Sinister

Four | Bees to Sugar

TORTURE, Draco had decided, was hearing everyone gab about the Triwizard Tournament for a week straight.

In the days since the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons delegates had invaded Hogwarts, Draco had damn-near gone insane. They were everywhere. Like annoying, foreign little rodents that ate all your food and showed up all the places you didn't want them to.

Draco had a half a mind to track down Voldemort himself, if only to humbly request that when the Dark Lord finally began his quest for wizard purification, he start with Hogwarts.

The constant fussing did was doing his head in, and on his first Saturday back at school, he found himself sitting with Crabbe and Goyle in the courtyard, desperate for peace and fresh air.

"Who do you think is the best-looking bird from Beauxbatons?" Crabbe was asking.

He and Goyle were lounging on the lawn, yanking tufts of grass from the ground for no apparent reason. Draco, with his arms wrapped loosely around bent knees, sat beside them.

"I sort of fancy that Clara girl," Goyle answered, after a minute of intense pondering. "She has nice eyes."

"And knockers," Crabbe added with a nod. "What about you, Draco? Who do you reckon?"

If Draco had to pick one decent thing that came out of this stupid tournament, it would certainly be the Beauxbatons girls. They'd taken to him like bees did to sugar.

In fact, he'd already snogged a few of them - including Clara, who did, indeed, have nice tits. What wasn't nice, however, were the love letters she kept trying to sneak into his robes, begging for another lark in the Room of Requirement.

"I reckon it's time for a change of subject," Draco grumbled, his headache returning.

"Oh, come on . . ." Crabbe complained.

Draco's eyes roamed the courtyard, searching for a distraction, when he spied a flash of blue overcoat in the bushes. Clara.

Great. He could never catch a break, could he?

"I'll see you two at dinner," Draco said, standing quickly and ignoring their words of protest.

He made a swift exit through the side colonnade, hoping he could escape before Clara mustered the courage to approach him. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and Draco had too much on his plate without worrying about a heartbroken witch.

Minutes later, and he'd found himself an empty corridor to linger in. A row of windows lined the outer wall, looking out onto a small garden and walkway. Draco spared it a brief glance, before his eyes snagged on two slow-moving figures.

He recognized Margot instantly, though it took him a few seconds to identify her companion - Cedric Diggory.

A bubble of disgust formed in the back of Draco's throat. Of course Margot would find a bothersome wanker like Cedric to fancy. It was so bloody predictable.

He watched, in morbid fascination, as they chatted for a few minutes before parting ways. He could see Margot headed in his direction, and debated whether he should engage.

"I see you've got yourself a new boyfriend," Draco called out as she walked past him, toward the Gryffindor wing. The opportunity to rile Margot was just too satisfying to pass up.

Margot jumped at the sudden interruption. When she saw Draco standing only a few paces away from her, leaning against the wall with a smirk, she let out an annoyed huff.

"He's not my boyfriend," she said, but there was no mistaking the rose hue of her cheek. Merlin's beard, was she blushing? Draco had the sudden urge to gag.

"I'd hope not," he quipped, voice coming out harsher than he intended. "Diggory has plenty of notches on his bedpost. It'd be a shame if you turned out to be just another one of his conquests."

To Draco's utmost satisfaction, he saw the Mudblood's blush darken to an angry red.

"You're vile, Malfoy," she replied, shaking her head. "And a hypocrite. You certainly have no business talking about anyone's bedposts but your own."

Draco shrugged. "What's that saying you Americans have? Takes one to know one. And I know all about Diggory."

She didn't look impressed. "I've never met a boy as foul as you."

"And I've never met a girl as pitiful as you."

Margot looked ready to Crucio him. Her fingers twitched at her side, as if prepared to seize her wand, before she apparently thought better of it at the last second. With one last glare in his direction, she turned and stalked away.

"Save yourself the heartbreak, darling," Draco managed to say before she was out of earshot.

He got a middle finger in response.

Once she was gone, Draco peeled himself away from the wall and chuckled to himself, heading back to his own dorms. He didn't even realize his headache had gone away.

...

(A/N) Thank you to interior-crocodile, grandesjournals, KaiParker44, ordinarykatea, PolaStefaska, JuliaByczek, and sornamisurata for your comments! You guys are so kind and I'm so grateful to have you as readers.