WITHOUT YOU [draco malfoy fanfiction]

13. stay

IRENE:

I was sitting near the bedroom window, reading a book. Nora was fast asleep, she couldn't handle booze. I smiled looking at her sleeping, she seemed to open up a little bit now. She was no more the shy, closed off Nora, I was proud of my friend for opening up to the world. My thoughts were interrupted by a light knock on our window, a beautiful white owl waiting there to deliver a message. I let the owl in and fed her a few treats before retrieving the letter from her. It was a green envelope, addressed to no one. The owl flew as soon as she delivered her letter. I wondered if it was for Nora, but I let curiosity take the best of me and opened it. The letter was written in a beautiful cursive.

"Astronomy Tower, as soon as you get the letter"

It wasn't a letter, it was a single line. Not signed, nor addressed. Yet I knew the letter was addressed to me and also had a faint idea as to who had sent it to me.

The letter did seem urgent so I left without wasting any further time. I reached the astronomy tower to see him standing there. I think he was just about to leave, thinking that I wouldn't come but decided to stay when he saw me. As soon as the cold breeze swept past me, I realised I had no protection against the cold. I stood there in my bra top and sweatpants, waiting for Draco to say something.

"Hi" I broke the silence

"Pierce" he took a sharp intake of breath, he seemed so nervous I didn't know what was about to come.

"Thank you. For today" I did not expect these words to come out of his mouth. He knows, of course he does. No wonder he felt so nervous trying to say thank you, he has probably never uttered those words in his life before.

"How" I asked in a small voice

"As soon as the match was over, I hit Blaise" I knew that part. "Professor Snape came to break our fight, when he came to know that Blaise tried to hex me, Snape wanted me  to go straight to Madam Pomfrey to make sure that the spell missed me. I went to Madam Pomfrey with Snape and she said that the spell never missed me. It just didn't affect me because, uh- a protection spell was cast on me. They wondered who it was, but I already knew the answer to that. It was you wasn't it?"

He looked directly into my eyes, that is the first time I actually saw his face tonight. His face glistened with the moonlight falling on his pale skin, his eyes shining and drowning me in them. He was studying me, monitoring my slow breathing waiting for my answer. But he didn't need me to answer it, the look on his face showed he already knew it was me.

DRACO:

She looked into my eyes with such intensity I could not dare to break my contact with her. She looked so beautiful tonight, the night sky making her glow.

"It was me" she said in a whisper and bit her bottom lip.

"Where did you learn the spell from? Because they sure didn't teach that at Hogwarts"

She seemed to hesitate before answering "They uh- taught us at Beauxbatons"

"Oh right" we just stood there in silence for a long time

"Congratulations on the win" I said

"Thank you. Look Draco I- , the things I said earlier today, I didn't mean them"

"Pierce, you don't have to lie to me. You might regret what you said, but in that moment you meant every single word you said to me" She lowered her gaze

"It's okay Pierce I have that effect on people" I tried sounding unbothered but I don't think I was able to fool her.

"But you see you don't have to be that way! Why can't you talk like this every time?"