Wonder // Draco Malfoy

36. Late Christmas Present

Classes begin again on Monday, but I'm currently in my dorm room staring at the egg I had stolen from a dragon earlier this school year. It seems like ages have passed since the first task and I haven't given the second one another thought. Although it's just the beginning of January and the second task isn't until the end of February, I feel as though I should start to figure out what comes next.

Rue is next to me, hugging a stuffed animal Marcus bought her for Christmas and we look at the egg as if it's going to sprout limbs and start dancing for us. I want to open it, but remember how Cedric described the awful piercing noise coming from it. I've even heard it while in the common room while he was in his room and don't dare to try to open my own.

"What do you think it means?" Rue asks. We're both annoyed by how we can't seem to figure out how screeching could help either of us. "Do you think Cedric has figured it out and would want to help you?"

I shrug and lay back in bed, groaning at the ceiling. Cedric is an amazing guy, but I'm sure he wouldn't want to help his Hogwarts competition. After all, he should be the only champion from our school. I would totally understand if he would laugh at the idea of helping me. "What about Harry, do you think he would help you?"

"I don't even think he's given this a second thought either," I say. "I wish someone could just give me a hint like before."

Martin jumps on my lap and starts purring. When I sit up to pet him, though, he jumps off and runs to the door. This means that he wants me to follow him, probably to let him into the castle to roam again. "I'll be back," I say, throwing on my shoes and following Martin down to the Hufflepuff common room. He leads me directly to the door and I open it.

I gasp in shock; Draco is standing on the other side of it. He tosses something at Martin who grabs it with his mouth and runs down the corridor. "Draco, what are you-"

"Would you like to go for a walk?"

I stare at him for a moment before I agree to follow him. He gently grabs my hand and leads me down the flight of steps. When we reach the landing, Draco leads me toward the front doors with his hand still firmly in mine. I'm glad I was already wearing a sweater and warm pants when Draco asked me to follow him. Although it's a little chilly in the castle, Draco's hand is warm and a little sweaty in mine.

He leads me to a tree near the Black Lake just far enough away where the Durmstrang students won't see us. We sit next to each other and lean against the trunk of the tree. It's big enough for both of us to fit, but only big enough for us to have to huddle together with our arms linked and hands together. "Why did you bring me here?" I ask.

Draco looks at me; even while we're sitting, he has to tilt his head down to make eye contact. His thumb is rubbing against my hand. "Did I freak you out when I told you how I really felt during the Yule Ball?"

"What? No, Draco, of course not! I just, I didn't know you had felt that way. And when you said that other boys felt the same I just-"

Draco sighs loudly. "Do you still have feelings for me? Did I scare you? Valentine, I'll never speak like that again if you didn't like it."

He continues to ramble but I try to calm him down. "Draco, there's nothing wrong with you feeling like that toward me!" I encourage. Draco finally becomes silent as he looks at me; his expression shows that he can be broken by a singular sentence. I don't like seeing him this upset over something so trivial. "Why would I lose feelings for you over you looking at me that way?"

Draco tilts his head further until our foreheads are against each others. He closes his eyes and takes a few breaths. "Are you sure you don't find me revolting? I haven't spoken to you much since that night and I just couldn't bare to think that you wanted to be away from me because of what I said."

I move my head and lean into him. He wraps his arms around me and rests his chin on my head as I cuddle into his chest. His grip on me is strong as if he thinks I will run away any moment. "Draco, I could never find you revolting. I'm sorry I haven't spoke to you. I've been celebrating Christmas with Rue and now I'm worried about the second task."

Draco pulls away and reaches into his pocket. He pulls out a small box and hands it to me. "What's this?" I ask. I take the small box from his hands and examine it.

"Your present. I debated giving it to you because I thought you didn't want to be with me anymore."

Draco's voice cracks but he clears his throat. When I look into his eyes, I see tears threatening to spill as his watery eyes look nervously into mine. Why is he so scared all of a sudden? How can someone as cocky as him be so insecure?

I lean my head against Draco's and open the present. It's a small, silver ring with a green line running through the middle. It's a bit scratched and looks too big to fit my finger. When I lift it from the box, I notice the shining chain wrapped around it and find an engraving inside the ring.

Malfoy

"Draco, is this yours?" I ask. I glance at his hands that usually have multiple rings and see a new one I haven't noticed before. "You're giving me your ring?"

There are tears in my own eyes now as I look into his for confirmation. He nods and smiles at me. "I wanted to see my name on you. Especially when there are other boys with their piggish eyes on you."

I giggle at his insult and lean in to kiss him gently. He leans forward at my approach and melts into the kiss. His arms wrap around me tighter and his lips move perfectly in sync with mine. When we pull away, Draco's look of vulnerability is gone and is now replaced with his signature smirk.

Draco helps me put the necklace on and, once it's on correctly, he places his hand on the side of my neck and rubs while staring into my eyes. "You understand you're mine, right? Always wear this so others can know who you belong to."

My stomach flips at his words and my cheeks turn a deeper red. I'm sure they've been red this entire time, since being outside makes them pink.

"You said you're working on the second task? I can help you. What do you know so far?" Draco asks. His arms are still tight around me and I'm in between his legs, my back against his chest and my head in the crook of his neck.

"Absolutely nothing. I cannot figure out what the egg is supposed to mean."

Draco thinks for a moment, his hand mindlessly playing with his ring around my neck. "I can visit your dorm after curfew and we can figure it out together."

I look up at him curiously. "After curfew? Why then? Wouldn't we get in trouble?"

Draco smirks down at me. "Darling, let me worry about that. I can meet you outside your common room at eleven tonight."

A/N
Okay so I'm thinking about some more adult themes in this book. Not like full on sex or anything but like make out sessions and stuff 😭😭😭 what do you guys think??