the chase (draco malfoy)

chapter ten

I'm covered in a layer of sweat, dancing with Cedric and all of my friends. We've finally convinced Harry and Ron to join us, and this is the most fun I've had in weeks. All of my stress has melted away.

The song we were dancing to comes to an end and the circle that has formed in the center of the dance floor dissolves as the band begins to play another slow song. The couples surrounding us begin to sway along with the beat of the music and Cedric takes my hand.

"Mind if I cut in?" An unmistakable voice says from behind Cedric. He moves to the side to reveal Draco with his hands in his pockets, looking expectantly at the both of us. Cedric glances at me and raises his eyebrows. I nod and he drops my hand, turning to walk away.

Draco takes my waist as I tentatively wrap my arms around his neck. I straighten my arms in front of me to keep some distance between us. My heart hammers against my ribcage. 

"Where's your date?" I break the silence after a few uncomfortable moments.

"A friend of hers was stood up, she went to console her." Draco says, carefully studying my face with his silvery eyes.

He adjusts his hold on my waist and pulls me closer, only slightly. 

"You look... very beautiful." He says, his voice strained as if the kind words were poison in his mouth.

"Thank you," I mumble, looking up to meet his eyes. The corners of his mouth turn up slightly and his cheeks are faintly red.

"Will you be going home for the holidays?" Draco asks. I nod.

Draco pulls me closer yet again. My heart beats faster and my stomach flutters but the nagging voice inside my head reminds me of who he is and how he had broken my heart.

"What is the point of all this?" I ask, my tone more harsh than I had anticipated. "What are you trying to accomplish?"

Draco looks confused. I continue.

"We don't speak for three years. You show up, try to kill me, avoid me, kiss me, and avoid me again. I have to know what it is you want from me."

Draco's features soften and I feel my eyes begin to water. 

He looks around us, as if to see if anyones watching, and leans down, his breath hot against the side of my face.

 "Can we go somewhere more private?" He whispers in my ear.

I scan the room for Cedric and find him at a table, chatting with Cho Chang. His eyes meet mine and he smiles across the room, giving me a thumbs up.

"Where do you have in mind?"

Draco drops his hands from my waist, taking my hand and leading me out of the Great Hall. He climbs the stairs all the way to the astronomy tower without glancing back at me. 

Draco closes the door as I look out over the grounds of Hogwarts. There is truly nothing more breathtakingly beautiful than Hogwarts at Christmas. The cold air blows through the astronomy tower and causes goosebumps to raise on my skin. Draco steps behind me and places his jacket over my shoulders. 

I turn around to face him. He stares at me with such an intensity that I feel I could burst into flames.

"I don't want to play games, Malfoy-" I start, but he interrupts me by placing one finger over my mouth. 

I cross my arms over my chest and turn my back to him, resting my elbows on the railing. He moves to stand next to me, only centimeters away. 

"I need an answer." I say, referring to my earlier question.

"I don't know what it is, Annabelle," he says softly, sighing. "I've just felt... drawn to you. I can't seem to leave you alone."

"You've done a fine job of it until now." I say. "What's changed?"

Draco says nothing. He looks out to the distance as the snow begins to fall. I sigh and turn to walk away. He grabs my arm.

"Don't leave." He says. His tone suggests he can't decide whether he's commanding or pleading.

"I need a real answer!" I shout. "I can't keep doing this back and forth, hot and cold with you."

"What do you want from me?" He says, raising his voice. "I can't explain it to you when I don't understand it myself!"

My heart rate quickens and I can see my rapid breaths in the cold air. He's so infuriating. The Hufflepuff inside of me wants to walk away, choose not to engage in a screaming match with a stupid boy, but something else buried deep inside wants to throw him off the tower for being so damn ignorant.

"Tell me what you want, or I'm leaving." I say, struggling to keep my voice calm.

After a few excruciatingly long seconds, he takes one long stride towards me and wraps me in his arms, and his lips come crashing to mine.

He brings one hand to the back of my neck, and his other arm is wrapped around my waist, holding me as close as he possibly can. He kisses me softly, but the same passion from before still lights me on fire.

He breaks the kiss but doesn't move away from me. He rests his forehead on mine and lets out a shaky breath.

"I want you," he admits, his voice barely above a whisper. "and I know its incredibly selfish of me because I am no good for you, and I will hurt you, but I can't stay away."

I stand on my tip toes and kiss him again. His body relaxes as if a thousand pounds has been lifted off his shoulders. His tongue slides across my bottom lip as he backs me into the wall behind me. I place my hands on both sides of his face as his hands travel to the small of my back.

"You look so beautiful in this dress," He says through kisses and I smile into his mouth. His mouth travels down to my neck, sucking softly and leaving sensitive spots which are sure to be bruised. He works downward to the low cut front of my dress and begins to slide the strap off my shoulder before I stop him.

"I don't want to take things too quickly," I say. He nods and places the strap back on my shoulder where it belongs. 

"How about one more dance?" He asks, smirking.

Draco takes my hand and twirls me around. He laughs at my clumsiness as I trip over my own feet, and I soak up every second of these moments with him, unsure if he'll feel the same when the sun rises tomorrow morning.