Intemptesta Nox (The Dead Of Night)

For Aurakat, my first reviewer *swoon*

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Draco apprehensively eyed the new bunch of miscreants admitted to his house. One or two he recognised, Violet Parkinson had the same misshapen face as her sister Pansy so no mistaking her, and another looked like a miniature Crabbe. Or maybe a pygmy Goyle. No matter either way.

‘Right you lot’ he barked at the group ‘Welcome to Slytherin House. This is the common room. Our Head of House is Professor Snape, the Potions Master. I’m Draco Malfoy and I am Head Boy, and these two’ he indicated two of his housemates ‘are the Prefects for Slytherin this year. You will obey them, and myself, at all times. Last year we tied in the Quidditch Cup with Gryffindor’ Draco spat the name in contempt ‘and so will rectify that situation as soon as possible this year. First years of course, you’re not old enough to join the House team, but second years and up can attend the try-outs this Saturday. Of course, we want the House Cup too, so if you break the rules, DON’T GET CAUGHT! Now go get settled in. Girls, meet Blaise Zambini. She’ll show you to your dorm and answer some of your questions. Boys, follow Seth Richards.’

Draco’s eyes narrowed momenta as as Blaise detached herself from Seth\'s side and sashayed off down the gloomy corridor, waving the younger children on.n hen he turned to the dark figure reclining in the corner who seemed to be watching him with an amused smile. Irritated, he raised an eyebrow at her and sat down in one of the large green leather armchairs by the fireplace.

‘So what are you doing here? I wasn’t told about any transfer students.’

The girl smiled again and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
‘I wasn’t transferred. Well, not exactly. My parents are diplomats of a kind, I move around a lot. I should get to stay hthe the whole year, my parents are just so terribly worried about my grades, wouldn’t want me to have to move again with the N.E.W.T.s so close now’ she smirked at what must have been a private joke.

‘Anyway, I’m Theraphim St. Andrew, you can call me Thera. I spent the last six months at strastrang and the year and a half before that at Beaubaxtons. I rather like Hogwarts so far though. You have something approximating sunshine, the students are decent enough and you all s Eng English! It’s a nice change.’

Draco chuckled with her, his gut clenching at the thought of this enigmatic girl having been a student at the school he would kill to attend. Ahh, who was he kidding, he would kill for less then that. Already had in fact, just that summer when he had gone out for a touch of sport with his father. His lip curled involuntarily at the thought of the sneering older man. Lucius Malfoy was a weakling, too busy fawning over his crippled Lord to gather any real power for himself. And yet every time he looked into the cold gray eyes so like his own he froze, wanting so badly to please the man he otherwise hated. Shaking his head he came back to himself, brushing off Thera’s curious look.

‘It’s too late now for a tour around the castle grounds, we shall see what we can fit in before and after breakfast tomorrow. If you wait for Blaise to come back, she can show you to the seventh year girls dormitory.’

‘Oh, that’s kind of you Draco, but I already had a tour this afternoon, the Head Girl was kind enough to show me around. Her-something isn’t it? And a couple of her friends, that Potter fellow they always seem to gossip about in the papers and a boy with very red hair. Talked a lot about Quidditch…’ she trailed off as she noticed Draco’s jaw tighten and his nostrils flare.

‘Word to the wise St Andrew, you want to get along with ANY of your new housemates, stay away from y any and Weasel and that mudblood whore Granger. Associations with Ravenclaws will be tolerated, ones with Hufflepuffs will be ignored but any… favourable… contact with any Gryffindors will not be accepted’
He rose and headed for the door of his private bedroom, almost tripping in surprise when Thera grabbed him by the shoulder.

‘Not a fan of their work Malfoy?’ she raised an eyebrow at him quizzically, that seemingly ever-present smile tugging at the corner of her mouth as he wrenched his arm away. He wasn’t used to people voluntarily touching him.

‘Look, I arrived here early because my parents wanted to meet the Headmaster and my teachers and see the grounds for themselves. Obviously Professor Dumbledore wanted me out of the way to talk shop and so sent me off with that Granger lassie as she is Head Girl and was alsre fre for some reason or other. I know nothing about your inter-House rivalry or who I should and shouldn’t be seen with. I haven’t been in this country for over a year so for me it was enough that she was polite and kind to me and that she and her friends didn’t talk in front of me in a language they knew I didn’t understand. So I suggest you get over it Draco and calm down. After all, I can’t follow your ‘rules’ if I don’t know what they are now can I?’

The tall blonde sneered down his nose at her. Not as tall as usual he mused, at 6’4 he could still only just see over her hair. Thank the gods her hair lay flat and sleek against her head. She was holding his arm again so he couldn’t turn away. This close he could feel the warmth spilling from her skin, almost smell… something, he couldn’t pick it. Oddly familiar, yet lost in the mustiness of the dungeon that was their home away from home. Irritated again, he coolly informed her that Blaise was waiting to show her to her bed and that he would see her at breakfast.

Trying to get himself under control he stalked into his chambers and locked the door behind him, reinforcing it with some lesser-known security charms. He kicked the four poster bed in frustration. Thinking again. He always thought too damn much, his mind would run away and leave him staring blankly at whoever he should have been paying attention to. And this time, about the smell of a new girl’s hair of all things. She wasn’t his type anyway. Too tall, scarily self possessed and far too quiet. He liked to know what people were thinking. Especially if it involved him. He chuckled and headed for the shower. Still, fresh meat was fresh meat, and even the sack-like school robes hadn’t been able to hide the swell of her chest and hips… no doubt he’d see her out of them at some stage, more could be judged then. Maybe even in nothing but that amazing hair of hers. Draco groaned.

Gods, what is it with her hair? Just because it’s longer then anyone’s you’ve seen before and so marvelously thick and glossy and STOP THAT. You sound like an imbecile.

Draco shook a mental fist at himself and quickly turned up the hot water, basking in the heat and steam with the chilhitehite tile against his back. If only Pansy wasn’t so annoying, then he wouldn’t have yelled at her and she wouldn’t be mad at him. And then he would have been able to fuck her. No chance of that now. He bit his lip as his cool fingers wrapped around his aching shaft, his slow strokes almost painful to his over-heated, sensitive flesh. Blaise wasn’t any use either, Lucius had threatened to castrate him if he went near her again now that she was betrothed to Marcus Flint. The Flints were getting close to some of the inner members of the Dark Lord’s circle, which meant Lucius was starting to be more careful about offending them, and if Lucius got vexed, then Draco got hexed. And he was thinking too much again.

Draco growled the pensive mood away and put more effort into his strokes, sliding his nimble fingers over smooth flesh in an effort to hasten his release. He was suddenly very anxious to get to bed and to embrace the brief oblivion sleep would bring.

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