a rose by any other name

chapter thirty-six ❃ draco malfoy

I appeared in the Slytherin Common Room and went straight to Draco's dorm and knocked on the door, "If it's Ris or Pans; It's open – If it's not; sod off." I laughed and opened the door, closing it behind me, "Did you give it to her?" I asked and he got up and sat in a chair by his window, "Oh hey Ris, yeah I watched her give it to Slughorn and everything so... any time now I guess." I walked over and sat on the arm of the chair he was sitting in, "You smell like Diggory, Parisa." I looked at him confused, "How the bloody hell do you know what Cedric Diggory smells like Draco? I can't exactly see you pinned against a wall with your head in his neck." I said laughing lightly, stay calm I told myself. "Not the imagery I wanted this evening, but I've been in fights with him, that's close enough. Please tell me you're not doing that again, you know what would happen if-" I cut him off "Of course I do and that's why I'm not. It must just be a conscience."

Draco huffed and we both looked out of his window which just happened to look out on The Headmasters Tower. "Do you think he's dead up there right now?" Draco asked and I sighed, "This is going to sound horrible but hopefully. We've only got four months left and I'm not sure what we're going to do if this doesn't work." Draco leant forward in the chair, putting his head in his hands, "Die probably." He said gloomily and I just stared out at the tower. "Come on, let's go get dinner I'm starving." I said patting his back and standing up.

To both me and Draco's dismay when we walked into the great hall, there was Dumbledore sat in his usual seat enjoying his dinner with something in his goblet that was defiantly not the mead as we watched him take a gulp and nothing happened. "It's fine, it just means he hasn't got it – we're not doomed just yet." I whispered to him and we said nothing more of it, taking our seats with our fellow Slytherins.

However, Draco and I's hopes just got dimmer as the weeks went on and nothing happened, I hadn't seen much of Cedric as Draco was keeping an even closer eye on me now, questioning me when I disappeared for a few hours or offered them the room for the night. Pansy wasn't helping with all her questions about my secret 'mystery man' and Draco had now joined in too. In fact, I was escaping their endless line of questions and heading towards the library when I was pulled into a dark broom closet. I knew better than to scream but felt my heart rate increase as I tried to make out who it was in the darkness, "Lumos" they whispered and I instantly relaxed when I recognised the voice of Cedric. He smiled at me before leaning down and catching my lips in a passionate kiss, he pulled away leaning his forehead against mine, "Merlin I've been dying to do that for days – I feel like I haven't seen you in so long." He whispered before smashing his lips back into mine and moving one of his hands to my thighs, the other lifting my skirt up slightly as my eyes widened and I pulled away giggling "Cedric we can't do this here, what if someone catches us?" Cedric's hands stopped and he flattened my skirt back down "I didn't mean that in a bad way, of course I want to it's just... were in a broom closet." I laughed again and so did Cedric putting his hands on my waist, "No you're right sorry, it's just hard not to get carried away when I haven't seen you in so long." I reached up and pecked his lips, "Believe me, I know." I said laughing "I actually needed to tell you something, I just spoke to Harry... he said that Ron accidently drank a love potion and so he took him to Slughorn, who gave him some Mead and it... poisoned him." I gasped "Did-Did I kill Ron Weasley?" I said, my eyes bulging. "No, no, he's going to be fine, Harry shoved a bezoar in his mouth just in time, he's in the hospital wing but he's awake and talking so he's fine, I actually heard he and Lavender broke up... something about him saying Hermione's name – sorry you probably don't care about that bit." He said chuckling and I shook my head

"No, oh my god Pansy will love it – she'd die for a good bit of gossip but shit me and Draco are so fucked." Cedric sighed and kissed me "You'll figure it out Angel, I know you will." My mood instantly changed and I felt like crying again, my eyes started to water and Cedric quickly wiped my eyes, "No Angel please don't cr-" Cedric instantly stopped and put his hand over my mouth, mouthing to me 'Someone's coming.' I quickly pulled out my wand and disappearated us to his dorm room just as the broom closet door opened. Shit I think me, and Draco are the only students at Hogwarts who can actually apparate... first sign of a Death Eater. Oh, at this point I was only making things worse for myself. Cedric instantly hugged me, and I cried softly into his chest, "Shhh it will be okay, no matter what happens I promise I'll protect you." Cedric cooed but it only made me sob harder, after a while he managed to calm me down and I came to my senses. "I've got to go tell Draco." I said and he nodded pulling me out of his chest, "Come find me as soon as you can okay?" He said and I smiled kissing him, "Of course." We said our I love you's and I apparated to Draco's dorm – I knew he would be alone because Pansy had already gone to bed when I left them earlier. In the few seconds that I had, I tried to think of a way to tell Draco the bad news. I think 'we're fucked' or 'do you want me to kill you or let him do it?' would have sufficed but that was a bit harsh, so I opted for a nicer option.