i laughed, hoping he didn’t detect the nervousness. “kill me?” i repeated, trying to sound amused. “i’d like to see you try.”

the man narrowed his icy grey eyes at me. “what are you talking about?” he growled. “do you know how easy it would be for me to rip you apart, limb by limb?”

“really? i happen to know exactly what you’re trying to do, and it’s not going to work.”

unfortunately, he wasn’t as easy to crack as i’d hoped. “and what do you think i’m trying to do?” my kidnapper challenged me, leaning towards me so close i could feel the heat from his breath. he sneered at me under his steel gaze.

i started to sweat, which he noticed. my face might’ve turned the tiniest bit pink too. i struggled a little against the ropes that bound me to the chair. nevertheless, i continued my attempts to survive. “you just want to scare me, to get something out of me. you aren’t actually planning on hurting me. i can tell.”

he raised a perfectly groomed eyebrow. “oh, really? wanna bet?”

my stoic facade shattered ever-so-slightly. i didn’t know what to say, but i definitely was not about to try some stuttered lie, so i kept quiet.

“such a pretty young man,” he murmured. “it’d be such a shame…”

i narrowed my eyes at him, despite having absolutely no idea what to do. then i got an idea. an irresponsible one, sure; a stupid one, definitely. but it was something.

just as he pulled out a dagger, i leaned up and i kissed him. he dropped the blade out of shock, and i took my chance. i kicked it across the large room into a corner.

he pulled back, a little hesitantly, i noticed. he now had a choice: go for the knife and give me a chance to escape, or make sure i stay put by possibly— no, definitely— killing me.

he went for the blade. i tore my hands out of the rope behind me which i’d been slowly cutting through with my own hidden pocket knife the whole time, and i pulled at the back of his shirt. “not so fast,” i said, raising my knife to his throat.

he froze, but he wasn’t scared, or if he was, he was doing a much better job of hiding it than i had been. “do it,” he challenged me. i hesitated, and he took that as an opportunity. he swung at me, knocking my blade to the ground, turning me around, and pinning me to the wall behind me before i could even comprehend what was going on.

“you know, in different circumstances, this could—“

he interrupted my last attempt at talking by putting a slender finger to my lips. we prolonged eye contact for a few seconds, before he kissed me. my body reacted the exact opposite way i wanted it to, and he knew that.

“now are you gonna test me again?” he whispered in a husky voice, barely inches from me.

he put a hand to my chest, feeling my heartbeat, indubitably just to trying to make me lose my composure even more than i already had. my heart was pounding against my chest at what felt like a million times its normal rate. he smirked.

“scared, potter?”