Kindred

~Chapter 5~

The next morning Arianna went down to breakfast with Hermione, Ron and Harry. At their tables they found their schedules and everyone perused them talking excitedly. When breakfast was finished they had one hour before classes began. Draco had not made an appearance at breakfast, a fact which made her very nervous. Arianna excused herself to take a walk on the grounds. Stepping out into the cool air she pulled her cloak around her closely and set off down the path leading from the castle.

She was so focused on her own thoughts that she never sensed his presence until she rounded the corner and felt a hand catch her arm. Spinning around, her wand in her hand at the ready she breathed a sigh of releif. \"Draco! You scared me!\" she exclaimed.

His smile crept along his lips \"I\'m sorry Ari, I missed you,\" he whispered pulling her into his arms.

Arianna let her arms slip around his waist \"I missed you Draco,\" she responded looking up into his eyes.

He couldn\'t resist as he let his lips brush across hers.

She moaned low in her throat as he deepened the kiss. Her hands went to his face, framing it as the heat built around them quickly. Draco pulled back as he heard steps approaching them. \"Meet me in the library after classes,\" he whispered as he stepped away from her.

She nodded and glanced around, spotting Harry and Hermione. Harry glared at Draco as the familiar sneer settled onto the lips that just seconds ago had been kissing her so sweetly. \"Well if it isn\'t the boy who lived and the mudblood.\"

\"Draco!\" Arianna squeaked.

\"Don\'t get too caught up in their little clique Princess!\" he murmured before turning and striding away.

Arianna turned to face the other two fully \"I\'m sorry you guys...I don\'t know...\"

Harry waved her off, still glaring at Draco\'s retreating back. \"We\'re used to it Arianna.\" his eyes rolling in disgust.

\"Well you shouldn\'t be,\" Arianna asserted. She had seen glimpses of Draco\'s temper over the last few weeks but most of the time they were alone and with her, he was nothing but sweet and caring. This total disregard for other peoples feelings was unsettling to say the least.

The trio made their way to their first class, herbology and then Ron joined them for Potions before lunch. There was an open spot next to Arianna when Draco and his lackeys entered the room. He paused momentarily, his heart arguing with his head. Finally he made his way across the room and sat at an empty table, his head down he refused to meet her eyes.

Arianna\'s heart sank. It was as if her worst fear was already coming true. Professor Snape stood and called the class to order. It was long and arduous as the normally talented witch had trouble concentrating on her lessons. By the end of the class he had taken over two hundred points from Gryffindor, a hundred of those directly related to her mistakes.

As they made their way to lunch Arianna fought the tears that stung her eyes as the others tried to make her feel better, telling her Professor Snape was notoriously hard on Gryffindors in his class. It didn\'t help, the cause of her mood was not Snape, but Draco\'s blatant snub. She couldn\'t get it off her mind the rest of the day.

She stood in the foyer, perusing the map Harry had loaned her of the school and grounds. She saw The Library and knew Draco was waiting there for her, or at least he was supposed to be. Maybe he had changed his mind. This time she sensed him before he reached her side. She felt his hand at the small of her back and an unexpected warmth spread over her as she looked up to find him standing next to her.

\"How was your day Princess?\" he asked, his tone formal and his face a mask of reserve.

She blinked rapidly in confusion. \"We need to talk,\" she said quietly.

Draco groaned inwardly. He knew she was mad at him about Potions. He wasn\'t sure how to act now that they were surrounded by the other students. He had a reputation to protect, no one here could know just how much he had changed since the incident last term. Other people would take advantage of his perceived weakness. “Maybe the library isn’t the best place to have this discussion,” he murmured. He had the feeling that there would be yelling involved and neither of them wanted to get detention or have more points deducted from their houses.

“Probably not,” she said, her voice tight.

Draco guided her out the front door and down the steps. Moving towards the garden he itched to reach for her hand but was leery of her reaction. He wasn’t sure if he could handle her pulling away from him; literally or figuratively.

He lead her to the long stone bench and sat her down “I’m really sorry about Potions Ari...I just...”

Arianna folded her hands in her lap and simply stared at him as if he’d grown an extra set of ears.

He cleared his throat and started again “I know you are mad at me...”

“Mad? I’m not mad about potions...hurt yes, but not mad. I am, however, mad about the way you treated Harry and Hermione earlier and then the potions thing was just the icing on the cake.”

“I don’t like them,” he said simply.

“I do.”

“So...we agree to disagree?” he said hopefully.

Arianna shook her head \"No, you agree to be nice...or at least not so damn hateful! Would you call me that filthy name?\" she asked arching her eyebrows.

\"No!\" he exclaimed \"I would never...\" he trailed off. Looking back into her eyes he sighed \"There are so many things that you don\'t know Ari...that no one knows and I...I just can\'t,\" he said standing and turning his back to her. She didn\'t miss the pain that flashed in his eyes for a fraction of a second.

Arianna watched him for a moment before standing and moving behind him. She wrapped her arms around him and rested her cheek against the emerald green silk of his robe. Her own scarlet robe was a stark contrast to his and the eyes that watched them contemplated what this new relationship might mean to them.

Several minutes had passed when he murmured \"I\'ll try Ari, for you...I\'ll try.\"

She smiled as he turned in her arms. She felt his fingers brush against her skin and the sensation made her heart pound wildly \"Draco...\"

\"Shhhh my love,\" he whispered before dipping his head and kissing her softly. It didn\'t take long for the kiss to heat up and Draco could feel his body responding to the feel of her pressed against him. Likewise Arianna could feel his response and the sensation of his hardened length against her stomach made her tingle.

They were both lost in the moment as hands roamed over material, seeking the feel of each other\'s bodies. By the time the bell sounded for dinner they were both breathless and a fine sheen of sweat clung to heated skin despite the cool evening breeze. Finally Draco pulled back. He had to keep control of his hormones. \"You are incredible Arianna,\" he murmured catching her chin in his hand.

Arianna blushed \"You certainly make me feel that way.\"

\"What kind of self respecting Slytherin gets caught lowering themselves to a Gryffindor?\" a voice hissed behind Draco.

Draco visibly flinched before turning to face Severus Snape \"Professor.\"

\"Malfoy! I am shocked and disappointed,\" the professor sneered.

Draco drew Arianna behind him and simply stared blankly at the potions master.

\"Fifty points from Gryffindor for unseemly behavior!\" Snape hissed.

\"But!\" Arianna meant to move from behind Draco but he wouldn\'t let her.

\"Twenty more for cheek Miss Huntington. Draco, go to dinner!\" he ordered.

Draco reached for her hand \"Another fifty from Gryffindor!\" Snape snapped \"She stays! You may go!\" It wasn\'t permission so much as an order.

Draco felt sick to his stomach. He knew if he protested Snape would continue to take points from Gryffindor and Arianna would feel even worse.

He turned, his fingers digging into the palms of his hands as he walked away.

Snape stared coldly at Arianna. \"Miss Huntington, I know you are new here but Mr. Malfoy is quite spoken for, therefore you would do best to stay away from him. You could never be anything more than a conquest for him!\"

Arianna opened her mouth to speak but snapped it shut when Snape raised an eyebrow. She lowered her eyes \"Yes Professor,\" she murmured.

\"You may go Miss Huntington,\" he said after a long pause.

Arianna turned and fled back along the path to the castle. Dinner was in full swing when she entered the great hall. Taking a seat next to Harry she glanced over to see Pansy mooning over Draco as the Slytherin Prince pushed the food around on his plate.

Reflexively she fingered her wand and contemplated a curse that would make Pansy fall off the chair onto her ample posterior. Draco simply looked bored.