Little Bird

Chapter Nine

Draco

            As soon as Eve disappeared up the stairs to the girls' dormitory, Zabini was up off the couch and glaring down at me heatedly. Through gritted teeth, he asked, "What the fuck are you on about, Malfoy?"

            "I dunno what you mean," I said coolly, folding up my parchment and sticking it back in my bag. I was just glad no one had noticed that I actually finished the essay hours ago. "All I wanted was help with the stupid essay, what's wrong with that?"

            "No, that's not all you wanted," Zabini snapped. He was giving me a smoldering look now, both his fists clenched at either side of him. "You knew I wanted to be alone with her."

            "Actually I didn't," I retorted, standing up from the armchair and starting for the dormitory stairs.

            Zabini stalked after me, following close behind as I took my time with the stairs. "You did, don't play dumb with me. Did you not hear me in the locker room?"

            "Believe me, everyone heard you in the locker room."

            "Then why the fuck were you hanging around? Damn it, look at me when I'm talking to you—"

            "Don't," I began dangerously as I entered the dorm, "talk to me like that."

            Zabini rolled his eyes, but was finally quiet for half a second as I walked over and threw my bag onto my bed. Goyle was leaning against his headboard, Transfiguration notes sprawled over the bedspread, while Crabbe snored in the corner. "Listen, Malfoy," Zabini said angrily as I began to loosen my tie. "Tell me why you were being a complete cockblock back there and I'll consider not strangling you."

            I laughed out loud then, looking over at Zabini to see if he was actually being serious. When I saw his expression, I shook my head and laughed, "Good one, Zabini. I don't see what the big deal is, the three of us could have bloody well worked on the essay together. You were the one whining about it."

            "I think you and I both know I didn't want to work on the essay," Zabini snapped. "I don't get it Malfoy, I really don't. I thought you hated the Hawkings girl."

            I busied myself with the buttons on my dress shirt as I responded evenly, "I do. But this isn't about the girl, you idiot. I just wanted to work on the essay. Give it a rest, would you?"

            Goyle leaned forward from his place on his bed, finally asking Zabini with a smirk, "Wait, so did you do it?"

            "No, I didn't do it," Zabini seethed, jabbing a finger at me. "Nothing happened because of this fucking idiot. We were alone for five minutes before he walked in and ruined everything."

            "You're being a bit dramatic, don't you think?" I said dryly, pulling a t-shirt over my head and bending down to remove my shoes. "It's my common room too, don't act like it belongs to you."

            "It doesn't—fuck, Malfoy, the point is—"

            "Look, Zabini," I interrupted sharply, finally turning my head to look at him. "You need to calm the fuck down. All I did was enter my own common room and ask for help on the essay. That's it."

            "But you knew what I was trying to do," Zabini snapped, his entire face screwed up with anger. "You knew exactly why I wanted to be alone with her, but you came in all fucking oblivious—"