The rose which started it all

Chapter 7. a sweet little promise

Wow, nothing went as planned. Showering sounds easy, right? Well no. Not for me. I just fucking fainted in the shower, and didn't wake up until my dorm mates found me unconscious and naked on the bathroom floor. Fantastic. And guess what? I broke my promise to Draco. He must be terribly angry and hurt, and all because of me. I can't believe I messed up this bad. I'll have to talk to him as soon as possible today and tell him about the unfortunate events of the night. I hate my life.

~

"She literally looks like Malfoy's sister..."
"I mean like all pure bloods are related. They're probably related in some way."

I was walking down to breakfast with Carlie and Laura.  My new hair caught a lot of attention, most of it being admiration. But not every reaction. I laid my eyes upon the people who uttered the less flattering comment– Potter and his Weasley friend.

Everybody knew that Draco and I are a thing after the party, rumors travel faster than light in this Merlin castle.
"Says the redhead." I throw at them, trying to sound frightening and confident. To my irritation, they only look at each other amused, suppressing a laugh.
In that moment, I wanted to strangle them with my glistening silver curls. But of course, I didn't. Instead I reminded Weasley of the time he puked snails in second grade, which to my satisfaction, made them aggressively turn away and stomp away in the hallway, mumbling some nonsense about Draco Miss Know It All Granger. I couldn't care less.
"Ugh, just ignore them, everybody clearly thinks you're drop dead gorgeous, they're obviously not in their right mind." Laura assured me.

To breakfast I ate one almond, and drank my absolute favorite: lemon water with laxatives. I made sure to really chug on the single almond I ate. But I still got constipated. Fuck.
The Ravenclaw table suddenly went from laughter and cheer conversation to complete silence, with an exception of some whispering. Then to my dismay I realized something, everybody stared at me. Had I broken wind? Following their gazes made me realize, to my relief,  that it wasn't me they stared and gossiped about, they stared at someone behind me.
Then that someone poked me on my shoulder. I stiffened.
"Y/N" greeted someone with a deep husky voice behind me. God I loved it when he said my name. But this wasn't an appropriate location, nor time, for us.

I conjured all of my courage, and then slowly turned around.
My orbs met his, an ocean of the deepest of silvers. Too deep. Too mesmerizing. My gaze immediately darted. Damn, handling him is way harder sober. I always knew he was the most beautiful person in this multiverse, but seeing him now in person reminded me that he wasn't only beautiful. Beautiful wasn't nearly a word strong enough to describe him. He was ethereal, but even that word felt too underwhelming in comparison to his beauty.

He has this cold complexion. Pale and cold skin. Silver eyes. White hair. He looks like one of the purest, but evil at the same time. Like a fallen angel, who used to be God's favorite, but got lured on the wrong path into the cold darkness by his lust for power.

Laura, my life savior, awkwardly coughed to bring me back to the moment. I have been staring, haven't I?
"Uhm hi" I said awkwardly. Damn it I'm such a dork.
His eyes soften as he looked at me. Slowly he reached his hand towards my face. What on earth is he doing? With a gentle hand he grabbed one of my silver curls.
I hope he likes them... damn what happened to my confidence? He's making me question everything I do.

"You look my mom."
His mom? Seriously? Is this his way of hurting me for not coming to our rendezvous? Will he be forgiving? Or has he finally become as dangerous as I've always imagined him to be. Draco is in the possession of the key to my heart. And now he can do whatever he wanted to with it. Throw it away. Share it. Break it. Guard and take care of it.
The whole Gryffindor table started laughing, among with some students from the other three houses. Pansy Parkinson in particular. I ran to the door, out of the great hall, my silver mane flowing behind me, and tears flowing down my  rosy cheeks.

I ran without thinking. I didn't feel like thinking. All I felt was my legs moving under me. My heart beating in my chest. My Ravenclaw-diadem slid off my head. I didn't care. I had multiple other back in my dorm. Draco is hurt because of me, and he just humiliated me in front of the whole school. Do I even have the right to be this angry and hurt, or is he in the right? When I had been running for what felt like hours I finally halted. Panting and crying. I have no idea in which of Hogwarts hundreds of corridors I found myself in, and I didn't mind.
I was finally alone—

"Y/N, why are you ignoring me? You've ignored me all yesterday and today."
I turned around. The sudden need of explain myself came to me.
"I'm so sorry. I fainted in the shower and was unconscious the whole night. I never meant to ignore you."

"You fainted in the shower," his eyes got immediately filled with worry and he hurried over to me.
"Draco— what are you doing?" I asked in between my sobs. He had bent down on his knees and started checking my body. Then the realization hit me: he is looking for any injuries on my body.
When he had made sure I was free of injuries he straightened to his full height, towering over me. Then he gently wiped away the tears on my cheeks and neatly put on a diadem. My diadem. The one I lost when I ran.

His cold and hands found mine, humorously small in comparison to his. His eyes pierced mine. I felt so vulnerable. He made me feel this vulnerable and naked, but in the best way possible. Never has looking into someone's eyes, and breathing the same air that someone, felt this good and terrifying on the same time.
"You think I look like your mom?" I asked him.
"Yes. She's slightly more blonde. But yes. In a good way. She is one of the most important people in my life. You're so beautiful. Words truly  could never describe your beauty fairly. You remind me of my mom."

I blushed. At that moment I didn't care if this was one of his wicked and manipulative games, or how he wrapped me tighter around his finger with every word he uttered. Nothing mattered, nothing, but him.
I hugged him and put my face to his broad frame. His arms wrapped around me, hands going back and forth, slowly and gently, on my back. Then one of his hands found my soft, now silver, hair. His motions were soft and soothing.

"Forget about what we said that night after the party. Let's do something fun and personal instead. Things have gotten...' he trailed off at a lost for words, "emotional." I swear I could see the shadow of fear on his face. Or maybe I was just imagining what I wanted to see, perhaps I'm just too naïve to see that he only sees us as one of the many flings of his.  Does that makes me a fool?

"Y/N—" my name.
"fancy joining me to Hogsmeade this weekend?"
A date with him.
"If I do? Of course I do," I answer. I feel my teary swollen face shyly smile, with a giggle following. "Where do you think we should go?" I ask him.
"Definitely not the Three Broomsticks. I could never bring you to such an unromantic and impersonal place as such. I suggest Madam Puddifoot's?"

And then it was decided. As both of us realized both of our classes were about to start in a few minutes, and we were both in the completely wrong side of the castle, we hurried away in two different directions. My heart lighter than ever. I was not in the mood of being late to Professor McGonagall's lesson. Not today, or I'd rather never relive that.

On Saturday me and Draco would meet up at 11 am to go to Madam Puddifoot's. Laura screamed and threw her arms around me when I told her about our date. Draco also told me, with a look on his face that made me blush like an idiot, that he'd 'make up' for the misfortunes he put me through earlier today. A little detail I was too embarrassed to share with Laura. Like I suspected, she told me at lunch that she had already picked out twenty three outfits for my date to choose between. Some might find her a little too much, but I never do, and will never do. I don't know what I'd do without her by my side. My Laura.

The rest of the day felt like an haze of pure happiness. Not even the rude comments coming from the Gryffindors could rub me. Nothing mattered but him.

~