Chapter 4 - Draco

I really hope that she is worth all of this!

Several people of the Slytherin house look at me weirdly when they see me carrying Darcy through the corridors of the school after I have taken her out. I have been quite reasonable to use a simple charm instead of the full body-bind curse, because that wit really deserved that after kicking me in the crotch!

I planned on leaving her there so others could take her back to the Hospital Wing, but that weird spell that she seems to have on me still works, because when I turned around to get to my next lesson, I couldn't even take another step before I changed my mind.

I will have a lot of explaining to do when I get back to the Slytherin common room tonight...

Hopefully they will have seen how fierce this girl is, because it is quite impressive to find the exit of the school only hours after the headmaster has left her to rest in the Hospital Wing. I was on my way to my second to last lesson of this day, so it really is a mere coincidence that I saw her bolting out of the corridor.

This girl clearly holds a lot of power within her, as I can still feel her hands burning from the anger and fear that she had been holding within after I tried to stop her on the first floor. She kind of scared me when she took me down! Nevertheless, I am not to be beaten by some foolish girl who has no idea yet of what she is capable of, but it's clear to me now that I made the right call to take her to the Hospital Wing.

Father needs to know about this, I still have to write him anyway as he expected my letter already.

I soon reach the Hospital Wing, where Madame Pomfrey rushes over when seeing that I managed to grab her before she could manage to escape. She helps me to get the girl back on the bed and immediately uses a few potions and spells that seem to be precautionary. Why didn't she do that before she escaped?!

'You were at the right place and time, Mr Malfoy. Your determination and resourcefulness really show the good Slytherin traits within, twenty points for Slytherin,' she says, I can barely hold in a massive sneer when hearing the proud tone in her voice. As if she just got fresh hopes on my future as I usually lose points for my house.

Boy is she wrong.

Of course, Madame Pomfrey has noticed that I have a certain curiosity for this girl named Darcy Valentine, while no one has ever managed to do so before in all my years of Hogwarts. She is just too interesting to ignore, she could be the key to make father proud and help him to become the man he once was if she is on our side. Darcy is very powerful, which gets confirmed by Madame Pomfrey when I hear her mumble about how the knocked-out girl apparently held fire in her hands and now needs another potion to stay unconscious for a little longer.

If she can control this fire in a mere few hours after exploding the curtains, she must be capable of so much more that we all have yet to discover...

Anyway, I can't roam around here much longer, since I also have a reputation as the Slytherin Prince to uphold, so after taking another look at the girl who is still knocked out by potions and spells, I return to the Slytherins of my year in the dungeons of the castle for Potions. Fortunately, no one asks questions, probably because of the points I gained for our house. It's good enough for them to trust me on my actions and still back away when I pass.

Except for Parkinson, of course.

'I surely hope that you have no intentions on visiting her again, Draco. You have no idea what she could be planning by getting here!' she immediately starts ranting when I make my way to my cauldron. I can only snap at her to let her know that I can do whatever I want. 'Besides, she has already given me more pleasure than you ever could, so why don't you go annoy someone else?' I add, which really upsets her. I love it!

She doesn't approach me for the rest of the day and doesn't dare to say a thing when I go to the library for my homework. Normally, she would be annoyingly close to me, begging for my attention while I try to concentrate on the essays we have to write. It doesn't really surprise me to have it all finished within a few hours now that she isn't there. I even managed to only need a few more inches for a potions essay that needs to be done by next week.

Dinner will be served in half an hour, so I spend the remaining time before that in my room, writing a letter to my father about my recent finding after my first Quidditch practice...

He must understand that Darcy is worthy of a little attention, she has no idea of this world she has gotten herself in, but surely showed that she belongs here. Although she still doesn't believe a thing about this new reality around her, Hogwarts seems to be a massive joke to her. Everything we've been trying to tell her is unreal to her, even after she used magic herself! Her attempt to escape clearly shows how badly she regrets being found here, apparently she chooses for whatever danger she ran from in the first place over the safety that this school can provide.

I decide to write down everything I have seen of her until this point and of course, I let father know that I only took her to the Hospital Wing because I could see a potential power in her. Ever since I can remember, my parents warned me for the Forbidden Forest and I know it has to mean something for Darcy to get through these woods alive!

Hopefully, it will make father proud for once, even if it would only be for a minute. I am ready to play dirty, I have always done so during the past years to taunt Potter as much as possible and I wasn't planning on stopping now. Maybe I have to play the nice guy for a while, but not too nice. I don't need another Pansy Parkinson clinging to me this year!

When I have finished my letter, I can already see my owl turning away from me by the sight of the big, heavy envelope. The journey to Azkaban isn't pleasant at all and with this letter, it might take another week before it arrives, but I managed to put in everything I wanted and eventually my owl takes off into the setting sun. Right on time, as it is time to get to the Great Hall for dinner.

For the first time ever, I can enjoy the whispers around me when I join the other Slytherins at our table. They aren't talking about Harry Potter for a change! And I am very pleased to know that I actually know more about this topic than anyone else...

'Who is she then?'

-'A student, of course! Hogwarts can't be seen or found by Muggles.'

'I have never seen her before, maybe she was homeschooled before she got here?'

-'I think not, didn't you see how frightened she was? She was terrified! Maybe she doesn't even know that she is a witch...'

'She looked hot, didn't leave much to the imagination either with those bandages. I might pay a visit after dinner, to ease her mind a little, you know...'

My stomach immediately turns around when hearing the last comment that comes from Cormac McLaggen, the perverted grin tells all of us what he is planning with Darcy. He is so cocky thinking that she will fall for him right away, but I am not very worried. The poor thing will only panic by the sight of him or anyone else at this point.

Unfortunately, McLaggen keeps bragging loudly about how he will give Darcy a warm welcome to the school and that she will be a Gryffindor for sure after he has shown her what the strength of their house is. My porridge is about to come to surface again by hearing all this and I know that I need to get back to the Hospital Wing after dinner.

Maybe I could win her trust back a little by bringing her some food, she must be hungry when waking up as it has been a while since she ate.

I quickly grab Pansy's empty plate, who hasn't shown herself all evening, and start filling up the plate before the main course disappears for dessert. I don't react upon the strange looks I get from around me, except when Crabbe and Goyle raise their eyebrows at me.

'I am saving something for later, seeing that you already plundered my secret candy stash in my room,' I spit at them when my plate is full. When my friends hear this, they suddenly have a lot of interest in their dessert and hope dearly not to be punished too badly. How could they think that I wouldn't find out?!

After everyone has finished their pie, pumpkin tarts and other sweet desserts, professor Dumbledore speaks to us for a short moment and then wishes us all a good night, ending his speech with three strange words that make sense to no one!

I quickly leave the Great Hall, this moment shows once again how this school has gone to the dogs! Luckily, I won't be spending a lot of time here after this year, so I only have to hold on for so long and I have a feeling that it's going to be an entertaining year as well!

'Cormac, you're not really visiting her, are you?' another Gryffindor looks at the pervert of their house in surprise when he nods. 'Of course, I am! She will stay here for sure after I am done with her,' he smirks, causing several other students to become sick instantly. Me included.

He is off to the Hospital Wing in seconds, I follow him but make sure to keep my distance to him so he doesn't notice. Not that he would see it even if I would walk right behind him with the full plate in my hands. People aren't really bothered by it nowadays, as they often see me roaming around in the castle, trying to find a place to eat something without having Crabbe or Goyle breathing down my neck.

I wait for McLaggen to enter the Hospital Wing first and enter shortly after him, to almost drop the plate with food because of the sudden fit of laughter that gets to me. Darcy surely doesn't let me down in my expectations!

McLaggen has only been in for a mere few minutes, but clearly isn't welcomed by the innocent, helpless girl like he expected to. He soars high up in the air, squeaking and yelping in fear while begging Darcy to let him down. Apparently, she didn't really like the way he forced him on her like he usually does on girls. Serves him right!

'So, next time I tell you to fuck off and leave me be, you go. Deal?' she tells him, McLaggen can only nod as another yelp escapes from his mouth. It seems to be good enough for Darcy. She lowers her hand, but does it in such a way that the filthy Gryffindor smacks onto the floor. He clearly is in pain, but leaves the Hospital Wing in a rush, passing me in the process.

Meaning that Darcy sees me as well...

The fierce glance she had in her eyes to get rid of McLaggen has completely vanished, fear is all that can be seen in her eyes and she slowly takes a step back when I approach her.

I can feel how she has a grip on me as well when she holds her hands in front of her, warning me not to get any closer, so I need to calm her down quickly before I will fly myself.

'I am not going to hurt you, I promise,' I tell her, but she doesn't buy it for a second. 'I brought you some food, figured that you'd be hungry after everything you went through today.'

Darcy looks at the plate suspiciously, but then slowly nods and to my surprise, she lets me get closer to her! Is she going to trust me already?

'Who are you?' she asks me, sitting back on her bed in the meantime, her question gives me the courage to take another step into her direction. She won't shoot me into the air. 'I will answer if you promise not to run off again,' I tell her first, Darcy now sighs deeply and takes the plate from me while nodding. She even gestures to me to also sit down on the bed!

'Draco Malfoy,' I then say when she throws me a look that says she's waiting. Yet, she seems to expect more as she stays quiet after that and raises an eyebrow at me. 'That's it? You're not going to tell me about your family or anything else about yourself?' she then asks, I shrug.

'All I know of you is your name as well,' I argue, to which she states that we only asked for her name, she asked an open question so she expects more than just a name.

'This is my sixth year at Hogwarts, I am prefect of the Slytherin house,' I then add, but Darcy still doesn't seem pleased. 'Still nothing on where you come from?' she is starting to get on my nerves! I don't want all this!

'You first,' I tell her, my personal life is something I'd rather not share with her before I am still gaining her trust, or ever. Fortunately, Darcy seems to be fine with it and tells some more about herself.

'I got myself in some kind of weird ass place, missed two days of school already and my friends are probably worried sick,' is all she says, the daring look in her eyes tells me that she is testing me big time, something I actually can appreciate for one! Finally, I meet someone who holds the same attitude as I have, too bad she's so stubborn though. It could become a problem since this entire world would be very hard to buy and believe in when looking at it from an outsider's view. I still push my luck though and ask her about her family, noticing that she hasn't mentioned them. Of course, she turns the question right back to me, she asked it first.

Sighing deeply, I tell her that I live with just my parents, not caring whether it's enough for her to hear or not. I am not liking this at all!

'Lovely, I don't have a family. Can you help me to get out of this hellhole now?' she spits at me, she also seems to know that she is getting on my nerves... 'No, you almost died trying to get here. Going back isn't an option and besides, Dumbledore wants to keep you here. He really wants to see what kind of powers and magical abilities you hold within you. Now eat, it's getting cold,' I sneer at her, my patience is running real low!

And why is she smirking at me like that?! As if she got something out of me that I wasn't really aware of and she got me stuck now. 'I knew it. You don't give a shit about others! You just picked me from the grounds because you knew about the magic,' she says, her green Bambi-like eyes have a devious look as she locks her eyes with mine and waits for a response. I am not letting go, though. 'For your information, I picked you up from these grounds before I knew about the magic. How could I want you for that when I only see it now?' is my blunt reaction, it doesn't seem to impress her a lot. 'I didn't bring you food for it to get cold and thrown away, now eat,' I add when she hasn't replied yet, but also hasn't taken a bite of anything from the plate. Nevertheless, it seems to amuse her even more as she pushes the plate even further away from her and looks me dead in the eye.

'I never asked you to bring me food, so I don't have to eat shit when I don't feel like it,' she now replies, she is so bloody stubborn! I know that she is hungry, but she puts the plate on the nightstand so she can annoy me.

This really is going to be a very long year...