 'green apples, spearmint, cologne and maybe even grass'....

A mutter escaped his lips as realization dawned, "Fuck... what am I doing..."