Chasing Shadows || Draco Malfoy x OC

Year 3- Ch. 15

Draco pulled Céline by the wrist back into the Clock tower, she didn't fight back. He opened a door and saw it was an old empty classroom, so he pulled her in and closed the door behind him, casting muffliato on it. He stood there with his arms crossed, tapping his foot impatiently.

She sighed, "I'm sorry—"

"Bullied? You were being bullied?" He seethed, she flinched at the word. "By a couple of lowlife Ravenclaws at that?" He shook his head, he felt his anger only rising. "Everhart, you are a Slytherin. We do not get bullied. Especially not by another house! We do the bullying if anything! How dare you let yourself be bullied. And for that long!"

"Alright!" Céline groaned, "I get it, alright? I shouldn't have let it happen! But what was I supposed to do, huh? Please tell me!" She yelled, tears welling up in her eyes.

"You tell them—"

"You think I haven't tried that?!" She interrupted, "I've been trying to tell them since the beginning, since our Hogsmeade trip in January, but they wouldn't listen. What did they do instead?! They hexed me unconscious, giving me an unbearable headache when I came to. They wouldn't listen!! They REFUSED TO LISTEN." She huffed out, then looked down to her feet. Draco saw her chest rise and fall quickly, he stayed quiet, unsure of what to say. He had never seen her this way. "No one ever listened to what I have to say..." she barely breathed out. She looked up at him, unable to stop a tear from escaping. "So please, Draco... tell me what I am supposed to do when not even my own parents cared to listen. They only heard how I defended some half-blood in the beginning of the year, and that was all they needed to see me as shameful." She let out a humorless laugh. "They didn't care when DuPont pushed me down the stairs, breaking my arm. They pretended they did, in front of others. But when it was just us..." she trailed off.

Draco looked at her in horror and she stared at him with a tired expression.

"So, if they don't listen, then what am I supposed to do?" She asked again.

Draco thought for a moment. He didn't know, but he was still angry that she let people do that to her. "I don't know, but it's not letting them bully you." He glared at her. "For one, maybe stop being so nice to others!"

"What does being nice have to do with this?" She looked at him upset. "Yes, they were rotten after I was nice, but everyone else has been kind to me in return. So why should I stop?" Out of anger he roughly grabbed her jaw turning her head to the side.

"Because it literally got you hurt." He hissed close to her ear. "If you're nice, people will take advantage of your kindness and use it against you." He turned her head to face him. She rolled her eyes.

"Oh please, don't be ridiculous—-"Céline was cut off when Draco's lips crashed against hers harshly. She gasped, before releasing her and taking a step back. She looked at him shocked. "Why...why would you do that?" She tried to sound angry, but barely found her voice. Then, subconsciously touched her lips.

Draco's eyes widened momentarily, realizing what he had done, before replacing it with a cold expression, "To show you how easy you are to take advantage of, when you're too nice." He said.

Céline's eyebrow furrowed, and before she could stop herself, she slapped him across the face. "You're an absolute arse." She breathed out with hurt saturating her voice. Before she turned toward the door and stormed out.

Draco stood there for a moment, stunned. From both the sting on his cheek, but also from his actions. He had no idea why he did that. He stared at the stone floor trying to think of a true reason for kissing her, because he knew the excuse he told her wasn't it. His ears had a tinge of pink, and his lips still felt hot, as he thought back to her lips. His eyes widened as his chest tightened in realization.