I stayed at Draco's again for the last half of the summer.

We spent my entire stay in the treehouse, even sleeping there. Lucius seemed less adamant on having family meals at the table this time around.

I'm not going to lie, I was glad. I liked that man even less after what he'd done to the Weasley girl. We still occasionally joined Narcissa though, who liked to make us pancakes in the morning.

Sleeping in the treehouse with Draco meant that I got a treat on the second to last morning.

We'd pulled an all nighter on the PlayStation, both of us falling asleep on the beanbags mid game.

I came to, peeling a sticky mars bar wrapper off of my face. I drowsily looked over to where Draco was gently snoring; slumped back ungainly against his beanbag and controller still in hand.

"What the fuck is with your hair?" I asked when he finally lifted his head, blinking open his eyes, his expression sleepy and disoriented.

His normally golden slicked back mop was now tousled lazily over his brow, the colour less golden and more of a white-blond.

"Brylcreem must have worn off," he muttered, running his fingers through it, causing it to flop back down even more messily upon his head.

When he was in the shower I snuck into his bedroom and located the large pot of hair cream upon his bedside table.

I tiptoed out, taking it with me.

"Zabini!" I heard him loudly holler ten minutes later from inside his bedroom, "give me back my Brylcreem!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" I called back as innocently as I could.

Seconds later he came storming into my bedroom, his hair looking soft as anything now that he'd washed it.

"Nice hair," I smirked from where I was sat on the end of my bed, holding up the red pot in my hand, "looks much better without this crap."

"I LIKE THAT CRAP!" He bellowed, furiously striding across the room towards me.

I jumped up before he could reach me, laughing as I dodged past him and ran for the door.

"Oh no you don't, Zabini," he seethed behind me, hot on my heels.

He chased me down the hallway, skidding and sliding close behind me as I practically flew down the stairs and across the entrance hall towards the front door.

But he managed to reach me before I got there, tackling me down to the ground as I laughed helplessly, refusing to yield my hold on the pot of his much loved hair cream.

"Give it back, Zabini," Draco demanded, his voice sounding almost like a growl as he pinned me down on the floor with his weight.

When he failed to prise it from my grip, he decided to start tickling my sides instead.

"Stop!" I gasped between helpless laughter, "don't- please- I- give- in-"

He paused, his silver eyes flashing wickedly down into mine. "Give it to me, then," he ordered as his chest rose and fell heavily above me.

"You look better without it," I pouted, reluctantly handing it back to him.

He didn't immediately get off of me, instead continuing to stare down into my eyes, a look of confusion flickering across his face.

"Draco?" I murmured, wondering what was wrong with him.

Just then the doorbell resounded loudly around us, causing Draco to start before hurriedly scrambling off of me.

"Shit, she's here," he muttered, getting to his feet and hastily trying to flatten his now cream-less hair.

"Who?" I asked, surprised that he was expecting anyone. This was the first I was hearing if it.

"Pansy," he mumbled, his cheeks flushing as he avoided my gaze.

"Pansy?" I repeated, feeling that strange nasty sensation stir in the pit of my stomach again.

"She wanted to go to Diagon Alley together," he shrugged, still looking anywhere but at me, "so I invited her to join us today."

I told myself I didn't care, that I wasn't disappointed that the last day of our holiday wasn't spent just the two of us.

But as the three of us traipsed into Diagon Alley together, I couldn't help but feel like some sort of third wheel; Draco and Pansy seeming to have eyes only for each other.

I couldn't understand it; I'd been cool with the three of us hanging out in Hogwarts. What was different now?

Yet, he was acting so strange around her; usually he treated her with the same disdain that I did - but not anymore.

"I like your hair," she giggled up at Draco when we had stopped at Florean Fortescue's for an ice cream break. "It looks... different."

"Just something I thought I'd try out," Draco shrugged coolly; my heart doing some crazy twisting thing as his eyes twinkled down at her.

My own eyes were experiencing some sort of strange stinging sensation and this horrific lump had formed in my throat that didn't seem to want to budge. I couldn't understand what it was.

Perhaps I was coming down with something.

When it came to parting ways at the end of the day, I felt like I was intruding upon something private as Draco and Pansy's exchanged long lingering looks, their eyes darting every so often to one another's lips.

"Do you want to kiss Pansy?" I asked him later that night during another round of Street Fighter.

He tore his face away from the screen, looking up at me, startled; and I used the opportunity to kick him in the nuts.

As his player lay sprawled on the ground, thus ending the game; I threw my controller to the floor and turned to him, awaiting his answer.

"Well?"

"I- I-" he spluttered incomprehensibly. "I... I don't know what you mean."

"It's a simple enough question, Drac," I muttered. "Do. You. Want. To. Kiss. Pansy?"

He shrugged, looking down as colour flooded his cheeks. "I dunno... maybe."

I didn't know what it was I was feeling exactly, but it wasn't pleasant. I mean, I should be happy, my best friend and my... other friend wanted to kiss each other. That's great. They're happy. I should be happy too.

But I wasn't.

*****

I couldn't help but notice that Draco spent a lot longer getting ready the following morning.

Lucius banged impatiently on the treehouse door, furious that we might miss the train.

"What's that smell?" I asked as Draco emerged from upstairs, his hair looking softer than ever as he bounded down the marble staircase.

"What are you talking about?" He muttered defensively, pausing at the mirror.

I stepped over to him, sniffing. "Drac, you smell like something. Are you wearing perfume?"

"It's cologne," he said rather abruptly, frowning at his reflection as he tousled his hair. "I got mother to pick me some up."

"But- but you don't wear cologne!" I spluttered, not sure why I was feeling so panicked inside. "That's what men wear! You're thirteen!"

"You wear perfume all the time," he scoffed, not tearing his eyes away from his reflection, "and make up. If you can enhance yourself, then why can't I?"

"You don't need to enhance yourself," I said, my heart beating at an uneasy rate in my chest, "you're fine as you are."

"It was you who insisted I change my hair!"

"Yes, because it looks better without all that fucking grease!"

"It was cream!"

Just then Lucius's voice bellowed from outside the treehouse, shaking the walls.

"MERLIN'S BEARD! WILL YOU TWO HURRY UP? WE HAVEN'T GOT ALL DAY!"

Finally tearing himself away from the mirror, Draco walked past me and headed for the door.

As I followed him out, the scent of his cologne tickling my nostrils in his wake; I couldn't help feel, for the first time in my life, apprehensive about what lay ahead.

And I had this sinking feeling that I was not going to like it.

*****