Draco Malfoy angrily sprinted down the steps to the dungeons. That bloody Potter. He couldn't work her out. She was always sticking her stupid nose in where it wasn't wanted. Every time he turned around she was there, breathing down his neck as usual. One minute she would be accusing him, the next... well.

He hadn't realised it was possible to find somebody so infuriating and yet at the same time want them so much.

And oh, he wanted Potter.

He had wanted her ever since the night of the Yule Ball. He had fantasised about her in that red dress so often he felt like he knew every inch of her already. Except of course, that's all it was: a fantasy.

But then every now and then she gave him a real piece of her. Like tonight. And all it did was draw him in even more and he thought he would go insane with want and longing.

Yes, he was crazy about her. But this was not a good thing. He had to be careful. So, so careful.

Because he was a Death Eater.

And Henrietta Potter was his enemy.

***

I could not understand why Draco Malfoy made me feel the way I did.

I felt like I was supposed to hate him, but I could not. I thought back over our past and of how much he had once infuriated me. It did not seem possible to me that this was the same boy that had me wanting him.

So, I continued to watch him closely.

He looked so detached and lost in his own thoughts. I could see the effort it took him to converse with his peers; the self assured, confident, cocky git I had once known had gone.

"Etta?"

I jumped out of my reverie, turning to Ron in annoyance.

"What?" I asked irritably, stabbing my sausage with a fork.

"You're staring at him again."

"I don't know what you're talking about." I said indignantly, but despite myself, I could feel my cheeks flame.

Ron just gave me an ambiguous raise of his eyebrows.

"As I was asking," he coughed, piercing a carrot, "are you going to say yes?"

Ugh. This. Valentine's Day was coming up and for some awful reason, Hogwarts was going to have a ball. I had the misfortune of being asked to it by Zacharias Smith. I hadn't known what to say so I kind of left him dangling.

My eyes automatically darted back to the Slytherin table. Draco had now been joined by Pansy who was draping her arms all over him. I felt that familiar twist in my stomach every time I saw them together, along with that mounting feeling of fury burning deep inside.

I forced my eyes to flick over to the Hufflepuff table where Zacharias was seated. I was horrified to see he was already staring at me, wiggling his eyebrows in what he probably thought was a seductive way.

"Ugh, yes. Well I suppose I have no other choice."

The truth was, I didn't want to turn up alone knowing that Draco would be there with Pansy.

***

Hermione, Ron and I were sitting glumly at our table surrounded by pink and red. We were all trying to avoid our dates.

"Won-Won! There you are!"

I saw Ron shudder as Lavender came crashing out of the crowded dance floor wearing a vulgar pink creation. He seemed to have gone off her of late and I couldn't blame him to be honest. She was the worst.

Hermione stifled a giggle as Ron was helplessly dragged on to the dance floor. "Serves the git right," she said, with a twinkle in her eye.

It was my turn next. Zacharias Smith tapped me on the shoulder.

"You haven't danced with me yet." He pouted, looking daft in his white and pink tuxedo.

I had been hoping to avoid this, but at that moment, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Draco being led onto the dance floor by Pansy. My stomach gave a slight twist as his grey eyes met mine briefly. He looked tired and fed up, and utterly resigned to his fate as Pansy pulled him into the throng of dancing bodies.

"OK, then" I said, suddenly standing up, much to the shocked expressions of both Zacharias and Hermione.

I practically ran, refusing to except Zacharias' hand as he attempted to grab at mine. So he instead settled on clutching pathetically at my elbow.

As soon as my feet touched the dance floor, I started to move with the music, slapping Zacharias' hand off of my butt. My eyes darted around, looking for that familiar white blond hair. But the dance floor was thick with bodies, including my lecherous date who kept trying to push his body against mine at any given opportunity. I kept backing away, moving further into the centre, trying desperately to shrug him off. In the process, I accidentally stepped on something, nearly tripping over.

"Ow! Watch where you're lumbering about, freak!"

I turned around to be met with the scowling pug face of Pansy Parkinson. She had one hand on her hip and the other around Draco's neck. My eyes instantly flew to his and a frisson of electricity passed between us.

"What's going on?" Zacharias had grabbed at my waist from behind. This time I didn't shrug him off. I kept my eyes on Draco and saw something flicker in his grey eyes as they focused on the Hufflepuff claiming me.

"Nothing Pansy's fat feet can't get in the way of," I sneered at the pug.

Pansy sneered back before taking her hand off her hip and winding that one too around Draco's neck. "Come on Drakie, let's not waste anymore time on these losers,"

I was horrified to see his arms go round her back as she pushed her body up against his. The burning feeling inside my stomach flamed so fiercely, I thought it was going to explode.

Draco's eyes met mine over Pansy's head and I quickly looked away, knowing I couldn't conceal the jealousy in them.

I turned my back on him and practically threw myself into Zacharias's arms, much to the Hufflepuff's delight. I wrinkled my nose in disgust as I could smell the stale sweat dripping off of him. I tried not to shudder in revulsion as Zacharias's hands found their way to my back, pulling me in against his hard broad body.

I turned my head slightly and was pleased to see the fury in the Slytherin Prince's eyes as he glared at us, Pansy still in his arms. He was jealous.

The music changed beat, and a slow sultry song started to play. Couples around us started kissing, although I was pleased to see Draco and Pansy weren't - her head was snuggled on his shoulder and he kept glaring over at us.

But then Zacharias wanted some action and I panicked as he kept trying to move his slimy bulbous lips close to mine. There was only so far I could crane my neck away. The thought of kissing him actually made my skin crawl. Dancing with him was bad enough.

"What's the matter, baby?" He drawled in my ear after I flinched my face away for the thousandth time at his advance. "I thought you were interested."

A waft of his stale breath, mingled with body odour caught my senses and I actually thought I was going to vomit.

"It's just dancing, Smith, that's all," I cringed, wishing this song would hurry up and end.

"Baby, girls who dress like this don't want to just dance," and he grabbed my butt so tight that I gasped, and the fucker took the opportunity to pounce on my mouth. I tried frantically pulling away as he tried to shove his fat tongue in, but his other hand had gone to the back of my head, gripping it so tightly it hurt.

My pulse accelerated as I tried kicking and hitting, but he was too strong and, just as I thought about letting his tongue in so that I could bite it, he was suddenly not there.

I blinked in confusion. Draco Malfoy had grabbed him and thrown him to the floor. He was looking down at him, his face pinched in fury.

"SHE'S NOT INTERESTED, YOU BASTARD!"

Everyone around us had stopped dancing. We were all looking at Draco and Zacharias. I couldn't help but notice Pansy looking livid, her hands on her hips and a crazed look in her eye.

Zacharias clumsily picked himself off the floor, shooting both Draco and me enraged glances,

"Bitch," he spat at me, before storming off into the crowd.

My heart pounded in my chest as I realised what Draco had just done. He glanced up at me, his steely grey eyes saying nothing, before storming off the dance floor, barging past a furious Pansy as he did so.

"Blimey, are you alright, Etta?" Ron came up besides me, Lavender simpering at his side.

I looked over to where Draco had disappeared, my heart fluttering furiously.

"Yes, Ron," I answered, as a great warmth spread over me. "Yes, I think I am."

***