The Search 4-6
More trigger warnings for abuse because it’s there and I’m not proud of it
Chapter 4: In Which Draco Gets SupahPowahz ________________________________________ DISCLAIMER: Anything you recognize doesn't belong to me. It belongs to JK Rowling, Joss Whedon, Tolkien, etc.
Katz woke up the next morning to a piece of paper lying on the pillow next to her. She groped for her glasses, found them, and read the note.
Katz, I'm sorry about last night. I didn't mean to make you cry. I promise I won't kiss you again, all right? Not unless you want me to. I didn't lie last night; you are a great kisser. And you look really cute asleep. -Draco P.S. I like your ducks.
She smiled a bit at the last line. Her room had at least ten stuffed ducks scattered around it, mainly because she hadn't been allowed to have any stuffed ducks when she was younger. Actually, she hadn't been allowed to have stuffed anything.
Then her smile faded. He had probably wanted to write that it had seemed like she wanted him to kiss her, since she had kissed him back, but resisted it.
Unconsciously, she lifted her fingers to her lips. He was a good kisser too, and the fact was that she liked his kisses. She fought a mad urge to go next door and snog him silly. She couldn't. She had sworn off all men, and for a pretty damn good reason. They were womanizers, all of them, and Draco Malfoy was no excuse.
She crumpled up the note into a ball and threw it across the room. "Bastard," she muttered.
Rising, she dressed, and then headed downstairs to get some breakfast.
Calista and Spike argue. Calista finds calculations and maps in the file she was slipped that point to Middle-Earth. At work, Tonks offers her the idea of using the veil in the Department of Mysteries to travel between dimensions. When Calista gets home that night, at dinner, she poses the theory to everyone else.
Katz glanced around the table, then stood. "I'm in."
"Me too," said Draco, rising.
One by one, everyone else rose.
Calista's eyes shone. "Thanks a bunch, guys."
Katz rolled her eyes. "Look hun, you're my friend. I'm gonna stick by you, no matter what."
Her eyebrows rose, and Katz knew she begged to differ but wasn't going to start arguing with her in front of everyone. Katz smirked, then laid her hand on Calista's arm. "I'm going to bed. I'll talk with you in the morning, 'kay?"
Calista nodded. "We do need to talk."
"Goodnight," she replied, then headed upstairs.
Once in her room, Katz peeled off her clothes before pulling on a large nightshirt. Then she let down her hair, and it fell down her back in shining brown waves before she started to brush it.
"You have gorgeous hair," said a voice, and her head snapped up.
A pair of grey eyes twinkled in the doorway.
"Get out," she said, going back to brushing her hair.
"I am out," he replied. "I'm standing in the hallway."
She turned to glare at him. "What do you want?"
"To see how you're feeling. You were acting a little… off today."
"For your information, the past few days I've had my period. Now it's over. Happy now?"
He blinked. He obviously hadn't expected that. She chuckled lightly, beginning to braid her hair over her shoulder. He shoved his hands in his pockets and leaned against the doorjamb, watching her.
"Yeah, I guess," he finally mumbled distractedly. "I really do like your hair… it's all shiny."
She gave him an odd look. "Is… something wrong?"
He blinked again, shook his head slightly, and raked a hand through his hair. "No, no, I just…."
"Just what?" she asked curiously.
"Nothing," he muttered. "I'm gonna head to bed. Night."
"Night," she replied, rather perplexed. Why in the world was he behaving like this?
Shrugging it off, she finished the braid, clicked off the light, and climbed into bed.
******b******
The next morning, Calista knocked on Katz's door, waking her up.
"Come in," Katz called groggily, sitting up. Calista came in, shutting the door behind her. "Hi… what time is it?"
"Ten. I wanted to talk to you for a moment," Calista replied. "Are you sure you're okay with the whole veil thing?"
Katz nodded. "Yeah, I like the idea. I'm fine with it. When are we going?"
"I'm not sure," Calista replied. "I'll need to speak to Tonks again. In the meantime, I need you to go shopping today."
"But… we don't have any money…."
"Yes we do. Mikaela's an heiress, and she's offered to pay for all of our expenses."
Katz's brow furrowed. "You know I don't like borrowing money from people."
Calista sighed. "I know, but we don't have any choice. We need groceries and you need your medicine."
"No I don't."
"Don't bullshit me Katz. You do and you know it."
"Fine. I'll be gone all afternoon; don't wait up for me."
"See me just before you leave. I'll have the list and money for you."
"Whatever."
"Look, I'm sorry it's come down to this. I don't like borrowing money either, all right?"
"I know, and in the end, it's all my fault, so just leave me alone, all right? I'll be down in ten minutes."
Calista left. Katz rose and got dressed, pulling on a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and sneakers. She unbraided her hair, brushed it, and braided it again. Then she went downstairs and met up with Calista, who handed her a list and a small sack of money.
"See if anyone wants to go with you," she said.
Katz poked her head into the kitchen. Draco sat at the table, eating some toast.
"I'm going shopping," she told him. "Would you like to come?"
"No thanks," he replied, shaking his head.
"All right. See you tonight, bastard." She left, grabbing her cloak off the hook by the door as she went.
"Hey!" he suddenly exclaimed. "What did I ever do to you?"
The door opened. "A lot of stuff," she called, and the door slammed shut again.
He jumped up, grabbed his wand, and ran out the door after her, but she was already gone. Mumbling angrily, he Apparated, reappearing in Diagon Alley. He caught a glimpse of her hair in the crown and followed the swinging braid. She first went to the apothecary. He followed at a distance, hiding behind a shelf once he got inside. She looked through the shelf in front of her, found what she wanted, and grabbed five bottles of it. She then went to the counter to pay for it. While she was talking to the shop owner, he moved around to find out what she had taken. He looked, found it, and blinked.
An antidepressant? Why would she need that? What cause would she have to be depressed?
He paused; thought for a moment. Maybe it was because of the way he and the Slytherins had treated her in school? She had never cried when they had hexed her. She had simply walked off, her head held high. He had thought that it was pride, but maybe… maybe it had been to keep herself from crying. She had never let on how much it hurt her; she had merely let them do what they wanted to her, never making a sound.
She had finished paying, and he followed her out of the shop and into several other shops as she went about her business. She had paused for a moment to gazer longingly at a beautiful blue silk dress robe, and then moved on. He sighed, wishing he could make her happy, but he doubted he could, not with all her inner turmoil.
Suddenly he realised that she was heading back to the Leaky Cauldron. He took out his wand and Apparated, appearing in the front hall of Malfoy Manor.
"Draco!" cried Narcissa, coming to hug him. "What are you doing here? You look troubled. Do you want to talk?"
"Actually, yes. Can we sit down?"
"Of course! Come into the living room, I'll get some tea."
He followed her into the living room and sat as she bustled about, making tea.
She handed him a steaming cup and sat down across from him, placing her own cup on the coffee table between them.
"Now," she said, "tell me what's on your mind."
"You remember Katz Potter, I'm sure…. Knew her as Katherine Turner in school, am I correct?"
Narcissa nodded. "Go on."
"And I'd tell Father how many times I'd hexed her, but I could never seem to make her cry. He'd be disappointed and tell me to try harder the next year." He took a sip of tea as his mother nodded again. "Well, you know I'm living with her and her friend Calista – who was also in school with me; I treated her badly as well – and I sort of followed her as she went shopping today. I found out she's taking antidepressants."
Narcissa's expression darkened. "Dear me," she murmured.
"I feel so guilty, Mum. I made her feel worthless, like some piece of rubbish that can be hexed around without any regard for its feelings. Now she's got to spend money on potions instead of using it to buy herself pretty things."
She leaned forward. "Draco, let me tell you something. She did not have a happy home life. She was unwanted and unloved. Do not blame this wholly on yourself."
He blinked. "What – what was going on at home?"
"I can't tell you," she replied, shaking her head. "That is for her to divulge, should she choose to do so."
"All right. Thanks Mum."
She looked at him curiously. "You really do like her, don't you?"
Managing a halfhearted grin, he finished off his tea. "Yes. She's such a wonderful – albeit somewhat eccentric – person, despite all she's been through. And she doesn't hate me for all I've done to her in the past. Calista still hates me, and I did less to her than I did to Katz."
"She truly is a good woman. She did not deserve all she's been through."
"What do you mean?"
"That is another thing I cannot tell you. I'm sorry Draco, but some things you must find out on your own."
He nodded, distant. His eyes lost focus as his mind drifted to her lying on the floor in his bedroom with naught but her underthings on, covered in bruises. He remembered how soft her lips were, how innocent her gaze had been…. She was so naïve. She had said the first night she was a virgin, and he had to believe her, despite the way she kissed.
"She's a great kisser," he said suddenly.
"What?" his mother asked, a bit stunned. "She's kissed you?"
"I kissed her, and she kissed me back. Then Calista put me in a headlock till I turned blue and Katz slapped me."
Narcissa, unable to help herself, chuckled.
I suppose I deserved it," he muttered, and then he froze. "Something's wrong. Katz is in trouble."
"How do you know?"
"I can feel it. I don't know how, but somehow I know that something's not right."
He rose and kissed her on the cheek. "I need to go, Mum. Thanks for listening."
"Keep her safe," Narcissa said, and he Apparated to the house before hurrying inside. ________________________________________ Chapter 5: In Which Narcissa and Katz Bond ________________________________________ DISCLAIMER: Anything you recognize doesn't belong to me. It belongs to JK Rowling, Joss Whedon, Tolkien, etc.
"Calista, where's Katz?" Draco demanded.
Calista blinked. "I sent her back out again, because I forgot to put something on the list. Where were you?"
"Talking to my mother."
"Awww, wittle Dwacy can't wive wifout his mummy," she teased.
"This is not a laughing matter!" he snapped, before Apparating to Diagon Alley. He immediately began searching in all the side alleys. Finding nothing there, he turned to Knockturn Alley. A brief search, and he found her unconscious in a tiny alley between an apothecary and a curio shop. She was bruised and bloody, and a quick assessment revealed a broken arm. He gingerly picked her up and Apparated back to Malfoy Manor.
"Mum," he called, striding into the living room. Narcissa, who had been sitting there, rose, a worried look on her face.
"Bring her upstairs to a guest room," she ordered, leading the way. "Then get me some clean cloths and hot water." He laid her on the bed in the first guest room, and then hurried off.
Narcissa went to work removing Katz's clothes. Soon all she wore were her underthings. She began assessing the damage, quickly fixing the broken arm.
There was a brief flicker of something, a different Katz…. Narcissa narrowed her eyes. Mmmhmmm. A glamour. But what would Katz need to hide?
At that moment Draco came back in and Narcissa made herself busy cleaning Katz up. "Go make some tea," she told him.
"What? Why?"
"Because I said so."
"I want to help."
"You can help by making some tea."
There was a groan from the bed. They looked over at Katz, who was moving slightly. "Ugh," she muttered, opening her eyes, then squeezing them shut. "Goddamn light…." Narcissa turned it down. "Where am I? What happened? Oh shit, Calista! Shopping!" She bolted upright, then immediately fell back with a cry of pain. "Fuck, my head!"
"Tea," Narcissa told Draco, and he went.
Katz slowly opened her eyes. "Where am I and why is it so cold?"
"You're at Malfoy Manor."
"Oh my God, he kidnapped me," she whispered in shock. "MALFOY!" She made to get up, but Narcissa held her down.
"Relax," she said. "He didn't kidnap you; he found you unconscious in Knockturn Alley and brought you here. Rest, dear. I'll take care of you." As she spoke, she waved her wand, and Katz felt herself drifting off.
"Will she be all right?" came Draco's voice through a haze.
"Yes, I think so. I hope so."
"Nrrrgh."
"She's awake. Draco, if you would leave us for a few moments, I'd like to talk to Katz alone."
He nodded and left. As soon as he had, Narcissa helped Katz sit up and handed her a cup of tea.
"I suppose you're going to ask what happened," Katz said.
"Oh, I have a fairly good idea," Narcissa replied, taking a sip of her tea. "Your mother and father found you out shopping, did they not?"
"He's not my father," Katz retorted. "My father was a kind man, and Douglas Loop is not kind."
"Nonetheless, he is your stepfather."
"Yes, and I hate him."
"That much is obvious. Now, what happened?"
"I was out shopping and they saw me, and told me they'd like to talk to me. I've always been too trusting with them, and by the time I realised what was going to happen, I couldn't get away."
"And so they beat you."
"Yes, they – hang on, how do you know? I've never told anyone!"
Narcissa smiled. "I perceive more than meets the eye. When Lucius was sneaking off to your mother, I knew, but I didn't tell anyone."
Katz's eyes widened. "Then you know about how he killed my father… and you know my real name."
"Yes."
"Don't tell him. Please don't tell Draco. If he knew…."
There was a knowing look in Narcissa's eyes. "You're afraid he'd leave you."
"No," Katz snapped. "I could care less if he left. What I'm more afraid of is what he'd tell his friends. A lot of them want revenge for what my father did to them."
Narcissa nodded. "I see. Well, are you feeling any better?"
"Yeah, lots. Thanks."
"You know, Draco has taken quite a liking to you."
"I know," Katz replied softly, her eyes troubled.
"He told me he kissed you."
"He did. I slapped him."
I know you don't like him – "
"Don't like him? I hate him."
"Sometimes people think they hate someone, but deep down, they really love him."
"Oh, I hate him all right. After what he did to me, it's a wonder I didn't curse him on the spot. I still don't know why I didn't."
"He cares a lot about you."
"I noticed," Katz replied dryly. "Frankly, I don't give a damn."
"Maybe you should."
"Look," she said, pushing back the covers. "It's getting late; I need to be going."
"You're still weak, have Draco take you."
Katz sighed. "If you insist."
"I do."
"Fine." She got out of bed, looking around the room for her clothes. Narcissa handed them to her, and she got dressed before following her downstairs.
"Come on Draco, we're leaving. And if Calista asks, we were having tea with your mum." She pulled out her wand.
"No," said Narcissa, "let Draco Apparate you both. You're too weak."
"Oh for God's sake," Katz muttered, but complied as Draco looped his arm around her waist.
"Bye Mum. Thanks again," he said.
"Yes, thank you," Katz added.
"You're welcome," Narcissa replied. She leaned over and whispered something into Draco's ear. He smiled and nodded, and then they Apparated to the house.
"Katz!" Calista said, hurrying over to hug her. "I was worried about you! Where were you?"
"I took a detour and decided to have tea with Draco's mum. I dunno why he got so worried when I didn't come back from shopping right away.
Draco looked at her. Did lying come naturally to her? She seemed calm, as if she'd just come home from a successful shopping trip instead of being beat up and left to die in an alley.
"Yes, I'm sorry," he muttered. "I tend to overreact sometimes."
"You can say that again," Calista muttered, her brow furrowed. Had she seen the inconsistency in Katz's story? If she had, she gave no sign of it.
"I'm… kind of tired, so I'm going to lie down, all right?"
Calista nodded, her eyes troubled. "Yeah, go ahead and sleep. Thanks for going shopping today."
"You're welcome." Katz winced. "God, my feet hurt…. Malfoy, will you help me upstairs?"
He nodded and did so, depositing her in her room. "Will you be all right?" he asked.
"Yes," she replied, stepping gingerly over to her dresser. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." He closed the door behind him as he left.
She undressed before pulling on a t-shirt and a pair of boxers. Suddenly her head swam and she sat down on the floor with a thump. Two seconds later, Draco was at her side.
"Katz, are you all right?"
"Yeah, yeah, just a little dizzy…."
"Katz!" cried Calista, rushing into the room. "I heard a thump… are you okay?"
"Yes, sorry, I tripped."
"Over what?"
"My own two feet. Don't worry; I'm fine, only tired, that's all."
"All right," Calista said. "You rest, I can handle things around here.
"Thanks."
Calista left, and Draco gave Katz a long look. "You must be the smoothest liar in the UK."
"I know some who are better."
"You don't have to lie all the time, you know."
"The truth hurts, Malfoy."
"It doesn't have to."
"But it does, and that's why I lie."
"Have you ever lied to me?"
She thought for a moment. "Once, but you called me out on it."
He nodded. "Well, it's your choice. I'm just afraid that when the truth is finally out, it'll hurt more than it does now."
She sighed. "Malfoy…."
"Don't talk," he said, picking her up and laying her on her bed. He tucked her in and gave her a smile, but his eyes betrayed his true feelings. He was troubled, trying to understand her. "Get some sleep," he told her, leaning down and kissing her on the forehead. Then he left, shutting off the light as he went.
Tears glittered in Katz's eyes. God, how she wished that he would see that they could never be anything. They just – Her thoughts were interrupted by shouting downstairs. "Oh God, they're at it again," she muttered, grabbing the phone. She dialed a number, spoke briefly to a secretary, and then said, "Angel, any chance you can get over here ASAP? Calista and Spike are on the verge of killing each other."
"Of course," he replied.
"Thanks." She hung up, set the phone on the bedside table, and promptly passed out. ________________________________________ Chapter 6: In Which Draco Gets Beat Up ________________________________________ DISCLAIMER: I own Katz. Meg owns Calista. JKR owns her characters, and Joss Whedon owns his. Please don't sue me, I'm a poor unemployed college student.
Angel arrives. Calista tells Spike her history.
Katz spent the next day in bed, claiming illness. No one bothered her until that evening, when Draco came in, carrying a tray.
"Hi," he said. "I brought you some food."
"I'm not hungry," she replied, closing her book.
"You need to eat something to regain your strength."
"I'm not hungry Draco," she repeated.
"Katz… please."
She looked at him. "I've been thinking," she murmured, "about you."
"And?"
She did some quick thinking, then blurted, "Look, if you answer my next three questions honestly and with elaboration, I'll eat."
He pondered that for a moment. "I… don't see any harm in that. Go ahead then. Ask away."
"Are you a virgin?"
Taken aback, he replied, "No. I had sex once, with Pansy Parkinson. I was very drunk."
"Why did you kiss me?"
"I… I really don't know. I was just looking at you, and your lips looked so inviting and…."
"I get the picture," she said hastily. "Um… er… look, I really… why the hell do you care so much?"
He shook his head. "I really don't know. I guess it's because other people don't seem to care about you much."
"They care about me plenty," she snapped, glaring at him.
"I've answered your questions," he replied calmly. "Eat."
With another glare, she ate. Halfway through, she froze. "Malfoy… what does this have in it?"
"Uhm… herbs, chicken, some coconut, why?"
"Idiot," she snapped, her fork dropping back onto her plate. She groped inside the drawer of her bedside table, her breathing becoming shallow. She pulled out a small vial and drank it, before sinking back onto the pillows with a sigh.
Several minutes passed before she sat up again. "Idiot," she repeated. "I'm allergic to coconut."
"I didn't know that!"
"Well now you do. I don't dare eat the rest. You probably poisoned the cake or something. I wouldn't be surprised if you were trying to kill me."
"What? Never! I would never try to kill you!"
"You were going to kill Dumbledore," she replied nastily. "I'm a lot easier to kill than he is."
"Well I couldn't kill him."
"Only because you were a coward."
"I'm not a coward," he retorted.
"Oh? You still have that mark on your arm, don't you? The mark that will tell you if he rises again, which will be never! The mark that offers you the protection of his followers, the mark that – mmph!"
"Shut up," he hissed, his hand over her mouth. "No one needs to know about that." In one motion, she grabbed his arm and pushed up the sleeve covering it: the Dark Mark. Silently, she glared at him and poked it, hard, before biting his hand. "Ow!" he cried, jumping away and wrenching his arm from her grasp.
"Get out of my room with that filthy mark," she snapped, "and take your poisoned food with you!"
"I'm more than happy to," he replied, grabbing the tray and stalking out of the room.
She stared after him, wincing as he slammed the door shut, then felt a tear roll down her cheek. He didn't deserve what that mark had put him through. He really was a rather good person, though he had been a right bastard during school.
Wait… what was she thinking? He was still a bastard through and through, no matter what.
Sighing, she picked up her book again.
*b*
The next day, she had recovered enough to get out of bed. The first thing she did was to take a shower. Then she dressed and went downstairs.
She found Draco sitting at the kitchen table. "Good morning, Death Eater," she said nastily, reaching into the fridge for the milk. He very blatantly ignored her as she poured herself some cereal, concentrating on the newspaper in front of him instead. "Oh, so you're going to pretend I don't exist? Fine. Go ahead, you bastard. God knows you paid plenty of attention to me in school, always setting your goddamned lackeys on me whenever possible." She sat down across from his and started eating.
"Take your potion," he said from behind the paper. There was a clatter, and the paper was suddenly ripped from his grasp.
"I beg your pardon?" she demanded.
"I said, 'take your potion,'" he replied calmly.
"How the hell do you know about that?" She was furious; he could tell because her face was beginning to turn red and her fists were clenched.
"I tend to be very observant."
"God damn you," she snapped, rising. "God damn you and any children you might bear."
"Well then, he won't be damning any children because I can't bear them, seeing as I'm not female and therefore lack the necessary organs to do so."
Two seconds later he was on the floor being furiously punched. "You bastard," she hissed angrily as she gave him a black eye. "How dare you?" She hit and hit, her anger giving way to a torrent of tears as her punches subsided and she backed away, sobbing.
Draco gingerly got up and went over to her. "Katz, I'm sorry," he said gently.
"Get away from me," she whispered.
"Katz…"
"I don't want to hurt you. Please…."
Sighing, he went back to the table and sat down, picking up his newspaper. A few minutes later, the crying had stopped, and he suddenly heard a sniffle behind him as he was gently tapped on the head. He felt his wounds healing, and then she hugged him from behind with a whispered "I'm sorry" before running upstairs.
Her behaviour completely baffled him. She was absolutely furious one moment, and the next she was in tears. And what she had said about not wanting to hurt him… Did she really care?
Of course not. She wouldn't want to hurt anyone… would she?
Utterly confused by now, he got up and took care of her dishes. Then he folded the paper and set it on the table before heading upstairs.
Standing outside Katz's door, he could hear her talking to someone.
"I can't believe I did that, Dad. I used what you taught me in anger. You told me never to do that, and I did. I hurt him, Daddy, and even once I had realised what I'd done and stopped, he got up and he tried to comfort me, even though I was the one who had hurt him. Why would he do that?"
There was silence, and moment later she began speaking again.
"I know you know what he did to me in school, and I know you would have wanted me to fight back, but I couldn't. I'm just not like that. I don't – I don't fight back. I just take what comes to me. Or… well, I used to. Now he's come to me and I know he really likes me, maybe even loves me, and I'm fighting it. I'm resisting my urge to jump into his arms, because I know I can't, not after all that he's done to me. Oh, Daddy, what am I supposed to do? He's just been so kind, so different from when we were in school. What happened to him? Why is he acting like this? Why does he love me? Why is he doing this to me? It's as if he knows my weaknesses and is slowly but surely using them against me, but for what purpose, I don't know. What does he want from me?"
There was another long silence before she said something.
"I guess I'll have to find out. In time, all questions will be answered. Were yours answered, Daddy? I'm sure you had plenty of questions about Mum, didn't you? I know I would."
She sighed. "I should probably get going. Thanks for listening. I love you Daddy."
Draco quickly went into his room, where he pulled out a book and started reading it. In truth, he was thinking about what he had just overheard.
She was resisting him. Did that mean she liked him? Now he was confused all over again. And as to her questions concerning him… hell, even he didn't know the answers to them!
Sighing, he set down the book and kneaded his forehead. What in the world was he going to do? Speaking of what in the world, what was with her little questions thing? He brushed it aside. It wasn't important.
What was important was that she didn't completely hate him. And as for what he wanted from her, well, a little love couldn't hurt.
There was a knock on his door. "Come in," he called. Katz slowly came in.
"I'm sorry for hurting you," she said quietly, standing in the doorway.
"Don't worry about it. You fixed me up afterwards, that's all that matters."
"Jesus Malfoy, I used you like a fucking punching bag, and you tell me not to worry about it? I'm sorry, but that's just wrong."
"Haven't you figured it out yet? I'd be your punching bag any day, as long as I got to be near you." He came over to her and gently brushed her hair out of her face.
"Goddamn you," she whispered, fleeing as tears began rolling down her cheeks.
"Katz, wait," he said, following her into her room. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."
She sniffled. "I'm so confused right now."
"By what?"
"Myself."
"If it makes you feel any better, you confuse me too."
"It's better than angry. I tend to make people angry nowadays, since most of the stuff that's gone wrong around here is my fault."
"What? No it isn't."
"Yes it is. I didn't tell Adrian we were low on money, so she could go out and get a job, so we ran out of it. And it's my fault you're here instead of out having fun with your friends, and it's my fau—mmmph!"
He had kissed her. Instantly her mind went completely blank save for savoring the taste and feel of him. He smelled like musk and lemon, and he tasted like peppermint. Her knees had gone weak and she had to put a hand on her desk to steady herself when he pulled away.
Draco smiled. Exactly the effect he had been looking for, she was no longer talking. She was taking deep breaths and her eyes were bright green. Her lips were slightly swollen and red, and the way she was leaning back on her desk was…. No. He needed to focus.
"If you say something is your fault again," he told her, leaning close so that his lips brushed her ear when he spoke, "I will have to hex you." She shuddered involuntarily, and he grinned, pulling away.
She glared at him, and in one swift move, slapped him.
"Get the fuck out of my room, you bastard," she snapped.
"Yes ma'am," he replied, and left.
She stood there staring after him for a long while. The most prominent question in her mind was why. Why was he playing with her mind like this? Why was he playing this sadistic little game with her? Taking a deep breath, she looked around the room and decided to go give herself a workout.
She went to her dresser to pull out some shorts and a sports bra, and found the outfit Draco had given her.
'Why the hell not?' she thought, and tried it on. As she had predicted, it didn't fit. The leggings were too tight at the hip and the tunics too tight across her breasts. She sighed. 'It figures. I thought they wouldn't fit… but….' She picked up her wand and made a few adjustments. There. Now it fit perfectly. She looked at herself in the mirror and blanched. 'Jesus I look fat!' She immediately took the outfit off and pulled on her workout clothes before heading down to the gym in the basement.
A punching bag hung in the middle of the room. Katz stood by the door, staring at it for a while, then did a running kick at it. For the next half hour, she proceeded to give it a thorough beating.
Upstairs, Draco was sitting in the kitchen with a cup of tea. There was a thump, and his cup rattled. "What was that?" he asked.
"Katz is beating up the punching bag," Hermione said matter-of-factly. "She does it whenever she's stressed."
"Oh."
Thump. Rattle.
Draco set down his cup and stood. "I'm going down there."
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Hermione said. "Last time someone went down there while she was doing that, they ended up with several broken bones."
"Fucking hurt," said Fred.
"I don't care," Draco replied, and headed for the stairs.
He knocked on the door, but from the grunts and thumps and muffled curses, she didn't hear him, so he opened the door. He saw the reason for her not answering – she was wearing headphones. He watched as she performed a series of complicated moves on the punching bag, not once looking at him. Finally, she stopped and, not turning to look at him, pulled of her headphones.
"Get out of here, Malfoy," she said evenly.
"What? Why?" How had she known it was him?
"Because," she replied, turning to look at him, a sickly sweet smile on her face, "I'm pretending this punching bag is you."
"Oh. Well, I did tell you I'd be your punching bag. Honestly, if you need to vent your frustrations about me, then vent them on me."
She glared at him, strode forward, grabbed him by the collar, and threw him out of the room. Then she kicked him in the ribs, and he felt them break. "Are you happy now?" she asked, and kicked his leg. "Leave me the fuck alone."
She walked back into the room and slammed the door.
*b*
"I told you so," said Hermione, as Draco gingerly sat down at the table. He winced. "Broke a couple ribs, did she? Here." She waved her wand at him, and he felt his ribs stitch back together.
"Thanks," he replied.
"Never thought I'd see the day that you'd thank me, Malfoy," she replied, and left the room.
Draco got up, made himself a cup of tea, and sat back down with it. This was gonna be one hell of a roller coaster.