Your still mine D.M

Brews and Barriers~Chapter 6

Avery's POV

By the time dinner rolled around, I was still trying to shake the tension from Potions. My stomach twisted every time I thought about Draco hovering over me, his mocking voice laced with something I couldn't quite place. It was easier when he was just being an arrogant git. But this—this was different, and I hated it.

Pansy nudged me as we sat in the Great Hall, her fork hovering over her plate. "You've been in your head all day. What's going on?"

I sighed, stabbing at a piece of chicken but not really tasting it. "It's Draco."

She raised an eyebrow, unsurprised. "Obviously. What about him?"

"He's pushing harder now. Like he wants something, but I can't figure out what it is," I admitted, lowering my voice so no one else could hear.

Pansy glanced over at Draco, who was sitting a few seats down, deep in conversation with Blaise and Crabbe. His laughter carried across the hall, but it didn't reach his eyes. He seemed as on edge as I felt.

"Maybe he's just being a prat. Or maybe..." Pansy paused, her eyes narrowing in thought. "Maybe he's waiting for you to make the first move."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

She leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Look, whatever happened between you two back then—he clearly hasn't let it go. You keep avoiding him, and that's only making it worse. Maybe if you confront him, you'll find out what he really wants."

The idea of confronting Draco made my skin crawl. What would I even say? Hey, remember when we ruined our friendship and now everything's awkward? Let's talk it out. Yeah, no thanks.

"I don't know, Pansy," I muttered, pushing my food around on my plate.

She shrugged, giving me a small smile. "Just think about it. Sooner or later, you two are going to have to deal with this."

I nodded, though I wasn't convinced. The thought of facing Draco—really facing him—felt like walking into a battle I wasn't prepared for. But maybe Pansy was right. Maybe the longer I ran from it, the worse it would get.

Draco's POV

I watched Avery out of the corner of my eye, trying not to be too obvious about it. She was talking to Pansy, her brow furrowed like it always was when she was deep in thought. I knew that look well—Avery had always been the type to overthink everything.

I leaned back in my seat, crossing my arms as Blaise and the others continued their conversation around me. My mind, however, was elsewhere. No matter how hard I tried to act like I didn't care, Avery was always there, lingering at the edges of my thoughts.

It didn't help that today had been... different. The way she snapped at me in Potions—it reminded me of the old Avery, the one who didn't take my nonsense. I missed that side of her, even though I'd never admit it.

But that wasn't what was bothering me. No, it was something deeper. Something I couldn't quite name.

"Malfoy, you listening?" Blaise's voice cut through my thoughts, and I blinked, looking up.

"Yeah, sure," I muttered, not even bothering to ask what he'd said.

Blaise smirked, clearly unconvinced, but he didn't push it. He glanced over at Avery, who was still sitting with Pansy, looking just as lost in thought as I felt.

"You know, if you're trying to piss her off, it's working," he said, his tone light but pointed.

I clenched my jaw, refusing to meet his gaze. "I'm not trying to piss her off."