Henrietta Potter || Draco Malfoy

33 - The Hufflepuff and the Slytherin

Draco Malfoy angrily sprinted down the steps to the dungeons. That bloody Potter. He couldn't work her out. She was always sticking her stupid nose in where it wasn't wanted. Every time he turned around she was there, breathing down his neck as usual. One minute she would be accusing him, the next... well.

He hadn't realised it was possible to find somebody so infuriating and yet at the same time want them so much.

And oh, he wanted Potter.

He had wanted her ever since the night of the Yule Ball. He had fantasised about her in that red dress so often he felt like he knew every inch of her already. Except of course, that's all it was: a fantasy.

But then every now and then she gave him a real piece of her. Like tonight. And all it did was draw him in even more and he thought he would go insane with want and longing.

Yes, he was crazy about her. But this was not a good thing. He had to be careful. So, so careful.

Because he was a Death Eater.

And Henrietta Potter was his enemy.

***

I could not understand why Draco Malfoy made me feel the way I did.

I felt like I was supposed to hate him, but I could not. I thought back over our past and of how much he had once infuriated me. It did not seem possible to me that this was the same boy that had me wanting him.

So, I continued to watch him closely.

He looked so detached and lost in his own thoughts. I could see the effort it took him to converse with his peers; the self assured, confident, cocky git I had once known had gone.

"Etta?"

I jumped out of my reverie, turning to Ron in annoyance.

"What?" I asked irritably, stabbing my sausage with a fork.

"You're staring at him again."

"I don't know what you're talking about." I said indignantly, but despite myself, I could feel my cheeks flame.

Ron just gave me an ambiguous raise of his eyebrows.

"As I was asking," he coughed, piercing a carrot, "are you going to say yes?"

Ugh. This. Valentine's Day was coming up and for some awful reason, Hogwarts was going to have a ball. I had the misfortune of being asked to it by Zacharias Smith. I hadn't known what to say so I kind of left him dangling.

My eyes automatically darted back to the Slytherin table. Draco had now been joined by Pansy who was draping her arms all over him. I felt that familiar twist in my stomach every time I saw them together, along with that mounting feeling of fury burning deep inside.

I forced my eyes to flick over to the Hufflepuff table where Zacharias was seated. I was horrified to see he was already staring at me, wiggling his eyebrows in what he probably thought was a seductive way.

"Ugh, yes. Well I suppose I have no other choice."

The truth was, I didn't want to turn up alone knowing that Draco would be there with Pansy.

***

Hermione, Ron and I were sitting glumly at our table surrounded by pink and red. We were all trying to avoid our dates.

"Won-Won! There you are!"

I saw Ron shudder as Lavender came crashing out of the crowded dance floor wearing a vulgar pink creation. He seemed to have gone off her of late and I couldn't blame him to be honest. She was the worst.