I'm sitting in the Slytherin Common Room, waiting for Draco. He promised he would come tonight. While she was in the hospital he hadn't been coming riding while I ran. It's grating on my nerves.
It's three-ten and I'm getting bored. I pick up a book from the shelf across from the couch and hope to immerse myself in somebody else's story. It doesn't work very well.
There's a loud crash outside the painting in the dormitory and I look up in time to see Draco come in through the entrance. He looks dishevled, hair a mess, tears down his face. I stand, tossing the book aside, and he's at my knees in seconds.
"She knows, and I think it's over." His arms are wrapped round my knees as he sobs into my shins. I tangle my hands in his hair and soothe him. I feel an overwhelming sadness envelope me. My best friend has sealed her own fate to be a pawn in The Dark Lord's scheme.
I drop to my knees beside him and tilt his face level with mine. I can see every magnificant detail of his face as he clutches my hands.
"We tried. That's all we could offer her." His lips are hard on mine with the force of desperation. I know that he needs me more than ever now. Part of me is a little angry.
How could Kayla do this to him? She knew how he felt about her. He gave her the future she wanted in an attempt to save her life and she threw him away. I felt betrayed. I gave up my future to save my best friend and she didn't even want it.
Draco and I were prepared to sacrifice the future we would have both otherwise chosen for ourselves to help her. I was furious.
I met him kiss for fiery kiss, bite for satisfying bite, collecting his skin underneath my fingernails as I clawed off his shirt.
We made love on the common room floor, and afterwards we both knew what it meant.
We were bitter and broken, only fit for each other.
"No more Kayla. We tried." I said, clutching his golden locks between my fingers. He didn't cry anymore. I think he realized it wasn't about what he wanted. I think he finally realized there was a bigger picture.
"How could I have been so stupid? I've been telling you all along we belong together while I'm frolicking with some selfish and broken bitch! How could I ignore what had been put right in front of my face my whole life?
Even as kids I knew what we had was special Nat. I knew that this was going to be my choice forever and ever. As long as you had me I knew that I'd be alright. I knew that the life we were forced to live would still be on our own terms. Even forced to become- this," he stifled a sob, glancing at the dark mark on his left forearm, "I knew this was the path I'd been destined to live...and as long as I had you, I'd still be alive. I'd still be happy."
I kissed his cheek, because I knew he wasn't done yet.
"You're by no means a rebound, love, you're the grand prize I tried to deny myself for too long. It's The Dark Lord's wish after all that we be man and wife. It's mine to love you and cherish you, protect and honor you, hold and kiss you, create a life and a family, on our own terms with you. It has always been you, Natalie Rosalynn Smith, my North Star, my home, my life, and my future wife."
The ring on my finger sizzled as the glowing emeralds transformed into an antique engagement ring whose size rivaled the petty emeralds that had once been in place of the snake eyes. Now those eyes represented two hearts and a loving future.
The Dark Lord was back, rising into power anyways, who were we to deny his wishes?
More importantly, we were finished denying ours.
