Draco being Draco

I woke up to the scent of roses—a lot of them.

Groggily, I rubbed my eyes and sat up, only to be ambushed by an explosion of red and white roses covering every possible surface of my dormitory. My bedside table? Covered. The foot of my bed? Overrun. My poor trunk? Buried alive.

Kenny, my beloved roommate and partner in crime, was standing by the door, arms crossed, unimpressed.

"Malfoy happened," she announced dryly, answering the unspoken question on my face.

"Oh. Oh no."

Oh yes.

If the floral avalanche wasn't enough, a mountain of chocolates sat beside them. The expensive kind. The kind that wizards in Switzerland probably handcrafted while wearing enchanted silk gloves and whispering sweet nothings to the cocoa beans.

And on top of it all—a letter.

Kenny squinted at it. "Well, go on, Juliet. Read what Prince Tantrum of Malfoy Manor has to say."

I sighed and, with considerable hesitation, unfolded the letter.

Selene,

I hope you're pleased with yourself. Really. Completely ruining my grand, well-crafted, aristocratic, and utterly flawless moment. Not that I'd expect anything less from you.

Now, because of your reckless impatience, I have been forced to stoop to this level—writing letters like some lovesick poet instead of delivering the world's most magnificent Yule Ball proposal in a manner befitting a Malfoy. Disgraceful.

But fine. If this is how you want it, then so be it.

You are going to the Yule Ball with me. Not with Cedric Diggory, not with some random Durmstrang idiot, and certainly not alone like some tragic heroine in a bad romance novel. With me.

If you even think of rejecting this, I implore you to reconsider. Do you know how much effort it took to acquire this exact arrangement of roses? Do you have any idea how many chocolatiers had to work overtime to craft these? Do you know how insufferable Pansy has been about this entire ordeal?

I am not asking again. Be ready.

Wear something that reminds me why I'm so infuriatingly, helplessly, and irreversibly in love with you.

Yours (and yes, I mean that),

Draco Malfoy

I stared at the letter, speechless.

Kenny? Not so much.

"Well, that's horrifyingly romantic." She snatched a chocolate and popped it into her mouth. "And also the most dramatic thing I've ever read in my life."

"Infuriatingly, helplessly, and irreversibly in love with you?" I repeated, dumbfounded.

"Yeah, yeah, congratulations on the declaration of eternal love and all, but more importantly—can I keep some of these chocolates?"

"Did Draco Malfoy just write he was in love with me?" My eyes widened. "Kenny, this is friendly shit right?"

Kenny gave me a look. You know the one. The "I can't believe I'm best friends with the dumbest person alive" look.

"Selene," she said slowly, as if speaking to a particularly dense toddler. "Malfoy just declared his infuriatingly, helplessly, irreversibly in love feelings for you in the most Draco Malfoy way possible. Nothing about this is friendly."

"But—but maybe he just meant it as a joke?" I tried, desperate. "You know, just Malfoy things?"

Kenny took a deep breath, pinched the bridge of her nose, and then dramatically flopped onto my bed. "Oh my God, I cannot believe I have to explain romance to you." She stared up at the ceiling, exhausted. "Do you know how hard it is to find a pureblood heir with an ego the size of Hogwarts who actually admits to feelings? Do you know how much suffering must have occurred in his tiny, blond head before he put those words in a letter?"

I stared at her, still reeling. "But it's Draco Malfoy!"

"Yes, exactly!" Kenny threw her hands up. "The same Draco Malfoy who has been acting like a jealous brat ever since Cedric so much as breathed in your direction. The same Draco Malfoy who sends hitman glares to literally anyone who even thinks about talking to you. The same Draco Malfoy who just filled your entire room with flowers because his 'flawless' proposal got ruined!"

I flopped onto the bed next to her. "Oh my God. This is bad."

"Yeah, really bad. How dare the guy you've been obsessed with for years finally confess his undying love? What a nightmare."

I turned my head to look at her. "Kenny, this is terrifying. This is a disaster. This is like—apocalyptic."

Kenny side-eyed me. "Do you even know what 'apocalyptic' means?"

"I do in this context!" I waved the letter in the air. "How am I supposed to respond to this?!"

Kenny sat up and smirked. "Well, considering you already lied to Cedric Diggory's face about having a date, I'd say this is perfect timing."

I groaned and covered my face with the letter. "I hate you."

"You love me," Kenny chirped. "But not as much as Malfoy does."

The moment I stepped into the Great Hall, my eyes immediately found Draco. Not that I was looking for him—except, well, I absolutely was.

He was sitting at the Slytherin table, brooding like some tragic prince in exile. His blond hair was perfectly styled, but his expression was one of great suffering—as if the weight of the world had personally decided to sit on his lap and refuse to move.

He wasn't looking at me. Not even once.

This was Draco Malfoy, who insisted on making his presence known in every room he entered, and now he was actively ignoring me? No side glances, no dramatic smirks, no sarcastic remarks?

Oh. Oh, he was mad.

Kenny snorted beside me. "This is hilarious. Look at him."

"I know," I whispered, grinning. "He's like an angry toddler who got told no at the toy store."

We made our way toward the Slytherin table, and Draco still hadn't acknowledged my very obvious presence. Instead, he was eating his breakfast like it had personally offended him. Every cut of his fork against his plate was unnecessarily aggressive.

I dropped into the seat beside him, resting my chin in my palm. "Good morning, Draco."

Nothing.

Blaise looked like he was actively fighting for his life not to laugh.

Pansy, on the other hand, was watching intensely, probably hoping that Draco would stay mad enough to ignore me forever.

Draco took a sip of his tea. A very slow, dramatic sip.

"Draco," I tried again.

Silence.

Oh, so that's how he wanted to play it.

Fine.

I smirked, leaned in, and wrapped my arms around his neck before pressing a kiss to his cheek.

That got a reaction.

Draco froze.

The fork in his hand, mid-air. His entire body, mid-movement. His brain, clearly short-circuiting.

The entire Slytherin table went dead silent.

Blaise, mid-sip of pumpkin juice, nearly choked to death. Theo was watching with raised brows, looking mildly impressed. Pansy looked like she was witnessing a crime, while Kenny was having the absolute time of her life.

Draco, however, had not moved an inch.

I smirked, pressing another quick kiss to his cheek. "It was perfect."

Another kiss. "Thank you."

Then I pulled back, meeting his completely stunned silver eyes with a grin. "And yes, it's you."

For a second, Draco just sat there, motionless.

Then, in an instant, the Draco Malfoy I knew snapped back into existence.

"Obviously, it's me," he said, tossing his fork down. "Who else would it be? Diggory? Please."

There he was.

Entitled. Dramatic. Insufferable.

My Draco.

I laughed, shaking my head, but Draco wasn't done. He was back on his throne, and he was going to make it known.

"Not that I doubted it for a second," he continued, dramatically stretching his arms behind his head. "But it's good to know you've finally admitted it."

"Finally?" I raised an eyebrow.

Blaise snorted. "Mate, you sent her a dozen bouquets and chocolates. That is not 'not doubting for a second' behavior."

Draco glared at him. "You're lucky you have a date to the Yule Ball, Zabini, or I would personally ensure you never got one."

Blaise just shrugged, smirking.

Draco turned back to me, his smugness dialed up to a hundred. "So, are you going to say it properly, or am I going to have to wait for another grand declaration?"

I rolled my eyes but leaned in closer. "Draco Malfoy," I whispered against his ear. "You're an insufferable, arrogant, jealous little brat..."

Draco was grinning. "And?"

"And I like you," I admitted.

"Obviously."

I groaned, but Draco was already pulling me closer, grinning so smugly it was almost unbearable. Almost.

.............................................................................

"What did it mean, when you wrote in the letter that you were in love with me?" I asked him while we were heading towards Transfiguration class.

Draco, who had been walking with the confidence of someone who absolutely knew he looked good in his uniform, suddenly stumbled over his own feet.

It was so satisfying to watch.

He recovered quickly, of course, straightening his tie like it had personally betrayed him. "Excuse me?"

I grinned. "You heard me."

Blaise and Kenny, walking slightly ahead, instantly slowed down to eavesdrop, exchanging silent looks that screamed, Oh, this is gonna be good.

Draco, on the other hand, was suddenly very invested in adjusting the cuff of his sleeve. "I don't recall writing that."

I stared at him. "You don't recall writing the words 'I'm in love with you'?"

"Sounds fake," he said, avoiding eye contact like his life depended on it.

I snorted. "Malfoy, you sent me a dozen bouquets and a letter professing your undying love. Surely, you meant something by that?"

His jaw tensed, and he cleared his throat. "I was being dramatic."

Blaise choked on absolutely nothing. Kenny had to cover her mouth to stop from laughing.

"You?" I gasped in fake shock. "Dramatic? Never."

Draco shot me a look, but I could see the slight pink tint creeping up his neck.

I smirked, leaning in closer. "So, what did it mean?"

He was quiet for a moment, contemplating his escape route, before exhaling heavily and finally looking at me.

"It meant..." he started, but then stopped himself. Draco Malfoy hesitating? Oh, this was gold.

Kenny and Blaise were watching like it was a Quidditch match.

Draco ran a hand through his hair, exasperated. "Look, Selene, I just—"

At that exact moment, Pansy appeared out of nowhere, throwing herself between us with a sharp glare. "Are you two coming or what? Class is about to start."

Draco closed his mouth so fast that I almost felt bad for him. Almost.

I sighed, turning to Pansy with a deadpan look. "Yes, thank you, Pansy. Very helpful."

She just huffed, linking her arm with Draco's a little too aggressively, dragging him toward the classroom.

Blaise snickered. "Wow. Saved by Parkinson."

Kenny elbowed me playfully. "Don't worry. You'll get your confession. Just make sure he's cornered with no way to escape."

I grinned, already plotting. "Oh, I plan to."