Star-Crossed Enemies (Draco Malfoy)

three

At lunch I had excused myself from my reserved seating arrangements to look for Cedric. The kiss and now the letter was making my heart feel weird. Tingly, but in a good way. The kind that creeps from your toes and makes your ears all warm.

As the captain of the Hogwarts Quidditch Team, Cedric had quite the reputation, and the popularity to show for it. I made my way to his table, surrounded by his friends, all in their uniforms, for the tournament that would commence early that evening. I assumed he wanted to meet me at the astronomy tower after his game, the perfect time to confess his love. I hadn't made up my feeling towards him quite yet though. The kiss was steamy and had me head over heels for him, but the feeling faded over the day. I couldn't put my finger on what was stopping me.

He noticed me approaching and shooed his friends away, easily clearing the table for us to be alone.

"Adela, I've been meaning to talk to you!" He said.

"Actually I have too. About tonight I--"

"So you are coming to watch me play?" His words took me by surprise.

"Well, yes of course, the whole school is going, but I wanted to talk about the letter." I hoped he would jump in and explain.

"Letter?"

"You know, this morning at breakfast I got a letter, from a secret admirer. I thought it was you..." Maybe I was wrong to assume.

"I'm sorry, Adela, I don't know what you're talking about. We kissed, but I didn't send a letter. That secret admirer...it wasn't me." He whispered. I felt a pang in my stomach that made me wince.

"No, don't get me wrong, I don't regret my actions, but I'd rather tell you how I feel in person, not through an owl."

"Oh, okay. Thanks. See you at the game then." I uttered, hurrying off to my room.

I had made a fool of myself. I automatically assumed it was Cedric. Although all signs did point to him, why did I not think that maybe it could've been someone else? I had made quite the entrance yesterday, maybe it caught a young wizard's eye and he wanted to let me know. All I had to do was wait. This was exciting. In the muggle world, boys were different. Nowhere near as mysterious and calculated as these magical wizards. They made my stomach flutter.

Evening came and the Quidditch match was on its way. I was sat with Hermoine and her friends, watching Ron play as the Keeper, Cedric as the Captain, Harry as the Seeker, and the rest of the team, who were of no significance to me, or so I thought.

Things went smoothly, and Cedric's side was in the lead. He caught the Quaffle and suddenly a silver blur whizzed by, snatching the ball out of his hands. It was none other than Malfoy. I hadn't noticed him prior to this. I hadn't even known he took interest in Quidditch. He didn't strike me as the sporty type. More of the brooding, rude bully, quite honestly. He scored a point for his team, leaving the game tied. It ended at a draw.

Sooner than I expected, it was 7:45 and I had 15 minutes to prepare for my secret endeavor with my admirer. Hermoine helped me dress up. She gave me a white silk, form-fitting dress and silver flowers to adorn my updo. I got ready and set out for the astronomy tower.

I had minor difficulties finding my way, but Argus Filch eagerly gave me directions. I climbed up the spiral staircase and stepped into the onlook at the top. I held my breath, ready to meet the mystery boy. No one was there. I waited for a moment, hearing footsteps coming from the stairs below. He was here. I felt like I was going to hurl.

"GOTCHA MUDBLOOD!" Draco scoffed, throwing a toad my way.

I got punked.

"Malfoy! What the hell!?" I whimpered, almost in tears.

He took the toad off my waist.

"How's that for a warm welcome to Hogwarts, you filthy scum!" He enjoyed taunting me.

"Wait 'til I tell Dumbledore about this, Draco! You're going to be in so much trouble---"

He walked up to me, pressing his cold body against mine. My back was now against the wall of the tower. He put his right arm on the wall behind me, still holding the slimy toad.

"You're not going to tell him. Because if you do, mudblood, I'll tell everyone that you fucked Cedric Diggory in the Dining Hall the very day you stepped foot into this school. Everyone will think you're a whore. You'll be the laughing stock not even one day into your enrollment." He put his face close to me. I could smell his mint breath as he said the words.

I started to cry. I know I should've snapped back at him, but I was too scared. I understood why he could never keep any friends. He really was a cold-hearted bully.

"Crying, now are we? Pathetic. Just like your parents. Such a disgrace having a muggle-born daughter like you."

I slapped him straight across the face, tears still streaming down my cheeks. My hand stung from the force. I couldn't let myself fall into the trap of his words. I pushed passed him and ran out of the tower, trying to contain my wails to not wake up the entire school.

I can't believe that Slytherin. I actually believed that someone could have liked me for who I was, without even meeting me. I was wrong.

I began to blame myself for being so naive. My thoughts of self-hatred started to surface again. Though I was a happy-go-lucky, charismatic girl, my depressive thoughts found their way into my head on occasion. It was something I'd struggled with and my parents tried seeking help for me. They blamed it on my magic half. It sometimes got hard to bear it. The thoughts became so loud, I couldn't hear the world around me. I thought being somewhere full of magic would suppress the screaming going on in my head.

I ripped off my dress, tears dried up on my cheeks. I didn't bother putting on clothes before falling onto my bed, laying there lifeless.