Memory Of A Dear Place

48. Snow

December, 1996

~\~ Bella Huxley ~\~

I scoff and smile as soon as I see a playful smirk appear on his face. ''Draco Malfoy, you're cruel.''

Draco raises his eyebrows and palms my cheeks in his hands, staring at me for a couple of seconds, as though he's trying to make an image of me to remember inside of his head.

''It baffles how you're not getting tired of looking at me with that weird, indescribable expression on your face. I can't pinpoint if you want to ruin me or if you're admiring me.''

''The more I look the more I see.'' He softly slaps his right hand against my cheek, ''It sucks to be special sometimes, doesn't it?''

Draco wriggles himself away from underneath me and steps out of his bed, starting to put his sweater and shoes on. I can hear him turn to look at me and I roll myself on my back to meet his eyes. ''Snowball fight.'' 

''You're a  surprisingly disgusting romantic, Draco.'' I roll my eyes as I lean on my elbows, ''And I'm not special.''

He just continues to stare at me in silence for a couple more seconds. ''Snowball. Fight.'' he now says in a more strict tone.

''I can't. Move.''  I drop myself to my back into the mattress with a sigh. I'm both mentally and physically not prepared to do a fucking snowball fight. One of the most powerful wizards of time is at the verge of taking power and Draco Malfoy wants to do a fucking snowball fight.

Before I know it Draco has me grabbed by the ankles, and he pulls me towards the edge of the bed, making me gasp in pain. He manages to quickly transfigure my Yule Ball heels into simple sneakers and as he puts them on my feet, I notice blood leaking through the fabric of the sweatpants I'm wearing in my inner thigh.

''You should heal me.'' I say lowly as we both stare at the blood soaked fabric. ''It could ruin us if they'd find out when I go home.''

''No.'' Draco says strictly. ''You're mine. I don't fucking care.'' Within seconds he grabs me by my waist and throws me over his shoulder, ''You are mine.''

He starts to walk and exits his room. I quickly notice he stops to see if there's anyone still left inside of the common room, but as he starts walking again I quickly find out it's completely empty.

I lost my track of time. It could be 1 a.m. as good as 5 a.m. at this point. It takes him a solid few minutes of walking and climbing stairs before the brisk winter air hits our skin. We're not even wearing a coat or proper winter clothes, and yet I still feel warm.

I hear the snow crisp underneath his shoes and the cold snowflakes touch my scalp, face and hands as we go a little further. Draco then throws me off his shoulder, and drops me on my feet. He holds my arms to steady me on the ground.

After a few seconds he carefully releases my arms and takes a step back, as though he's observing if I'm ready to stand on my own. The first few seconds are fine, but I quickly start to buckle on my knees. Before I'm able to collapse to the ground Draco catches me by my elbows, and he lowers me to sit on the ground.

He looks down on me. As I look up to him the moon is positioned right above his head, and although it's snowing, the stars are perfectly noticeable in the sky above us, poking through the clouds. I chuckle as the moon extends Draco's head, intertwining with his platinum blonde, or almost white hairs.