Drax (Draco and Max) for xonceuponatimex.

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Harry Potter might have lived under the stairs for most of his life but Maxine Potter had to live under his shadow; which was worse, by far. Maxine, who liked to be called Max, wasn’t as popular as her brother even though they were related and Harry was her twin. She took every opportunity to be far away from her twin so when she was told by Dumbledore to stay in the Malfoy manor during the summer before their sixth year, Max agreed straight away.

Who wouldn’t want to wake up in the morning to see Draco Malfoy get out of the shower with a towel wrapped around his waist, droplets of water falling on that Quidditch toned body, his hair messy but oh, so gorgeous when wet... Max had a slight crush on Draco but she would never admit it to anyone. Besides, Draco hated the fact that Max was living with them.

I hate you, your family, and everything about you!

If that didn’t convince anybody that Draco hated her, Max had no idea what would. The first few days she had stayed with them had been horrible. She was treated like filth in the huge manor as though she wasn’t a guest, but a slave.

‘Potter!’ Draco’s voice was heard one night, followed by a bang on the door as Max got out of the shower, ‘what’s taking you so long?!’

The worst thing was that Max and Draco both liked to shower at night so that they could wash off all of the day’s activities. So this meant that they had to wait on the other to finish showering... and waiting wasn’t a strong suit for Draco, Max knew that.

‘I’m showering, Malfoy, be patient,’ Max let out a sigh as she dried her body off  with her towel and left it in the wash basket. She looked in the mirror and her face fell.

Like any teenage girl, she hated her body. Not because she thought she was fat or had huge thighs and her bum was too big... but because of all the bruises that peppered her skin. She hated it so much even though she knew they would fade. Max couldn’t help but think back to how she got the fresh bruises as she pulled on her underwear.

Lucius Malfoy hated the fact that Max had to live with them but due to demands, he couldn’t kick her out. He hated her guts more than his son did which is why Max had to tread lightly around him but sometimes he would... Max lightly pressed her fingers on a particularly big bruise on her stomach and winced.

‘It takes you so long yet you still end up looking like a drowned rat,’ Draco sneered from behind the door, leaning against it as he waited for her to get out.

Max stopped, standing in her underwear in the middle of the bathroom. A drowned rat? He had no idea how much that hurt her, more than the pain from her bruises, or that it would hurt any girl he said that to. Draco was horrible to her all the time, never had he complimented her on anything or even said hello to her without saying something insulting from those annoyingly inviting lips. Yet Max Potter couldn’t stay away from bad boys, oh no, she couldn’t.

‘You’re an arrogant asshole,’ Max muttered, looking at the door before getting her night clothes. She slipped into her trousers and then yanked the top over her head.

‘Not the worst I’ve been called,’ Draco said, after a while.

Max came out of the bathroom with her hair over one shoulder and glared at him, wondering why he had to look so perfect leaning against the door way like that? It made it hard for her to be annoyed at him. Max tried to move past him but Draco was taking up most of the space so she held her breath, as though not to touch him, and managed to slide past him. She hurried to her room as Draco smirked behind her.

Max got into her room, feeling her heart beat wildly just because of the close proximity of Draco and her. She leaned against the door for a while, trying to calm down as she thought of how he had called her a drowned rat. She felt extremely offended by that and especially because it had been Draco who called her that.

Usually, in Hogwarts, she would make an effort with putting on make up and doing her hair to look presentable but now that she was here... she hadn’t exactly bothered to look that great but a drowned rat? That was a bit too harsh, wasn’t it?

Max moved over to her dresser and looked in the mirror. She wanted to show him that she could be attractive and wasn’t a drowned rat to him. She would show him that, Max thought, as she picked up her make up box. She’d make him forget how to speak.

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Draco got into his room with a towel around his waist, thinking of Max. She took so long in the shower and used up all the hot water! He groaned slightly. She was so bloody infuriating but so... hot. Draco grimaced slightly, knowing he shouldn’t think that about her since she was a Potter but he couldn’t help it. As someone very famous had once said: The heart wants what the heart wants. Although if he said that to his father, he was sure to get disowned.

Draco moved over to his closet and stared to get his night clothes. He couldn’t tell Max his true feelings for her and if he acted nice to her, his father was sure to suspect something. Therefore, Draco had no choice but to be mean and he knew she got hurt and hated him when he was mean to her. That was probably for the best, he thought.

Draco got into his clothes and then walked over to his bed, feeling famished. He paused when he heard the door open, his hand itching to go to his wand. He watched as Max walked into his room, closing the door carefully behind her. She looked... wow. His eyes trailed down her body. Her hair was in perfect ringlets and she wore just the right amount of make up. She had changed into jeans and a top that hung onto her hips.

‘Do I look like a drowned rat to you?’ Max asked, walking into the room, watching as Draco’s eyes followed her. Draco kept silent as she walked over to him, on the opposite side of the bed. She smirked and climbed onto the bed, getting on her knees so she was facing him, ‘rat got your tongue, Malfoy?’

‘What are you doing?’ Draco managed to choke out as he tried to step away from her but she held onto his top, bringing him closer.

‘Showing you that I’m not just a drowned rat to you,’ Max whispered, glancing down at the hand on his heart to feel it beating rapidly.

‘Get off me,’ Draco forced himself to say, glaring at her.

‘Kiss me, Draco,’ Max whispered, closing her eyes and pressing her lips to his.

Draco obliged without a moment’s hesitation, capturing her lips in his. Feeling the softness of her lips and then moving his hand to her hair, bringing her closer. Draco caught her lower lip between his teeth, making her open her mouth slightly so he could kiss her with more passion and depth. He moved so that he was climbing onto the bed and lay down, bringing her with him.

Max straddled Draco as she leaned down to kiss him, her tongue battling fiercely with his. She felt a heat rise in her cheeks when Draco moved his hand to her shirt, lifting it up. He opened his eyes as Max suddenly moved away from him, yanking her shirt down but not before Draco saw the bruises on her skin.

‘Max...’ Draco muttered, not saying her surname for the first time. He sat up and watched her move to the opposite end of his bed, facing him with wide eyes.

‘Forget it,’ Max said, nearly squealing. She managed to control her voice and bit her lip, fixing her hair, ‘don’t talk about this, Draco.’

‘What?’ Draco asked, confused, wondering where the bruises had come from but he had a pretty fair idea. Draco caught her arm as she got off the bed and Max looked back to him, pleading with him with wide eyes. Draco ignored her and pulled her closer so that she sat on the bed, facing him, ‘it was my father, right?’

‘Yes...’ Max closed her eyes briefly and then looked at him, ‘but don’t... don’t say anything. It’s fine, Draco. It doesn’t even hurt!’

‘I can help you with this,’ Draco muttered, furrowing his eyebrows, ‘I can get you out of here. I’ve heard him hit you late at night... I just didn’t know it was you.’

‘Draco, I have to stay here... you can’t help me,’ Max sighed, looking at his bed-sheets, ‘nobody can...’

‘Max,’ Draco whispered, lifting her chin up so that she was looking straight into those grey eyes that she loved so much. Draco licked his lips, ‘I will help you... but right now, I need to kiss you.’

Max felt her stomach flip at his words. Never had she thought she would be in Draco Malfoy’s room so late at night, on his bed, kissing him. But now.... Max wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his again, feeling him smile against her lips as his arms snaked around his waist.