𝐀 𝐏𝐎𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐈𝐍 𝐒𝐋𝐘𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐍 ↬ 𝔡.𝔪𝔞𝔩𝔣𝔬𝔶

03 | p i n n e d

{I} couldn't sleep. I tossed, flipped onto my stomach, laid in my bed the opposite way, but nothing was working. I headed down to the common room with a book, and was surprised to see a familiar someone reading on the couch.

"You too?"

"Potter." he greeted, throwing me a blanket.

I caught it, throwing it over our laps as I sat next to him, "What are you reading?" I noticed he had a mug of hot chocolate and snatched it from the counter, relishing the sweet aroma.

"The usual." he said, showing me the cover. 

"Nice. Ooh, dark chocolate, my favorite." I said cozying up to his side.

"Hey, that's mine," he protested as I started to gulp it down.

"You should have made two." I said, "I saved you half." 

Draco rolled his eyes, "Just finish it at this point."

I giggled, "You said it not me." 

"So about Hogsmeade tomorrow," Draco said, putting down his book.

"Yeah?"

"What if Lily wants me to go with her? Or what if she sees us? We both know I don't exactly blend into the crowd," he did a hairflip, "I'm too attractive."

I pushed him away, "I outshine you, so we're good. We'll just make sure we're not seen." I shrugged. There was no way I was going to lose my first trip to Hogsmeade with my friends to that psychopath. "Just hide behind me, I'll protect you." I said jokingly in a deep voice. 

Draco laughed, "Yes, sir."

A thought clawed its way from the deep crevice of my mind, and suddenly, out of nowhere, I felt spontaneous. No sleep usually drew bad decisions from me.

"You know what we could do?" I whispered, my voice having a tentative edge.

"What?"

"Let's sneak out." I whispered, a thrill in my stomach making my heart thud in excitement. "Remember first year?"

Draco raised an surprised eyebrow at me, "Who are you, and what did you do to my Potter?"

I rolled my eyes along with a smile, "You make it sound like I'm boring."

"Never," he reassured with a smirk. "So where are we going tonight?"

"Really?" I said, jumping up. I expected him to decline. "We could explore the empty classrooms, and maybe like go down to the kitchen when we're hungry, and there's this weird tunnel that I overheard Fred and George talking about..." I looked up sheepishly, "Sorry, I'm rambling."

"No. Let's go wherever you want."

The halls were eerily silent, the dim lighting making the shadows dance on the walls. 

I stuck closely with Draco, the blanket now wrapped around my shoulders for security. "You know, I wonder what Remus would say if he knew."

Draco chuckled, "He'd probably have a fit."

I laughed, "I heard from Mcgonagall that he was a troublemaker when he was young."

"Remus?" Draco said, scrunching his nose in disbelief, "I can't imagine that."

Draco opened his mouth to answer, but froze when the sound of trudging footsteps echoed from ahead. Draco pulled me into a corner, a small wedge where our backs were against the wall, but I was pressed up against him. I couldn't see his face, but I could hear the loud thrumming of his heartbeat.

His torso was lean and fit from the long hours of Quidditch. I could feel every breath he took, and for some strange reason, it relaxed me. 

From the corner of my eye, Filch walked past us slowly, making me crush my body into Draco's even harder. I felt him tense as well.

Filch's lantern made the shadows dance on the walls, and Mrs. Norris' quiet padded footsteps approached the corner where we were hiding. I sucked in a breath and hid my face in Draco's chest, praying for the cat to go away.

Thankfully, Filch called the cat back to his side, and I released a breath of relief.

I looked up and was instantly met with grey eyes filled with laughter, and I was reminded of the moment in the hospital room. A blush crept up to my cheeks even as I fought to keep it down.

"Are you blushing, Potter?" Draco's playful voice nipped at my ear.

"It's the lights, dummy." I said, looking down.

Draco raised an arm to keep me pinned to the wall, tilting his head to be closer to mine. "Really?"

Oh, he did not.

"How cliché of you." I smirked, raising an arm to push his down, and instead, pinned him to the wall. See how he likes a taste of his own medicine. "Do you do this to all the girls?"

"Of course not, Potter. Only you. It's always you." His eyes flickered in a mischievous light, "Have I mentioned, that you are far more adorable than intimidating in this pose?"

"Say that again, I dare you." I warned, semi-playfully.

"You're adorable, Potter." he repeated, smirking, "What are you going to do now?"

I was almost, keyword being almost, becoming flustered. "I'm not sure, is there something in particular you want me to do?" I leaned in, so that we were millimeters apart. I could feel his warm breathing on my cheeks, and suddenly, I flushed, realizing the position we were in.

His eyes flickered to my lips, "Well--"

"What's going on here?" an unamused voice cut through our moment, and we jumped back to meet a very, very, unamused Remus.