A Serpent and His Rose (A Draco Malfoy Story)

A Serpent and His Rose [The Bet Revealed]

You were so excited that morning that you didn’t even notice Draco pouring orange juice in his cereal.

"Christmas Eve, finally!" you said. He nodded distractedly.

"You aren't happy? There is going to be a party! Everyone's coming from Slytherin, including Pansy unfortunately, like Blaise and Adam--"

"Adam's coming?" Draco asked, looking up at you from his cereal.

"Yeah. Why wouldn't he?" you asked, taking an orange and beginning to peel it.

"It's just... Adam. I know I never asked you what you two did that night you went off with him, but honestly--"

"What?" you cut him off. You didn't want him to start ranting. "What's wrong with Adam?"

"What isn't! Don't you remember what he did to you? The way he treated you!" he asked, outraged.

"Yes! Which is why I'm keeping an eye on him. Unlike you I like to believe in the good in people. Second chances and all that." you said, popping an orange slice into your mouth.

"He doesn't have any good in him!"

"That's not true. I was friends with him for years before all this happened. Which is how I know that he can get a little impatient when things don't go his way."

"A little? Wow. I mean c'mon he goes and treats you like dirt! Lies and cheats and--" but he didn't finish. His face fell and he seemed to have a conflicted look to him.

"And?"

"Never mind. He's your friend." he muttered, sitting back down. You were about to question further when Felicia walked into the kitchen. She was dressed in a white tennis skirt and polo shirt, and a white visor with her curly hair in a neat ponytail.

"Oh, if it isn't the happy couple." she said, smiling.

"Felicia." you said, equally sweet. She took an apple and bit into it, her eyes staring daggers into Draco. He just looked back. You could tell something was going on.

"Uh... Draco?" you tried to cut in.

"Yeah?" he said, his eyes snapping on you.

"Let's go for a walk or something." you said, getting up. He nodded and the both of you left Felicia in the kitchen.

"We going to the front yard?" he asked. You nodded. You walked together, hand in hand, you watching the sky.

"Draco I've been meaning to ask you something." you said matter-of-factly.

"What?"

"Well, I was talking to Felicia earlier." you began. He let go of your hand.

"What did she say?" he asked quickly. You stopped, eyes narrowed.

"Why?" you asked.

"Just... wondering."

"Uh huh." you said, but you decided to continue. "She mentioned something about a bet."

"Bet? Oh that. It's nothing." he said, shaking it off and looking relieved.

"Wait. It's real? The bet?" you asked, crossing your arms.

"Wha-- Well, yeah." he faltered.

"Explain it to me." you said flatly.

"Andy, it's no big deal."

"I'll decide that."

"Okay..." he began. You sat on the bench in the garden and crossed your legs. It made you look intimidating, and you wanted that. "Well, my friends and I made this bet... about you."

"And?" you asked, eyebrows raised.

"And..." he continued, obviously nervous. "Okay just please keep in mind that this was
WAY before we were together! I'm talking years okay?"

"Uh huh."

"Okay. It was the first time I sort of asked you out. You said no. My friends were really giving me a hard time and I ended up agreeing to a bet that..."

"That?"

"That I would sleep with you before school ended."

You sat and looked at him. You couldn't believe this. It was so immature. Stupid. Hurtful. You got up and hit him hard on the arm.

"Jerk... Stupid... Asshole... Son of a... BITCH!" you said, hitting him with each word. He finally got a hold of you, his arms holding yours against your sides.

"Would you just listen to me! I never took that bet seriously! I can't believe my friends are still holding me up to it after all this time!"

"So what? If I did it with you, you wouldn't collect?!" you asked angrily. He paused a second. One second too long. You shook your head and stormed off back toward the house.

"Where are you going?!" he shouted after you.

"HOME!" you screamed, slamming the back door after you.

*    *    *    *

Your appeared at the fireplace of your house. You dropped your bags.

"MOTHER!" you screamed. There was a bang of a pan clattering to the floor. You marched toward the kitchen to see your flustered mother.

"Honey? I thought you were spending Christmas at--"

"Stop talking!" you said quickly. She did. "I'm spending Christmas here."

"What happened dear?"

"It doesn't matter. I'm going outside." you finished, then went out to the backyard. The first thing you saw was the pool. You had a bikini on under your clothes because you had gone swimming with Draco earlier that day. You took off your shirt and then your shorts. The cold hit your skin, but you didn't care that it was winter, because your pool was heated and probably warmer than the inside of your house.

"Woah! Thanks for inviting us over, dude!" you heard from behind you. You turned to see your brother and his friends watching you from his window.

"That's my sister, dude!" he said, shielding his eyes.

"Your hot sister." one said, and the rest nodded their approval. You ignored them and did a perfect dive into the pool. You swam to the other side under water and then just floated on your back.

"Honey?" you heard. You didn’t bother to open your eyes.

"Hey dad." you said boredly.

"What are you doing here?"

"Good seeing you too, daddy. Happy Christmas." you said sarcastically, your arms sweeping across the water as you floated.

"You know what I meant, Andrea." he said. You opened your eyes and looked up at him.

"Yes... I know. I don't want to talk about it."

"Right... Well your mother wanted me to tell you to get out of the pool."

"Why?"

"It's winter."

"It's heated." you said, and then dove under the surface of the water. When you came back up he was gone. It seemed like hours had passed before somebody else talked to you.

"You look like shit."

"Jason?!" you asked, opening your eyes. Jason stood at the side of the pool. You got out and hugged him excitedly.

"What are you doing here?!" you asked, pulling away from him.

"Your mom called me. She's worried about her baby." he said. You shook your head and picked up your towel and wrapped it around you.

"That is so her." you said, teeth chattering.

"Why are you swimming?" he asked.

"It's warm in there, just not out here." you said, pulling your towel closer around you.

"Right. On to more important issues. The fact that you look like shit."

"I thought you were kidding?!" you said, looking down at yourself.

"You haven't been working out, have you?"

"Not really..."

"SHOWCASE ANDY!"

"I know, okay!" you said, walking into the house once you stopped dripping. Jason followed you into the house and sat on your bed while you changed in your walk in closet.

"Who is he?" Jason asked from your room. You pulled on your shirt and came out of the closet.

"Who?"

"The guy who is distracting you from your future." he said bluntly.

"Oh... him. How did you know?" you asked.

"Jason knows all. Sit and talk. Because you need to refocus. You are kind of the key to my future as well, being my partner and all." he said. You smiled and sat.

"Well, his name is Draco. We've been together for a few months now."

"Wow a new record!" he said. You hit him on the arm.

"Anyway! We've been fighting a lot lately... he's not exactly the purest person when it comes to... you know."

"Sex."

"Why are you so blunt?"

"That's my way. Continue."

"Okay. And now we are fighting because there's this bet that he made about me a long time ago... but I'm starting to think I over-reacted a smidge. Because I could tell he doesn’t care about it anymore. It was like 4 years ago! I'm so stupid!" you said as realization overtook you.

"Uh huh... I'm guessing that isn't the whole story, though?"

"No." you muttered. "Okay. He's acting weird. He's keeping something from me! Something big, because he's always nervous and sometimes he looks a little guilty. But I can't figure out what it is! I have no proof of anything anyway..."

"But you do think something right?" he said.

"I don't know. I've been so wrong about everything so far. And I think Felicia is messing with my head."

"Felicia is?"

"This skank who is obsessed with Draco. I guess if it doesn't work out with me she's the runner up for his heart. At least that's his parent's rules."

"Wow... Well there is only one thing to do." he said, getting up and pulling you up too.

"Which is?"

"Talk to him. About everything! If you want to be with him, you need to be honest. You can never be afraid to talk to someone you’re in a relationship with, otherwise it isn't a very good one." he finished. You bit your bottom lip in worry. It's been so horrible lately, but you wanted to try and fix it so badly. You really liked him after all. Just a day ago he had told you he loved you!

"Okay. I'm going to talk to him." you said. Jason gave you a hug but then his serious face came back.

"Work out. Practice!" he said. You nodded and smiled.

"Thanks Jason. I really needed to vent."

"Anytime love."

Jason left and you immediately went for the fireplace. You needed to talk to Draco badly now. You took some Floo Powder and threw it into the fire.

"West Manor!" you yelled above the roar of the flames and with a soft whoosh sound you were gone.

*    *    *    *

You appeared in the fireplace at the West Manor. Nobody was there, so you made your way toward the staircase. You took your time, thinking about what you would say, but it wasn't long enough. You found yourself frozen outside Draco's door. You decided you were being silly, so you knocked on the door. A few moments later it opened to reveal a somewhat stunned Draco.

"Andy. You came back."

"Of course I did." you said quietly.

"So..." he said, after a moments silence.

"Can I come in?" you asked. He nodded and stepped out of your way.

"Are you still mad?" he asked.

"No, not really." you began, choosing your words carefully. "It's just... Draco I love you. But I feel like your not telling me something." you said. He didn't say anything. "Draco what aren't you telling me?"

"Nothing..."

"Don't say nothing!" you said angrily, getting up. He seemed surprised, but he didn't stop you. "There has to be a reason your acting so strangely!"

"I'm not--"

"Draco. You’re constantly jumpy, nervous, and..." but you trailed off, feeling tears in your eyes.

"And?" he asked softly.

"You never look me in the eyes anymore." you finished. He looked up at you, and you saw true hurting in him. You sat back down and took your hand in his. "What's going on?"

"I... I screwed up. And I thought it would be better not to tell you... but it's just eating me up inside. I feel like dirt, Andy. But I was afraid you wouldn't want to be with me if I told you..."

"What?" you coaxed softly. He looked down at your hand in his and sighed.

"I slept with Felicia." he said. You felt your insides freeze, the coldness spreading through your veins.

"When?" you managed to get out.

"When we got into that fight the day we got here. That was the... first time." he said
quietly. This caught your attention even more.

"You did it more than once?" you asked, eyes narrowed.

"When we were fighting... I just--"

"Well." you said, cutting him off. "I guess when we get back to Hogwarts, we'll both be single. Lucky you." you said, looking at him coldly.

"Oh God Andy, listen--"

"You listen." you said, your words seeming to slice through him like a knife. "I told you this would happen. I told you we wouldn't have sex. I asked you if you could handle it and you said yes. But apparently you can't handle it. So, I'll set you free." you said.

"Andy!" he yelled, but you ignored him as you walked out the door. You got down to the fireplace as fast as you could, and to your displeasure you found Felicia there.

"Congratulations Felicia, he's all yours. I hope you two are very happy together."