"Cormac? Why, Ronnie?!" Harry wailed.

"He's fit." I shrugged.

"He's a lecherous creep!" Hermione scoffed. "You know, he pinched my bottom as I was passing through the portrait hole this morning?"

Great, not even twenty four hours and I was already being fucking humiliated by the moron.

"Well it's not like we're exclusive!" I spat. I couldn't even pretend I felt hurt.

Well I was hurt, but Cormac wasn't the reason.

"I've got to say, I was quite surprised when you jumped on me, baby," he had said the previous evening as we were snogging furiously in the armchair by the fire. "But I guess I can dig this. You and me."

I just shrugged and continued our kissing to shut his annoying trap.

He was a wet and sloppy kisser. And he certainly did not make me feel the way that Draco had done. For a start, the last thing I felt like doing was ripping my clothes off when I was around him.

I made sure to make a show of kissing Cormac in the Great Hall during dinner the next evening. I could almost feel Draco's eyes on me as I did so, only causing to spur me on even further.

"Do you mind? Some of us are eating!" Hermione spat, throwing down her knife and fork in disgust.

"What can I say ladies?" Cormac said, flexing his biceps as I climbed off his lap. "I'm just too darn irresistible. Don't worry, Granger, I'm sure you'll get your turn soon enough."

"Are you going to let him speak like that?!" Harry spluttered, beside me as I wiped the wet slobber from my face with the sleeves of my robes.

I simply shrugged my shoulders, and glanced up at the Slytherin table where Draco had just violently scraped his chair back and stormed out of the hall.

My heart had never felt so heavy.

"So baby, how about you and me at old Sluggy's Christmas party?" Cormac drawled in my ear as he draped an arm over my shoulders, making me shudder in revulsion.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever." I said, my mind still on Draco.

"Although, you're not going to wear that hideous dress, are you?" He asked, suddenly looking alarmed. "It's a sophisticated club you know, and I can't be seen with-"

"I've got a fucking proper dress." I snapped.

Which was true. In a surprisingly touching gesture; Fred and George had bought me one, and it was extremely tasteful. But whenever I pictured wearing it, it was always for Draco.

But I guess that was never going to happen, I thought sadly as I looked up at the recently vacated seat at the Slytherin table.

*****

He had no right be upset. She was a free agent. She could see whomever she wanted. He had, after all, been the one to tell her it was over and that he wanted nothing more to do with her.

But it didn't stop it feeling as though someone had driven a knife through his stomach and ripped it violently sideways when he witnessed  her straddling that pillock's lap and shoving her tongue down his throat.

It was best this way, he told himself, as he removed the sheet from the cabinet before him. He couldn't afford any distractions.

And she had been far too much of a distraction. She had consumed his thoughts night and day; his body had sung out to be near her, to be in her. He had been obsessed by her, couldn't stand the thought of anyone else touching her or making her feel the way he did.

He violently rammed his fist into the cabinet's dark wooden panels, letting out an angry roar of frustration as the wood splintered around his wrist.

Who the fuck was he kidding? Nothing had changed.

*****

Cormac gave a low impressed whistle as I descended the stairs into the common room.

I flicked my hair back over my shoulder, trying to act all cool and nonchalant about how fucking awesome I looked.

"Damn Granger, you look fine."

What the actual fuck?!

I spun around to see Hermione coming down the stairs directly behind me. She was wearing a figure hugging hot pink dress which was so short, you could almost see what she had for breakfast.

I looked down at my own emerald green floor length dress, which, despite being backless and having a subtle slit up the thigh, suddenly seemed so frumpy in comparison.

I stropped down the last couple of steps, and stamped moodily across the room towards the portrait, making sure to slam Cormac with my shoulder on the way past.

"Hey, baby? What was that for?" He asked, actually sounding genuinely hurt and confused.

"If you wanted to go with Hermione, then why didn't you just ask her?!" I spat, waiting moodily by the portrait hole.

"I did. She said no. Something about rather going with the giant squid."

"I said I'd rather the giant squid pulled me into the lake and forced me to have it's babies for the rest of my days than go on a single date with you." Hermione said brightly, as she tottered past him.

He didn't seem to hear her, instead his eyes followed her hungrily, never leaving her butt.

"Damn," he muttered, shaking his head as he watched her climb through the portrait hole.

The party was exceedingly fucking dull. Cormac kept trying to grab me and thrust his tongue down my throat but I really wasn't in the mood anymore.

I had never regretted agreeing to anything more in my life. Especially when my 'date' kept insisting on giving me a running commentary of who in the room he would like to fuck and in what position.

"I'd definitely do that Luna chick," he said, chewing on a dragon's testicle as his eyes ogled her greedily. "I bet she's good on top."

In fact, the only female he hadn't said he'd like to do in the room was me. I didn't know whether to be insulted or relieved.

"Hey, where are you going?" He asked, looking alarmed as I slammed my drink down on the table and started for the door.

"Away from this shit party and the fuck away from YOU." I roared.

"But I haven't even had a kiss yet!" He cried, wiping testicle juice off his chin with the back of his hand.

"Well according to you, you've got the pick of the room, so go knock yourself out!" I bellowed yanking open the door and stepping out into the corridor without looking.

I found myself colliding straight into someone's chest.

Draco's chest.

"What the fuck?!" I muttered, rubbing my nose where I had painfully banged it against him.

I found my heart racing immediately as I looked up into those piercing grey eyes. I had not seen them up this close in over six months.

"Clumsy and foul mouthed as ever, Weasley." He drawled, his silky voice making my stomach knot instantly.

His eyes roamed down the length of my body and I could have sworn I heard the merest hitch of breath in his throat.

Our gaze immediately met again, and the air seemed to thicken around us. I could feel my heart pounding crazily in my chest as his throat bobbed, and I was desperate to say something... anything.

And then the moment was ruined as the hallway filled with the sudden sounds and lights of the party. The door had been flung open behind me.

"What the fuck is your problem, Weasley?" Cormac bellowed, grabbing my arm and yanking me round to face him, glaring at Draco over my shoulder.

I heard Draco give an audible hiss behind me. He didn't say anything. But nor did he back off.

"I said I was leaving." I spat, wrenching my arm out of his grasp. "Know when you're being ditched, fucktard."

I didn't miss the snort behind me.

"You know, no one likes a prick tease, Weasley." Cormac sneered, leaning right into my face. "I only asked you tonight because I felt sorry for you. As if anyone would want to date an ugly desperado-"

I was viscously shoved aside as Draco lunged at Cormac, grabbing the front of his dressrobes in his fists.

"And what exactly is going on here?!"

Filch had appeared out of nowhere.

"Malfoy just attacked me, sir." Cormac said instantly. "He was trying to gatecrash the party."

"No, he wasn't!" I thundered indignantly, glaring at Cormac as Draco angrily let go of him.

"We'll sort this out inside, young laddie!" Filch growled, and to my horror he roughly grabbed Draco with surprising strength and hurled him through the door.

I looked at Cormac in disgust who sniggered with glee as he followed them inside to watch Draco get into trouble.

Having had enough fucking drama for one evening, I went back to the Gryffindor Tower.

And found, for the first time in a long time, that I went to bed with my heart feeling a teensy bit lighter.

*****