Cold Love || Draco Malfoy

6- Tangled Emotions

As the autumn days at Hogwarts grew shorter, and the chill in the air settled into the stone walls of the castle. Jessica found herself caught between the warmth of her growing connection with Dean and the cold tension that seemed to follow every encounter with Draco. It was as though she was balancing on the edge of a knife—one wrong move and everything would unravel.

Dean had become a constant presence in her life, and she found herself looking forward to their time together more than she'd expected. He was steady, kind, and had a way of making her laugh even when the weight of her responsibilities felt overwhelming. They would spend hours in the library or by the lake, talking about everything from Quidditch strategies to their dreams beyond Hogwarts.

One evening, after a particularly long study session, Dean and Jessica found themselves walking back to the castle under the twinkling stars. The crisp night air was refreshing, and for a moment, everything felt simple and uncomplicated.

"I'm really glad we've been spending more time together," Dean said, breaking the comfortable silence as they strolled up the winding path. His hand brushed against hers, and she felt a warmth spread through her chest.

"Me too," Jessica replied, giving him a soft smile. "It's been nice to have someone who doesn't make everything feel so... heavy."

Dean chuckled. "Well, I'm always here if you need a break from the chaos. And who knows? Maybe we could escape to Hogsmeade one weekend. Just the two of us."

The suggestion hung in the air, and Jessica couldn't help but picture it—the two of them, away from the complications of Slytherin politics and potion projects. It was tempting, and she found herself nodding before she fully thought it through.

"That sounds... really nice," she said, her voice tinged with a hint of surprise at how easily the idea appealed to her.

But even as she said the words, there was a nagging feeling at the back of her mind—a flicker of guilt that she couldn't quite place. Her thoughts wandered to Draco, who had been increasingly distant and irritable in recent days.

They still had to meet regularly to work on their project, and every session was charged with a tension that she couldn't fully understand. There were moments when she'd catch him staring at her, his gaze unreadable, and it left her feeling off-balance.

As she walked beside Dean, her mind was split between the warm ease she felt with him and the electric, unsettling pull she couldn't shake when she was around Draco.

---

The next day, Jessica and Draco were scheduled to meet in the empty classroom they'd claimed as their potions lab. She arrived first, setting up the cauldron and ingredients with practiced efficiency. She was halfway through preparing the base of their potion when Draco strode in, his face set in its usual expression of cool indifference.

"Already started without me?" he remarked, his tone edged with sarcasm as he tossed his bag onto the table.

Jessica didn't bother looking up. "Figured I'd get ahead. You've been distracted lately."

Draco scoffed, but there was something off about it—less sharp, more strained. "As if you've been entirely focused."

She felt the prickle of tension between them again, the kind that seemed to spark whenever they were close. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He shook his head with a dismissive gesture. "Don't worry about it," he said.

Ignoring it, she handed him a vial of powdered root and focused on the task at hand. "Just add this in slowly while I stir."