New Year's Kisses

The Slytherin common room was smothering. The tension in the air was so thick that one could have cut it with a knife. Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson were the only members of the Slytherin House left for the Christmas holidays. And neither was happy about it.

"I loath you," Pansy said, crossing her arms. Draco glared harshly, snorting.

"Good, because I despise you."

"Have you always been such a cocky bastard?" she demanded, face still flushed from their fight earlier. Draco feigned a yawn, picking at his fingernails.

"Since the moment I was born, love," he replied in a bored tone, closing his eyes and leaning back in his seat. The room lapsed into silence fore a moment, then Pansy sighed, dropping her gaze to her lap.

"Why do we fight so?" Draco blinked at her question, glancing at the girl. She looked very different than she did earlier. She looked...older. Tired. He shrugged softly, not bothering to linger over her sudden mood swing.

"Probably...because I'm expected to marry you," he answered. It was true. Their parents had been planning their wedding practically since conception. No one cared about whether or not he actually liked the girl. It didn't matter. They were both from respected, pureblood families. Their marriage was obvious.

Pansy sighed again, slumping in a way that would make her mother ashamed. But she wasn't there, was she?

"...What do you think they'll do when you refuse to marry me?" she asked. Draco's head shot up, and he looked at her incredulously. "Well it's bloody obvious you don't even like me. Why bother marrying someone you can't even stand the sight of."

"I...I hadn't planned on refusing," Draco admitted quietly, gauging her reaction. "I mean, would you like to be the one to tell my father that I'm disobeying a direct order? Besides...you only annoy me some of the time."

"And the rest of the time?"

Draco stared directly into her eyes, not even blinking. "I care about you."

A new tension was born into the room. Pansy stared at Draco in surprise. Whether it was because of what he said or the fact that he actually said it, he didn't know. But it took her a few minutes to regain her senses.

"You...you can't possibly. You despise me," she stammered, still in disbelief. Draco shrugged.

"Only some of the time, remember? ...There are times when I want nothing more than to strangle you, but you... It's complicated," he said, looking away. "...You never give up. No matter how cruel I am to you sometimes, you always come back. And I admire your loyalty."

"...I don't really hate you," Pansy admitted quietly. "You're abrasive and so terribly rude, and I hate that, but not you. Never you."

Draco silently watched her, stealthily moving out of his chair and shifting onto the couch next to her. She regarded him seriously, blinking as he slipped his and into hers. He drew the hand up to his lips and kissed it softly, eyes never leaving hers. She smiled widely at his gesture, and his eyes grinned back, flickering all over her face.

"...Happy New Year, Pansy."

"Happy New Year, Draco," she replied, closing her eyes as the clock on the fireplace mantle chimed twelve and Draco leaned closer. They kissed sweetly, their parents' expectations far from their thoughts. For now, it was just them...