Atelophobia (Draco Malfoy x Male OC)

Chapter Eight

It was strange, in a nice way, being walked to class by Draco despite not being able to hold his hands, walk too close or hug him goodbye as we arrived at Care for Magical Creatures. The blonde simply told me that we'd talk later before I had to go to Slughorn's dinner or at least we'd talk the morning after if I was in too much of a rush.

Our goodbyes were short and I was left with Jupiter and Georgina as the only two people I cared to talk to in the class. Jupiter stayed close to me, watching Draco leave with a raised eyebrow as she fidgeted with the emerald ring on her finger while Georgina worked on fixing her hair which she had grown out using an elixir and it now reached her jawline instead of being a mohawk.

"What was that all about?" My sister asked, tilting her head as she looked up at me all her features screaming out about her Slytherin ancestry, her eyes were like our mothers, though Jupiter's were much warmer than those of the woman who gave birth to us.

I kept my expressions calm and rather casual, "it's nothing important, he just felt like being nice today". Jupiter nodded but was clearly still trying to figure it out as Professor Grubbly-Plank started talking.

It was rather disappointing that I started this class so that I could study werewolves and potions to help them but Professor Grubbly-Plank seemed rather focused on bowtruckles and unicorns. It almost made me miss Hagrid's lessons as illegal as half of them were. Though now thinking about it, it was also disappointing that I'd never get to work on stronger wolfsbane potions due to the boiling war.

Eventually my mind drifted away from the Professor's rambling about unicorns and towards a new subject, Draco. I let myself think about the conversation in the Room of Requirement, how I hadn't actually said anything, how I didn't let the blonde know what I felt, the meaning of the scents in the Amortentia potion. I let myself think about how even though he had no idea what was going on in my mind, he still offered his hand and I still took it without letting him know that I felt the same.

I also let myself wonder what I should say when I saw Draco again, should I confess my own feelings? Should I just let him assume that I felt the same way he did? Should I ask when he started feeling this way, whether he'd been harbouring it for a while or if it was a recent development?

"Mister Jackson?" I flinched out of my daydream as Professor Grubbly-Plank called upon me and the class looked at me expectantly.

"Yes, Professor?"

"Can you tell me the colour of a unicorn foals coat?"

Oh thank the gods this was a question I learnt the answer to years ago. "Their coats are gold, it starts turning white as they mature" I answered and earned an approving nod from Grubbly-Plank. I sighed in relief after her attention had shifted back to her lecture.

"That was a close one, Pluto" Georgina leaned across to murmur with a grin that her mermaid tattoo mimicked on her thigh as it waved at a boy who immediately adverted his eyes in embarrassment. The dark eyed girl decided to ignore it as she tilted her head at me, still grinning "thinking about an infamous blonde?".

I scoffed and laughed, "who? Lovegood?" I nodded towards the Ravenclaw girl who was off in a daydream as per usual.

Georgina simply rolled her eyes as Jupiter decided to get involved in the conversation, "no, Malfoy" my sister corrected "I know that he wasn't just being 'friendly' by walking you to class".

"There's nothing going on with us" I dropped my voice low so as not to gain attention as I looked over at Jupiter "my friends, including yourself and Aquarius know that I have feelings for him but he's happily engaged to Lyra and I plan on supporting that". The lies tasted bitter in my mouth.

Georgina sighed and gave up but Jupiter continued to frown at me, fiddling with her ring that sent off glints of green light. "That was a different story at the engagement party when you were drunk off your ass and sobbing in the kitchen" my sister accused.

I purposely stood a little taller, not letting myself outwardly show defeat. "I thought it was about time that I woke up to reality and realised that relationships shouldn't be my main priority".

"No I agree, survival should be your top priority along with your happiness" Jupiter continued to push as the class blurred into the drone of Professor Grubbly-Plank's voice in the background of our conversation.

I sighed hearing both our Professor's lecture and Jupiter's lecture go in one ear and out the other. Eventually I turned to my sister, "can we please just drop it?" I said as the clock chimed and our class was dismissed from a meaningless lesson.

"Fine... just please don't get too hung up on Draco, if you're going to support the wedding then you need to move on" Jupiter urged.

It's too late for that. "Okay, I will"