Innocent | d. malfoy

- forty four -

Aria Rowen

I stood by the wall, talking to several girls from my house as I clutched my school books against my chest.

"—and then Neville helped me with my herbology assignments since he's been working with Professor Sprout—" Hannah Abbott went on and on about her growing relationship with Neville Longbottom, one of the boys in the returning year who'd been working as a professor's assistant recently.

I smiled as I listened along with the other girls to Hannah talk about all that Neville had done for her.

"—um, Aria?"

I snapped out of my thoughts at the mention of my name, only to see all of the girls staring at me.

"I think someone wants you..." Hannah Abbott pointed over my shoulder, making me shyly turn around to see Draco leaning against the opposite wall of the hallway while all of his friends messed around with each other.

His grey eyes pierced into my own as he stared at me. The fact that I knew exactly what he wanted just by a simple facial expression annoyed me— I knew him too well. Rather than going over to him, which is what I guessed the stare was insinuating, I turned back towards Hannah and the others.

"He can wait— it's probably nothing important. What were you saying again?"

The Hufflepuff girl eyed me curiously, and I could tell that she didn't want to change the subject so quickly. "It looks pretty important to me... are you two— uh— together?"

Each and every one of the girls stared at me with such desperation that I thought they may explode if I didn't answer. "Um... yeah—"

"But he's— he's—" She glanced around, checking to make sure that everyone in the hall was far enough away from our group before leaning in, and the other girls did the same. "...he's a death eater."

All of the others shuddered as she whispered the words, but I could've laughed. "Hannah... that was a long time ago. He's different—"

"But is he?" She didn't hesitate to interrupt me mid-sentence. "Aria, we care about you. How do you know that Malfoy is—"

"That I'm what?"

All of them flinched at the sound of Draco's except for me, having grown accustomed to his sudden arrivals. I looked down at the ground, giving a faint smile to where no one could see.

When I finally looked up and over my shoulder, Draco was standing so close behind me that his chest was only a few inches from my shoulders.

"Um— we were just— I'm gonna go—" Hannah Abbott quickly excused herself as a couple of the other girls followed her, but most stayed behind, quietly talking amongst themselves as I strayed away from the group with Draco at my side.

"What were you talking about?"

"Oh— um— just school things."

"School things?" Draco gave a small chuckle, his shoulder brushing against my own as we walked next to each other."Why did my name come up if you were talking about school things?

"Just how you helped me... study for potions," I was quick to think of my response so that I wouldn't have to tell him the truth.

He gave a small nod and we each continued back on our way to the Hufflepuff dorms, where Draco had agreed to go so that we could work on our assignments together.

We were silent the entire way back, neither of us wanting to break the nonverbal distance we'd built between each other. Draco and I seemed so close in proximity— but yet mentally so far away.

I reached my bedroom door first, opening it wide enough for the two of us to walk in. My friends and fellow Hufflepuffs stopped questioning why Draco would come back to my room with me since it had become a pretty regular thing now.

He usually just walked me back, but he usually stayed over at least once a week.

•••

"Aria?" Draco looked up from the Transfiguration assignment that we had each been working on.

We were only about ten minutes into our studies. "Mhm?" I glanced up to see that he was gazing over at me, watching as I read through the textbook.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course..." I quietly spoke the words, realizing the seriousness in his voice. "What about?"

"What were you talking about with your friends earlier?"

Fuck.

"Draco— I told you it was abo—"

"Don't fucking lie to me, Aria..." He interrupted me before I could finish what was indeed a lie, making me look up at him once more as I shut my textbook.

"Draco—" He sent me a soft look that seemed calm yet harsh and the same time, and I gave a soft sigh before continuing. "They... they called you a death eater," I didn't look up at him. Instead, I looked down as I moved my hands into my lap.

He stayed silent as well before he finally decided to speak. "Aria..."

I still didn't look up as I continued to stare down at the bed.

"Aria," The way he said my name the second time forced me to look up, and the way he softly gazed towards me caused my heart to melt as butterflies swarmed throughout my stomach, leaving me with a fluttery feeling. "What else did they say?"

"N—Nothing. I told them that you aren't one anymore... that everything's different... that you're different," I watched in complete and utter silence as he stared back at me, and I was scared to know what he would say next.

"You—" Draco took a deep breath. "—you don't have to defend me. What I did before the battle, it wasn't right. None of it..." His hand moved from beside the bed and brushed over his left forearm, and the look on his face made me wonder what he was actually thinking about.

"That was over a year ago..."

"But still. I'm a fucked up person and a death eater for christ's sake I can't be loved so why do you even—"

"Don't finish that sentence..." I shifted on the bed, moving so that I was kneeled upon the sheets as he was forced to look directly into my eyes. "I love you. I really really do."

His entire expression softened as he gazed towards me, and I moved both of my hands to his shoulder as one of his came to the side of my face. He gently ran his thumb along my cheek and down to my jaw before curving to rest on my lower lip, pulling it down slightly.

"I don't deserve you..." He whispered the words, not taking his eyes off of me for even a second. His other hand gently trailed up my body until it rested on my waist, and before I knew it he'd slowly pulled me down so that I was practically on his lap with my legs straddling his waist.

Draco's lips immediately met mine, enveloping us both in a passionate kiss. He let out a soft groan as I ran my fingers through his hair, feeling his hips lift slightly so that the growing bulge within his pants pressed against my throbbing core.

I wanted— no. Needed him.

All innocence that was a part of our recent conversation just a few minutes ago was gone. We were no longer innocent— although I don't think that we ever were.

In one swift motion, Draco leaned forward, causing me to fall back onto the silk sheets as he hovered over me. I traced my fingertips across the defined muscles of his back and shoulders, feeling his lips trailed across my neck and leave what I knew would be dark, purple marks come morning.

"Fuck— Aria. I want to ruin you..." The vibrations of his lips against my skin as he groaned the words sent me completely over the edge. My need for him continued to grow, so much so that I didn't think I could ever be satisfied.

I used my hold around his shoulders to slightly lift my body off of the bed so that I could whisper into his ear. "Then ruin me..."

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