Limerence; Draco Malfoy

Chapter Seven: Tipsy

The other four Slytherin girls who shared my dormitory were oblivious to my presence when they'd entered later that night. That's because I'd already slid under the covers, where I pretended to be fast sleep. I'd heard them whispering about me; apparently some girl called Pansy had given them strict instructions not to talk to me, and for some dumb reason they had all listened to her.

Who the hell would take orders from a girl with a flower for a name? I thought, but then frowned when I realized that kind of made no sense considering I had a flower for a name, Violet.

Sighing, I rubbed my temples to try and soothe the ache, brought on by stress - and from the fire whiskey I'd been sipping from my little flask this past hour. I had this idea that getting a little tipsy might help me fall asleep. And I needed sleep, otherwise tomorrow would only prove more difficult than it ought to be.

I'd spent the last few minutes trying to reassure myself that not all hope was lost: there were nice people at this school. The Gryffindor girl who had helped me find the dungeons, for instance, though I couldn't quite remember her name...

Standing from my seat by the window to stretch, I paused, as the faint muffled sound of arguing from the common room drifted into earshot.

The noise was so distant I had to strain to hear properly, yet I knew I wasn't just imagining it. What sane student would be awake at this time? I stared at my bedside table and thought about the insomnia medication I'd stored in its draw. Then, I shook my head.

Screw sleep, for now at least. I was going to feed into my curiosity. Take a little look outside and see who or what was creating such a commotion at this time of night.

I padded over to the door, the wooden floorboards sending chills up my legs as they met with my bare feet.

I was wearing nothing an oversized black top and grey bottoms; my hair was a straggly mess; my eyes probably swollen from crying. None of this mattered though: all I cared for was finding out where the mysterious argument was coming from. The voices became clearer when I poked my head around the door and peered off into the shadowy corridor that led towards the common room.

I heard a girl; she sounded crestfallen. A painful edge to her voice, which come to think of it, sounded quite like a voice I had heard before. . .

"You never think about how I feel! Do you? You're so selfish! And I give you everything - iId give you my whole heart if I could."

"Oh please Pansy, you and I both know you don't have one of those."

"One of what?"

"A heart."

My stomach flipped. Draco.

"You shut you mouth! I'm being sincere about this! Why won't you listen? Why won't you let me in?"

A pause.

"... Well, perhaps you should try knocking. Or perhaps, I just don't feel like lending you the key."

Pansy gave out this horrible noise of agitation. I crept forwards, helplessly fascinated. This was like my own little reality show, playing out right in front of me. The least I could do was get within better earshot of it.

"Draco! Please! Stop being so--" Another infuritated noise was let out; I thought it summed up the effect Draco Malfoy had on others rather well.

"What, Pansy? What do you want me to do? Why are you getting yourself in such a hissy fit right now?"

"Because!" Pansy sounded broken, and for a moment, I almost felt a pang of guilt. Almost. Really I just wanted to laugh. "I thought you cared about me?! I thought you liked me, Draco!"

"Well obviously I don't not like you, idiot. Otherwise why would I have taken you to the woods? And the back of potions class? And up on the tower?" He laughed. "Remember, we even did it that one time in the bathroom until Mertle decided to swoop in on us - nosy bitch."

"You are using me! All you see me as is -is a... gosh, I don't even know."

"I think the muggle term you're looking for is "friends with benefits" Draco sounded careless. Even bored at what he was saying. "I heard that kind of relationship is quite a common thing with muggle's. And I thought I explained all this to you at the start anyway: I don't do relationships. Okay? They are an inconvenience and I have bigger and more thrilling things to be worrying about - having a girlfriend and tending to your every need is not one of those things., nor will it ever be."

A pause.

"And here I was, thinking you had more than one brain cell: come on Pansy, can't you see? I don't like you that way."

"No?" It sounded like her voice was breaking. "No. No you don't. Of course you don't!" She let out this bitter, dry laugh. "That's because you're incapable of feeling, Draco. You're a waste - a waste of space and now a waste of my time! Get out of my face! Get out!"

"Pansy calm your-"

"-Leave. Me. Alone. I don't even want to look at you anymore."

I heard a deep, impatient sigh float out.

"Pansy, Pansy, Pansy, come on. How about we just forget all this and stop worrying so much-"

I heard footsteps sounding out; my breath hitched in my throat.

"-Don't, Draco! Don't you dare try and kiss me and use me after all that! Fuck you!"

Slap!

"What the hell was-"

"-You know what that was for." I heard footsteps sounding off into the distance. "You lanky little weirdo! Maybe i'll go for Cedric next time - even a dorky Hufflepuff has more charm and attraction that you ever will!"

I heard the sound of a piece of metal crashing and I flinched, swaying slightly on my feet now. A door slammed - Pansy had cleared off.

"Well fuck you to, you moody bitch!" Draco muttered. There was an apprehensive silence for a few moments, and I reached a hand to rub the back of my neck, hiding an amused smile. It was satisfying, watching the two people who'd caused me so much grief get so wound up.

Then, I heard him sneeze. God knows why. And God knows why my stupid, sleep deprived, intoxicated-from-fire- whiskey brain spoke out those next two words:

"Bless you!" I called pleasantly. My heart immediately dropped as I clasped a hand over my mouth.

Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck-

"Who the hell is that?" Draco snapped. By this point, I had already turned on my heel and was running back down the corridor. Running for my life.