Shallow ~ Draco x Lilia Lowe

Scavenger Hunt

I woke up feeling a little sore but otherwise excellent. I walked out of my dorm and towards the Common Room. Girls and Boys were all chatting around a beautiful Christmas tree that had wrapping paper all around it. Only a couple of boxes were left unopened. I absentmindedly walked over to them, curious to see if Harry or I got anything.

Surprisingly the last two boxes were for us. The bigger one was from Molly to Harry, and the small palm-sized box was to me, but I'm not sure who it's from. I unwrapped the delicate bow and opened the box. Inside was a note. Go to the place we first met, it read. If it weren't for the D.M at the bottom of the message, I don't think I would have known who wrote it.

I immediately started walking to the great hall, where Draco and I first met each other. As I neared the area, we were sitting in. I saw a small piece of parchment on the bench. Not a word of this. What? We've only said that to each other twice. Once was here, in the Great Hall, so this isn't where he was talking about. But I don't quite remember where the other place was.

I started walking the corridors trying to remember the path I took when Draco had called me those names all that time ago. "But she was right beside the dungeons" that's what Draco said later that night. I started walking towards the dungeons when I saw another small parchment. I picked it up and read it. Go to the place where you found out who your mother was.

The broom closet near Dumbledores office! I started running there. I needed to figure out why he was sending me on this hunt so early on Christmas morning. I've always hated scavenger hunts, but this one was intriguing. I arrived at the broom closet and picked up the small parchment. To be continued kiss. That's easy.

I ran up to the sixth floor and into the room, I had found not long after discovering who my parents were. I took Draco here one time, and it was the last time I thought I would ever go into this room. I walked over to the couches and was tempted to sit, but I picked up the note on the side table instead. This is the last one. Go to the place where I fell in love with you. NO! No, no, no, no, no. He-no-he can't-this can't be happening. He can't have fallen in love with me. I can't break up with him if he has fallen in love with me.

I can deal with breaking my heart, but not his. I can't hurt him, but I have to, and it's going to kill me. As much as I love Draco, and as much as I don't want to do this, it's better for the both of us until Lucius is off our backs. I wish I had some way to tell him that I was doing this because I have to. I checked my pocket and the ring I got him was still there so I started to think about where he could have fallen in love with me.

That's when it hit me. My ring. His ring? Whosever ring it is now, maybe the place I told him I liked it was the place he fell in love with me. But that was the night we met, there was no way he fell in love with me then, but I'll give it a shot.

I ran up the astronomy tower and looked around for a few minutes. When there was nothing there, I went to all of the places we had been together. I even checked the Great Hall and the room on the sixth floor, but there was nothing. I then went to my dorm and checked to see if there was anything he left for me, but the only thing in my dorm that was out of the ordinary was my dress lying on the bed.

It must no be in the castle or on its grounds, but the only other place we've been together is Hogsmeade! I didn't waste any time and started running to Hogsmeade. When I got to the bench Ron and I sat at a year ago, I realized how stupid I was to run outside in the middle of winter without a coat or even a jumper. I pushed on and walked toward where Draco had dragged me after he thought I threw his ring.

Sure enough, when I turned the corner, there he was standing with his back away from me, waiting. I slowly walked up to him and wrapped my arms around his torso, and got as close to him as I could. "You're warm." I huffed.

"Well, I don't feel warm. I've been standing out here for a couple of hours. I thought you would have found me sooner." Draco said, putting his arms around mine. "Do you not have a jumper on? Or a coat? Lilia, are you crazy?!" He turned around and wrapped his coat around the both of us.

"I looked in all of the places we've been together, even the Hospital Wing, this was the last place I could think of, and when I realized I might find you here, I started running without thinking about it," I said, nuzzling my face further into his chest. But the second I did, I remembered what was going to happen today. I slowly started remembering the scenery, and of course, this was the place we were when I broke up with him in my visions.

I pulled away from him, and he put his coat around me. He was smart enough to wear two jumpers under his jacket. I looked up at him with tears in my eyes, and as the first one fell and froze halfway down my face, I blinked the rest back. "Draco, we need to talk."