Ultraviolence

Chapter 33: I Only Have Eyes For You

Song: I Only Have Eyes For You - The Flamingos

By dawn, it was as though the whole thing had never happened. He was gone by the time I woke up, startled and still slightly ashamed that I had cried in front of him.

Around noon I caught him casually sitting in the windowpane playing wizard's chess with the first year who still looked green, though no longer puking.

"Can we just forget that last night ever happened?" I whispered and forgot momentarily that we weren't alone. He stared into my eyes, no longer painted by moonlight but mesmerizing all the same.

"Last night?" He raised one eyebrow and sounded confused. We shared a smile in silent agreement. The first year coughed as if to remind us of his presence. Draco ignored him.

"So does that mean I can go back to hating you without feeling guilty?" He smiled. 

I scowled but nodded. "I like you better when you're mean, anyway."

I was about to turn and go off to my room when he grabbed my hand. He's never grabbed me so nicely before, he's only ever lured me in by force. He jerked it away once he realized the same thing.

"I think you might be forgetting something." He tilted the chessboard slightly to reveal a snow-white letter with an emerald wax seal stamp. It had a glorious cursive "M" ingrained delicately on it. I could tell that it had already been opened.

"She'll arrive on Sunday. I hope you know what you're doing," he turned to his opponent and moved his own queen. The silver queen pulled a crystal sword from under her belt and beheaded two other pieces in her way. I silently hoped I knew what I was doing, too.

-

By the weekend, the hours were mostly spent on reading a few heavy books about Dark charms. We wasted the entire week trying to summon the books from the library. By Friday we finally agreed that it was better to ask the first year that had been released that same day to steal them for us.

To our disappointment, we didn't learn too much about Obliteration charms. But at least I now knew how to cast a protective charm against any future Obliteration attempts.

"This better work," Draco said in an ominous tone. I had cast the charm on him Sunday morning.

"You underestimating me is really starting to get on my nerves," I glanced at him darkly and whispered the charm once more, wand pointed towards me. A dazzling blue light circled across the top of my head and vanished as fast as it had come.

He rolled his eyes and opened his lips to respond but was soon interrupted.

"Draco, you have a visitor," said Madam Pomfrey, irritated that she had to accommodate someone new.

"Normally, you would have five minutes until visiting hours end. However, seeing as it is your mother, I'll make an exception. Fifteen minutes, then." She left and I guessed that the Weasley twins' new business had taken a toll on her.

Narcissa Malfoy, in all her glamour and elegance, stormed in. The look of concern she had brought in with her didn't distract me from her impressive beauty. Her hair was pinned delicately into a neat bun. Two loose white hair streaks hung lazily across her face and I couldn't help but notice the dark as night streaks of hair hidden close to her nape. Unlike in the memory, the potion had awakened, it was no longer one solid color.

"Draco," her voice cracked slightly as she made her way to her son and placed her palms around his cheeks.

"Are you alright?" She examined him anxiously before pulling him into a tight embrace. He rolled his eyes and blushed so severely I felt hot just looking at him. "I'm fine, mother."