Henrietta Potter || Draco Malfoy

29 - The Eavesdropper

He hadn't even turned up to do his prefect duties on the train, Ron informed me on our way to Hogwarts. That was weird. That wasn't like Draco at all.

After having to attend this dreadful thing called 'Slug Club' in Slughorn's compartment, I decided to put my Invisibility Cloak to good use and spy on Draco. I slipped it on and snuck in the Slytherin compartment behind Blaise Zabini, who had also attended Slug Club. I hoisted myself up onto the luggage rack above where Draco was sitting. His eyes flickered slightly as I whipped my leg up, but luckily, I guess he hadn't noticed anything.

I watched silently as Draco lay down across two seats, nestling his head in Pansy's lap. I felt this strange sort of unexpected fury inside of me as I watched her fingers stroke the sleek blond hair off Draco's forehead. I wanted to wipe that flipping smirk off her face.

"So, Blaise," Draco drawled lazily, smirking as Pansy continued to fawn all over him, "what did Slughorn want?"

"Just trying to make up to well-connected people," Blaise shrugged, "not that he managed to find many."

Draco's smirk instantly fell.

"Who else had he invited?" he demanded.

"McLaggen from Gryffindor."

"Oh yeah, his uncle's big in the Ministry," Draco said.

"-someone else called Belby, from Ravenclaw-"

"Not him, he's a prat!" spat Pansy.

"-and Longbottom, Potter and that Weasley girl," Blaise finished.

Draco sat up very suddenly, knocking Pansy's hand aside. For some reason this pleased me dreadfully.

"He invited Longbottom?"

"Well, I assume so, as Longbottom was there," Blaise said indifferently.

"What's Longbottom got to interest Slughorn?"

Blaise shrugged.

"Potter, precious Potter, obviously wanted a look at the Chosen One," Draco sneered. And there it was! I knew Draco'd be riled by my new title. "But that Weasley girl! What's so special about her?"

"A lot of boys like her," Pansy said, I noticed she was watching Draco out of the corner of her eyes for his reaction. Pah! - Needy bitch. "Even you think she's good-looking, don't you, Blaise, and we all know how hard you are to please!"

"I wouldn't touch a filthy little blood traitor like her whatever she looked like," Blaise said coldly. I was tempted to hex his stupid arse right there and then. Pansy, on the other hand, looked pleased. Draco sank back across her lap and allowed her to resume the stroking of his hair. I felt my stomach twist.

"Hogwarts. What a pathetic excuse for a school." Draco sneered. "I think I'd pitch myself off the Astronomy Tower if I thought I had to continue on for another two years."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Pansy said indignantly, ceasing her stroking of Draco's hair.

"Well, you never know," Draco smirked. "I might have - er - moved on to bigger and better things."

Blaise let out a derisive snort.

"Amused, Blaise? We'll see just who's laughing in the end."

The train was slowing down. My heart hammered as everyone started to rise and grab their luggage.

The compartment emptied but Draco, however, paused.

"You two go on," He said to Pansy and Blaise as they hovered by the door. "I'm just going to check something."

Yes, was was it! I was positive that this was the moment I had been waiting for, that he was going to pull up his sleeve and check to make sure his tat had not gotten infected or some shit.

However, once Draco had kicked the door and shut the blinds, I had not expected to suddenly find myself on the floor with a nasty gash on my forehead.

Draco stood, glaring down at me as I lay sprawled at his feet.

"You didn't hear anything I care about, Potter."

"I know you're up to something, Malfoy!" I spat, scrambling to get to my feet, trying not to wince in pain in front of him. "And I swear I'm going to find out just what it is."

As soon as I straightened up to face him, he reached out, grabbing the front of my robes and slammed me hard against the wall.

"I thought I told you to stay away from me, Potter?" he hissed venomously in my ear. I could feel his hot fierce breath on my face and my nostrils filled with the scent of his cologne.

My heart thudded maddeningly in my chest as his steely grey eyes glared into mine. Gone was the cheeky glint that I had seen so often in the last few years; gone was the look of smug amusement that he seemed to reserve solely for me. They were now hard and cold and gave nothing away.

"What's going on, Malfoy?" I whispered.

I saw something flicker in his eyes, and for a mere fraction of a second, his expression softened and I thought he was going to confess everything. But then the steeliness returned just as quickly as it had gone.

"It's none of your God damned business!" He spat, his face screwing up in anger, only inches from mine. "You had your chance, remember, Potter? We could have made a good team. But you chose them. And now you're going to live to regret it."

"I'm not afraid of you, you can't threaten me, Malfoy," I said daringly.

"Well you should be, Potter," he snarled, now moving his lips right into my ear, "you should be very afraid."

I struggled against him, eventually managing to lift my hands to place on his chest and, with all my might, pushed him furiously away from me. He staggered backwards, an angry hiss escaping his lips.

"What the fuck is your problem?" I yelled, panting furiously.

He did not say anything, just stood there glaring at me. Scoffing in disgust, I angrily snatched up my Invisibility Cloak and went to storm past him, towards the door.

Before my hand could reach the handle, however, long slender fingers suddenly snapped around my wrist, pulling me back.

"Wha-" I began to ask, but was cut off by him pulling me in and crashing his lips down on to mine.

I was too shocked to respond.

At first.

His hand went to the back of my head as he forced the kiss, trying desperately to get my lips to move with his. In his urgency, he bit my lower lip, making me gasp. His tongue forced his way past my lips, hungrily exploring my mouth. There was an explosion in the pit of my stomach and I suddenly couldn't resist him anymore. He groaned as my lips finally responded, and my tongue, too danced with his.

Our kiss picked up the urgency and my hands were in his hair, pulling him in, desperate to get closer. He picked me up by the waist, seating me on the edge of the table. My legs wrapped around him, causing a low growling sound from his throat. He pulled his lips from my mouth, and started kissing my neck making me gasp out loud. The fire was raging inside of me and I wanted more. I wanted him.

His hands, which had been gripping my waist, began to move upwards, fingers kneading and stroking my sides as though he could not get enough of me.

And, just as he lifted his head to hungrily connect his lips back to mine, a loud whistle blasted in the distance, making us both freeze.

Draco looked up, panting. A surprised look crossed his face as though he only just realising that we were still on the train.

"Shit," he muttered, hastily pulling away from me.

Without another word, and without looking at me, he turned to pick up his bag, and strode briskly out of the compartment.

I stared at the now shut door, breathless and stunned.

What the fuck just happened?!

***