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Part Seventeen
Draco was curious as to why he had been summoned to the Headmasters office. As far as he was aware of, there were no serious problems occurring that would justify the late night summons. Unless, of course, it had something to do with his fugitive father or estranged mother. If he was really lucky, it was news that they were both dead. But somehow, he didn’t think that was the case. He quickly spoke the password to the gargoyle that guarded the entrance and then walked up the stairs. His ponderings on the way to the office had not come up with the possibility that greeted him when he entered the room. It was her. Dawn. The blond couldn’t stop his jaw from dropping open slightly at the vision before him. The world just seemed to fade away as all of his attention was focused on the young woman who haunted his dreams. And damn if she didn’t look good. ******** Dawn fidgeted nervously as she waited for Draco to arrive. Originally she hadn’t intended on coming to Hogwarts with Giles and Wesley, but because of last minute changes she had been asked. She only wished she had been able to warn Draco. Now she was forced to wait, unsure about what his reaction to seeing her was going to be. They had never discussed the... incident in her office. There had been no time in L.A. what with the attack and all. And it wasn’t something one could discuss in a letter. Her only comforting thought was that he seemed to be warming up to her in the letters they wrote. They had actually gone an entire month and a half without insulting each other. The sound of a doorknob turning caused her pulse to begin racing. She turned to see the object of her thoughts enter the office. While she wanted to rush over and hug him, she couldn’t seem to get her feet to move. “Sorry to have disturbed you at this late hour, Mr. Malfoy, but I thought you would like to know that Miss Summers and the others were here,” Dumbledore said with a slight twinkle in his eyes. “I appreciate it,” Draco said, his gaze never leaving Dawn’s face. “I have some things to discuss with Rupert and Wesley. Would you be so kind as to help Dawn get her things to her room?” The old wizard asked with a small chuckle. Dawn went to pick up her suitcase, but Draco reached out and got it first. “I've got it,” he said. She smiled brightly at him and turned to Giles and Wesley. “I’ll see you guys in the morning.” Then the two teens left the office. When they reached the gargoyle Draco asked, “Where is your room?” “Down that way,” she said, indicating one of the hallways. “I thought your sister was coming instead of you,” he said as they started walking. “Buffy was coming, but Spike got sick last night and she decided to stay home and take care of him. Then I got elected to come. I would have written but I would have got here before the letter,” she said apologetically. “It’s ok, I understand,” he said softly with a small smile. They fell into a companionable silence as they walked. Both tried to conceal their furtive looks to the other. “How have you been?” Dawn asked after a few minutes. “Fine. I'm beginning to look forward to graduation.” “Hopefully it’ll go better than Buffy’s.” He smirked. “Seeing as how there is no evil mayor trying to ascend, I’m assuming it will be. How is L.A.?” “Still quiet. We’re only finding a handful of vamps a week.” “And how are you?" He asked, layering the question with several meanings. She shrugged. “Bored. Since things are slow it means I’ve been doing organization stuff instead of real research.” “Seen any good movies?” He asked. “Nope. No one to go with.” Draco couldn’t stop the grin that spread across his face. “That’s too bad.” Dawn looked at him strangely and then stopped next to the portrait of a little girl and said, “This is my room. Want to come in for a minute?” “Sure,” he answered, trying not to sound too eager. He was loath to retire for the night without spending as much time with her as he could. “Password?” The little girl giggled. “Sunnyhell,” Dawn replied with a wry twist of her lips. The portrait swung open and the two stepped through. The small set of rooms looked the same as they had the last time she was at Hogwarts. She pointed to the bedroom and said, “You can put the suitcase in there.” While he was in the other room, she made herself at home on the single sofa. She had noticed that there was already a nice fire going in the fireplace to help ward off the chill. The brunette was once again filled with the sense of being safe. “All done,” Draco said as he exited her bedroom. He wanted to join her on the couch, but didn’t know how to ask. “You can sit, I won’t bite,” she said with a light laugh. “I’m not ready to got to sleep yet. I'm still on California time.” “It’s what, two o’clock in the afternoon there?” He asked as he sat next to her. “Something like that, yeah.” Silence descended on them again, only this time, it was an awkward one. They both knew that they needed to discuss the kiss they had shared, but they were afraid that it didn’t mean the same to the other. “So,” Dawn said finally with a slight exaggeration. “Yeah?” “We never really talked... talked about the... the um...” “No we didn’t,” Draco said, diverting his attention to a piece of imaginary fluff on his robes. “We probably should,” she said. “Probably should,” he agreed. They lapsed into silence again. Dawn sighed. “That kiss was... was...” “Amazing,” they both said at the same time. It took a moment for what the other had said to really sink in. Then smiles replaced their fearful expressions. “Really?” Dawn asked a little shyly. “Yes, really. I’ve never experienced anything like that before,” he confessed softly. “Should we...” She blushed slightly as she faltered. “Should we what?” She looked up at him through her lashes. “Should we see if that feeling was just a one time thing?” “I’m open to experimentation,” he said in a hushed voice as he moved closer. They both slowly moved in and their lips momentarily met. Even the brief contact was enough to nearly take Dawn’s breath away. She smiled and initiated contact again. This time their tongues were gentle in their exploration. She could feel a tingling sensation that started at the top of her head and went clear to the tip of her toes. It seemed as if every inch of her skin was super sensitive as every place he touched her left her feeling scorched. Draco, himself, had worried that the passion behind their first kiss was just a fluke because of the circumstances around it, but he could now clearly see that that wasn’t the case. She caused his emotions to stir once more and found himself loving every second of it. He knew that from that moment, he was never going to let her go. “Wow,” he breathed when they finally broke apart. “Double wow,” she whispered. Next Part |
