Challenged Love

Chapter 31

It seemed that fate always put us together at the strangest times and in the strangest ways.

When Draco carried me to the Hospital Wing the night before, he laid me in the bed and explained to the nurse that I must have ate something expired which caused me to be violently ill. I had been too exhausted and sick to explain the real reason, so I just left it at that. Now, Draco rested in the hospital bed next to me with injuries of his own. Even when the group of Quidditch boys had left, Draco never made the effort to move beds away from me. Not that it really mattered I supposed. I just wondered what had happened to him.

Professor Snape had brought him here just a few hours before. Draco's shirt had been covered with blood stains, and he could barely hold himself up without the help of Professor Snape. I had attempted to listen to the conversation between Madam Pomfrey and Professor Snape, but they exchanged words in low whispers. Then, before Professor Snape left, he glared at me with his beady eyes as if he had something to say but turned away and exited the room instead.

I have been debating for the past several hours whether or not I should talk to him. There was so much I wanted to say yet nothing at all at the same time. On the other hand, I had been given permission by Madam Pomfrey to return to my dorm if I felt alright, but I stayed put. I couldn't argue against fate.

I sat up against the head board with a pillow behind me cushioning my back. I cracked open Kasper's journal once more, dipping my fingers in dangerous secrets once more. I had asked Blaise to grab it for me when he and Lara came to visit me during lunch today. The effects of Draco's spell were finally beginning to wear off significantly, hence why I was able to sit up and read instead of miserably lying in bed. I was learning some of the deepest parts of Kasper, parts of him he probably never intended for me to discover. Every word was like a stab to the heart. I realized how clueless I had been, how oblivious I had been to his suffering. Eventually, I had to skip ahead in his journal, and I noticed the complete change in his entries. He had written much about our last six months at school together, memorable moments I had almost forgotten about, and the time he spent with Lara. He wrote quite frequently about Lara; however, one entry in particular caught my eye.

The first time I laid eyes on Lara was when we were assigned to be Potions partners. She caught my eye in a way no girl really ever had. I can't exactly explain what it is about Lara that makes her so unique, so different. People may say it's her pink eyes, but there's so much more to her. There isn't a day that goes by where she doesn't occupy my thoughts. I think I love her, but how could I ever tell her?

I knew it, I thought.

I always suspected Kasper had feelings for Lara, though Lara was always persistent they were "just friends". However, there was no misinterpreting the way Kasper glared at Lara. Sometimes we would be with a group of friends, and she wouldn't even be talking, yet Kasper's attention was on her.

I skimmed over the next few entries to find out whether or not they ever got together. Then, I came across this entry.

I should have asked Lara to be my girlfriend on the last day of school, but of course I had to be an insecure coward. I doubted whether or not she felt the same way and backed out. She will be starting school soon, and I am burning to confess. I just can't keep my feelings hidden away forever. Maybe I can ask to visit her before she leaves for Hogwarts and bring a bouquet of flowers. Lara loves peonies. I should also ask Holly for advice. She will know what I should say to Lara. What would I do without her?

That was his very last and final entry before he met his end. My heart shattered. He had planned to ask Lara to be his girlfriend. He was going to show up to her house with a bouquet of flowers. He was going to ask me to help him.