Pawns | A Draco Malfoy Love Story

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As usual, I waited until everyone went to bed and then I crept quietly out of the common room.

After the incident in the Prefects bathroom, I spent most the evening pretending to work on some urgent paper. But the truth was I didn't actually have anything to do. So, I spent almost five hours doing next week's readings in order to fake doing the paper that Harry thought I was tackling - I had even missed dinner whilst committing myself to the act.

My stomach growled as I tiptoed along the dark hallways and I hoped that it wouldn't wake up any of the people in the pictures that lined the stoned walls.

I found myself standing before the wall and closed my eyes, taking a deep breath in. The corners of my mouth were already starting to curl upward in a smile. The metal scraped against the wall and I reached out to push the door forward.

When they swung open, he was standing right there in front of them.

"Creepy," I joked, as I walked in and moved past him. From the corner of my eye I saw him watching me as I passed with a small smile on his lips. His stare on my back made the butterflies in my stomach rise up.

I plopped down on the couch and watched as he walked over to join me. He moved slowly and so I took those few seconds to scan the room. I could still see the faint line on the bricks where the Room had carved out a hidden closet full of games. I looked back at him as he sunk down to my right.

"Have you learned how to play chess yet?" I asked.

"I think I have," he replied.

"Oh?" I raised my eyebrows. Shall we test that?" I challenged him smiling.

"Another time," he said. He then pulled out a chocolate frog from the pocket of his robes and handed it to me.

My fingers lightly touched his as I accepted the treat. "Thank you! I'm starving."

"I didn't see you at dinner, so I figured you'd want a snack."

"Yea I was doing some work, got caught up in it," I said.

"You're so smart," he said, "and to think that I offered you my notes all those months ago."

I blushed as I took a bite of the chocolate. "How's your classes going?"

"Not bad, but I'll bet I've been less focused than you - I actually go to dinner."

For a good half hour we talked about everything new that had happened over the past week. I told him about my studies and updated him on whatever gossip came to mind- not my own of course, as I wouldn't want to make things awkward. I told him about Ginny and Dean and also about how Ron and Hermione still weren't talking.

He had a little less to share when it came to his personal happenings as well, but I did get to hear the juicy details about Crabbe's most recent rejection - apparently he's not as hot as he thinks he is.

As he told me about Crabbe's sob story, I found myself fidgeting with the chocolate frog box, opening and shutting its flaps and scanning the back of the box. He had stopped talking for almost a whole minute before I even noticed.

When the silence registered, I looked up at him and I gasped slightly, startled and embarrassed by my own rudeness.

He chuckled lightly. "Next time I'll tell you about Blaise's love life, maybe it'll be more entertaining."

I gave him an apologetic look and turned my gaze downward.

"What were you thinking of?" he asked as I saw him scoot an inch closer to me from my periphery.