NEMESIS || Draco Malfoy

34

"Gwen," I whined, dragging her name out as playful annoyance laced my features. The book in my hands covering my face, I let my head fall back against the backrest of the sofa.

A loud laugh rattled through my sister's chest before she tried her best to fake a pout in order to convince me. "I can't teach you how to play chess in the span of ten minutes, Gwen."

I shook my head sternly, brows raising as I lifted the book and spared her a glance. Her red hair was pulled together in a low ponytail, a few strands of it hanging into her face, standing before me but surely considering whether she should kneel in order to convince me.

"You could try," She started again, and my eyes rolled once more with a sigh. Gaze darting over to where her friends were playing chess across the room, I shrugged.

"I'm sure Erin can teach you; they're better than I am— kid's a genius." The words made Gwen groan.

"The point is for me to beat them, not be taught by them," She argued, though defeat laced her voice as she finished her sentences with another deep sigh.

"Well, you won't beat them by simply knowing what piece is allowed to move how. Because that's all I could teach you in ten minutes."

"Wait, they don't all just move forward?"

I couldn't suppress the singular laugh slipping past my lips as I sat up straight and had my eyes focus on the pages in my hand again.

"You're proving my point," I mentioned absentmindedly, eyes flickering up to meet hers only for a moment. A smile crept onto my lips at the annoyed expression on her face.

"You're the worst," She muttered to herself, gone before I had the chance to reply as she made her way back to her friends.

With a slight shake of my head, I diverted my attention off of her, though instead of finding its way back onto the pages, it landed on Malfoy as the stone wall slid close behind him, and he strutted through the room, eyes landing on me in passing.

He cocked an eyebrow of his as he scanned my posture, lingered on the book before diverted his eyes completely to disappear in the corridor leading to the boy's dormitory.

I gave him the same courtesy, and my eyes found themselves back on the book in my hands.

It wasn't three minutes later that he let himself fall onto the sofa next to me. My brows furrowed.

"What's this supposed to be?" I muttered, gesturing back and forth between us, eyes darting up to take in the slightly horrified expression on his face. The sight made me remember. "Ah, bloody hell," I smiled to myself. "Completely forgot to tell you Theo is..." I paused in my sentence. "—occupied in there." A victorious grin sneaked on my lips as I nodded my head in the direction of his dorm.

"Yeah, you don't say," Malfoy scoffed, shaking his head as my eyes diverted off of him.

I didn't reply to his words, and the silence hanging over us persisted until he broke it once more, disbelieve and disappointment in his voice this time. "Come on; you could've told me he's in there with a girl, at least. I didn't need to see what I saw—"

The blond shook his head to get rid of his thoughts, the gesture only making the smirk on my face deepen.

"I guess I could've," I smiled. "But if you think about it, it's really his fault for not locking the door— maybe put a sock on the doorknob—"

"A sock?"

"Yeah, a—" A glance to my left let me know there was no point trying to explain what Kai had explained to me so many nights ago. A muggle thing, he called it— and it made me almost get up and leave right then and there.

I was glad I didn't, and the sock did turn out to be quite useful. Nonetheless, there was no point in explaining it to Malfoy. I waved him off with a, "—Whatever."

Malfoy simply shrugged, not seeming like he was particularly interested in anything I said, anyway.

My eyes still on the book in my hands, I flipped the page as I continued reading as if he wasn't even there. Though, it was hard to concentrate when I could see and feel his eyes dart from the side of my face down to the book as he clearly read along.

Taking a deep breath — one he didn't even seem to notice with how closely he was examining the paragraphs the book had to offer — my eyes darted through the room; Millicent Bulstrode and Daphne Greengrass sat at one of the tables close to the bookshelf.

Noticing the latter's eyes on us, I cleared my throat and shut the book with a light thud.

"Hey," Malfoy complained. "I was reading that." A huff accompanied the words as he leaned back into the sofa, arms crossing in front of his chest and eyes roaming the room in a similar manner mine had.

I ignored his complaint. "You don't have other people to annoy?"

"Not necessarily interested in watching their quidditch practise," was all he muttered back, indifference lacing his voice.

"What about your girlfriend?" I huffed. "She must be pretty awful if you decide to sit here instead of joining her over there." My eyes steadily on the two, I could see his gaze follow mine out of the corner of my eye.

As his attention fell on them, Daphne patted down her already perfectly laid blonde hair, shooting him a shy smile and shifting in her seat nervously.

Malfoy shook his head, immediately diverting his eyes again and leaving nothing but a disappointed smile on her lips behind.

"She's not my girlfriend," He informed absentmindedly, eyes on the fire crackling in the fireplace to our left.

"Yeah, right." A teasing tone accompanied my words, and I couldn't help my lips twitch into a smile— only for a second, and wiped away as soon as I noticed.

As I shook my head in disbelief at my own gesture, Malfoy's lips remaining slightly parted without words escaping his mouth, I opened the book again.

And as I continued reading line after line, it was almost an unconscious decision to tilt it towards the blond in order to give him easier access to read it, himself. 

A/N: Why did I think that was kinda cute? Pls my babies sharing their books <3

I hope you enjoyed today's chapter!!

See you. <3