Need [ dramione ]

Chapter 32

15 February 1999 - One Day Before the New Moon

As Draco approaches the stairwell that leads up to the Astronomy Tower, he tries to remind himself to just be happy that she's talking to him again. She apologized, accepted the flowers... things are better. They're on the way up.

Upon reflection, he can fully understand why she pulled away, and why she's scared. Bloody hell, if he was a werewolf, he would probably have already run off into the woods and... well, he isn't the werewolf, and the fact that she's still here, still fighting, still speaking to him, it speaks to how strong she is. He knows she's terrified - he's scared as well, but.

But now that they're talking again, perhaps... perhaps, with time, they can reach what they were before, or something similar to it. Perhaps, with time, she might let him hold her hand again, might kiss him, might even let herself be with him. Perhaps, with time, she'll even let him love her again.

But not tonight. He knows that tonight, she'll want distance. She had been scared, when last they spoke, and had been unsure of what would happen between them, what future they had. He knows, as he begins the walk up the curving staircase, that there's a good chance the door will be shut again, and that he'll have to talk through it.

The fact that she had asked him to come, asked if he would be there... that's the best sign he could ever imagine.

Her, opening the door to let him in? That would be... It would be...

The door is wide open when he reaches the top step, and he freezes. Every step, he had told himself it would be shut, so to see it open...

He steps inside, not sure what to expect. Perhaps he's there before her, or perhaps she's already asleep? He takes his time in turning, in taking in the room, until he sees her standing at one of the large open windows, one of the same that they have stared out together. She looks lonely as she stares out into the night sky, where the moon should be.

"Can you still see a sliver of it?" he asks, knowing she can hear him, but wanting to make his presence known all the same. "The new moon is early morning, right?"

"Mmm," she agrees from her place at the window, still staring out into the night. He doesn't know if that's confirmation or denial, but she answered him, so he'll take it. "There's actually a solar eclipse tomorrow. We won't see it, but that knowledge, something about it warms me, to know how close we are."

He doesn't understand it or the relevance. Is the moon really suddenly closer just because it's passing in front of the sun, or is that something just mental for her? He won't argue.

"I'm the surprised the door was open," Draco offers, wanting to say something more, but unsure as to what.

He wants to say something, anything, just to hear her voice again.

"I invited you, didn't I?" she asks, her voice soft as she turns to look at him.

She's practically glowing, which he knows is just imagination, but he can see it. She should look tired, exhausted, drained. They've barely touched in weeks, he knows she must be cold, and her strength is at its lowest on the New Moon. It's late, almost midnight, and she looks freezing every time the wind blows. She's fading, as she often does, and yet...

She glows. She brightens as he closes the door. She smiles as he takes a few steps towards her. She blushes slightly as he drops his bag on the floor. She reaches for him as he moves to be only a few paces away. And when he reaches her, fully, when he stands in front of her...

He doesn't want to move, doesn't want to make a mistake. He wants to take her, to hug her, to wrap her tight in his arms. Every second since Christmas he has been worried, terrified, that he's pushed her too far and that she'll make a move that he can't stop, that he can't change. Weeks of wondering, of questioning, of worry... and now, she is looking at him with a gaze he can immediately place, yet questions.