1998 - a Draco Malfoy love story

"Expelliarmus!" She screamed, eyes wide as Malfoy paced forward, unperturbed by the wand flying from his hands and the passing shouts of students and Death Eaters alike in the battle outside.
"Lily, please, I don't-" he began to stutter, the bags under his eyes only becoming clearer as he stepped closer, and closer again. Her name leaving his lips like that was foreign, he had never called her by it - always Potter, sometimes 'Little Potter', but never Lily.

"I'll hex you! I'll - I'll curse you, Malfoy!" She panicked, the back of her thighs now pressed against the porcelain sink, leaving her no more space to withdraw. Her wand was still pointed squarely at Draco, but her hands shook so badly she feared dropping it.
"Kill me if you want, but just let me -" he murmured, now close enough to put his hands on her face, one holding each cheek as he bore his grey eyes into her green ones, before his gaze slid down to her lips.
"Let me do this before I die."

*************

Over a year had passed since the Battle of Hogwarts, and the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had reopened it's doors to students - including Prefect Lily E. Potter, sister of The Boy Who Lived, and her closest friends Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom.

But when the seventh and eighth-years found themselves sharing a common room (and a secret balcony) with the returning Prefects of every other house, things became even more complicated, as Lily found herself unable to explain Draco Malfoy's behaviour - and worse yet, found herself unwilling to avoid the boy that she knew should be her enemy.

This is the story of the events that followed, in late 1998.
Current word count: 52,557 (does this count as slow burn?)

The characters and concepts mentioned in this story are not mine, they are the intellectual property of J.K. Rowling. This story does include sexual content, and all characters are above the age of 18.