Rival Wands, Entwined Hearts

-Intensity-

As we reached the edge of the forest, Hagrid gave us a reassuring smile before sending us off to the castle. Draco didn't say a word as we walked back, his face set in a deep frown, lost in thought. I didn't press him; I wasn't sure what to say either.

When we reached the entrance to the Slytherin common room, Draco slowed to a stop. His hand hovered near the stone wall, but instead of saying the password, he turned to me, his eyes dark and stormy.

„I'm not going to forget it," he muttered, breaking the silence. His voice was low, almost dangerous. „What happened back there... that kiss... it didn't mean anything."

I felt a jolt of anger flare up inside me, and before I could stop myself, I snapped back. „Really? You don't think it meant anything? Then why did you do it?"

Draco clenched his jaw, his eyes narrowing as if he was trying to keep his emotions in check. „Because you were pushing me, Ophelia. You kept pushing and pushing, and I just... reacted. It was a mistake."

I felt like he had slapped me. A mistake. That word cut deeper than anything else he could have said. „A mistake?" I repeated, my voice rising. „You can't even be honest with yourself, can you?"

I turned on my heel and marched down the corridor, my footsteps echoing harshly off the cold stone walls. I needed to get away—away from the castle, away from Draco, away from everything that had just happened.

„Ophelia, wait!" Draco's voice echoed after me, sharp and commanding, but I didn't stop. I didn't even slow down. I couldn't. I knew that if I turned back now, if I let him say one more word, I might lose whatever fragile control I had left over the whirlwind of emotions swirling inside me.

I walked faster, almost breaking into a run as I rounded the corner and headed straight for the Ravenclaw Tower. My breath came in shallow gasps, and I felt tears pricking at the corners of my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. Not yet.

By the time I reached the door to my dorm room, I was shaking. My hands fumbled as I pushed it open, stumbling inside and slamming it shut behind me. The room was empty—Cho must have still been in the common room —but that was a small mercy. I didn't want anyone to see me like this.

Collapsing onto my bed, I buried my face in my hands, finally letting the tears spill over. I cried silently, my shoulders shaking as I tried to make sense of everything that had happened.

Nothing. It meant nothing. That's what he had said. A mistake. He called it a mistake.

Eventually, I pulled myself up and wiped my eyes, staring blankly at the darkened room around me. >I couldn't stay like this<, I told myself. I needed to get it together. But even as I thought that, I knew that nothing would be the same after tonight. Not for me, and not for Draco.

The next morning, I forced myself to go through the motions. I got dressed, went to classes, and smiled when people spoke to me, but inside, everything felt muted and distant, like I was moving through a fog.

I didn't tell anyone what had happened. Not Harry, not Hermione, not Ron. I couldn't. How could I explain something I didn't even understand myself?

I avoided Draco as much as possible, but it wasn't easy. We shared classes, and I could feel his eyes on me every time we were in the same room.

He didn't try to talk to me again, though, and for that, I was grateful. I wasn't ready to face him, not after everything that had happened in the forest, not after the way I had walked away from him.

The evening air was crisp, the sky a deep indigo as I wandered the corridors of Hogwarts, lost in thought. The day had been uneventful, but the lingering weight of the recent events involving Draco Malfoy had left me restless.