"𝙱𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐" - 𝙳𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚘 𝙼𝚊𝚕𝚏𝚘𝚢 𝚡 𝙶𝙽 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝙾𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚝
˖.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⊹ ࣪ ˖
The thing about being popular at Hogwarts was that people assumed they knew everything about you.
They thought your laughter was effortless. That your confidence came naturally. That every glance you gave, every word you spoke, was calculated to keep yourself exactly where you were: admired, untouchable, wanted.
They weren’t entirely wrong. But they missed the part where you got bored. Easily. Painfully. And lately, there was only one person who wasn’t boring.
Draco Malfoy.
˖.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⊹ ࣪ ˖
“Are you even listening?”
Your friend nudged you sharply, snapping you out of your thoughts. You blinked, glancing back at the group gathered around you in the common room.
“Of course I am,” you said smoothly, offering a practiced smile.
“What did I just say, then?”
You didn’t miss a beat. “That you think McLaggen fancies you, but honestly, he just likes the sound of his own voice.”
A burst of laughter followed, and your friend rolled her eyes, shoving you lightly. “You’re terrible.”
“And yet, I’m right.”
They drifted back into conversation, but your gaze had already wandered past them, past the chatter, landing on a familiar figure across the room.
Draco Malfoy.
He wasn’t with his usual crowd tonight. Just sitting alone, leaning back in his chair, looking like he didn’t want to be there at all. Your lips curved. Finally.
Something interesting.
˖.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⊹ ࣪ ˖
You didn’t approach him right away. That would’ve been too easy. Instead, you let it build.
A glance here. A passing comment there. A deliberate brush of shoulders in the corridor that lingered just a second too long.
You caught his attention quickly. Of course you did. But Draco Malfoy didn’t react the way others did. He didn’t chase. He watched.
And that made it so much better.
˖.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⊹ ࣪ ˖
“You’re playing a dangerous game.”
His voice came from behind you as you stood by the window overlooking the courtyard. You didn’t turn around.
“Am I?”
“You know you are.”
Now you did turn, slow and deliberate, meeting his gaze without hesitation.
“And what game would that be?”
His eyes narrowed slightly, like he was trying to figure you out and didn’t like that he couldn’t.
“Whatever it is you think you’re doing with me.”
You smiled. Not quite sweet, not quite soft. Something sharper.
“Who says I think anything?”
“Don’t,” he said flatly. “You don’t get to pretend innocence. Not when you’ve been watching me for weeks.”
You tilted your head. “So you noticed.”
“I’m not blind.”
“No,” you agreed quietly. “You’re not.”
There was a pause.
Charged. Tense.
Interesting.
˖.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⊹ ࣪ ˖
Most people tried to impress you. Draco didn’t.
Most people wanted your attention. Draco questioned it.
And for the first time in a long time, you felt like you actually had to try.
˖.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⊹ ࣪ ˖
“Why me?”
It was a blunt question, asked late one evening when the corridors had emptied and the castle had gone quiet. You leaned against the wall across from him, arms crossed, completely at ease.
“Why not you?”
His expression didn’t change. “That’s not an answer.”
“It is,” you said lightly. “You’re just not used to it.”
“Used to what?”
“Being chosen first.”
That hit. You saw it in the flicker of his eyes, the slight tension in his jaw. Good.
Now you had his attention.
˖.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⊹ ࣪ ˖
“You could have anyone,” he said after a moment, voice lower now.
“True.”
“And yet-”
“And yet,” you interrupted, stepping closer, “most people are predictable.”
You stopped just in front of him, close enough to feel the shift in his breathing.
“You’re not.”
Draco held your gaze, searching, suspicious.
“You don’t even like me.”
You laughed softly. “I don’t have to like you to want you.”
That made something in him falter. Just for a second.
But you caught it.
˖.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⊹ ࣪ ˖
“You’re arrogant,” he said.
“So are you.”
“You’re insufferable.”
“And you’re still talking to me.”
His lips twitched, like he was fighting it.
“Barely.”
“Liar.”
˖.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⊹ ࣪ ˖
The tension between you wasn’t soft. It wasn’t gentle or hesitant.
It was sharp. Electric. Constantly on the edge of snapping into something neither of you were pretending not to see anymore.
And the more he resisted, the more you pushed. Not because you needed the attention.
But because you wanted him. Specifically.
˖.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⊹ ࣪ ˖
It finally broke one night.
Of course it did.
“You don’t get it,” Draco said, voice tight, pacing in front of you. “This isn’t just some game you can win.”
“Who said anything about winning?”
“That’s what you do,” he snapped. “You win people over, you keep them interested, and then you move on when you’re bored.”
You didn’t flinch.
“Maybe,” you said calmly. “But I haven’t moved on from you.”
“Yet.”
“Yet,” you echoed, stepping closer, “you’re still here.”
He stopped pacing.
You were close again now.
Always close.
“Why does that bother you so much?” you asked softly.
“Because I don’t trust it.”
“Then don’t.”
His brow furrowed. “What?”
“You don’t have to trust me,” you said simply. “Just stop pretending you don’t want this.”
Silence. Heavy. Dangerous.
His voice, when it came, was quieter.
“You think you know what I want?”
You smiled slightly.
“I know you haven’t walked away.”
That was all it took.
His hand caught your wrist, pulling you closer in one quick movement.
The shift was immediate. No more distance. No more careful words.
“Maybe I just haven’t decided yet,” he said, but there was no conviction left in it.
You met his gaze, completely steady.
“Then decide.”
Your voice dropped just enough...
“Or I will.”
That did it.
˖.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⊹ ࣪ ˖
The kiss wasn’t soft. It wasn’t hesitant.
It was everything the tension had been building toward, sharp, impatient, undeniable.
His hand tightened slightly at your wrist before sliding up, pulling you closer like he’d finally stopped holding back.
And you, well. You didn’t make it easy for him.
But you didn’t pull away either.
When he finally did lean back, his expression was different. Still guarded.
Still Draco Malfoy.
But something had shifted.
“You’re trouble,” he muttered.
You smiled, completely unfazed.
“I know.”
A pause.
Then, quieter...
“But you’re not bored anymore, are you?”
He let out a short breath, something almost like a laugh.
“No,” he admitted.
Your smile widened just slightly.
“Good.”
˖.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⊹ ࣪ ˖
Because the truth was, you could have anyone.
But you didn’t want just anyone.
You wanted the one person who didn’t fall at your feet. The one who challenged you. Matched you.
Made things interesting.
˖.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ⊹ ࣪ ˖
And Draco Malfoy?
He was anything but boring.