little potter | draco malfoy

ten.

delilah's fourth year

Draco twisted the silver ring that wrapped around his finger in frustration. He had been finishing up yet another lengthy assignment. His weekend had been uneventful until a worried note from his mother, delivered by his family owl on Saturday night, got to him.

He had felt the pressure building up around him. His reputation had been perfectly molded to his liking. Draco Malfoy, son of the great Lucius, was the next heir to the Malfoy throne and the top Slytherin student. The difficulty was expectations, being exactly who they thought he was or better. The list of responsibilities seemed endless.

Something else bothered him. She had yet to show up in the library, putting him in a foul mood. Delilah Potter had almost made it routine to sit at one table across from him. She would walk back and forth between the rows of books, holding no more than three in her hands.

She would gingerly set the stack of books in front of her, trying not to make any noise. Her eyes would scan the room before sitting down as if there was someone or something in the room that was dangerous.

She would open her book in front of her and move her finger back and forth, tracing the words while her eyes followed. He was used to her silent presence and the not-so-subtle glances as if to make sure he was still there.

Occasionally, someone joined her, either Sharpe or Weasley. No matter who sat next to her, she would still steal a subtle look towards him. Draco would usually be irritated by someone looking in his direction like that. But Delilah was different; her glances weren't like the others.

She didn't glare with despise, her green eyes didn't widen with fear, and she didn't look at him with an agenda like he had become accustomed to.

Delilah had a calming effect on the people around her, and he wasn't excluded from that.
He found it hard to believe she didn't hate his guts, the way her entire circle loathed him.

He memorized her habits, and today was unlike her. She should've been here by now. He turned his wrist to check the time on his watch once more. Draco told himself he wasn't worried about her well-being; it would be ridiculous to think anything but indifference towards her.

Yet, he couldn't stop himself from becoming impatient. Being a spoilt only child made it worse; if he wanted something, he would receive it. Glaring at the door like it was the reason for her absence, he told himself it was absurd to even care, but something was nagging at him.

He stood up, gathering his items in his hands. Obviously, she wouldn't show up, so what was the point? Draco moved through the library, tightening his green tie, which he noticed had loosened.

The hall had been quiet as he headed to his dorm. Turning through the halls, ambling, he kept his eyes open for Delilah like she would walk by him at any moment. His feet had a mind of their own, taking him longer than before.

She sat on the ground, her knees pulled up to her chest, her head tucked down so no one could see her face. Silence hummed around them as Draco stepped towards her.

Delilah felt a presence almost immediately, maybe because it was Draco Malfoy. He did that to people. She looked up, her eyes filled with salty tears threatening to pour down her flushed cheeks. A painful smile graced her face. "How come you're the one to always see me like this?" She exhaled, staring off into the distance.

Draco shrugged as he moved his body, casually leaning against the stone wall. He let the silence linger before responding without answering her question, "You weren't in the library today." He commented in a low tone.

"Yeah.." she replied, "I got caught up, unfortunately."

"Quite unfortunate." He noticed her books next to her.