Covet (Draco x Reader)

Chapter 3

I wasn't exactly sure when I was supposed to meet Malfoy. His note had been so vague about the time, only stating: "after dinner tonight." But I knew I wasn't going to eat anything else, so I said goodbye to Blaise and decided to head back to the dormitories first.

While getting out of my seat, I looked over at Malfoy and saw that he was watching me carefully. Unsure of what to do, I gave him a slight nod and smile, then left.

Dinnertime was almost over, but there were still some people arriving late. I saw a couple of familiar faces as I walked down the hallway. One of which was a blonde-haired girl sporting Ravenclaw colors.

As she skipped down the halls, she slowed when she saw me. With bright eyes and a soft smile, she met me with an embrace. "Y/N! It's so wonderful to see you again. How was your summer?"

"It was alright. I visited the beach a couple of times, but it's great to be back at Hogwarts. What about you?" It was always so nice to see Luna. She had this positive and genuine aura surrounding her at all times, which I found to be quite contagious. Whenever I saw her, I couldn't help but smile.

"Oh, it was lovely! I'm sorry to cut this short though. I haven't eaten yet and I'm starving!"

"No worries, Luna. See you around!"

"I promise we'll catch up soon, Y/N. Bye for now!"

I watched as she strolled through the doors of the Great Hall, secretly grateful that our conversation hadn't been longer. Any other time would've been fine; my mind was just a bit preoccupied at the moment. After taking a breath, I turned and headed for the Slytherin common room.

When I entered through the portrait, I saw that there weren't many people in the common room just yet. Most of the other Slytherins were probably still at dinner. I waved hello to a couple of the first-years, then made my way to the girls dormitories.

As I put my books down on my bed, I started to experience the familiar feeling of uneasiness creep back into my stomach. I quickly gathered myself together, whilst giving myself a little pep talk.

Maybe Malfoy just had some questions about Charms, since we had that class together. Maybe he was too embarrassed to ask me for help in front of his friends? No, that couldn't be it — he never seemed to care about schoolwork.

Maybe he needed a favor from me. That seemed to be more likely. Maybe he wanted me to help him with something he's doing for Pansy? The thought of Pansy nearly made me laugh, as I wasn't sure why anyone would want to listen to her complain all the time, let alone date her.

I glanced at the clock and decided to walk to the Astronomy Tower. Even if he wasn't already there, I wouldn't mind the extra time to catch my breath and compose myself.

~

By the time I got to the Astronomy Tower, the sun was just about to set. As I made my way up the steps, I was relieved to see that Malfoy wasn't there yet, if he was even going to bother showing up.

I leaned against the railing of the Tower closest to me and looked across the landscape, trying to calm myself down. I started laughing quietly to myself — why was I getting so worked up about all this? It must've been the stress of the new school year. I tried to focus on my cool breeze against my face, and took a couple of deep breaths. The idea of attending that party tonight started to seem more and more enticing.

I must've stood there admiring the sunset, completely lost in my thoughts, for what seemed like half an hour. The wind began to pick up, and I started to shiver.

Had Malfoy stood me up?

I scoffed. I was nauseous, and I had starved myself this whole day. For what? For Malfoy to play some kind of joke on me and leave me freezing here, waiting for him?

Groaning to myself, I grabbed my bag and turned for the stairs, but my feet froze when I saw him standing there.