Unnatural | D.M.

Chapter Nine

Comment! I worked hard on this chapter! Enjoy! Click on the image to get an idea of what Malfoy is talking about once you get to that part!
xoxo
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Delia
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I'd felt fine for the rest of the week but all of a sudden the cold I'd had hit me. I was sniffling every other minute, my head felt about 10 times its size and I was constantly lethargic. I woke up feeling completely miserable. I groaned and rolled over onto my stomach, curling into a ball. I felt the weight of someone on the edge of my bed and I peeked from under the covers to see Hermione.
"Please stay here today. You look terrible."
"I'm fine, I sw-" I sneezed and felt my head spin. Laying my head back down onto my pillow, I felt somewhat relieved that if I stayed here I wouldn't see Malfoy. The thought of him being responsible for what happened to Katie made my stomach churn.
"Fine. I'll get the work from my classes tomorrow."
"Delia, we don't have classes tomorrow." I groaned and she chuckled. "You'll have plenty of time to yourself to get rest, Slughorn's party is tonight." I groaned again in annoyance and slowly sat up.
"Wonderful. I'll be suffering alone tonight with no one to complain to." Hermione laughed and got up from my bed, waving as she went to classes for today.
After a long hot shower relaxed the knots in my back, I got dressed and looked at myself in the mirror. My hair was considerably dull in color and my eyes seemed to mimic it. I looked like hell. I brushed my hair and felt drained from that simple activity so I decided to go back to sleep.
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When I woke up, the sun was setting outside the window. I headed down to the Great Hall, suddenly feeling annoyed that I'd been confined to this room and waited for dinner to be served.
"Feeling better?" Harry asked, putting chicken onto his plate.
"Somewhat. I needed to get out of that dormitory, I was about to go mad." Ron chuckled and I nibbled on some vegetables I'd served myself.
"I'm sure you're all excited to be going to Slughorn's this evening?" I asked, glancing over at the Slytherin table. Malfoy sat looking blankly at his food while Pansy wrapped herself around his arm, trying to get his attention. I snorted and just then, he looked up at me. My lips parted and my heart pounded in my chest as he looked me over. He gave me a small smile and I bit my lip but looked away to see Hermione glancing at me curiously.
"Yeah but I have a feeling it's going to be reeaally boring. I suspect there's going to be food so I can't eat much." Harry said. I nodded and wondered if Hermione had any clue how I felt about Malfoy. I wasn't in love with the kid but he weaseled his way into my head almost all the time.

Dinner ended and I told them I needed to go for a walk to get fresh air. I wandered aimlessly through the castle until I ended up in front of the Room of Requirement. I closed my eyes and the door materialized, filling me with relief. I just needed somewhere to think clearly. I put a record that Tonks had sent me on the outdated player I'd found a couple days back. I skipped ahead until a familiar song filled my ears, bringing a small smile to my lips. Sympathy for the Devil by the Rolling Stones came on and I started singing along I relished in the fact that I was alone and felt relief.
"Pleased to meet you
Hope you guess my name
But what's puzzling you
Is the nature of my game."

My dad's old records were left to me and I'd discovered The Rolling Stones by chance. The cover was missing so I played it in curiosity and fell in love. I spun around to the beat, swinging my hips in a circle when I saw something stunningly blonde. I lowered the music and pulled my headphones out, looking at Malfoy. I looked at the floor then back up at him, narrowing my eyes.
"How long have you been standing there, Malfoy?" I put my hands on my hips and he smirked.
"Karma's a bitch, isn't it Edwards?" I scoffed and he chuckled lightly. What a fucking prick. I suddenly realized he had seen my ridiculous dancing and my face flushed.
"I hate you." I sat down on a small wooden bench and put my head in my hands. He sat next to me and I sat up to look at him.
"If anything I should be hating you, Edwards. You definitely know what you're doing when it comes to dancing even if you look like you're having a fit sometimes." I gaped at him and shoved him playfully.
"I look like a complete idiot. I'm sure you could do better, Malfoy." I looked at him and he was staring at the ground. He cleared his throat and I realized why he was saying what he was saying.
"You'd be surprised."
"Oh my god. Draco Malfoy, practically the most popular and confident Slytherin in this school can't dance? I don't believe it."
"Well believe it. I've got two left feet. I'm a fucking mess. You should've seen me at the Yule Ball two years ago, Pansy got so upset. She right near took my head off in the hall." My heart sank and I fiddled with my headphones, sad and half angry at the thought of Malfoy dancing with that parasite.
"Right." The disappointment was clear in my voice and there was no way he could've missed it unless he was deaf. I got up to expand the space between us because I felt like I couldn't breathe or think right with him being so close.
"It's a shame about Katie. Did you hear?" I asked. His face turned pale and he looked at the ground. I took a small gasp of air, inaudible to him. He did it.
"Yeah. Listen I've got to get back to what I was doing with the cabinet so why don't you just get out, Edwards? I don't need your nosy mudblood self around me." He said icily. My eyes watered and a tear spilled over, which he must've noticed because his face softened a bit.
"I didn't think you did it, but now I'm not so sure." I turned to walk away but was spun around and he tried to envelop me in a hug. What the hell? I pushed him away, lifting an eyebrow.
"What are you doing, Malfoy? Make up your mind!" I said defiantly, hands on my hips.
"I'm sorry. You just... I don't know. I'm sorry, ok?" I rolled my eyes and walked away from him trying to clear my head, still reeling from the feeling of being in his arms. My head started to pound and I groaned in pain.
"I need to lay down." I walked around for something remotely close to a bed so I could lay down when I saw a small bed that I'd never seen before. I suppose the room was providing what I needed and I threw myself onto the bed, stomach down with one leg bent and the other straight. I felt him sit on the edge of the bed and groaned.
"If you're going to yell some more you can get out. My head is killing me." Malfoy rolled his eyes and scoot closer, putting his legs on the bed.
"Are you sick, Edwards? I thought I heard your voice sound a bit more nasally than usual."
"My voice is not nasally, Malfoy. I'm sick and I'd appreciate it if you were just the slightest bit nicer to me."
"My apologies, your highness."
"You know, you don't have a right to be rude to me, you don't know me." I turned my head to look at him, propping my head up on my arm, laying on my side.
"What's you're favorite color then?"
"You're seriously trying to get to know me so you have maybe just an ounce of reason to be an ass to me?"
"Maybe."
"Fuck off, Malfoy." I laid back on my stomach and closed my eyes angrily.
"Oh come on, Edwards. What's your favorite color for Christ sake. Or do you not understand the simplest of questions?"
"Purple. What's yours?" I muttered, opening my eyes again.
"I'm asking the questions, Edwards. What makes you think you have any right to ask me anything?"
"I dunno maybe the fact that you've been a prick since I've met you for no reason."
"Whatever. Do you have a pet?"
"Yes. A cat. Her name's Ella."
"Do you have one? Or are you too good for them too?"
"No. My parents, I mean my dad, hates animals. He says they're below us and shouldn't be in the household- that there's a reason they're born in the wild."
"He sounds..."
"Like an ass?" His lip twitched and he scoffed.
"No, like you." Malfoy glared at me and got up, fuming.
"Who the fuck do you think you are Edw-"
"Oh shut up, Malfoy. It's a joke for Christ sake. Sit down and stop acting like a little school girl." He raised his eyebrow in curiosity and sat down, folding his arms behind his head.
"You've got a mouth, Edwards."
"And you've got a terrible temper." He chuckled and looked at me, my heart racing under the watch of his careful grey eyes.
"Any other questions?" I asked.
"What's your patronus?"
"I haven't been able to conjure one. I don't exactly have a memory that could be even remotely close to being powerful enough to produce one." I looked away and bit my lip. I had no memories of my parents since I was only a few months old when they died and my time with my aunt was far from enjoyable. I'd felt alone for most of my life and not being able to produce a patronus was a reminder.
"Me neither." I searched his eyes and his face was sincere.
"I guess we're alike in that way. Perhaps you're not as bad as people say you are."
"Whatever idiocy Potter has been spewing you is complete garbage. He thinks he's so perfect because he's the Chosen One. Saint Potter." He spat, nostrils flaring.
"There is one thing he has right about you though."
"And what's that? My good looks?" He smirked trying to mask his anger and I rolled my eyes seeing right through him.
"No. You're vile when you let your temper influence you." His face relaxed and I could feel the disappointment radiating from him.
"But, there's more to you. You just hide behind your ego and snide comments to keep people out." Malfoy kept his head down and I paused, trying to be careful with my words so that he wouldn't sense my budding feelings for him.
"I think....you just need a friend. A real friend you can confide in, not those idiots you hang out with." He continued to not look at me and I scoot an inch closer to him. His eyes flashed to my body that laid less than a foot away.
"I don't know what you're involved in but I can see the toll it's taking on you. Talk to me."
"I can't." The whisper escaped his lips, almost inaudible. Silence filled the space between us for a few minutes before he looked up at me, looking indifferent.
"Alright, Edwards."
"We don't have to talk about it."
"We won't." Malfoy said curtly and I felt the sting of his words.
"I have one condition though. You have to stop calling me a mudblood." He nodded and relaxed on the bed. I could barely contain my excitement at the thought of being his friend. I knew it would be difficult but I knew he needed someone to talk to... Even if he did hurt Katie. Eventually I'd figure out why he did it, but I wasn't sure if I was ready for the answer. Malfoy's velvety voice brought me out of my thoughts.
"Your eyes remind me of honey. They're oddly brighter today." Confused I got up and walked to the half broken mirror I'd seen many times. I picked it up and furrowed my brows at the sight of my eyes. He was right. They were a bright honey brown, a color I hadn't seen before. What does this mean? I shook my head and went to lay down.
"Enough talk, I'm exhausted and it's far too late to go back to my dormitory so I'm staying here. You can leave."
"Once you're asleep I'll leave."
"Mmm." I closed my eyes a easily drifted into a blissful slumber.

Draco
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Delia quickly fell asleep and the image of her honey eyes was burned into the back of my head. I contemplated waking her just to see her eyes again. I scowled at my selfishness as she stirred in her sleep. My eyelids drooped threatening to close until I felt her press against my side. I reached to tuck her hair behind her ear, my finger trailing along her jawline. I squeezed my eyes in anger and laid back, turning my head away from her. She scoot closer, her head resting on my upper chest, face nuzzled in my neck. Her pale arm draped over my chest and I wrapped my arm around her, which she must've felt because Delia moved even closer to me. The floral scent from her hair filled my nose as I drifted to sleep.