𝐚 𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐩 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐚𝐧 {a Draco Malfoy story}

chapter ten

Rose

     The next couple of months passed by quicker than I had expected. Draco and I had bonded over this period of time. The Slytherins didn't mind, of course. Some Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws gave us weird looks, because I used to be friends with Harry, but they never said anything.

     It was the Gryffindors I had to look out for. Whenever they had the chance, they jumped at the opportunity to say something rude. Whichever Slytherin witnessed it would usually defend me when they saw this happen, even if they didn't know me much - even some 7th years or 2nd years.

     Then again, Slytherin is a family. We protect our own. This was shown when Daphne cursed the first Gryffindor who said something nasty.

     It wasn't all bad, though. I enjoyed my time here. My grandmother hadn't written back since the letter I sent all those months ago about my new friendship with the other Slytherins. I had decided not to tell her about Draco and I, because I knew she would send me straight back to Castelobruxo.

     I was in the library, studying and reviewing for my O.W.L.'s with Blaise and Pansy. Well, it was mostly them asking questions, but thats okay. They kept looking at me weirdly every now and then, so I finally asked them what was going on.

     "Why do you keep looking at me like that?"

     "Rose, what day is it?" Blaise said.

     "June 5th, why - oh bloody hell."

     It was Draco's birthday and I had forgotten. I quickly shoved my things into my bag and shouted, running out of the library, "thank you for reminding me!"

     I noticed Draco in between Crabbe and Goyle, with a smug look on his face. "So you finally remembered, didn't you."

     "Draco, I'm so sorry. I had the whole day planned out and I had the gift and all but with the exams coming up I -"

     He kissed me, which caused me to stop talking. "Oh just shut up already, I wanted nothing more than to spend the day with you."

     I apologetically looked at him. "I just ruined it all, I had the perfect gift."

     "I don't need a gift."

     "Yes, you do Draco. It's your sixteenth birthday!"

     "I know that. Seriously, darling, I already have everything I need. Besides, what I really want can't be bought with any amount of money."

     He smiled down at me and turned me so that we were side by side. He slung an arm around my shoulders and I grasped his waist as we walked aimlessly around the castle.

     "What was this wonderful gift you spoke of, anyway?" He asked.

     "I was planning on giving it to you at the end of the day."

     He groaned. "Fair enough. Let's spend the day doing something fun, shall we?"

+++

     We took our brooms and flew around the castle grounds, praying no teachers would notice us. Once it finally started getting dark out and the sky turned a pinkish purple colour, we slowed down our pace. He flew to the quidditch pitch and stayed still in the air. 

     Draco was holding onto the broom my his legs - he was completely upside down, yet somehow not injured.

     "Are you insane, Draco?"

     "Only when it comes to you," he said with a grin. "Do you ever think about what life would've been like if you hadn't been running? If you had gone to Hogwarts when you were 11?"

     I tilted my head back and placed my hands on either side of the broom. "You have no idea. I probably would met you sooner, too."

     "Why do you think that?"

     "I know about all the fun the pureblood kids have, Draco. It just would've been fun to be in on all of it."

     "You know, I only met Crabbe and Goyle when I came to Hogwarts. It was always Blaise and I. Of course, I'd met Theo a couple of times, but we'd never actually became friends until last year."

     "What about Pansy? You all seem to be close with her."

     He laughed. "Blaise and Pansy had a thing from year 3 until the end of year 4. It ended so suddenly but none of us questioned it. They remained friends, obviously. I've known Greengrass and Bulstrode since year 1."

     "Well, that's certainly very interesting."

     "What about you? Back at Castelobruxo, I mean. Is there anything interesting I should know about? Any..." he flew closer to me. "...Ex boyfriends I should be cautious of?"

     I let out a very unattractive snort that caused Draco to laugh again. "No, you're my first. There's nothing interesting about Castelobruxo, honestly. I had a friend there named Clara who was my closest friend, but she moved here during the summer and she was killed."

     "I'm sorry, Rose."

     "It's alright, don't be. It's not like you were the one who killed her."

     I noticed the sky turn a deep shade of blue when I suggested we head back to the common room so that I could give him his gift. We placed our brooms back into the broomcloset and entered the dungeons. I quickly went upstairs, grabbed the gift, and came back downstairs.

     "Here it is!"

     I handed him the black, velvet box. He opened it and took out a small golden snitch. I saw that he didn't like it much, but he tried to hide his malcontent feeling and appreciated it anyway. "It's - er - really nice. Thank you."

     "You're an absolute troll, Draco. Open it."

     He flicked it open and the message I had recorded with my voice played.

Hello, Draco. It's me, Rose. I wanted to let you know that I hope you're well, and that you're beautiful on the inside and out - especially on the out. I'm hilarious, I know. I'm thinking of you, forever and always. Love, Rosalind.

     He had a wide grin on his face and he held the snitch close to his chest. "I love it, Rose. It's the best gift I've ever gotten."

     He tucked the box into his robes. Theodore, Daphne, and Blaise walked out from behind a pillar and began clapping.

     "Well that was beautiful. It truly was," said Blaise.

     "Moved me to tears," Theodore added. 

     I rolled my eyes. "That's enough for one day. Draco, I'm going to bed." I kissed his cheek. "Happy birthday, darling."

     I could feel the stares of the other 2 boys behind me. "Daphne, are you coming?"

     "Yes, just a moment."

     We went into our dorm and plopped onto our beds. "What a day," I said.

     "He really likes you, Rosalind. Anybody with a pair of eyes can see it."

     I smiled. I had finally found someone.