STAY WITH ME | Draco x OC x Theo

06

She wasn't ready for this.

Clementine had been dead-set on keeping her distance from both Theo and Draco, yet they both had her right back into the fold. She just didn't know she would cave this easily.

It was Saturday, the day of Clementine's aforementioned date with Theo, and her nerves had taken over completely. She didn't want to complicate things between them because she liked having him around.

It was already tense enough with Draco accusing her of coming back to Hogwarts for Theo. She couldn't imagine what it would be like if they became a couple.

Clementine couldn't let Draco be right about her. He was almost always right. He wouldn't be right about this. She wouldn't let him. Clementine had her own reasons for coming back to Hogwarts, and it had nothing to do with either of them.

She had been in her office all morning watering the plant starts, of which there were many. Watering each individual plant was therapeutic in a way. It gave her time to compartmentalize her thoughts that were scrambled up in her head.

There was a knock at the door, and Clementine looked up to see Draco Malfoy standing idly in the doorway. His large frame took up the entire entryway, eclipsing any light that was coming through the hallway. The only light left was the dim glow of the sunlamps for the plants.

Despite the fact that it was the weekend, Draco was still dressed up nicely. He wore a perfectly tailored black suit with a white shirt underneath. He had neglected to wear the matching jacket, and Clementine could see the snake and skull through the thin fabric covering his arms. It was clear that it was a dark mark, identical to the one branded on Theo. It was yet another reminded of how closely the two men were bonded.

"Hi." Clementine greeted Draco quickly before returning to her task. She was happy to keep busy so she wouldn't get lost staring at him, "Your asphodel is already starting to grow. I'm still trying to source some hemlock. I needed to get it approved by McGonagall first, but since I've started the unit on poisonous and venomous plants with my seventh years it was prioritized."

"What about the thorned ichor?" Draco asked. He raised a brow and stared at her expectantly, despite knowing her reservations about the dangerous plant.

Clementine stood up straight and brushed the dirt off her hands to speak firmly, "I told you that's never going to happen. You're wasting your time and mine by asking me again."

"Have you noticed anyone acting strange?" Draco walked further into the room, and his towering presence made the office feel even smaller. "Any students who are just a bit off?"

"Not that I can recall." Clementine waved dismissively as she tried to ignore the fact that Draco was further encroaching on her personal space. She found his distrust of the students to be a bit ridiculous, "I still think you just misplaced it. Really Draco, you should be more careful with such things. It's bad enough to lose expensive potion ingredients, but something so dangerous is something else entirely. It—"

"I'm not going to stand here and be falsely accused losing lethal potion ingredients." Draco snapped, taking genuine offense.

"Take a seat, and I'll accuse you that way then." Clementine motioned towards her empty desk chair, refusing to entertain the thought. "Whether you've lost it or not, I'm not going to grow you more, so stop asking me."

Draco tensed, almost hesitant to speak as he clenched his jaw, "I guess I'll have to figure something else out then."

He turned to leave, but something stirring inside her made Clementine call out to him. "Malfoy, wait."