HOW TO BE A HEARTBREAKER

2. crushes

( 17 September 1997 )

Rowan's entire body felt like ice as she trudged through the Hogwarts' grounds, a furious expression written across her face. Upon reaching the Slytherin common room, but not without a muddy trail behind her, Rowan chucked her broomstick down on the coffee table, the rainwater splashing all of Draco and Blaise's notebooks and knocking over an ink pot.

The smug smirk on Draco's face that he'd been wearing since seeing Rowan turn up quickly wiped away, cries leaving both Slytherin boys as they lurched forwards to try and save the essays that they had been working on all weekend.

"You're a liar, Malfoy! You said practice was happening whether it was raining or not," Rowan hissed, side eying Blaise as he lifted Rowan's broom off the table and tried to save his smeared mess of an essay. "I should have known that a twat like you would cancel practice as soon as the first drop of water fell."

Draco growled under his breath and yanked up his pages. "It's your fault for not sticking around at trials to find out when the first practice date would be," he said. "Get your cheap broom away from us."

"It's not cheap, you bastard," Rowan huffed and snatched it out of Blaise's hands. "It's just as good as yours — so you have no excuse for being slower than me."

"Can we not do this today?" Blaise groaned, leaning back on the couch in defeat. "I swear you two have argued everyday this school year and it's pushing me to the edge. I can't wait for this time next year when I never have to be in a room with both of you at the same time again."

"Well, me either," Rowan quickly declared. "I'm counting the days."

Draco rolled his silver eyes. "Because I gave you the wrong date for practice?"

"No, because you're a sour womanising prick who actually seems to enjoy the shade of his daddy's shadow," Rowan retorted.

She noticed the way Draco's face contorted ever so slightly at the mention of his father. It always got him riled up, and Rowan used it to her advantage. However, Draco seemed to want to change the subject from his family.

"Womanising?" Draco scoffed and straightened his back against the couch. "If that's the word that you want to use for somebody who gets some, then feel free to call me that, Yaxley."

"Womanising," Rowan repeated matter-of-factly, "In this case, I'm using it as an adjective for someone who is a 'womaniser' — which is a synonym for 'man whore', 'male slut', and also 'Draco Malfoy.'"

Blaise released a small laugh which was quickly whacked out of him by Draco's large hand. "You're not funny, Yaxley. Just admit you're jealous you haven't got some yet," Draco said.

"I'm not a virgin," Rowan scowled back.

"I mean that you haven't got some from me," Draco smirked, and lay back against the seat behind him.

These were the kind of comments that made Rowan the angriest. To think of herself stooping low enough to end up another one of Draco's girls made her feel ill. She hated to have a superiority complex, but she was better than that — emotionally stronger than the girls who fell for his lies, or worse — knowingly went along with them, like Daphne.

Rowan feigned retching noises. "I wouldn't touch you if you were the last man on earth."

Draco looked disgusted — probably a mixture of the noises she had made and the words she had said. He looked like he couldn't physically comprehend how somebody could say those words to his face and actually mean them.

"I sincerely doubt that's the truth," Draco scoffed.

"If I drank a whole bottle of Veritaserum, I would still be saying it," Rowan swore.

Pansy had chosen then to walk back into the common room, her green eyes enlarging at the sight of a drenched Rowan.

"What the hell happened? Did you go out in the rain?" Pansy huffed, marching over before narrowing her eyes on Draco. "What did you do?"

"Why do you assume it was me, Parkinson?" Draco smirked, "Yaxley is clearly just the type of idiot to go out in the pouring rain for no reason."

"It's always got something to do with you, Malfoy," Pansy replied.

"C'mon, Pans." Rowan grabbed her best friend's wrist. "I don't have the time for this. Nor does Malfoy. He's got to work on getting the ink out of his essay."

Draco's smirk widened. "The ink pot didn't land on my essay," he replied smugly.

With a flick of Rowan's wand, the ink pot that was next to Draco's essay exploded all over his work. Pansy burst out into laughter from beside Rowan. Rowan swore to Merlin that there was no greater satisfaction than watching the cocky look wipe itself off of Draco's face as he dove forward to, once again, save his essay from the wrath of Rowan Yaxley. He cried out as the ink stained his pale, slender hands.

"You're the worst kind of witch, Yaxley!" Draco seethed, glaring at her as she backed away with Pansy. "Don't look so pleased with yourself — you'll pay for this."

"Bye, Malfoy!" Rowan called over her shoulder and sent him a fluttery-fingered wave that she was sure would only stab anger hotter into his body.

...

( 18 September 1997 )

Rowan and Pansy were still laughing about Draco's ink-stained essay when they reached the Great Hall the next morning for breakfast. It was a Monday and they had Potions with Snape first thing. Unless Draco had managed to work out a spell to clean the splashed ink without removing his own inked-handwriting, then he was probably screwed. However, Rowan was sure that the icing on the cake would be to see Draco being scolded by his favourite professor at Hogwarts.

They took seats with the other Slytherins in their year at the top of the table. Daphne was talking to Tracey Davis and Millicent Bulstrode, paying Rowan and Pansy no attention as they automatically reached for their chosen breakfast foods. Rowan always had to spend that little extra time in the mornings doing her eyeliner, something she had managed to perfect over the years, and Pansy had no problem sitting on the edge of her bed and yapping in her ear about whatever dream she'd had the night before, or whatever else.

"Have you two got your dresses for our graduation party yet?" Tracey asked.

"Maybe," Pansy replied.

Daphne rolled her eyes. "Well, is it a yes or a no?"

"She said 'maybe,' Greengrass," Rowan answered without taking her eyes off of the cereal she was pouring into a bowl. "That's your answer."

Daphne huffed, "Why is everything so weird and complicated with you two?"

Rowan merely shrugged. "Probably because Pans can't be bothered to talk about dresses for an event that's not going to happen for another ten months."

Pansy nodded in agreement.

"Well, when you two do pick out your dresses, they can't be green. I'm doing green, and we can't all clash," Daphne replied. "Wait. Are you even going, Parkinson? You won't have a date."

Rowan sighed dramatically and placed her spoon down on the table. "One, Pans' date doesn't have to be a boy — don't make me punch you again, Greengrass — and number two, she already has a date, unlike you."

"You already have a date?" Millicent's eyes widened and the girls sat forwards in their seats more eagerly. "Oo, who is it, Parkinson?"

Pansy forced a grin through gritted teeth and glanced at Rowan. "Yeah, Rowan, why don't you tell them who my date is?"

"Well, I'm going to be her date, of course," Rowan answered, and she missed the way Pansy's grin melted into a smaller, more genuine smile.

"You're not even a lesb – a – you don't even date girls, Yaxley." Daphne scrunched up her nose. "So what? Are you two dating now or something?"

"No way," Blaise scoffed as he dropped down at the table opposite them all. "I called it. Theo, didn't I call it?"

"Call what?" Theo sighed, bored, as he also sat down, Draco in tow.

Rowan had to refrain from kicking Draco underneath the table when he sat directly opposite her. He hadn't done anything yet, hadn't even looked at her, but she felt the urge whenever he was around. All he was doing was drinking some water, but it irked her.

"Yaxley and Parkinson are lovers."

Draco spat his water back into his cup, choking on his drink. Theo smacked Draco's back, but looked across at Rowan and Pansy.

"Is that true?" Theo asked.

"No!" Pansy cried, "Greengrass is just closed-minded and Zabini is a conclusion-jumping twat who needs to start minding his own business before he gets hexed."

"To be fair, you are going to the graduation party with each other," Tracey said and then squeaked at the glare she received from Pansy in return.

"People can go as friends. Why would I spend my graduation night with someone I don't care about when I could spend it with the person I've spent the last seven years at this school with?" Pansy said, and watched as a few looks of agreement passed their Slytherin classmates.

"Wait, that's so true," Millicent exclaimed. "That's quite genius, Pansy."

"You're meant to go to parties with dates," Daphne huffed. "Not friends. I, for one, am awaiting a proposal for the dance."

"Why are we even talking about the graduation party?" Draco scoffed, and looked back at his food. "That's so stupid. It's nearly a year away yet. Bet it was your idea, wasn't it, Yaxley?"

Rowan sent him a wide smile. "It was Greengrass' idea, actually, Malfoy."

Daphne's cheeks were bright red as she shook her head. "Well,we were just about to stop talking about it, anyway."

"Daph, you said we still need to discuss what colour dresses the rest of us  —" Millicent was cut off by Daphne's hand going over her mouth.

"No, we don't need to talk about it. Draco's right — it's stupid."

Pansy pulled a disgusted face at the lie.

"I know exactly who I'm going to be asking," Theo grinned.

"Who?" Rowan raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, who?" Blaise added, before his dark eyes widened. "Oh! That Hufflepuff girl, I bet! The one you keep offering study sessions to for Potions. You're, like, in love with her."

"A Hufflepuff?" Draco repeated, his nose crinkling. "Merlin, Nott. Imagine stooping as low as fancying a Hufflepuff."

Theo rolled his dark eyes but smirked anyway. "Shut it, Malfoy. As if you haven't gotten with some of them."

"There's a difference between fucking a girl from another house and actually asking them out, Theodore," Draco replied matter-of-factly.

Rowan scowled at the way he spoke.

"Who's this girl, then?" Pansy asked. "Come on, Nott. Don't tell me it's one of Malfoy's sloppy seconds."

Rowan whacked Pansy, causing Pansy to cry out dramatically and glare.

"Don't call girls sloppy seconds, Pans," Rowan warned, "It's degrading."

Pansy seemed to think about it for a moment before she sighed and nodded. "Fine. I'm sorry. You're right, Row. Was she one of Malfoy's victims, Nott?"

Draco acted as if he didn't hear her whilst Theo released a small chuckle and shook his head. "No, Robertson hasn't been with Draco before — thankfully."

Blaise's grinned. "Ah, so it is Lorelei Robertson?" He questioned, and took the shy grin on Theo's face as confirmation. "Okay. Alright — she's quite fit."

Rowan bit her tongue and sent a pointed look at Blaise. "She also seems very sweet. Plus, she's a decent Chaser for the Hufflepuff team, Nott. I say go for it."

Draco scoffed. "Don't kid yourself, Yaxley. She's a shit Chaser. But yeah, Theo, Robertson's alright."

"Good. I'm glad you approve — I've liked her for a while now," Theo smiled to himself. "Yaxley's right — she's really sweet. We actually made plans to go to Hogsmeade this Saturday."

"Our house party is Friday night, make sure you're not too hungover," Tracey added.

"Noted. I won't drink," Theo nodded. "I really don't want to fuck this up."

"Theo's lovestruck," Blaise grinned teasingly and grabbed his friend by the shoulders, squeezing him closer to him. "Ah, don't pull that face, mate. It's nice to see that you've gotten over your monster crush on Yaxley."

"What!?" There were several cries from the breakfast table, including from Rowan herself. "Excuse me?" Rowan said, narrowing her eyes at the two boys. "Is this true?"

Theo looked furious as he shoved Blaise's arms away from him. "It was only in the fourth year, Yaxley. Don't worry about it. It's a thing of the past and Blaise should have never brought it up."

Draco looked repulsed. "How did you two not tell me this?" He spat, "And how on earth could you have a crush on a creature as vile as Yaxley, Theo?"

Rowan did kick Draco underneath the table this time, but his cry of pain only just scratched her itch. One more word from him and she thought that she might have to mess around with his porridge a little bit. Draco glared at her furiously.

"Well, it appears your friend doesn't think I'm as repulsive as you think, Malfoy," Rowan hissed.

Pansy was grinning like a mad man from her space beside Rowan. "Holy shit — Nott had a crush on Rowan. Is that why you were so depressed on the day of the Yule Ball? Because Row went with that Durmstrang boy?"

Theo rolled his eyes. "I may or may not have been a little bit upset, but I was fourteen. You honestly cannot hold this against me, guys. And quit mentioning it in case Lorelei hears."

"Don't worry about it, Nott," Rowan said, though she wore a satisfactory grin on her face. "I completely understand – I would have a crush on me too."

"Don't be so cocky, Yaxley," Draco huffed, "You're nothing special. Theo was probably just delirious for a year straight."

"Shut the fuck up, Malfoy," Pansy stabbed back.

"It's true," Daphne added quickly, "Yaxley isn't all that, but she thinks she is because she gets Chaser every year or whatever, and prefect."

"That sounds like the kind of stuff you say behind someone's back, Greengrass." Rowan turned to face her. "Unless you genuinely did want me to hear so I could charm your shampoo to make all of your hair fall out for tomorrow? We'll see how many boys are after you then, when all you have left is your shitty personality and lack of talent."

Daphne huffed and opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Meanwhile, Blaise, Pansy, and Theo looked like they were trying to contain their laughter.

"I don't think she meant it like that, Yaxley," Tracey tried to diffuse the thick tension.

"How did she mean it then, Davis?" Pansy cocked her head to the side, feigning confusion. "Sounds to me like she just said it to be a cunt."

"Drama at the breakfast table!" Blaise sang off-tune, earning a shove from Theo.

"You started this," Theo hissed at him and then turned to face everyone. "Look, I did have a momentary fourteen-year-old crush on Yaxley, no I don't fancy her anymore, and Draco and Greengrass are both wrong — I wasn't delirious for an entire year and there is nothing wrong with Yaxley."

"I'll say," Blaise added with a teasing smirk, this time earning a shove from both Draco and Theo.

Rowan rolled her eyes, half in amusement. "Shut it, Zabini," she muttered lightheartedly, standing from her chair. "I have to go. I need to return a few books from the library. I'll see you in Potions, Pans."

"You'll see all of us in Potions," Blaise replied before Pansy could.

"Yes, well, Pansy's the only one I'm looking forward to seeing, so..." Rowan left the table, and heard the muffled sounds of Pansy laughing in Blaise's face whilst he made dramatic saddened noises.

...

( Thursday 21 September 1997 )

Draco released a sigh as he dropped off of the girl lying on his bed. Sweat glistened on his chest as he allowed his heartbeat to calm back down, and his ears seemed to burn as they listened to the girl's giggle from next to him. Suddenly, he was overly aware of how she was taking up space — space that belonged to him. He sat up and ran a hand through his floppy blond hair, pushing it back off of his forehead.

"Where's the round two that you promised, huh?" Milana Adkins asked, leaning up on her elbows to smirk across at him. "I'm more than ready for you, Malfoy."

"You need to go," Draco told the Ravenclaw girl, grabbing his boxers and pulling them up his legs, not turning to look at her naked form on his bed. "I have prefect duties and I'm running late."

"Can't your prefect partner patrol alone for a little bit?" Milana asked, "I thought we were just getting started?"

"No, she can't, and we weren't — I told you to leave," Draco replied hastily, yanking his school shirt on, doing up the buttons speedily.

Milana huffed and pulled herself off the bed to find her uniform. "Esme warned me you turned into a complete arse when you were done," she said – as if that would suddenly make him repent and beg for her forgiveness. "Well, that's the last time you see me, Malfoy. Fuck you."

"Yeah, yeah," Draco said, and opened the door with one hand whilst he adjusted his tie with the other.

Milana walked out underneath his arm, making sure to send him a glare.

As soon as she was gone, Draco Scourgifed his body and his bedding, ridding his space of the girl he had brought back. He couldn't lie — he'd brought her back with the intention of Rowan being in the common room so he could piss her off a little more, but Rowan hadn't even been there. A waste of time and she wasn't even good in bed — she had no idea what she was doing and too much confidence where it shouldn't have been.

Draco fixed his hair in the mirror and yanked open the door, coming face to face with Blaise.

"Oh, good. I was about to knock. Saw the Ravenclaw run away but I wasn't sure if you were... decent," Blaise said.

"Yeah, don't worry. Room's all yours again," Draco replied absentmindedly. "I have prefect duties. I've got to run."

"Hey—" Blaise grabbed Draco before he could run. "What was that yesterday? I've been trying to get you alone without Theo to ask, but —"

"But what?" Draco snapped, daring Blaise.

"I don't know. You seemed upset by the news that Theo used to have a crush on Yaxley," Blaise admitted.

Draco's face was like stone, unmoving and hard. His pointed features very rarely ever changed, mainly only to scrunch his nose in disgust or to glare at the huge list of students that he hated.

"The only reason I may have seemed upset was because I was fucking disturbed, Blaise," Draco replied, "And you're absolutely off your rockers if you reckon there's some sort of deeper reason. Yaxley was put on this earth to make my life a living hell, I'm sure of it. Sorry that I don't like the idea of one of my best mates fancying female satan herself."

Blaise rolled his eyes. "Right. And it has nothing to do with the fact that Theo and I reckon there's possibly a tiny part of you that is attracted to Yaxley?"

Draco grimaced. "Absolutely not! Listen, Blaise. Yaxley is repulsive to me — the only reason I'd ever fuck her is to prove she's not as special as she thinks for not having been with me. And I'm sure when she began to cry after, it would be the best fucking feeling in the world. Other than that, I can't see why any reasonable man would go anywhere near her."

Blaise shook his head. "That's fucked, Draco," he said, disappointed. "Yaxley's not so bad, you know. You're too harsh on her."

"She's harsh on me," Draco replied quickly.

"Because you do treat women like shit," Blaise replied, "Don't hate Yaxley for having a backbone and defending herself. Parkinson's the same and you don't get half as angry with her."

"Because – because —"

"Because Parkinson's gay so you don't think you have a chance with her?" Blaise raised a brow. "Ah, but Yaxley's not gay, and you're attracted to her, so that makes you angry because —"

"Fuck off, Zabini," Draco muttered, trying to leave the room only for Blaise to back up further. "You have no idea what you're going on about. Yaxley is the last girl I'd ever get with at this school. I'd rather fuck a Mudblood."

"You're repulsive," an unknown Slytherin girl muttered as she left her dormitory, glaring at Draco.

Draco glared back. "Mind your own business before I make you."

The girl who had to be a few years younger just scoffed, rolling her eyes as she retreated from the corridor to head to the common room. Draco scowled behind her. She acted like a mini-Rowan.

"See?" Blaise gestured towards the girl. "That's the third girl you've disrespected in the last ten minutes, Malfoy. Unreal."

"No, what's unreal is you thinking I have some sort of attraction to Yaxley, and also the fact that you're getting in my way right now. Let me leave, Zabini. I have prefect duties with the wicked witch herself," Draco said, and finally managed to fully shove past Blaise.

"She's right!" Blaise called from as he watched Draco's figure disappear. "You are a self-conceited womanising prick sometimes."

"Later, Blaise," Draco called, bored, and entered the common room.

Most people were hanging around in their pyjamas, some first years playing a rather rowdy game of wizarding chess by the window that looked out to the Black Lake. Draco ignored them all as he moved past.

"Malfoy —"

"I have prefect duties," Draco cut the girl trying to talk to him off immediately, and headed out into the corridor.

"You're late."

Draco rolled his eyes. He swore Rowan was the most boring stick in the mud ever, which was maybe a bit of a shame, because deep down he knew Blaise's words held some truth to them — Rowan wasn't ugly. Far from it, actually. And she was a Pureblood. He remembered they got on quite well in their first few years at Hogwarts, but they grew apart rapidly when puberty hit. He didn't know a period could make someone so bitter and angry.

"Yes, well I had other matters to attend to," Draco said as the pair began to slowly walk down the corridor.

"Oh?" Rowan raised an eyebrow. "You mean the Ravenclaw girl that came running out of here crying?"

Draco sighed. "It's not my fault they cry. They get into it knowing I'm not interested beyond sex. However they may feel after, is their own problem."

He heard her scoff but she didn't bite back. If Draco didn't know how much she hated him, then he may assume she was jealous of all of his sexual encounters. However, that was far from the truth and he did know it. Rowan found the way he acted genuinely gross, and sometimes he could see why, but he couldn't bring himself to care that much at all.

"I was thinking we split up," Rowan admitted. "Last year was a pain walking around together the whole time. We've been doing this long enough to know places to avoid and where people hide out."

Draco gave a nod. "Sounds good to me," he replied, and thanked Merlin that he wouldn't have to spend unnecessary time with her.

"Don't bother meeting back up," Rowan said and took off.

Draco watched her go and couldn't help thinking she seemed to be in a bit of a hurry. He raised an eyebrow, wondering what Rowan might be up to on a school night past curfew, but he couldn't find it in him to be anymore interested. Instead, he took off in the opposite direction — eager to look for Gryffindors to dock points from.

...

i know draco is like the grossest character ever and seems absolutely unredeemable right now, but please bear with me!! and pls let me know if this book is too dialogue-y? i feel like it is but im really just trying to set up events rn and show off characters' relationships with. other characters so that the main event can start to take place! any constructive criticism is good!

thanks so much for reading, hope you enjoyed <33

word count: 4.0k

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