TRAINING WHEELS—
BACK TO SQUARE ONE.

024

"Amora!" Leon grabbed the sleeve of her robe and tugged her down onto the bench as soon as she reached the Hufflepuff table. "Are my eyes deceiving me or were you just sitting with the Slytherins? And there wasn't a single screaming match?"

Amora rolled her eyes with a small smile. "Believe it or not, Leon, but they don't always flip their shit when they see a robe that's not green," she teased, "Besides, why would they? I'm sure they understood it was a privilege for me to sit at their table. I mean, look at me. I'd be happy to sit next to me too."

"Shut up," Leon grumbled at her joke. "Seriously, though. What was that?"

"Blaise helped me with some homework," Amora shrugged.

"I could have helped you," Leon whined.

"Well, Blaise offered," she shrugged, sipping at some pumpkin juice. "It doesn't hurt to expand your friendships. I know you don't really like to drift outside the Hufflepuffs and a few Gryffindors, but houses don't mean everything. There are some lovely Slytherins. You would get on well with Blaise, I reckon."

"He's too self-centred."

"You just don't like a little competition," Amora teased, "You're scared that people think Blaise is more attractive than you. Malfoy too."

It was common knowledge throughout Hogwarts that the three of them were the most attractive boys in their year group. It wasn't necessarily the most important or exciting news in a school full of magic and wizardry, especially when Harry Potter was in your year, but it was still a highly shared opinion.

"Please, they're barely competition," Leon scoffed, rolling his eyes jokingly as he dramatically flung his arm around Kathy's shoulder as she ate her food. "Besides, I don't care what anybody else thinks. I just care what Kathy thinks."

Amora turned to face Hannah and smiled sickenly sweetly. "Hi, Hannah. Just out of curiosity, who do you think is best looking? Leon, Zabini, or Malfoy?"

Hannah thought for a few seconds, her blonde brows knitting together as she thought. "Hmm. Maybe Leon."

"Ha!" Leon pointed a finger at her, his cheeks lifting as he grinned like a madman.

Amora rolled her eyes. "Zena?"

Zena winced. "Blaise. Sorry, Leon. He's just so... cool all the time. He's classy."

"Wha- I can be classy!" Leon seemed dumbstruck for a second. "Susan?"

The ginger-haired girl huffed in annoyance as she glanced up from her book. Amora looked expectantly over, genuinely curious to Susan's answer. Susan didn't talk too much about boys when they became the topic of conversation in the dorm-- she seemed to think they were a waste of time. Amora wished she thought like that sometimes, but when Amora was hooked on a boy, she was hooked on them. First, it had been Blaise for two or three years, and now it was his best friend.

"Maybe..." She blushed. "Maybe Malfoy?"

Justin roared with laughter from beside her, slamming his fist down on the table. "Susan and Draco sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n---"

He was cut off by Susan's hand smacking across his mouth immediately as she hissed at him to shut up. Amora chuckled quietly to herself, shaking her head. She never would have thought that Susan would have liked Draco out of the bunch, but she couldn't find herself to feel jealous about it at all. She knew Susan didn't have a crush.

"Okay, so that's what? One each. And Kathy obviously thinks me, so I win," Leon smiled smugly, "I'm the fittest boy in our year."

"No, Kathy's biased-- she doesn't count." Ernie rolled his eyes. "Also, how come it's just between the three of you? There are other fit boys, you know--"

"Like yourself?" Hannah snickered, patting his hand. "You're handsome, Ernie, but this is the top three we're talking about."

"That top three list is debatable," Kathy huffed, "I would swap Malfoy out for Dean Thomas."

Amora sat up straighter, immediately wanting to shut her friend down for it but keeping her lips shut. It seemed like their year group of Hufflepuffs were now all invested into the conversation, despite it starting out as a quarrel between Amora and Leon over how she should have gone to him for help on her Herbology essay.

"No, swap Leon for Harry," Justin joked, earning a glare from his friend, "It's the heroism. It's an attractive quality to have, you know?"

Leon rolled his eyes. "Doesn't matter. I win. Kathy and Hannah vote for me."

"Kathy's excluded," Ernie said again, "She's dating you, so it's not fair. Of course she wouldn't say if she actually thought Zabini or Malfoy were fitter."

"Okay, so Amora gets final say then," Kathy shrugged before she pecked Leon's jaw. "But just for the record, I don't think Malfoy or Zabini are fitter than you, Le."

Leon smiled down at her, snuggling his nose against her neck for a second before he looked back at his best friend, looking at her expectantly. Amora shrunk under his gaze and the eyeballs of the rest of her friends.

"C'mon, Amora, you have the winning point. All three are on one," Hannah said before she eyed the boys. "Unless the boys want to ditch their toxic masculinity and vote too."

Justin shrugged. "This is a rate of female attraction. I am no female."

Amora huffed and looked to her best friend. She knew the answer. His face was as clear as crystals in her brain, his platinum hair and silver eyes that twinkled like the moonlight. His pale skin that was cold to touch but warmed beneath her when she pressed her lips into his, his large hands gripping her waist and pulling her in to inhale his peppermint shampoo and expensive cologne. She shuddered as she pulled herself out of her daydream.

"Amora!" Kathy whined, "Answer."

"This game is stupid," she swallowed, "We shouldn't compare--"

Leon rolled his eyes. "Just admit I'm hot and move on."

"You are handsome, Leon, but..." Everybody hung on the edge of their seats, eyes wide-- they had been sure that Amora was going to pick her best friend.

Amora couldn't do it. She couldn't finish the sentence. It wasn't just in front of her best friends-- it was in front of Ernie and Justin who she was less close to, as well. Also anybody else who was possibly listening to them. Amora mentally apologised to the boy in her head.

"Joking-- you win."

"Ha!" Leon grinned, pressing a kiss to the side of Kathy's head. "I win. I'm the fittest boy in the year."

Amora grumbled as the bell rang for the first lesson, grabbing her stuff and leaving. "You're definitely something."

D.M + A.B

Herbology had gone by fine thanks to Blaise and as the day trailed on, Amora completed all of her classes and ate her dinner with her friends. Finally, she chose to read with a view of the outside. Part of having a dormitory in the dungeons meant that she didn't get to look outside whilst she read, which she missed greatly when she was at Hogwarts.

Amora glanced up from where she was curled on the concrete windowsill, peeling her brown eyes from her book and finding Draco standing in front of her. He glanced around them before he sat on the ledge on the other side of her, one of his legs curled under his body and the other dangling down. He leaned back against the wall, folding his arms across his chest and tilting his head as he silently stared.

She gave him a half smile, unable to continue reading with his burning gaze on her. Amora sensed that he wasn't here to lead her away to a broom closet and kiss the life out of her. Instead, he seemed content just sitting there with her.

"At home, my bedroom window is at the front of the house," she told him, looking away and out of the glass where she could see the courtyard and people strolling around below as it grew dark. "My dad built a huge windowsill-bench thing for me when I was younger, and it opens up and I can put my books inside it. I always sit there and watch the ocean whilst I read. Or crack the window open and listen to it crash against the rocks, or the seagulls swooping by. I miss that when I'm here."

Draco appeared to be listening to her intently, concentrating and hanging on every single word that left her lips. When she glanced back from the courtyard, she realised that he was still watching her, causing the corners of her lips to twitch up a little.

"But when I go back home, I miss it here. It scares me that this place is only temporary, you know? Because it feels like home," Amora continued, "But in three or so years, we'll leave and new witches and wizards will come, and I'll be Merlin knows where, doing Merlin knows what."

Draco chuckled quietly. "That's a bit deep for a Thursday afternoon," he murmured, "I was expecting you to tell me what you were reading or ask me what I want."

"Okay." Amora peeled the book off her lap and peered at the cover. "I'm reading a Muggle book called Frankenstein and what do you want?"

A grin crossed Draco's face. It was a real grin-- teeth and all. The apples of cheeks rose as he shook his head at her, amused. Amora wished she could capture the expression on his face in a photograph. It definitely wasn't everyday that Draco smiled like that. She knew he didn't smile just for anyone and it made her heart swell.

"Just wanted to... see you, I suppose," Draco muttered, scratching the back of his neck as his smile faded. "It was strange having you at the Slytherin table this morning."

Amora cocked her head to the side. "Good strange or bad strange?"

"Good strange," he drawled, leaning forward and tracing his fingers down the golden lining of her school robes. "I wish you had been put in Slytherin, hmm? Green would suit you. And you could sit beside me every morning. You certainly managed to put Pansy in her place."

"I don't mind Pansy," Amora admitted.

Draco quirked a brow. "She's a bitch. To you, as well."

"I don't know, I have to admire some of the remarks she comes out with," Amora giggled, "Some of it's funny-- like what she said about my dress at the Yule Ball."

"You thought that was funny?" Draco's eyes bulged slightly as she nodded. "You're a weirdo, Buckley."

"She's... badass," Amora shrugged, her smile shying off of her face. "Really cool. She just speaks her mind and doesn't care what people think. I admire that about her."

Draco seemed deep in thought for a few seconds. "You... want to be like her?" He frowned, forehead wrinkling and a nearly-disgusted expression on his face. "I like you the way you are."

The brunette blushed at his words but shook her head. "I'm happy being me," she chuckled, "But... I must admit, I lie to please people a lot. That's what I like about your house, not just Pansy. You think of yourselves first, and that's not always a bad thing. Sometimes it feels like you're doing everything for somebody else. It becomes tiring, you know?"

The Malfoy boy scoffed. "Trust me, I understand."

Amora could tell he was thinking about something. She wondered what until she thought maybe it could be his parents. He was the leader of his friends so it couldn't be them. She felt sorry for him.

"People say Hufflepuffs are weak because they're kind, but I don't think those people realise how strong you have to be to be kind all of the time," Amora hummed, absentmindedly trailing her fingers up and down the spine of her book as she watched Draco frown, looking out the window, deep in thought. "You know, I think that might be why I always bit back when you started arguments with me. It was almost liberating to not be so reserved and kind for once."

"I never thought of it like that," Draco murmured, casting his eyes back to her.

Amora shrugged. "Not a big deal. Just some food for thought."

"You know, Buckley, I do believe this is the first proper conversation we've ever had." Draco raised his brows. "Not a bad one, either. Good to know you're not an airhead like Crabbe or Goyle. If brains were gold, those two would be poorer than a Weasley."

The brunette sighed. She immediately wanted to bite Draco's head off, to lift herself from the ledge they were sitting on and storm back to her dormitory, but she pursed her lips and sent him a look. Draco read into it immediately and averted his eyes back to the scenery outside.

"It was a joke," he muttered.

"Where the Weasleys are poor in Galleons, they make up for it with love and laughter," Amora told him sincerely, thinking about the family that she admired with all of her heart. "Your idea of a joke... it baffles me."

Draco rolled his silver eyes. "You're being soft."

That shoved Amora over the edge. Merlin, he was so stupid and infuriating.

"I'm being loyal to my friends," Amora scowled, sitting up and grabbing her book. "I will never sit back and allow anybody to mock those I care about. You know what, Draco? I thought we were doing really well. You just had to go and ruin it, didn't you?"

His stormy eyes watched her climb from her seat, but before she could move away, his large hand moved out to wrap around her wrist and tug her back. Amora's eyes widened and she attempted to wriggle out of his grip.

"I can apologise," Draco said, searching her face for any sign of softening-- he caught it in her eyes. "But... you can't expect me to just... be a different person."

Amora swallowed, feeling stupid as she finally grasped her hand out of his. "I don't expect you to suddenly become the next Neville bloody Longbottom, but I expected... Merlin, I don't know what I was expecting! You're Draco Malfoy, of course you're going to be an arse!"

She started to storm down the corridor, attempting to ignore the footsteps coming after her. Before she could get away, Draco had her pinned to the wall, his minty breath fanning her face as he took her in. Amora placed her hands on his chest and tried to shove him off, but he grabbed her hands, pinning them above her head.

Amora couldn't believe how quickly they'd gone from talking about her bedroom back home to this; her body pressed against a wall like she was the prey and he was her predator.

"You're absolutely right, Amora," Draco sneered, "I am Draco Malfoy. You must have known exactly who I was when you had your hands in my hair and my tongue down your fucking throat."

Her eyes widened, her breath hitching.

"You're not as sweet and pure as people think, are you, Amora?" Draco growled, "Because otherwise, you wouldn't be with me-- betraying your friends. For a Hufflepuff, you're not so loyal, hm? You know exactly who I am. What I think and where my priorities lie. Yet you're still here."

Amora's heart was pounding in her chest and as his fingers started to slide towards her jaw, just like he always did before he kissed her, Amora grabbed his wrist with a crushing grip and grabbed her wand out of the pocket of her robe. Draco looked surprised when she pressed it against his neck, just like she had done at the start of the year. Yet he didn't seem scared. That infuriated Amora more-- he shouldn't underestimate her.

"You say I know exactly who you are, but I don't think even you know who you are, Draco Malfoy," Amora hissed, clearly catching him off guard. "If you have all of these priorities and thoughts, then why are you here as well? It swings both ways, Malfoy. I may be a Pure-blood, but you know who I am, too. I'm a Hufflepuff, a blood traitor-- my parents were part of the Order, yours were with Him. But you're still here, just like I bloody am."

Draco watched the tears start to stream down her cheeks, his face falling from the stony expression it had previously held. It was a gut-wrenching feeling to watch her cry in front of him, her not even acknowledging the salty tears as she spat what she was truly thinking to him. Everything he had said had been true, but she had also been just as right as he was.

"How can we even like each other when we're so different?" Amora continued, "You must hate everything about me!"

"You must hate everything about me too, then," Draco grumbled, avoiding her question as her wand lowered.

"I don't-- I can't anymore," Amora admitted, "'Cause when I look at you, I don't see the cold front you try to put on. I see the boy who gave me the jumper off his back and danced with me. I want to know the real you. I want you to let me in."

"This is the real me," Draco scolded, dropping the expression of awe that he had been wearing whilst she spoke. "You are talking to the real me."

"I don't believe that for a second," Amora whispered, wiping her tears off of her cheeks. "Because I look at you right now and I see the way you look at me whilst I cry. You don't like it, do you?"

"Of course I don't," Draco swallowed, scrunching his face up.

"Then I don't believe for a second that you're as cold and cruel as you try to be," Amora said, watching the way his shoulders sagged and how his crestfallen face stared at her. "I do believe that you think it's who you are, but I know you can do better, Draco."

"I don't need lessons," he growled, lip curling. "I don't need you to work on me like some sort of project."

"Relationships are about bringing out the best in the other person--"

"The last time I checked, you and I weren't in a relationship," Draco finally snapped, and he could tell that he had taken it too far when he saw the expression that immediately crossed Amora's face. "It's a good thing too— you're right. We are too different for one another."

Whilst his words were true, it didn't make it hurt any less for the brunette. She tore her gaze from him, fearing that she would cry harder if he kept looking at her like that-- like she meant nothing to him. Her heart was pounding and she knew that she had to get out of here, away from Draco, as quickly as possible.

"You're completely right, Malfoy," Amora swallowed, "we're not together. It's a good thing too, because we are very clearly toxic for one another. We can't have a basic conversation without exploding."

"Perhaps if you weren't such a fucking crybaby--"

"Just shut the fuck up, oh my God." Amora cut him off before he could rub any more salt in the wound, shoving him by the chest so that he stumbled backwards and she could finally escape.

Amora stormed down the corridor, wiping the tears off of her cheeks as quickly as they came. Small sobs echoed past her lips. She wished she wasn't so infatuated by Draco. She didn't understand why it hurt her so badly that they would never work out. Perhaps they were supposed to stay enemies rather than lovers.

Her eyes landed on a girl leaning with her arms folded against her chest a few feet ahead. Amora blinked the remaining tears in her eyes out of her vision, the blurriness evaporating and revealing Pansy Parkinson. The ebony-haired girl in the Slytherin robes stood watching her, not looking particularly sympathetic nor pissed off.

Amora laughed bitterly through her tears. "I suppose you're going to tell my friends what you just heard?"

Pansy rolled her eyes. "I'd rather die than go within a three-foot radius of Harry Potter."

Whilst the brunette did feel rather defensive of her friend, she took Pansy's crude remark as an oath to silence. She tried to send a small smile but felt more tears overflow. Pansy sighed and grabbed Amora's arm, tugging her into the girls' bathroom one door down. She grabbed tissues and handed them to her.

"Malfoy is not worth getting yourself this worked up over," Pansy insisted impatiently, watching as Amora wiped her tears away. "He's a dick. What you just heard-- that's Malfoy being his normal dick-ish self. Trust me. You're too... Merlin, I cannot believe I am saying this... but Buckley, you're too good for him."

Amora felt uncomfortable discussing what she had had with Draco with Pansy, yet for some reason, it still felt sort of relieving for somebody else to know. She never thought it would be Pansy Parkinson, but here she was,  accepting her advice in the girls' bathroom. If Amora knew this would be happening a year ago-- that Pansy Parkinson would be comforting her because she liked Draco Malfoy-- then Amora would have laughed. So much had changed in such little time.

"Did you hear everything?" Amora questioned, her eyes drying as she tossed the tissue into the nearest bin.

Pansy shrugged. "Pretty much. I'd had my suspicions about the two of you for a while now, but when I saw you sat together at the window, I just had to listen for it to be confirmed. And I heard what you said about me. It was... nice to hear."

Amora wasn't sure what to feel. She didn't reply to Pansy's last statement, not caring if Pansy had heard her compliment her. It was the least of her worries right now.

"I will tell you this, though, Buckley," Pansy said, "he cares about you. In his own fucked-up way, Malfoy cares about you. More than anybody else in this stupid school, anyway. The way he looked at you before you fought said it all. That, and I keep catching him staring at you. And he's actually been decent to be around recently."

Amora's heart swelled, her head conflicted as she turned to glance in the mirror. Her brown eyes were rimmed red and she sighed, shaking her head.

"It's too hard," Amora whispered, "Too much work."

"Is he worth it?" Pansy asked.

"I don't know, Pansy. I don't know."

...

here comes the amora and pansy alliance against draco!! draco's being a huge dick rn but it's bc he truly doesn't know what he's feeling or how to express/confess it. it's just in his nature to drive people away and be cruel so that he doesn't get hurt and he can stay on top. obvs he's not going to trust amora or tell her everything he's feeling-- he would consider that weak. but development is a thing so :))))

anywayss,,, thanks so much for reading!

dyiansobrien