From a very young age, Draco understood that he was different, possessing abilities others simply didn't have. The violent surges of his magic were proof enough of his frightening potential on the path of wizardry.
As he grew older, Draco went even further. By pushing himself into magical exhaustion, he unearthed a strange constitution that allowed his magical power to increase at an astonishing rate.
And then there was his current talent as a Dragontongue speaker...
In truth, Draco hadn't been completely honest. When it came to Dragontongue, there were still things he deliberately kept to himself. It wasn't that he didn't trust Pansy and the others. He was simply trying to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Because even Draco himself couldn't explain the mystery within him.
If his ability to communicate with dragons could be explained as something similar to Parseltongue, then the naturally established hierarchy between him and dragons was something he couldn't put into words at all.
Yes, this wasn't mere communication.
It was domination.
Just like in the legends, dragons were proud creatures. No one could drive them, much less command them, let alone tame and ride them. Not even Merlin could accomplish such a thing.
After realizing this, during the holiday between his first and second year, Draco deliberately made a trip to the research base in Romania.
To confirm his suspicions, he used his Malfoy status and his carefully crafted image as a dragon enthusiast to stand before a dragon.
That was the day he truly understood what made Dragontongue so terrifying.
It was a kind of suppression and subjugation that reached all the way down to the soul...
...
Competition between girls came in many forms, especially when it involved feelings. In those matters, every little detail was worth scrutinizing.
How long they spent together, what they had experienced side by side, all of it could become fuel for comparison.
Take Draco taking Hermione dragon riding, for example. After Draco had come clean, in the days that followed, Hermione would occasionally bring up that beautiful memory just to provoke Pansy, who could only fume with envy and frustration.
That was precisely why Pansy had made such a request of Draco...
Unfortunately, her wish never came true.
Given Draco's near-obsessive love for dragons, there was no way he would treat one as a casual mount unless it was absolutely necessary. Especially when that dragon was Norberta, with whom he had already formed a bond.
Of course, Pansy wasn't the type to make a scene. After failing to get Draco's approval, she could only give up on the tempting idea in resignation.
Still, just thinking about how Hermione would continue to use that incident to needle her in the future was enough to make Pansy feel like she was about to explode.
She bit her lip.
"In that case, I want compensation. And it has to be something Hermione has never done with you. Only then does it count as me not losing to her."
"Uh… even if you put it that way, I really can't think of anything right now."
"I don't care. Hurry up and think of something. Right now!"
It seemed Hermione had truly provoked her badly. Pansy showed no shyness at all as she swung a leg over and straddled Draco head-on.
Her soft, lightly scented body pressed close, and the pert curve so near it almost brushed the tip of his nose. Draco, who had already tasted sweetness before, felt his eyes darken, his breathing gradually growing heavy, tinged with unmistakable heat.
Completely unaware of the danger she was courting, Pansy continued to sway her hips lightly and urged him on recklessly.
"Do you really want to see your childhood friend get bullied by someone else?"
"Ahem! Hermione… she's not really… someone else…"
Pansy failed to notice the odd change in Draco's tone, and didn't realize that a pair of hands had already settled on her waist. Unhappy with his answer, she puffed out her chest indignantly.
"But I'm the one who's known you the longest."
It had to be said that while Pansy's figure might not have been the most perfect among the girls, her development far exceeded theirs. With that single movement, her already close-fitting robe immediately displayed her advantages in full before Draco.
As Draco's body reacted, Pansy finally sensed something was wrong.
The hands moving at her waist and Draco's scorching gaze, hot enough to set her ablaze, left her feeling weak all over. If Draco hadn't been holding her by the waist, she might have gone completely limp against him the very next second.
Bold as she usually was, when things truly seemed about to happen, Pansy still grew shy. Flustered, she instinctively covered her eyes with her small hands, unable to look any longer.
"L-let go of me. I… I'm going home."
"Oh? Didn't you want something that even Hermione has never done with me?"
"I… I…"
For some reason, Draco's hoarse voice seemed to carry a strange magic, draining away what little strength Pansy still had to push him away. It gave her an odd sense of having fallen straight into the Big Bad Wolf's trap.
The small hand that had been covering his eyes was easily brushed aside.
When she met Draco's gray eyes, eyes that seemed capable of swallowing her whole, Pansy's head instantly grew light and dizzy.
The next moment.
As the lights dimmed, thoughts of dragon riding and beating Hermione no longer mattered.
At the instant Draco drew close, none of that was important anymore.
Tonight, for Pansy, might be a sleepless night…
...
Hermione was in an excellent mood today.
Because her parents had to travel far away, she was able to appear at the Dragon's Nest base in broad daylight for the first time.
She no longer had to wait until everyone was asleep to sneak out in the middle of the night, nor rush back home before dawn after barely spending any time outside.
However, that good mood turned slightly irritable the moment she saw Pansy.
Because Hermione realized that Pansy was acting a little strange today.
Normally she was already foolish enough, but lately she seemed even more scatterbrained. The number of times she spaced out with a silly grin was impossible to count, and she had become even clingier toward Draco than usual.
What truly bothered Hermione, though, wasn't that.
It was the inexplicable sense of superiority in Pansy's eyes whenever she looked at her. Worse still was that smug, self-satisfied look that Hermione simply couldn't understand.
It was as if… as if the one who had reached the finish line first was her.
"I say, Parkinson, if you've got something to say, just say it. Don't look at me with that rude expression!"
"Um… well, I don't mean anything by it, it's just… hehe."
Seeing Pansy's riddle-like expression, Hermione felt herself on the verge of snapping.
Draco, who naturally knew exactly why Pansy was behaving this way, quietly took a sip of the tea in his hand.
In fact, Draco hadn't actually done anything to Pansy that day.
Or rather… aside from the things they truly couldn't do, they had done everything else.
After all, they were only fourteen years old.