Take it to the Limit

Summary: A/U, O/C; I was looking for a way to be accepted as a True Slytherin before Graduation. It started out as a bet. A simple bet to prove I was better at catching a guy than Bridget was. Of course, everything is different when the guy you are betting on is Draco Malfoy.

Disclaimer: I own Lexis, Bridget, Brooke, and everyone you don’t recognize, the rest are JK Rowling’s

Chapter Seven: What He Doesn’t Know...Hurts Him

That Saturday morning, I actually woke extra early to meet Draco. Well, I hoped I was going to meet him. He really hadn’t mentioned anything else about going to Hogsmeade together. Hopefully the offer still stood. Not that I wanted to go with him. It’s all for the sake of the bet. Anyways, just to make sure he didn’t leave without me, I woke up extra early to wait for him to come down from the boy’s dorm.

Of course, I couldn’t allow myself to look anxious. Bet or not, I still had some pride. So, I laid on the couch with a magazine in my lap. Only I had woken up a little too early and my eyelids just couldn’t handle the pressure. Before I knew it, they were closed shut and I was drifting into a dream world.

“Get up, Anderson.” I felt a jab in my ribs. A grumble escaped my lips before I rolled my whole body over. Only there wasn’t any room left on the couch and I was went spiraling into the floor. I landed on the feet of Mr. Smart-arse himself.

“Hey, Alexis, while you’re down there why don’t you use your mouth for-”

I punched him in the back of his knee causing his leg to collapse. “Shut up, Malfoy. That’s not exactly what I wanted to wake up to.”

“Well, excuse me for not having your breakfast made.”

I stood up watching him rub the back of his leg. Maybe he would have a bruise.

“You’re excused.” I turned and started walking towards the common room door. “Hold it right there, Anderson.”

Draco ran up and caught my arm, “We have a date.”

I resisted the urge to smile. So the Slytherin Prince did remember. I watched Draco stare at me. He wasn’t glaring like he normally does nor was he smirking. He looked almost hurt that I had forgotten. Of course, I didn’t forget. In this case, what he doesn’t know...hurts him. And I think I can use this to my advantage.

“A date?” I asked trying to play innocent with my bad acting skills, “You and me?”

Draco threw his hands in the air, “Of course! I saved you from Blaise’s dumb arse now you owe me a date.”

I tried to act as though I just remembered, “Ohhhh! You were serious?”

His normal glare returned almost making me smile. Would I ever stop getting joy from seeing him mad? I hope not. Suddenly, to my surprise, his glare disappeared, and a small smile began to form. I frowned in confusion. What was going on? “I get it. You want me to ask you. I often forget girls like to be asked not commanded.” Somehow that didn’t surprise me at all.

He took my hand in his. What was this a marriage proposal? “Alexis Anderson, will you give me the pleasure of escorting you to Hogsmeade on this bright beautiful Saturday?”

I frowned at him. I wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that. He said it so cheery and happy. I couldn’t as well say no. “Fine, I’ll go with you. Now give me back my hand.” I pulled it away from his grip as fast as I could and walked out the door.

---

“Hurry up, Anderson. We’re already late as it is. No thanks to your lazy arse.” I glared dangerously at the back of Draco Malfoy’s head. As much as I wanted to argue with him I bit my tongue. I didn’t need to push him away anymore than I already was. I decided to stare at the ground as I walked instead. I watched my feet crush the cold snow beneath them. Left foot, Right foot, Left foot, Right…ouch.

I ran right into the back of one Draco Malfoy, who randomly decided to stop.

“Watch out.” He mumbled turning to look at me. He was just staring at me. I tried to go around him, but he stepped to the side standing in my way. So I tried the other way. Again he was in my way. I was beginning to get pissed the more he did it. Yet I kept trying to get by him.

Eventually he reached out and grabbed my shoulders stopping me. Against my will, I immediately tensed up. He was touching me…willingly. He hands slid down my arms till he was holding my elbows. I couldn’t help but feel he was pulling me closer to him. I swallowed hard, but allowed him to continue. I was quite a bit shorter than him so he had to lean down for his face to be even with mine.

I made the embarrassing mistake of allowing my eyes to slide shut. I could almost feel his breath on my lips. Then all of a sudden…I heard the loudest burp I had ever heard in my life, and smelt it too. I quickly pulled away from the laughing boy while fanning the air in front of my face.

“You stupid prat!! That was so gross.” I appeared to be angry on the inside, but I couldn’t let him see I was actually laughing a bit. The deep inside, beneath my embarrassment.

The blonde boy just grinned at me. It was weird; he was truly beaming at me. “Come on.” He grabbed my left hand and led me quickly to Hogsmeade. This was just too weird for me. I could only think of one reason for all of this. The Potion.

---

“I want to go to the quidditch shop first.” Malfoy announced as we approached the center of the town. I glared at him still at little angry and embarrassed from the incident that had happened earlier.

“Why do you get to pick where we go? I’m the girl on this date.”

“You’re also forgetting that I also saved you from Zabini. If it wasn’t for me you’d be out with him right now.” Oh, so he did think I owed him something for ‘saving me’. Like hell I owe his ugly butt anything. I opened my mouth to tell him just exactly what I thought, but he cut me off.

“Fine, why don’t we go somewhere we can both agree on first, and then we can go to our other shops afterwards.”

I crossed my arms over my chest, “Whatever, but I get to go to my choice first after our agreed choice.”

He rolled his eyes, “Fine, but where to first?”

“Potion supplies?”

“Definitely not. Joke shop?”

“Thanks, but I’ll pass,” Sarcasm dripped from my voice, “Book store?”

“NO!” Malfoy stated as soon as the words left me shop.

I sighed staring at the boy, who was being just as stubborn as I was. It was so annoying. I hate it when people try to out beat me at being stubborn. That was the one thing I really took pride in…I always got my way around my friends. We glared at each other. Neither one of us wanted to give in. Suddenly we both said simultaneously, “Honey dukes!”

“No! Don’t get the Every Flavor Jelly Beans! Let’s try the new stuff.” I grabbed Draco’s arm and pulled him towards the new candy section of Honey Duke’s.

“Usually I don’t like the female to be so forceful; thinking she can tell a Malfoy around, but in your case its working.” I blushed letting go of his arm.

Draco had been flirting with me in his own way all day long. Today was the first time I realized I have never really had a guy like Draco flirt with me. I honestly didn’t know how to handle it. So naturally I kept blushing and looking the other way. Draco grabbed my arm to stop me from walking towards the back of the store, “Hey...I have an idea...why don’t we try the adult candy section?”

I raised an eyebrow, “I have been all over this store, Malfoy. There’s no adult candy section.”

“Sure there is. You just have to be a Malfoy and know were it’s at.” I rolled my eyes. Of course, it all came back to him being a Malfoy, didn’t it? He took a hold of my hand. He had been doing that a lot today. It must be a part of the potion. Leading me through the crowd of students, he nearly pulled my arm off, but stopped in front of the chocolate syrups.

I frowned, “This is chocolate syrup, Malfoy. I don’t know what kind of childhood you had, but I was never taught this was adult candy.”

Malfoy smirked making me rethink what I said. Something I said had caused him to smirk like that. “And you just proved how much a virgin you really are.” He fled to the front of the store leaving me to think. I instantly blushed. I needed to learn to stop putting my foot in my mouth so much.

I traced Malfoy’s steps up to the front where he was buying two ever-lasting suckers, blast stones, and...a bottle of chocolate syrup. He noticed me staring at the syrup. “Hey...you never know how this date may end up. You may be begging me to lick syrup off your b...”

“OK!” I yelled cutting him off, “I’ll be waiting for you outside.”

The cold wind blew against my face, and I instantly felt my nose freeze. I watched a group of third years wondering around Hogsmeade in ‘ah’. I sneered. They were as annoying as the first years during the sorting ceremonies.

“Well, Well, Well.” I didn’t even have to turn around to know who the voice belonged too. Gordon. “Aw, Poor thing. Looks like Alexis is all alone without a friend in the world.” I whirled around to face her and her gang of whores.

“Sod off, Gordon. I’m not in the mood for your obnoxious voice.” I turned around to continue my people watching, hoping she had taken the hint. Atlas she didn’t.

“Don’t take it out on me, Little Lexi, just because you can’t get a date. It’s not our fault you’re here alone.”

“Actually, Bridget. She’s not.” I was actually shocked to hear Malfoy’s voice. It didn’t even fully register with me that he had just saved me from yet another annoyance. All that mattered was that look of shock on Bridget Gordon’s face as Malfoy stood by my side. For once, I couldn’t help myself, I grinned at Draco Malfoy.

“Draco...I thought that you were busy today...” Bridget twirled her hair around her finger trying to go from super bitch to sweet and innocent, but it wasn’t working.

“I am. I told Lexis I was going to take her out so Zabini would leave her alone.” I immediately winced. Crash and burn. When I looked up at Bridget she was back to smirking again. With once simple sentence from hot-headed jerk face, my wonderful moment was lost, and Bridget thought it was a pity date.

“Oh, how sweet.” She was grinning again, “In that case, I’ll meet you in the common room afterwards, k? Bye, dears.” And she was gone as fast as she had come.

I glared at Malfoy. He was staring after her. That’s not how the potion is supposed to work! I turned and stormed off in the other direction leaving him to gawk after Satan.

I didn’t see Malfoy again to later that night. For some reason I hadn’t been able to sleep at all, and decided I would stay up late in the common room. I had been avoiding it all day trying to keep from seeing Bridget and Malfoy together, but now it was so late they rest of the Slytherins were asleep. I bit my lip staring into the fire. Maybe the potion hadn’t worked. It was possible I had made it wrong. I frowned. What am I thinking? I’m Academic Alexis. I haven’t messed up on a potion since first year. Malfoy must have screwed it up before taking it. That had to be it.

“What do you mean by running out on Draco Malfoy during a date? No girl does that to me.” I looked over the couch to see Draco standing at the common room door looking angry.

“I didn’t want to keep you from a date with Gordon.” I mumbled. I wasn’t in the mood to fight with him. I was pondering if I had made a mistake in the potion or not. Malfoy’s face softened.

“If I had wanted to be with Bridget, don’t you think I would have been? I do not pity people, Anderson. Especially not your sorry excuse for a witch.” He walked over and sat on the end of the couch.

“Whatever, Malfoy. I’m not in the mood for you or your ego so kindly excuse yourself to your dorm.” I waited for him to get up and retreat, but he didn’t move a muscle. He was staring at he fire until he noticed me staring. Finally he looked at me.

“Anderson, Anderson, Anderson. You know as well as anyone I don’t take orders from anyone. Especially not you.” I rolled my eyes. Typical Malfoy answer. He was such a jerk, and I hated him.

“Fine.” I mumbled.

“Fine? That’s it. You know, Anderson, you’ve been really slacking on your insults lately. You’ve actually got me a little concerned for you.” I raised my left eyebrow at him. He grinned, “I said a little, mind you.”

“Don’t worry about me, Malfoy. The last thing I need is you thinking about me.” He mumbled something that was almost completely incoherent, but it sounded a little bit like ‘too late’. I brushed it off not wanting to worry about it right now. Although it did convince me the potion was working again. Maybe it came and went in spurs. I would never really know when it would work and when it wouldn’t. I made a mental note to read up some more on it in the morning. Using a potion I was so unfamiliar with was very unlike me, but there has to be a first time for everything. Next time I’ll know exactly how a love potion works. A yawn escaped my lips.

“Go to bed.” Malfoy mumbled

“Don’t tell me what do to, you jerk.” I laid my head back against the arm rest of the couch.

“Now, that’s the Alexis we all know and love.” My eyes couldn’t help but widen at the word love. I wasn’t too sure if I was liking the things the bet was doing to me. I don’t know if I can handle looking at Draco Malfoy in a different light than the one of hatred. He was watching me now instead of the fire. I refused to look at him; I could just feel his gaze on me. Is this how he acted with all the other girls? Did Pansy or Gordon get this same treatment? Or does the potion affect the way he hits on girls? The fire snapped loudly causing me to jump.

Malfoy chuckled, “Why are you always so tense all the time?” I shrugged refusing to look at him. I could still feel his gaze on me.

“Are you always like this?” Again I shrugged as an answer. He reached out and placed his hand on my upper thigh. In a deeper voice than his normal one, he whispered, “Or is it just when I’m around?” I closed my eyes allowing an intense wave of feeling to wash over me. I still refused to look the boy in the eye, but I could tell he was waiting on me to respond.

“I-I…uh, I think I should go to bed now.” I was up and gone out of the common room before Malfoy could utter another word.

A/n: Another chapter!!! Finally, Right? I had almost given completely up on this story, but I re-read it and fell in love with Alexis’s character. Plus I already have it all planned out…I just have to write it…So hopefully the chapters will be coming sooner and longer. I’m trying to balance them out as to the big events in each chapter, so some maybe shorter than others!! Sorry!!! Thanks for the reviews!!