A Heavenly Betrayal (Draco Malfoy Love Story)

Sectumsempra

Over the next few days, whenever Maria crossed Malfoy, she would always manage to evade him. For example, she spent a lot more time with Davies, which meant it was harder to get her alone, and when she was alone, she would either say ‘I’ve got to meet up with Davies’, ‘I’m late for class’ or ‘I’ve got some work to do’. She had even escaped their usual Prefect patrol; she had switched duties with Anthony Goldstein since she wanted to spend her evening with Davies – Saint-Valentine’s day fell on that Friday. It was almost midnight when the Slytherin saw her heading for the Ravenclaw tower, miraculously alone. She seemed to be on her way back from the Prefect’s bathroom; her hair was dripping and she was humming a slow melody to herself. He called out her last name, but she acted as if she hadn’t heard him. He soon caught up with her and she had no choice but to turn around; she didn’t exactly look happy, since this time, she had no getaway planned. 

"Listen, I know how you feel, because I feel the same way. But if you could just let me explain…" 

"Explain what Malfoy? How you’ve gone from jerk to sensitive during the summer? Your little task? Because I would certainly like to know why and how those things happened!" she reproached, annoyed. 

"Will you just listen!" he snapped angrily in return. 

She forced herself quiet and crossed her arms, glaring into Malfoy's silver eyes. 

"Every time I see you, you leave me with a bunch of feelings that I don’t understand, because I know I’m not supposed to like you. I mean, it’s really not a good time, and you’re a mudblood, and... it’s all wrong, but it just feels so bloody right!" 

Maria didn’t know what to answer. She understood Malfoy’s situation a bit too well for her taste. 

"But… I should… Davies…" 

"The hell with Davies! You’re only using him as back-up; he’s just another excuse so that I can’t get to you!" 

His words rang unpleasantly in her head. She was trying to ignore them, but deep inside, she knew they were just too true. It hurt to acknowledge them, because of the many things they implied. 

"Listen, I like you, and I know you like me, so don’t act like you don’t care." 

Maria looked at Malfoy, and a slow tear fell on her cheek. This was just too much. She turned away, but Malfoy caught her by the wrist, stopping her: 

"Oh no, you’re not walking away! It’s yes or no, but it’s right here, right now. I’ve done my waiting." 

She turned around again to look at Malfoy straight in the eyes. He was being honest; completely, unequivocally honest, and she knew it. This time, it was without the use of Veritaserum. This time, he had recklessly thrown away his bloody shield; a shield that he had carefully cultivated over all these years. She went up to him, and when they were only centimetres apart, she could feel his uneven breath on her cheeks. Shivers crawled under her skin as she slowly slid her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder, exhaling blissfully yet sadly. He held her back; she could feel his heart thumping deep within his chest. She whispered, almost inaudibly, in his ear: 

"I’m sorry." 

Her voice was shaky. She pulled away from him, tears now falling freely from her eyes. She didn’t even look at him, she just left. 

She cried all the way to her common room, and it made her realize how much this meant to her. She had felt so… at ease in his arms. She wanted to be with Malfoy, she really did. But she knew it would only hurt her even more, so for both their sakes, she had said no; when all she had wanted was to stay in his arms.