So, here I was.

In the common room, in the middle of the night, my head on Malfoy's lap, facing him while he was telling me about his summer break. At least parts of it, anyway.

"My father had me master Occlumency; not that it was challenging," He sighed proudly, trying to show off with a wide smirk on his face. "I don't think I should've even told you this." His facial expression was careless as the words left his mouth, and I chuckled lowly.

"Don't worry. You're just trying to impress a girl. He'll understand," I teased, and his eyes, that were previously watching the fire, fell on me.

"Impress you? Haven't I done that enough without even trying?" He asked, an eyebrow cocked and the smirk still on his face as he looked down on me.

"Have you?" I laughed. "My memory is so terribly bad. Care to remind me how?" The smile on my face became deeper as he immediately helped me up and leaned down himself at the same time.

My arms instinctively found themselves behind his neck, and his lips were on mine without hesitation. My eyes were closed, but I could feel the smile on his face.

Whether it was the sudden closeness between us, his intoxicating scent or the way our lips moved so perfectly against each other; I couldn't ignore the feeling forming in my stomach.

And I couldn't help but wonder if he felt it, too?

And for the first time, the only thing I focused on was him. Not the fear somebody might see us, or what my friends would think about it. Just the smell of mint and apples creeping up my nose, and the feeling of his soft lips on mine.

He pulled away, my lips still slightly parted as I opened my eyes to look at him. His head was tilted, a smirk on his face. "Did that do the trick?" He asked, sarcasm in his voice and a curious look on his face.

I nodded, mumbling an "I guess," before letting the back of my head rest on his lap again.

"So, what did you do over the summer that could impress me, Y/n?" He asked, his voice cocky again.

I rolled my eyes, thinking for a moment. But there wasn't anything I could say to him. Yes, I spent time at the order, but that was hardly something I could boast about. You know, seeing as no one was supposed to know it existed.

"You'll find out when I want you to," I said, trying to sound as confident as I could while trying to change the topic at the same time.

He raised his eyebrows, and a small laugh escaped his lips. "Sure," He mumbled, his eyes travelling down my body, lingering on my hand for a little longer.

I followed his gaze, lifting my hand to inspect the cuts myself. "Well-" I laughed awkwardly, fidgeting with my fingers when he didn't divert his attention off of it.

"You can't just let her do that to you, you know," He remarked, finally looking back at me with a straight face.

"I'm afraid I have to," I said with a small smile. "Harry doesn't feel like we should tell anyone. I don't really know why."

The blonde rolled his eyes at the mention of my brother's name. I sighed dramatically and slapped his chest playfully as he did so. In return, he huffed sarcastically, rolling his eyes again in an attempt to annoy me.

"I'm not talking about running to one of the Professor's," He then said, a suggestive smirk on his face.

"What did you have in mind, then?" I asked, my brows furrowed in confusion.

"Only time will tell. I'm sure we can figure something out." He looked back into my eyes as he finished his sentence, and I smiled softly. "What do you think?"

Even though I wasn't quite sure where this was going, I nodded anyway.

We never shared an enemy; up until now, it has always been us against each other. So, I was confident that together we would come up with something to turn her life at Hogwarts into a living hell.

And who was I to say no to a little bit of revenge?

"Can't wait to see what you come up with," I said with a smirk before my eyes fell on the clock on the wall. "We should probably head to bed now, though." I nodded towards the time, and his gaze followed mine.

"Shame," He mumbled, a smirk on his lips as well. But he helped me get up nonetheless.

We walked towards the dorms, stopping in front of them. "Look, I'm glad we figured this out," He said, stepping closer to me, and automatically forcing my back against the door. His voice sounded genuine, and his facial expression looked the part, too.

"Really? Why's that?" I asked, a challenging smile on my face as I looked him up and down once.

I watched the smirk on his face grow wider; at this point, he was so close to me his body was pushing my own further against the door behind me. His hands next to either side of my face as I looked up to him.

"So that I can do this." And then I felt his lips on mine again, pressing one kiss hungrier than the last on them, before slowly working his way down to my neck.

My breath hitched at the sensation of his soft lips on my exposed skin, but I quickly relaxed; enjoying the way it felt.

He only lingered there for a moment, and I felt his lips on mine again soon after, before he pulled away completely.

I felt the heat in my cheeks, knowing the blonde could see it, too. He huffed with a smile, a certain spark in his grey eyes I haven't seen before.

"Sweet dreams, Y/n," He smiled before turning around to disappear into the boys' hall.

"I'm sure they will be," I whispered, more to myself than him, and opened my own door to leave through it without giving him another look.

A/N: I'm so glad some of you noticed the reason why he avoided you in the last chapter was just a stupid excuse. Y'ALL SMART!!

Also, the more reads this story gets, the more I put myself under pressure hoping I'm still delivering quality. I really hope you're enjoying the story just as much as you did in the beginning, and I hope I can keep it that way, too. 🥺