Underneath

Chapter 49

Draco gently led Gia out the hall, still ignoring the stares of the onlookers.

"Draco, I'm scared, can you tell me what the task is yet?"

"Not yet" he said quietly, clutching her hand and leading her towards the empty library.

Gia pushed down her sudden distrust in the situation and started to babble about the dance.

"Did you see all the colours of everyone's dresses! It was like a sea of flowers" she grinned, "and the food, I've never seen so many sausage rolls in one place I swear",

but her giggling abruptly stopped when Draco let her hand go and was facing her, back against the door blocking her exit, his wand pointed directly at her face.

"Draco ?" She whispered, face paling in fear.

His hand was shaking, a pained look in his eyes.

"What are you doing?" She asked, softly as though trying to calm down a nervous animal.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry this is killing me but they'll hurt you if you have any connection to me." His eyes had begun to water.

Gia began to piece together his lie, shaking her head in disbelief. "Draco, no"
She said firmly. "This is what they want, for you to be alone, don't do this".

Nothing could change his mind.

"Gia stop talking you're making this harder than it has to be. You need to forget me" he spoke through gritted teeth.

"You think I'd let you go that easily?" Gia frowned and quickly whipped out her wand. "Confringo!"

And Draco was blasted back against the doors with a loud crash. He groaned, rubbing his head.

"Gia.." he said lowly, but Gia wasn't done.

"Stupify!" And he was blown back again.

"Gia stop" Draco shouted, getting up and chasing Gia who had run to hide between the shelves.

He walked slowly, trying to hear her footsteps. And then she appeared from the end of a shelf.

"Stupify"

"Protego !" Draco reacted at the same time and their spells collided in the air, before pulling apart and Gia ran again.

" Stop Gia, please I don't want to do this" Draco yelled.

"Then don't!" She replied, shooting a tripping jinx at him which he swiftly avoided and then sprinting to hide.

Silence. Where was she. And then Draco heard a slight rustle from the book shelf directly behind him.

He'd got her.

Taking a deep breath he darted out from his hiding spot and yelled "expelliarmus!"

Gia's wand flew out of her hand and Draco wasted no time in grabbing her and pushing her to the back wall.

"Draco, Draco please don't" she sobbed, tears spilling over.

Draco cried too. "Don't look at me like that, please Gia you're making it impossible".

She began to pound his chest and he just let her.

"I hate you, I hate you", each hit more desperate than the last, her hands eventually just resting on his chest.

"I love you, don't say it back" she rembered his words. She had never asked why.

"Its not fair" she spluttered out, " we didn't get enough time, just the beginning".

He stroked her cheek gently, "The beginnings are the best bits." He smiled sadly, "you'd probably have ended up hating me anyway."

"I wish I could hate you "

"I know."

Draco wanted to promise he would come back for her, but he couldn't. And he had lied enough. So instead- "I promise I won't forget you. I'm sorry", his vice cracked.

"I'm so- I'm so stupidly in love with you" Gia mumbled.

Draco's heart split in half . "Thank you. Thank you for loving me".

And with that Draco held the back of her head and softly stroked her hair one last time and pointed his wand to her perfect head and choked out "obliviate".

Her eyes went blank as her memories of him disappeared and Draco ran from the library, collapsing on the ground and crying out in the most pain he had ever felt in his entire life.

She was gone from his life. All that time together, gone from her mind. Like he'd never even been there. Never even existed. Hope. She'd given him hope, and now it had been ripped from him.

And just like that he no longer cared what he did, what he was, it really didn't matter. Let Voldemort take him to the dark side. Let him go back to who he was before he'd met her.

Who was going to love him now?