For You. | Draco Malfoy Fanfiction

twenty-four.

"The Battle of the Department of Mysteries"

KINLEY ADAMS

One week of the OWL's down, one more week to go.

"I think I'm getting the hang of this whole exam routine. It's kind of fun if you think about it as a not-so-serious game that totally doesn't depict the way our future occupation and life will work out kind of way," Dean says as he's cringing at his own thought process.

I laugh at him as I watch Hannah Abbott pass by us, tipping a whole bottle of Calming Draught into her mouth.

"I get what you mean," I say to him. "Part of me is excited for this D.A.D.A. exam. Especially after the whole dilemma of Umbridge catching Dumbledore's Army. She's still trying to say that the D.A. has done nothing for us and we're going to prove that her words are nothing but a crock of bullshit." I shrug my shoulders.

Harry approaches from behind us, placing a hand on each of our shoulders and wedging himself between Dean and me. "Who's ready to fuck Umbridge up with our wits?" He exclaims.

Dean raises a hand midway in the air. "I'm still nervous as shit though," he says.

I squint at him. "You're fine."

We simultaneously walk through the Defense Against the Dark Arts doors and Dean and Harry find their seats as they walk off talking bonkers about Umbridge's round body. I look at my seat, but my eyes trace back a foot to look at Malfoy in the desk behind me. He always sits behind me, has been the whole year, so I don't know why it catches me by surprise. I study his posture as I approach behind him. He's leaning back in his chair, legs manspread and arms crossed at his waist as he rolls his wand idly between his fingers on his right hand. He doesn't seem anxiety ridden about this exam at all. Maybe even less-so than me.

I drop my books onto my desk. "You're here earlier than I thought you'd be," I say to Malfoy as I sit down.

"Why wouldn't I be?" his eyes tighten playfully.

I shrug. "Figured you be wanking off in some broom closet," I joke.

He tilts his head slightly, a grin tugging at his lips. "Good to hear you think about me naked."

"That's not what I said."

"It's what you meant though, no?" He flashes an eyebrow.

I squint at him, then face the front of the classroom because I don't know what else to say. I swear every time I talk to him I get backed into a corner and whatever comes out of my mouth next makes me look daft. It's not my fault that he twists my words and makes them sound more provocative than I make them out to be. I figure it's best to just shut my mouth.

I feel a small tug at a strand of my hair. It's Malfoy. I don't have to turn around to realize. Instead, I let him continue on, just to see what he's going to do. He'll probably yank it, spit in it, hex it somehow. He doesn't say anything for a minute before I hear him take a breath. "Your hair is so... black," he says.

I don't respond. Maybe it's because I don't want to or maybe it's because the lump that just formed in my throat is making me physically incapable. He's never played with my hair before, especially not in front of an entire class. Though I don't think anyone's paying attention to anything but their textbooks. I feel him began to twist the strand between his fingers. Similar to the way I do myself. He lets it unravel just to ravel it again. It feels nice -- too relaxing for the time being.

"Sometimes I like to thi-" he begins, but he's suddenly cut off by Umbridge yelling at us to put our wands and textbooks away for the exam.

The whole length of the exam I find myself wondering what he was going to say. His voice sounded gentle, almost nervous. I think about every scenario imaginable. Good and bad. I like to believe it was supposed to be good.