Chasing Shadows || Draco Malfoy x OC

Year 5- Ch. 118

Harry and Céline stood there for a moment in silence, before Harry turned to look at Céline.

"Céline," he sighed, "did it really have to be Malfoy?"

She stood there in silence, staring at the pebbles underneath her. "He's been there for me through some of my lowest times," she said quietly, "he's known things about be even before you did." She looked up. "Harry, I care about him, a lot."

She could tell that Harry was upset, but trying his very best to keep in it. "So what now? You and Malfoy start dating, you stop hanging out with us?" He said sharply.

Her eyebrows furrowed, "Is that what you think will happen? Do you want that to happen?"

"Of course not, but it will happen, because it's Malfoy and he'll keep you from us." He said, raising his voice.

"For your information," she said feeling irritated, she starts walking up to him, "the very first thing I told him, even before I told him anything about my feelings, was he would not use me against you and that he would not keep me from being around you three."

"You actually think he won't? He might turn you into someone just as foul as him!" He yelled. "God, Céline! Seriously why didn't like anyone else, why did it have to be him?"

"Well sorry that I didn't like someone like Cedric again!" She yelled back. Just the mention of his name, Harry turned red.

"Don't you dare—"

"Don't I dare?" She looked at him incredulously. "What? I can't say his name around you? You think you were the only one who was greatly affected by his death? Sorry that I'm not crying at the mention of his name like Cho. But that doesn't mean that it didn't hurt me too!" She could feel her eyes welling up. She raised her hand to the sunflower necklace that Cedric had given to her last year. "I lost someone I greatly cared about too! But I pushed all of that down, because there were more important things we had to deal with than my feelings, Harry. What you went through was more important than my grief."

He looked at her stunned, he opened his mouth to speak, but Céline let out a deep breath and she spoke again, in a softer, but determined tone.

"I know Draco is the least ideal person to you, but don't you dare think to question if my loyalty will change. I know what side I'm fighting on and it's sure as bloody hell isn't going to be on You-Know-Who's side."

"What if he's on his side, what will you do?" He sneered.

"Then I'll deal it when we get there." Their eyes bore into each other, until Harry looked away. "Harry, you are one of my dearest friends, I care about you so much, and everything that we're doing right now with D.A. is one of the most important things that is happening right now, so I promise you, -trust me when I say- I have never told him anything about what's been happening. I will not tell Draco anything about what we're all doing. He will not use me against you, I will not let it happen."

He looked back at her. He could see the sincerity burning in her green eyes. He did trust her, with every fiber of his being. But he just couldn't get past all the things Draco had done to them.

"I need time to think." He said to her and instantly saw her determination break a little. She looked down to her feet and nodded slightly.

"Right... of course." She said quietly. Harry tilted his head slightly to try and see her face, worried that she might be crying. But as soon as she lifted her head again, she looked composed giving him a faint smile. "Take all the time you need. Hopefully, in that time you realize that I'm still me, regardless of who I'm with."