Bloodlines || A Draco Malfoy Romance Fanfiction

The Boy Who Scored - 161

Draco

Thank Merlin, Aphry understood why I kept her out of the Room of Requirement. I could tell she didn't like the new arrangement at all, but she was reasonable and knew why I was doing it.

To be honest, my thoughts on the new arrangement were much the same. My time away from Aphry, although necessary, made me irritable and temperamental. And it had only been a week. I knew this would only get worse.

The last batch of polyjuice Aphry had finished shortly before barring her from the Room was enough to last us through the end of the school year, if necessary. Even with my increased need for someone on watch, since I was working nearly every free moment I could.

And today, Grabbed and Goyle were needed once again, despite their growing resentment. The entire school might be out on the quidditch field for the match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, but it was still a Saturday. Anybody could be roaming around the school, and it would draw too much suspicion to be spotted lurking about the castle with Crabbe and Goyle than a couple of girls.

"Would you hush and let her finish?" I grumbled in a low voice in an empty corridor. Goyle was especially surly as Aphry placed a blush pink ribbon in his long blond curls as he posed as a third year.

The venomous look he gave only looked silly translated onto the fourteen-year-old's face he wore. Despite my bad mood, I had to suppress a laugh. "I don't understand why I have to wear it. I already look ridiculous enough."

Aphry's huff was exasperated. "Claire is wearing a ribbon today, so that means you do too," she said. Quite clever of her to think of it. If someone saw a girl she'd knicked the hair from and Crabbe or Goyle transformed into them, their similarities in appearance would reduce any alarm. She'd repeated herself before on many other occasions, but the dumb oafs didn't seem to remember. Her arms fell to the side, clapping against her grey tweed skirt. "Finally, done."

She turned to me, brown eyes big and glossy, silently pleading with me. "Are you sure you don't need any help?" She knew the answer, but she still asked. Even though she put on a brave face, I could still see the hurt in her eyes that she tried to mask. The feeling of distance between us was inevitable with the amount of time we spent away from each other. We knew the exact reason, but we both felt it.

I took her hand and pulled her toward me, placing a soft kiss on her lips. "It'll be better for you to be seen at the match," I reminded her softly.

Aphry sighed and rested her head on my chest, nodding. She was pouting, and it was frankly adorable, but I wasn't going to be swayed. I wrapped an arm around her, soaking her scent in to comfort me for just a moment. My past self would laugh at me now. I missed her and she wasn't even gone. I saw her every day. Merlin, I was getting soft.

The shrill voice of a little girl trying to whisper cut the silence. "Poor slut can't go a week without Malfoy's cock." Goyle giggled at Crabbe's poorly concealed insult.

Anger flared on me in an instant, thanks to the aforementioned short temper, and I turned on Crabbe with a snarl. Bright blue eyes that did not belong to him filled with surprise as long, dark brown waves fell forward. He may have looked like a girl, but I was unaffected knowing the twat he really was. "What the fuck?" I questioned, low and dangerous.

Surprise quickly turned into indignation. He crossed his arms, looking like a petulant brat. "Oh, please! We've both heard you from outside that room," I looked over to Aphry. Her face flushing almost as red as her curls, flaring my anger hotter. "Imagine that's what is taking so long. You've been shaggin' her instead of whatever it is you're supposed to be doing!"

They weren't wrong. But I wasn't going to allow him to disrespect Aphry.

I took a few steps to tower over him. Crabbe being stuck in the girl's body gave me a significant height difference over him. I grabbed him easily by the underarms, throwing him against the wall. A harsh grunt left him, and another one followed when I punched him firmly in the gut. It likely hurt more due to his currently smaller stature and was sure to leave a bruise. I heard Aphry gasp, surprised by my actions, but she made no moves to stop me.

"Don't talk about Aphry that way or I'll do worse to you," I threatened.

Crabbe glared, looking far less menacing as a fourth year girl, but I knew that my words resonated with him.

I dropped him, and he landed roughly, nearly falling to his knees. "Apologize to her," I said through gritted teeth.

For a moment he said nothing, continuing to glare at me. I pushed his shoulder up against the wall again and punched him in the same spot. He grunted, letting out a pathetic, "Sorry, Aphry."

Looking at Aphry, I saw she stood with her chin up and spine straight, not seeming too bothered by my violent outburst. Moreso, I could see she was working to cover her embarrassment. "I  should head off to the match," she said, ignoring Crabbe's half-assed apology. She didn't owe him a response or any semblance of forgiveness.

I nodded, stepping away from Crabbe, and went to her. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder in a half hug and kissed her on the temple. "We should head off ourselves," I said.

She gave a short nod, then left my embrace, heading toward the match with the rest of the school. I watched her walk down the corridor. As I had all year, I wished that things were different. That I was heading off to enjoy the game at her side.

Once she turned a corner out of my sight, I turned toward the two girls in front of me with a harsh glare. Crabbe and Goyle glared right back. "Let's go," I said. Walking past them and down the corridor the opposite way Aphry left.

When I turned the corner, I had the misfortune of realizing we were headed straight toward Harry Potter.

At first, he was looking out the windows, likely trying to see what the conditions were for his match against Hufflepuff like a good little captain. Though I wondered why he wasn't already on the field, strategizing with his teammates.

The 'scarred wonder's' attention quickly, however, diverted to the three of us. I stopped for a moment and a flat sound, something between a scoff and a laugh, left me as I considered how right Aphry and I were to make Crabbe and Goyle change their appearances. Then, I continued moving, aiming to walk right past him.

Potter stepped in front of me, blocking my way, and I scowled. My patience was at zero, but I knew better than to lash out at him. After all, if Aphry's warnings were correct, he was at least partway onto me. "Where're you going?" He demanded.

He must have hit his head on something to believe I'd tell him anything. "Yeah, I'm really going to tell you, because it's your business, Potter," I responded. "You'd better hurry up, they'll be waiting for the Chosen Captain– the Boy Who Scored– whatever they call you these days."

That drew a snicker from Goyle. At least someone is in a chipper enough mood to laugh... Potter looked at him, and a blush crept on Goyle's cheeks. If I were in a better mood I would have made fun of him.

Potter looked back to me, then boldly asked. "Aphry know you're off with a couple of girls while everyone else is at the quidditch field?"

The mere suggestion that I wasn't being faithful to Aphry, despite that being exactly what the situation looked like, made my blood boil. The emotion was worsened by the revelation that he still cared for Aphry, questioning my intentions like a protective brother. My jealousy flared inside me like an uncontrolled flame as I narrowed my eyes at him.

I wanted to throw him against the wall and beat him like I did Crabbe, but worse. But I controlled myself. First, because this was cutting into my time mending the cabinet. And second because one of the captains inexplicably missing from the game -- especially this scarred one -- might draw some unwanted crowds into the castle. And he was late as it was.

So I walked past him without another word before I did something I would regret. I shoved him slightly, but I knew his tardiness to get to the locker room would keep him from squealing to a teacher. I felt his eyes bore into the three of us until we rounded the next corner.