IMPERIO // Draco Malfoy X Reader

Chapter 24: Slytherin Common Room

The fire was crackling in the common room, casting everyone in a shifting light. You and your friends were gathered in your usual seats in front of the fire, listening to the background noise of the rest of your house going about their own business. Normally, you would feel relaxed. Spending the end of the day with your friends was usually your favorite part.

But today, you could cut the tension in the air with a knife.

Draco still wouldn't look at you.

You could tell everyone else was wondering what was wrong too - Pansy kept looking at you, her brows furrowed.

You just shook your head, not wanting to get into it. It was really his problem anyway, wasn't it?

Lyre snapped the book she had been reading closed. "This is ridiculous. What happened between you two?"

"Nothing happened." Draco said.

"Obviously something happened." Lyre said. "You're acting all weird-"

"Look, I don't want to talk about it, alright?" Draco said.

Lyre sighed, looking across the circle to Blaise for help.

"Look mate, everyone can see somethings wrong." He said. "We just want to help-"

"Really? Because that's not what it seems like." Draco said. "I said I was fine."

"You're obviously not fine." Blaise said. "It's dragging everyone else down too-"

"So this isn't about me then." Draco interrupted. "It's about how I'm ruining the night for everyone else."

Blaise sighed. "No, that's not-"

"That's just like you." Draco said. "Everything has to be about you, all the time."

Lyre frowned. "Draco-"

"No I'm right." Draco said. "All of you do it! Just look at Pansy. Every bloody five seconds it's 'do you think I'm fat?' 'does this make me look fat?' I'm bloody sick of it-"

"At least I talk about my problems." Pansy snapped. "You just sit on them and pout about it until the rest of us notice."

"You want to know what my problem is?" Draco gritted out. "All of you!"

Theo frowned. "Hold on-"

"I'm sick of it." Draco barreled on, rounding on Theo. "I'm tired of you constantly doing literally everything for your dads approval. It's pathetic."

Theo snapped his mouth shut.

He looked to Pansy next. "I wish you would bloody shut up about how you look. Nobody cares! Nobody even looks at you!"

Leo spoke up, looking uncomfortable. "Alright, mate-"

"Don't start." Draco hissed. "Don't think you're going to get out of this either - I know your secret. And you know what I think? I think you're disgusting-"

Lyre jumped to her feet. "Stop it. You're going too far-"

"You don't get off either." Draco cut her off. "Thinking you're so high and mighty about everything. You're almost as bad as Granger, and you're lucky you have any friends to begin with."

"Draco." Blaise said, his voice cold. "I think you should go to bed."

"You think you're so smart." Draco sneered. "Writing your dumb poetry when you think nobody will find out. Hate to be the one to tell you, but you'll only ever be the good looking one, so you should just stop trying now."

Before Draco could turn on you, you stood from your seat. "That's enough-"

But it was too late. The seed had already been planted.

Blaise was fuming. "Don't think we don't know what you've been up to too." He said. "Sneaking around with Y/N and thinking nobody would notice."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Please, like you and Lyre aren't doing the same bloody thing."

Theo's mouth was pressed into a thin line before he spoke. "And it's a bit hypocritical coming after my dad yeah? Mr-my-father-will-hear-about-this-Malfoy."

"At least I'm better than running after him like a kicked puppy." Draco spat.

Theo clenched his jaw. "I-"

"Leave it alone Draco." Leo said. He looked green, like he might vomit.

"Defending him now?" Draco said. "Is it because you're a suck up or because you want to suck him off?"

"Shut up." Lyre snapped. "Shut up Malfoy."

Theo looked confused. "What?"

"You didn't know he was a raging fag?" Draco said, a mirthless laugh on his lips. "And he fancies you Nott-"

Leo shot up from his seat, ducking out of the common room.

Lyre, with cold, calculated movements, marched forward, yanking Draco up out of his seat by his collar. "You filthy, disgusting, arrogant boy." She spat. "You had no right-"

Draco shoved Lyre away. "Don't touch me."

Blaise rose from his seat now as well, resting a hand on Lyre's arm. He said nothing, simply leading Lyre out of the common room and leaving the rest of the group behind.

Theo watched them go, dazed.

"You honestly didn't know?" Draco laughed. "God you're stupider than you look... feel used yet Nott?"

Theo got up, his armchair scraping against the floor as he pushed past it and up the stairs to the boys dormitory.

Pansy chose to leave as well, leaving the common room. She looked close to tears.

Draco finally relaxed, all the tension leaving his spine.

You felt yourself get out of your chair. The common room was eerily silent now. You looked up.

The entire common room had stopped in its tracks, looking at you.

They had heard everything.

White hot anger burned in your chest. What had Draco done?

You looked down at him. "I hope you're happy."

"What?" He asked, indignant.

"I really hope you are." You spat. "You've ruined everything."

You didn't wait to hear his response, marching past him and up the stairs into the girls dorms. When you got there, the room was quiet.

Dinah was curled up at the foot of your bed.

You sighed, looking at your cat. "Dinah... everything's ruined."

She tilted her head, looking up at you inquisitively.

You flopped on your bed, just burying your face in the pillow. You'd never wanted it to come to this...

Why wouldn't he just talk to you?

You flipped over, looking up at the ceiling.

What was everyone going to do tomorrow?