NEMESIS || Draco Malfoy

15

I tilted my chin upwards defiantly, eyes narrowing as I ignored the pressure of his arm against my chest, as well as the leg of a chair — that was poking out of a pile of things — in my back.

He was towering over me, almost threateningly, if he weren't Draco Malfoy. His minty breath hitched in anger as it fanned against my cheek in forceful gusts.

"What do you think you're doing?" He hissed, his voice low and — again — sounding almost threateningly if he weren't Draco Malfoy.

Another harsh shove — the chair digging into my lower back as a few smaller objects fell off the pile on either side of us — made me resist for the first time, the previously unbothered expression on my face turning into a snarl.

The light was dim in the room, though he was close enough for me to see his brows knitting together tighter as well as the frown on his lips deepening. When I didn't answer him, he repeated his words;

Lips right by my ear, his hands clutching around the collar of my shirt now to hold me in place. "I asked you a question, Hayes," He muttered, voice low as his lips brushed against my ear so lightly, they were hardly touching it in the first place. "What. do. you. think. you're. doing?"

He made sure to enunciate every word as clearly as he could, letting each linger in the air for a few seconds before the next one slipped past his tongue with such conviction, yet calm enough to send a shiver down my spine.

"I could ask you the same thing, Malfoy." My voice was stern, and the sound of it made him face me again, still no more than a few inches between us as he tightened his grip around the fabric of my shirt in irritation. "What do you think you're doing?" I couldn't deny the hint of mockery in my words. "Do you think you're intimidating me?" A singular, humourless laugh escaped my lips. "Do you think I'm scared?"

My hand slowly moved to grab his, forcing it to let go of my shirt and instead move up to my neck. He watched me carefully, eyes sternly resting on mine as his brows furrowed in light confusion.

A cruel smile played on my lips, then, guiding his hand around my neck and squeezing just enough for me to feel it and for him to know I was. My hands stayed in place as I spoke my words with just as much conviction as he had.

"I'm not scared of you, Draco Malfoy."

His tongue poked the inside of his cheek in irritation, eyes flickering down to his hand around my neck before his smirk matched mine. He looked back at me and huffed in amusement.

And then he tightened his hands around my neck, pressure on either side of it increasing steadily as he watched my reaction carefully, waiting for me to falter.

I didn't.

My face blank as I looked up at him, though my hand around his wrist tightening all by itself.

"Maybe you should be," He murmured.

And then he let go, removing his hand around my neck before turning around to pace back and forth once.

I took a sharp breath, my hand moving to soothe the mild pain around my neck as I stood up straight.

"You're not tasked with killing the old man. So why are you trying?" He deadpanned, his pacing coming to a halt as he looked at me from a few feet away.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me," He spat. "It's always your bloody family trying to take what belongs to mine. And then, as a result, you fail. Miserably."

My brows raised in disbelieve. "I know you're not talking right now, Malfoy." The words slipped past my lips before I ever had a chance to think them over. "Your father is the one who failed— miserably!" My voice was dangerously calm. "Your father is the one who dragged my family into his mess—" Growing more and more irritated, I remembered his last words. "I'm not taking shit from you—" I faltered in my words.

My eyes — previously viciously glaring at him — diverted as I thought about what I was about to say.

Taking what belonged to him?

How would he even know about Dumbledore? Or the task? Why would he be trying to kill him if he didn't have to?

"You little shit," I muttered under my breath as my eyes snapped back over to him. With slow steps, each more purposeful than the next, I closed the distance between us, my head shaking back and forth slowly.

I stopped just a few inches from him; he didn't take a single step back.

"You—" My finger poked against the soft material of his black suit, right above his heart. His eyes flickered down to it only for a moment before landing back on mine. — "Don't get to take this away from me. My family is not going to suffer because of you." My nose scrunched up as the words left my mouth, the prospect of my family dying because of Draco Malfoy making me feel sick to my stomach.

He hummed at the words, a cruel smile lacing his lips as they twitched, almost humoured by what I had said.

His head tilting slightly, he said, "I take no issue in killing you before I kill him if I have to." His voice was monotone, and though there was a hint of a smile on his lips, he was being more sincere than ever before.

"Likewise, Malfoy," I spat, breath suddenly much heavier as my face inched closer to his. "What's one more life to take, anyway? Nobody's keeping count."

His eyes flickered down to my lips as soon as the words escaped them, and they lingered there. One second, two seconds. They twitched into a smile, and his eyes snapped back up to mine.

Malfoy swallowed thickly. "I'm telling you, Hayes," He seethed through gritted teeth, eyes narrowing as a single strand of his white hair fell into his face. "Back off, or you will regret it."

His head turned to throw a single glance over his shoulder, so quickly it seemed he didn't even mean to do so. I noticed, though, following his gaze that landed right on the old cabinet his things were propped against.

My brow raised in suspicion, and his eyes were right in front of mine again only a second later.

"I'm not gonna be the one regretting anything, remember that," I spoke softly, a mockingly innocent tone in my voice. "Consider this your first and final warning."

And with that, I pushed myself away from him before grabbing the poison out of the drawer and leaving.

I'd find another spot for it next time. And while I was at it, I'll have a look at that precious little cabinet of his, too.

A/N: No because this chapter shows you what kind of book Nemesis is :) Also some of yall can probably guess the plot now and I'm just SO EXCITED

How are we feeling???

See you tomorrow. <3