Covet (Draco x Reader)

Chapter 4

I swung my bag up onto my shoulder, but stopped midway when I saw Malfoy standing at the top of the staircase. Some of the contents of my bag fell out, including the note Malfoy had written.

Just my luck, I thought to myself. I hurriedly bent down and scrambled to pick everything up, until I realized Malfoy had knelt down himself to hand me my wand.

"Thanks," I murmured, avoiding his gaze. I stuffed my wand back into the bag, and turned to see Malfoy smirking at the note.

His mouth opened like he was about to say something, but before he could, I coldly interrupted.

"So what's this all about? Why'd you tell me to meet you here and then make me nearly freeze to death waiting for you?" To my surprise, my voice sounded stronger than I thought it would.

With a frown on his face, he reciprocated the cold tone I had given him and sneered, "It's not like you to have an attitude, Y/L/N. You should be so happy that I even invited you up here."

"Excuse me?" My chest felt tight as my annoyance for him began to turn into anger. My blood began to boil.

I rolled my eyes and pushed past him. I rounded the corner and was about to hurry down the stairs when I heard him call out for me.

I had half a mind to curse him out and leave. He deserved it; he told me to meet him here, left me waiting in the cold, and now he wanted me to be grateful for this? But before I could make it down the stairs, he called out for me once more.

"Listen, Y/L/N," he sighed while lifting his hand to rub the nape of his neck. "Can you just wait a moment?"

At this point, I was fuming, but it was unlike him to behave this way. Naturally, I was intrigued, though I wouldn't dare let him know it.

I reluctantly walked back up the stairs with my arms crossed and looked at him, waiting for him to speak. Instead, he just stood there, avoiding eye contact. However, he must've noticed that I was shivering because he asked, "Oh, are you cold?"

"I'm fine," I hissed. I was growing more and more impatient with him.

"Well, you look kind of cold, Y/L/N," he commented with a raised eyebrow.

"Okay? And? Can you just get on with it and tell me why I'm here?"

"I'm a bit surprised that you showed up, actually."

"Well, maybe I shouldn't have. I mean you made me wait in the cold. I wasn't even sure if the note was meant for me. We barely speak to each other, for Christ's sake." I kept rambling on and couldn't find the power to stop myself.

"Here, take my jacket."

I looked at him quizzically, unsure of why he was being so kind to me, but I was freezing so I nodded. He sauntered towards me and placed his black suit jacket upon my shoulders. I instantly felt warmer; I could start to feel my fingers again. As he moved his hands away from my shoulders, I felt him briefly brush against my neck, leaving goosebumps where he'd touched me.

"So," he ventured, "I asked you to meet with me because ... I was wondering if you wanted to work on the Charms paper together."

So my initial guess had been right — he just wanted my help on an assignment. In trying to understand why he couldn't have just asked me in passing, all I could muster out was, "Oh."

"I mean it's not like I really care all that much about Charms. You know, Crabbe's an idiot and it's not like I'd ask him to work on it with me."

"Oh." But why did he want to work on it with anyone in the first place?

"What'd you mean when you said you weren't sure if the note was meant for you? Didn't I leave it in your Charms book?"

"Yes," I replied, hesitantly, "I just ... I mean we rarely ever speak to one another. It's a bit odd that you'd ask for my help, really. I thought you meant to leave it for Pansy and mistook my book for hers."

His laugh completely caught me off guard. He looked at me as if I was mad and snorted, "Pansy? Why would I leave a note for Pansy?"

"Because you two are dating?"

This seemed to make him laugh even harder.

"Christ, people really think we're dating?"

"I mean she does follow you around like a little puppy dog," I pointed out, trying to hide my smile, "Is it so ridiculous for us to assume she's your girlfriend?"

"Oh, for fuck's sake. She's bloody annoying, that's what she is. Do you know how many times I've asked her to bugger off?" He rolled his eyes at the thought of it.

It was silent for a while as we both stood there awkwardly. I wasn't sure what else to say at this point. But as I racked my brain over a response, he spoke again.

"So, are you going to that party tonight?"

"Um, I was thinking about it, yeah."

"Not that I care but since most of the fifth- and sixth-years are going, you might as well. It'd be stupid to miss out on something like that. Free alcohol and whatnot," his voice began to trail off.

"Is that your way of inviting me to the party with you?" I teased.

"You wish. Like I'd want to be seen at a party with a traitorous half-blood."

"Like I'd want to be seen with a spoiled prick."