Seven Steps || Drarry

Part 1

"Pansy!" Draco pounded on the door of the girl's dorm room.

There was a suspicious amount of silence on the other side. Draco frowned and pounded on the door harder, "Let me in, Pansy!"

Draco had scared several first years into telling him if they had seen her, so he knew she was in there. He took a deep breath, projecting his voice as loudly as he could, "That's a shame, I'll just have to jump off the tower and you'll mourn me forever for what could have-"

The door clicked open with a snarled, "Get in here, you horrid nuisance!"

Draco stepped inside, slamming the door shut behind him and throwing himself across the end of Pansy's bed.

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" Pansy snapped, moving a floating bottle of metallic green nail lacquer closer to herself, "You're saying you nearly ruined my nails just so you could have a hissy fit?" She carefully splayed her fingers out in front of herself to check for smudges, her dressing gown falling open to show an uninterested world her bra and knickers.

Draco turned his head to looked at his best friend with a sneer, "It's not a hissy fit. It's a matter of life or death you cow."

Pansy rolled her eyes, "Whose death then?"

"Mine, of course," Draco said.

She snorted, "No one important then."

"What kind of friend are you?" Draco said with a frown. Pansy focused on the second coat of nail polish rather than appreciate his doleful expression, so Draco turned his face into the bedspread and groaned.

"The kind that puts up with you," Pansy said with a self-satisfied tone, "I should get a medal. It's practically community service."

"I hate you," Draco muttered into the smooth satin.

"You love me." Pansy blew gently on her nails and asked, "What is it then?"

Draco flushed, turning his head to look at the opposite wall, "I'm afraid I've developed... an affection for Potter."

"For a second, I thought you were going to say 'infection' and quite frankly that would have been far more interesting," Pansy said.

Draco shot up onto his elbows, staring at Pansy in outrage, "How is that more interesting than the most devastating revelation of my life?"

Pansy stared at him flatly, one eyebrow twitching up, "You managed to outlive the dark lord, you melodramatic idiot. How in the world does wanting to fuck hero-boy even rank."

"I occasionally thought I would survive the dark lord," Draco said, slumping back onto the bed.

"And you think a crush on Potter's going to kill you?" Pansy asked with an amused smile.

"Slowly and painfully."

Pansy tsked and rolled her eyes again.

Draco said, "I tried ignoring it, hoping it would go away but it wouldn't."

"It?" Pansy asked.

"The feelings, Pansy. Do keep up," Draco said ignoring her third eye roll, "I haven't even the slightest chance with him."

Pansy raised an eyebrow, carefully painting her pinky finger, "How do you know? Have you told him you fancy him?"

"I can't do that!" Draco said in utter shock. He flipped over onto his back, ignoring Pansy's muttered curse as the movement made the brush slip. "He fancies girls for one, and we've hardly been on friendly terms the last seven years."