Covet (Draco x Reader)

Chapter 12

Students had been coming and going through the common room, but I'd been too absorbed in my reading to notice — that is, until Draco wandered down the stairs. Though I tried not acknowledge his presence, my eyes flickered up for a second as his figure passed through my line of sight. He strutted past me and planted himself on the edge of the couch facing the fireplace, granting me an unobstructed view of his profile if I were to look up from my studies. Crabbe and Goyle trailed after and seated themselves near him.

Every so often, I couldn't help but glance up in Draco's direction. Each time I did, our eyes would meet, for he'd already be peering over his shoulder watching me. The first time I caught him, he raised his eyebrows and shot me a smile, to which I responded with an eye roll. But when I looked back down at my book, I felt a smile spread across my face.

Admittedly, things felt different with Draco ever since the party, but I couldn't let him take advantage of that, could I? Letting my guard down last night had turned out to be a mistake; it only gave him another reason to torment me with his teasing. The next few times I looked up, he tried to hold my gaze but I quickly looked away, trying to suppress the smile that'd crept up on my face the first time around.

I was notably distracted by his presence. I couldn't deny that. But I claimed my spot here in the common room first. He was the one who decided to occupy my direct line of sight, though I soon realized that may have been the reason he came down here in the first place. If I'd learned anything about Draco these past four years, it was that he always seemed to have an ulterior motive. So naturally, in an attempt to preserve my dignity, I couldn't let him have the satisfaction of knowing that his alleged plan of distracting me was actually working.

Needless to say, I was having trouble concentrating on my readings with Draco in the room. I'd been agonizing over the time we spent at the party together, trying to forget about it all. But it was near impossible to do so with him in my immediate vicinity, taunting me with his every gaze, and if I were being honest, I didn't really want to forget them. Never would I have ever thought that Draco Malfoy would have been able to get under my skin in the way he'd managed to do so in less than twenty-four hours.

I'd spent the last four years brushing aside every sneering look and every conniving comment of his, quite successfully too. I'd refrained from getting to know him because I knew he only meant trouble, especially with parents who supported You-Know-Who. Yet, against my better judgement, and after one night of indulgent harlotry, I couldn't stop thinking about him. I couldn't stop thinking about wanting more of him. The taste of his tongue caressing mine, the scent of skin in-between each kiss, the feeling of his body pressed against mine as we moved to the music...

All at once, the sound of some first-year girls giggling as they walked across the room snapped me out of my daze. Flustered, I casually scanned the common room, hoping no one had caught me lost in my thoughts — thoughts that had left my cheeks feeling hot. To make matters worse, I'd been looking in Draco's direction the entire time I'd been thinking about ... whatever it was I was thinking about. Fortunately, for my sake, he'd been engrossed in a conversation with Goyle and hadn't turned back to look at me.

I had been reading the same three sentences about the Draught of Peace — a potion that'd surely alleviate my anxiety at the moment — for what seemed to be fifteen minutes. My attention had diverted toward Crabbe and Goyle's obnoxiously loud voices. As they continued on about which sweets they were planning on purchasing during the upcoming trip to Hogsmeade next weekend, Draco stood up and let out a sigh as he stretched.

I didn't look up from my book but I could see him from the corner of my eye. To my dismay, he sauntered over to where I was sat and plopped himself onto the chair opposite of me. I still didn't bother looking up.

"Getting a head start on the Potions assignment, are we?"

"I was, " I grimaced, with my head still down. "Until you came over here."

"It's not like you didn't see me come down here in the first place."

I sighed loudly, hoping he'd leave me alone. I should've known better than to think he'd do just that. After a few moments of silence, he started again.

"How long are you going to keep ignoring me, Y/N?" He taunted. "Because after last night, I just thought-"

"Keep your voice down, will you?" I snapped, finally looking up from my book. His eyes lit up with pleasure, while his face held a smug expression.

"What?" He smirked, probably satisfied with the reaction he'd triggered. "Embarrassed, Y/N? Do you really think no one saw us toge-"

I snapped my book shut. "Are you thick in the head? Did I not just tell you to keep your voice down?" I looked around to make sure I wasn't drawing unnecessary attention to us before leaning forward to speak. "If you must know, I'd rather not talk about what happened last night, let alone have you announce it to the whole bloody room. So unless you're going to talk about something else, I suggest you leave."

"Or what?"

"Excuse me?"

"What'll you do? If I don't leave." His eyes sparkled as he leaned closer to me. Almost instinctively, I leaned back. I started feeling flustered again.

"What do you want, Draco?"

He slowly leaned back into his seat. His silver eyes remained locked on mine. It was as if he was deciding whether or not to continue goading me with the memories of last night. He raised a hand to his chin as he traced his jawline. The glimmer of his rings summoned the memory of the chilling sensation they'd left against my backside.

"I'm simply here to remind you of our little arrangement."

"And what arrangement is that?"

A trace of tension filled the air between us, though I wasn't sure if he'd felt it too. Suddenly, I found it difficult to breathe properly.

"Working on the Charms paper, of course," he smiled while lifting an eyebrow. "After Transfiguration. Though it's unlikely I'll even be there this week."

A quiet sigh of relief escaped my lips.

"Skipping class already? It's barely our second week back."

He chuckled, "You think I care about that class at all? Especially with McGonogall and her incessant nagging."

"She only nags because you're always taking the piss along with Crabbe and Goyle. Skipping class will only give her all the more reason to." I stifled a giggle.

"Think that's funny, do you? I'll have you know that I don't give a damn about what McGonogall thinks of me," he spat. "My father says she should be retiring along with Dumbledore, and I agree."

"Surprise, surprise," I murmured sarcastically. He somehow always managed to sneak his father into every conversation.

He snapped his eyes back to look at me. "Regardless of whether or not I'll be in Transfiguration this week — not that it's any of your business anyway — I'll be waiting for you in the library after class."

I'd bruised his ego.

"And if I don't show up?" I felt myself growing bolder with each moment I spent with Draco.

He got up from his seat and leaned toward me with both hands grasping the edges of the table for support. His face was only a couple of inches from mine. I could feel his cool breath on my skin as he spoke, "I'll see you then, Y/N."

With one last smile, he returned back to the couch. Crabbe and Goyle had hardly noticed his absence as they had begun bickering about something. As I let out a sigh, I realized I'd been holding my breath in the last few moments of my conversation with Draco.

My head felt a bit dizzy, but I wasn't certain if it'd been because of the lack of oxygen to my brain, or because of Draco himself.