It's been a few days now since Umbridge found the room of requirements with us in it. During the time that had passed, I was relieved to find out Luna had already told Wren about the whole thing months ago, and simply forgot to mention when I joined. The topic was forgotten about soon after.

On the other hand, I hadn't spoken to Draco since. I was avoiding him completely. It reminded me a little of how the rest of year three panned out, though for very different reasons.

I tried to not even glance his way; not wanting to see anger or disappointment in his eyes, a scowl on his face or the general disregard he was destined to throw my way now.

In return for what had happened, Umbridge had an exam session planned for us today. I can tell you what quill she'll have us use right now.

I was walking alongside Harry, Ron, and Hermione towards the Great Hall, heads lowered slightly as we walked up to the room knowing we were about to get tortured. It was a sick thing to do, really.

We were just about to enter when I heard Umbridge clear her throat in that incredibly annoying way, making me turn around.

In her pink skirt, pink blazer, pink hat, she was standing right in front of me, a bright smile on her face. "You'll be going this way today, Miss Potter," She sighed, gesturing towards a room down the hall.

I furrowed my brows, giving my brother a concerned look before following her lead down the corridor without another word.

"What do you think she's gonna do to her?" I heard Hermione ask in a hushed voice, but honestly, I'd rather not know.

With the flick of her wand, the door to the room opened just before she reached it. Umbridge came to a halt right in front of it, looking back and forth between me and whatever was inside once.

"I trust you know what to do with her, Mister Malfoy," She said, a smile on her lips before turning back towards me, shoving me inside the room and locking it from the outside.

My heartbeat fastened when his name came out of her mouth. I was still facing the door, not having turned around yet in fear of what would expect me.

"Turn around. I don't bite." I closed my eyes, cursing to myself when I heard his voice.

"What are you doing here?" I asked as I turned around, my lips pressed together, forming a thin line. There he was, sitting at the only table in the relatively small room. It seemed more like a storage space redecorated to make it Umbridge's own personal torture chamber.

My eyes fell onto the empty chair that was opposite his, and then on the quill on the table.

"I volunteered to, in her words, 'make you pay'," He explained, not making anything much clearer. I couldn't read what he was thinking, how he was feeling, what he was planning on doing to me. "I don't think we'll get out of here until long after your friends are done."

I gulped, sitting down on the empty chair, my eyes fixated on the quill in front of me. The spot on my hand it was used on the last time already beginning to tingle.

"You're gonna-" I interrupted myself, uncomfortable with even the thought of asking.

"-What? Torture you?" He laughed lowly. "Merlin, don't be ridiculous. You can't possibly think I'm that messed up." He turned his head to look at me, a slight furrow in his brows. "Can you?"

"What are you doing here, then?" I asked instead, ignoring his previous enquiry.

He huffed, shaking his head slightly, looking at the quill once, but immediately back up to me.

"I'm sorry, should I have left you in here with Umbridge, instead? Have her actually use that quill?" He picked it up, eyeing it cautiously before letting it fall to the ground carelessly.

I sighed loudly, my head falling onto the table with a thump. "Are you mad at me?" I muffled, not surprised he couldn't hear a word of what I was saying.

"What?"

I slowly lifted my head off the table, repeating my words. "Are you mad at me?"

He thought for a second, his head tilted, holding steady eye-contact with me before a lazy smirk appeared on his lips.

"Why? You don't want me to be?" He asked, a teasing undertone in his voice. "You care how I feel about you, Y/n?"

Did I?

"No." I shook my head. "Just wondering."

He huffed amused, his eyes no longer on mine, instead roaming the parts of my body he could see. "You're sure about that?"

My breath hitched slightly when his hand suddenly grabbed mine from across the table, playing with my fingers, and tracing the visible veins on the back of my hand with his.

I dragged my eyes away from the sight, my pulse picking up at the sensations forming all over the places he touched, and the feeling in my stomach.

And then I heard myself ask "Do you?" and I watched his brows furrow slightly as the thumb that was previously rubbing circles on my hand stopped moving.

His blonde hair was messily falling over his forehead, his uniform showing creases all over the place, his robe hanging over the back of his chair, while his tie was the only thing still perfectly in place.

I felt myself biting my lip as the silence in the room dragged on, and the tension only grew.

I yelped when he suddenly pulled me towards him, my body automatically getting off the chair, and my hands pressing against the table to hold me up. The sound I made was muffled by his lips landing on mine almost immediately.

My eyes fluttered shut, and I relaxed into the kiss, his soft lips perfectly moving against mine. I felt his tongue poking my lip once, and I immediately obliged, my own lips parting slightly.

"So you do care, huh?" I asked as soon as his lips disconnected from mine while he walked around the table. He huffed, grey eyes looking directly at me when he came to a halt right in front of me.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" He asked lowly, his lips only inches from mine. "You want to hear me say it?"

I didn't feel like I was in control of my own body when I nodded. Why would I give him the satisfaction of agreeing? But I did. And I watched his blank expression turn into a smirk.

"Of course I fucking care," He said before his lips landed on mine again.

✧·ﾟ: *✧·ﾟ:*✧

It was late into the night when we finally heard the click of the door, signalling the charm Umbridge had hexed the door with finally wearing off.

It was beyond me how she expected me to be writing lines with her quill for over eight hours. She was completely out of control now that Dumbledore was gone for good.

Draco and I quickly threw our robes over our arm, placed the quill on top of the table again and hexed the blank pages to say "I must not betray my superiors," over and over again.

I stumbled out of the small room just to be met with Harry, Ron and Hermione sitting across from the door, eyes heavy. I was pretty sure Ron was asleep already.

When they heard the door close behind us, Harry startled slightly but got up as soon as he laid his eyes on me. And he looked furious, to say the least. Storming towards us, glaring at Draco; seemingly ready to punch him right in the jaw.

To my surprise, he actually raised his hand, looking like he was about to take a swing right at him. My eyes widened as I watched the scene.

"Jeez, Harry, calm down," I hissed, stepping in front of the blonde just slightly to get into my brother's field of vision.

"What are you talking about?! You've been in there for over eight hours! Malfoy's been torturing you for hours, you can't possibly still defend him-" He yelled back, trying to shove me out of the way.

Draco just stood there, watching the scene unfold before his eyes, probably knowing if it came down to it, Harry didn't stand a chance against him in physical combat.

"He didn't touch me!"

Not in that way.

Harry's arm lowered just in the slightest, his brows furrowed as he looked back and forth between Draco and me. "What?" He asked, and Ron and Hermione's facial expressions were just as confused.

"He. didn't. touch. me," I repeated, emphasising each word to get it through his skull. "He volunteered so that I wouldn't get hurt. Not to make sure that I did," I clarified, and all three of them seemed to be relieved by the news.

"Oh."

A look at Draco confirmed he had a deep smirk on his lips, enjoying watching the trio being wrong.

"Maybe apologies are in order?" He teased, his head tilted while he looked at the three of them expectantly.

"No way-" Harry began, though my glare made him shut up on the spot.

"What's that?" I asked, faking a smile while I looked at him, my brows raised.

I knew how much satisfaction this apology would bring Draco. Not because he was bothered by their accusations in the slightest, but because his ego would probably feed off of it for months.

And after what he pulled today, I guess I owed him at least that.

Harry groaned, shooting another glare my way before his eyes met Draco's. "Sorry," He mumbled before adding a "Thanks."

I knew the blonde was going to push it, asking him to repeat it; resulting in Harry probably losing his shit completely. So I just threw Draco a quick look, begging him not to.

He sighed, but then nodded, letting the three Gryffindors go after Ron and Hermione pretty much whispered an apology as well.

✧·ﾟ: *✧·ﾟ:*✧

I don't know how I got Harry to agree to take Draco's help either.

I asked him the day after Umbridge's punishing, hoping he would have some sympathy left for the blonde boy. He did help me out big time, and not even Harry could deny that.

His first reaction was a rather loud "Are you out of your mind?", followed by a "Hell no." Then, after a long while of convincing, he made me promise Draco wouldn't try to enter his mind as Snape did; instead just giving him tips and suggestions with the things he was struggling with.

Like a theory practise that complimented the things he did with Snape.

I thought that was a great idea anyway, and though Draco complained at first, explaining 'entering Potter's mind' was the only entertaining thing about the whole ordeal, he agreed.

And here we were, my brother and I walking down the corridors towards the abandoned classroom past curfew; hoping this really was the best spot to do it.

When we entered the room, Draco was already there; sitting on one of the desks, impatiently waiting.

He furrowed his brows when he saw me, looking back and forth between my brother and I. "What are you doing here?" He asked, and I shot a glance back that was just as confused as he looked.

"I-" I began, trying to find the right words, but he interrupted me right away, shaking his head.

"You can't be here. It'll be hard enough with him alone, anyway, you'll just distract him further," He stated, rubbing his temple at the thought of actually having to spend time with my brother.

Harry seemed like he wanted to protest, opening his mouth to say something; but ended up changing his mind, staying silent.

"Oh, well. That means more sleep for me," I shrugged, looking back and forth between the two boys. "I trust you'll both still be alive by tomorrow morning?" I sighed, a worrying expression on my face at the thought of leaving them alone with each other.

"No promises," They both said at the same time, making a smile form on my lips.

They immediately glared at each other, but Harry took a few steps further into the room anyway.

I gave both of them another look before leaving and closing the door behind me, hoping this wasn't all a huge mistake.

But by Draco's attitude at breakfast the next day, and Harry not even showing up in the first place, I guess it was.

I never found out what exactly happened to make them hate each other even more. I didn't even know that was possible. But I just hoped it was worth it at least a tiny bit at the end of the day.

A/N: NO, Draco and Harry didn't hook up LOL I just wanna clarify that because I just know some of yall wanna make that shit up lmaoo

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