FOUR YOU'VE GONE MAD

Following orders, Xander stopped thinking about Draco Malfoy. Well, he did his best to until he was walking out of his first D.A.D.A. lesson with Snape where he had a free period, but Diana had split off to go to Divination. He walked the halls alone when he saw the potions class getting out. More importantly, he saw Draco.

"I can't believe it, Potter's never been good at potions," Draco scoffed, "And suddenly he's good enough to win Liquid Luck? Are you kidding? It should have been me!"

"Yeah, totally," Goyle agreed blindly. Xander rolled his eyes at this -- they really were just glorified minions. It was ridiculous. Xander couldn't imagine not having any real friends. Sure, he only had one, but Diana had always been enough.

Draco met his eyes as Xander walked past, but didn't say anything. At that point, Xander had enough. He pulled Draco by the back collar of his robes, away from Goyle and Blaise (He really wasn't sure where Crabbe was at these days). Part of him couldn't believe what he'd just done, but it was too late now. It was done.

"What is your problem, Sakai?" Draco gasped, brushing himself off as Xander pulled his hand back, looking at it as if it had betrayed him. It most certainly had. Yanking at Draco Malfoy like a first-year about to get the bullying off a lifetime was practically a death sentence.

"You've been weird!" Xander said what he was tired of thinking, "You're being perfectly indifferent to me, I don't like it."

"That's not really my problem now, is it?" Draco mused, Goyle and Blaise laughing behind him snidely. It was rare for Xander to say he hated anyone, but those two did have rather punchable faces if he was being absolutely honest.

Xander rolled his eyes. The two boys were eye-level with each other, but Mafloy's glower made him feel ten feet tall. Ah, that was more like it. "It is your problem! I thought you were supposed to be a bully, but where're the snide remarks? The shoving? The flair of it all? It's getting ridiculous! We're almost adults now, I certainly did not expect to have a boring year at your hand. So, what's up? Are you mad at me or something? Because you seem to be harassing Potter just fine."

"You never listen when I make fun of you anyway, maybe I've given up," Draco shrugged as he tried to walk away, but Xander clearing his throat caused him to stop. "Oh, you have more to say, is it?"

"Yes, I do, as a matter of fact," Xander spat. He didn't really, he had no idea what he was talking about. "You never give up on anything, you're a right git about things like that so don't let me discourage you. I expect to see a little flair next time we speak, Malfoy, I swear."

"You've gone mad," Draco commented with a snide laugh, shaking his head as he grabbed his two friends and walked away, still chuckling to himself. Xander had absolutely no idea why he just did that. His hands really had betrayed him; he grabbed Draco Malfoy by the collar of his robes. Maybe he had gone mad. Diana was going to kill him.

Still, he wasn't an idiot. Draco was absolutely brushing him off and he never did that, not in all their years at Hogwarts. The blond had pretty much made it his personal mission to try and break through Xander's layer of smiles and sweetness and it never worked and now apparently he had given up and Xander was not going to allow that. He liked the little games they played.

"Could you laugh a little quieter, some of us are actually here to learn magic," Draco had sneered at him their first year. Xander remembered it like it was yesterday. It was endlessly entertaining to egg him on.

"Sorry, just expressing joy! You should try it sometime," Xander had shot back. Merlin, he was still proud of that one. Even at eleven, he had been such a little twat, Xander had simply grown used to Draco's prodding and assholery. It was odd to go without it.

As classes ended for the day, out of the corner of his eye Xander saw Draco escaping somewhere with no minions in sight. Being nosy as usual, Xander made up an excuse about having to use the bathroom before heading off in the direction he had seen Draco go. He had a feeling Diana had seen him too and knew exactly where he was off to, but she didn't say anything save for telling him she'll see him later. He supposed he was lucky she didn't ask questions causing him to lose his trail.

He made sure to stay a safe difference away from Malfoy, turning behind columns every time the boy looked over his shoulder. He blended in with groups of other students, breaking free from them when he got too close to Draco. Eventually, Draco stood in front of a blank wall. Had he known Xander was following him? Was this all a rouse? Then, Xander remembered exactly what was behind that brick wall. He remembered it from all of his classes with Dumbledore's Army their previous year. He also remembered it was Draco who helped them all get caught. Xander was still mad about that one if he was being honest. What could Draco need the Room of Requirement for?

Xander watched as the boy slipped inside the doors of the concealed room and the dark-haired boy slid in just as the doors sealed themselves up. He immediately hid in the dark shadows of what looked like just an average storage room. He wondered what Draco could possibly need in this room, but apparently, it was something because the room appeared for him. Seeing Draco in the Room of Requirement felt like a betrayal to the room itself since it was partially his fault that pink-covered nightmare, Umbridge destroyed the door last year. Still, he slowed his breathing as much as he could as he watched Draco from the shadows. The boy searched around until he pulled the sheet off of what looked like an old china cabinet. There didn't seem to be anything significant about it, so what did Draco need it for?

"You can come out now," Draco's voice echoed in the large room, causing Xander to nearly jump out of his skin.

"How did you know I was following you?" Xander asked, clearing his throat as he stepped into the light. His eyes met Draco's gray ones and all words he planned to say for his excuses fell flat. He really had nothing to say for himself as it seemed his intentions were obvious at this point. He was here for Draco, that much was sure.

Draco scoffed, his eyes shifting away, "Growing up in a house like mine, you learn to know when you're being watched. So, you've caught me."

"Yeah," Xander drawled, clicking his tongue, "Caught you doing what, exactly? I'm a little confused here. That's a nice cabinet, you thinking of redecorating the dungeons? I'm sure it could spice it up a little. I've never seen your common room, but knowing all of you, I'm sure it's just impeccably decorated."

"I can't even tell if you're being sarcastic," Draco sneered and Xander made a note of Draco's hand gripping his wand. Xander gulped, making sure Draco could see his hands. "Get out of my sight."

"You didn't answer my question!" Xander exclaimed in a hurry as he rushed for the exit that was currently forming itself in the wall. Draco all but growled at him as he pulled out his wand. Defensively, Xander grabbed his own. "Don't make me disarm you! I will!"

With his unoccupied hand, he gripped the handle on the door, opening it to reveal the Hogwarts hallway behind him. As he left, Draco called out, "You're a dead man, Sakai!"

Panicking, Xander shot back, "Okay! See you in Charms!"

The door slammed behind him and the boy leaned against the now-brick wall, pocketing his wand as he took a deep breath. Oh, he had to tell Diana about this.

I'm literally obsessed with this story i cant stop writing for it you guys need to read and appreciate this more i swear to god