dark side • draco malfoy

12 | Waiting

"Weasley! Weasley! Weasley!" The crowd of Gryffindor students chanted around me.

Gryffindor had won the Quidditch match against Slytherin, and my housemates were practically worshipping Ron because of it.

I took another sip of butterbeer and glanced at my watch; it was almost time for me to go.

"You still shouldn't have done it, Harry." Hermione sighed from beside me, watching as Seamus and Dean hoisted Ron onto their shoulders.

"Done what?" Harry replied, cheering for his friend.

"You know what. You spiked Ron's pumpkin juice this morning with Felix Felicis." She hissed at him. Her voice was barely audible over the loud music that boomed through the common room.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Harry shrugged, pulling the phial of Liquid Luck from his pocket.

"You didn't put it in?" I gasped, staring at the golden potion.

"Nope."

"But Ron thought you did, so he felt lucky. You tricked him." Hermione realized, looking at her friend with wide eyes.

"Yep." Harry smirked, stuffing the phial back into his pocket.

"Brilliant." I heard her whisper under her breath, and I held back a chuckle.

When I turned back around, the sight in front of me shocked me.

Lavender had ran forward and planted her glossy, pink lips on Ron's mouth.

All the boys in the room cheered and whooped as Ron and Lavender snogged, and I heard a small whimper come from beside me. Turning my head, I saw Hermione's eyes start to well with tears. She suddenly turned on her heel and ran out of the common room.

"Harry, I really need to go now. I have another tutoring session with Malfoy and-"

"It's fine Ivy. Don't worry, I'll go after her." Harry smiled at me, before jogging after the bushy-haired girl.

I sighed as I glanced at the clock on the wall. If I didn't leave now, I was going to be late and I'd never hear the end of it from Malfoy.

I gripped onto my wand in my right hand, took a deep breath before exiting the common room, and made my way towards the empty classroom on the third floor.

***********************************

I arrived at the empty classroom just two minutes before eight o'clock, and there was no sign of Malfoy. The bloody git probably wanted to show up at the exact second that the clock struck eight.

I rolled my eyes at the thought, and sat with my back against the wall on the cold, stone floor.

***********************************

It was becoming clear to me after twenty minutes of waiting that Malfoy wasn't going to show.

I don't know why I ever thought he would. I was barely able to drag myself here, so it was pointless to think that he'd actually come for a second tutoring session. After all, our first one ended disastrously.

Just as I was standing up to leave, the classroom door creaked open to reveal Draco Malfoy. He let out an exhausted sigh, before turning to face me.

"You're late." I stated, crossing my arms over my chest.

"I was busy." He replied flatly.

"Doing what?"

"Something important." He snapped, not quite meeting my eyes.

"What could be so important that you'd make me sit here for twenty minutes waiting for your blonde ass to show?" I shot back.

"It's none of your business, Chapman." He sighed, sounding slightly bored.

"Well the least you could've done was send an owl so I wouldn't have to sit here waiting for you, Malfoy."

"I told you, I was working on something important." He growled, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"Like shagging Pansy Parkinson?" I raised a brow at the Slytherin in front of me.

"I said it's none of your fucking business!" Malfoy yelled, and I immediately wiped the smirk off my face.

He had closed the distance between us in three long strides, and I could feel his cool breath fanning over my face as he breathed in and out.

It was only now that I could see how awful Malfoy looked. His eyes were bloodshot and sunken in, and dark bags sat beneath them. His clothes hung looser on him like he had lost weight, and his skin was a sickly, white colour.

"Lower your wand." I demanded, my voice coming out in a whisper.

He glanced down, and only now seemed to realize that his wand was pressed up against my chest.

"I have to go." Malfoy muttered under his breath, before quickly exiting the room and slamming the door shut behind him.

I shakily let out a breath I hadn't known I was holding in, and ran a hand through my hair.

What the hell was going on with Malfoy?