Henrietta Potter || Draco Malfoy

24 - Your Wonderful Precious Father

"I need a volunteer," Snape said, as I sunk low in my seat during the last Potions class before Christmas. "-to fetch some supplies from the greenhouses."

He held out a long piece of parchment containing a never-ending list of ingredients. He looked expectantly around the class.

Everyone averted their gazes. The last time somebody volunteered to fetch ingredients for Snape from the greenhouses, they had ended up in the hospital wing for a week with a skin infliction that made them resemble a giant bogey.

Plus, it was absolutely fucking freezing outside.

"Malfoy!" Snape shouted. Draco had had his back turned, whispering furtively to Crabbe about something.

I smirked with glee as Snape strode across the room and slammed the piece of parchment down on the desk in front of him.

Draco looked down at the list in disgust. "Professor, surely I can't be expected to get all of this on my own?"

Snape sighed, sweeping back to the front of the class. "Very well, Malfoy. You may choose someone to escort you."

Draco's eyes instantly found mine. Oh no. Oh fucking no. He glinted in delight. I knew exactly what was coming next.

"Potter," Draco sneered, his lip curling. "Potter can come with me."

"No." I said sharply. "Choose someone else. I'm not going."

"Miss Potter," Snape said coolly. "You may consider such tasks to be beneath you, but this is my class and when you are in my class I expect you to do as you're told. Now go."

Ron gave me a sympathetic look as I angrily stood up, noisily scraping my chair back.

I did not want to be alone with that git. I had managed to avoid having to have much to do with him in the weeks that followed the kiss up until now.

My face burning with anger, I stormed past Draco's desk where he stood, smirking. I heard him chuckle softly under his breath as he stepped up to follow me.

When we got outside of Snape's dungeon, I carried on walking, as fast as I could along the halls. I could hear Draco striding along behind me, making sure he kept up. I didn't need to turn around to see his smirking, smug face - I could feel it.

"Slow down, Potter," he drawled lazily, finally catching up as he drew up alongside of me. "What's the big rush?"

"I just want to get this over with." I snipped, eyes straight ahead as I strode on, refusing to look at him.

"I thought we could take our time," he said, and he abruptly grabbed my arm, halting me violently in my tracks.

"Get your fucking hands off me, Malfoy," I glared, pulling my arm aggressively out of his grip.

"That's not what you were saying the other night," his eyes glinted as he leered down at me. "In fact, if I remember, you couldn't get your hands off of me."

His fingers trailed down the length of my arm and I shuddered in revulsion.

"Like I said, that was a mistake!" I spat in disgust. I moved away from him, walking hurriedly up the hallway again.

"Oh, I don't think so, Potter," Draco said smoothly, quickly joining my pace again. "People don't kiss people like that by mistake."

This fucking git did not know when to bloody quit!

"Do you honestly think I want anything to do with you?" I laughed derisively. "The son of a Death Eater."

Draco froze, coming to an immediate standstill.

"You shut the fuck up about my father, Potter." His voice had become so dangerously low, that I couldn't help but stop to spin round and face him.

His eyes were cold with fury as his lip slowly curled into a full-on sneer.

"What - ashamed are you?" I snarled, striding back angrily towards him, "I would be too if my father worked for a pathetic monster who tortures and kills innocent people."

I'd never seen Draco look so furious, but I did not care - it gave me satisfaction if anything. I now closed the gap completely between us, pushing my face up in his.

"Your father watched," I hissed menacingly, "as Voldemort Crucio'd me over and over again while Cedric lay dead beside me. I was a fourteen year old girl, Malfoy. I didn't have a wand to defend myself. And your father, your wonderful, precious father, just stood by and laughed."

Draco flinched, but said nothing. I took a step back from him, throwing him a repugnant look.

"That's the kind of father you have." I spat, before turning my back on him and continuing up the hallway.

In stony silence, Draco kept back a few paces behind me as we made our way to the greenhouses.

"Well?" I said stoutly once we had arrived outside in the freezing cold. I waited for Draco to consult the list.

Without saying anything, Draco marched past me into Greenhouse One. I followed him in, watching as his eyes raked over the plants.

"We'd better start with the Belladonna." He muttered, tossing me a pair of gloves.

We worked side by side in a stony silence, picking the shiny black berries and throwing them in a bucket. The atmosphere between us was ice cold but I stubbornly refused to break it.

We had been working for about ten minutes when Draco suddenly spoke.

"I didn't know,"

I looked across at him, startled that he had broken the silence. I noticed his jaw was clenched, and he was staring intently at the berries in his trembling hands.

"What?" I asked. He looked up and his grey eyes met mine. There was a strange look about them that I had not seen before.

"I didn't know they had used the Cruciatus Curse on you."

I swallowed, not knowing how to respond. Becaise, as I looked back into his eyes, I could suddenly see what was so strange about them.

Behind that steely silver grey stare, there was an unmistakable flicker of sadness.

***