Deliverance | Draco Malfoy

Twenty-Five

"It's still raining," I mumbled as I watched the winds whirl outside and the small bullets of precipitation beat themselves off the glass with the same loud sounds as pebbles hitting the pavement after being thrown. "Why is it still raining?" I asked quietly, transfixed on the world outside.

Theo drummed his wand against the wooden table we shared while he sat on Draco's seat next to me. He let out a hum of acknowledgment as he glanced towards the window just like me and ignored the lesson Professor McGonagall was still ranting about after her 45-minute introduction.

"Doll, you realize we are currently residing at one of the wettest places in Europe— and I'm not just talking about between our legs right now." I stomped on his foot and he groaned quietly to muffle his pain. "Sorry. I'm sorry. It's a habit." Theo's whisper was scratchier this time. "It rains all the time around here. You know that, smarty pants." He glanced under the table and twisted his shiny shoe in the light to access any scuffs or damage to the black leather.

"I don't like the rain," I responded bitterly as I watched the storm continue. He chuckled and bumped our elbows together as he slid a little closer to whisper again.

"How ironic. You're that girl, aren't you? You have no real reason to hate it, you just do so you can be against the assumptions people make about it." He propped his elbow up on the desk and watched the storm with a smile that differed greatly from my frown. "You always have to face the other way in the crowd. You're always the different one-"

"Most people say weird rather than different." I cut him off, but I shook my head. "It's cold. Wet, cold, and miserable. Behind the so-called beauty, there are always darker intentions. Storms don't allow things to grow as everyone thinks. They create a diversion so people don't see what's truly going on behind them." I said grimly. The humor in the air around him evaporated quickly. "There's always destruction that follows the rain," I whispered. I twirled my fingers under the desk and tapped my toes anxiously before I finally looked at him.

"You're chewing your lips raw, y'know." He smirked as he stared at them. I hadn't realized my bottom lip was sucked between my teeth and bleeding until I finally let go of it. "Why are you getting worked up, love bug? It's just rain— normal rain. The only thing that'll be left after this is a few puddles, and maybe some sticks blown around on the lawn from the trees." He chuckled to himself and looked into my eyes. "Not like I'd let anything happen to you. The windows aren't just going to shatter in at any second and suck you out into a tornado." He leaned toward me as he teased me. My cheeks burned into a shade of red and I felt my heart start beating a little quicker.

"What if they did?" I asked timidly. "What if someone did happen?" I tried not to focus too hard on my breathing because I worried it would only trigger it to get worse.

"We're okay, Rookwood." He patted the back of my hand on my knee under the desk. "I'd tell you if we weren't." He sighed. The dismissing bell rang and students shuffled around us at the opposite tables.

"Why haven't they come back yet?" I asked him as he swaggered next to me out the wooden door frame and into the corridor.

"I'm thoroughly enjoying the suspense of who the ominous 'they' is supposed to really be about." Theo ran his fingers of silver rings through his brown curls and gave me an award-winning smile. "Montague, Zabini, Malfoy— such chaos. Such angst! It's like a drama series." He sighed and hoisted his bag up higher on his shoulder.

"It's been longer than I thought it was going to be." I kept my eyes trained on the students in front of us and gripped the strap of my bag with both of my small hands.

"Always a worrier." He sighed under his breath. "Are you planning on eating dinner tonight? Or if I pick you up from your dorm later are you just going to stare at all the food on your plate and push it around again while I pretend not to notice?" He asked in a more blunt approach. "I'm not the others. I'm not gonna force-feed you. You're a big girl. I just haven't had much Theo time with some other delicious girls lately, and I think I'm long overdo for a-"