Star-Crossed Enemies (Draco Malfoy)

twelve

My eyes fluttered open at the feeling of morning. This morning was slightly odd. I had almost no recollection of the night before. The last thing I remembered was...Draco coming to stop someone. The realization poured back into my memory. The last thing I remembered from last night, after the Yule Ball, was Cedric Diggory attempting to assault me. What a great way to wake up.

Another thing slightly odd, I wasn't in my own bed. Hell, I wasn't even in my own room. I was tucked into some green blankets when I noticed another empty bed next to the one I was in. The sheets were messy, like someone had been sleeping there, next to me. This room quite obviously belonged to a pair of Slytherin boys, the green decorations giving them away.

"The princess has finally awoken from her slumber." A voice in the doorway said.

Once again, I found myself in the presence of Draco Malfoy. He had this way of showing up when I needed him. Only this time, he was half-naked, the bottom half covered with a green towel. His chiseled torso was overly accentuated in the morning light. One of his arms was resting on the door frame, holding him up so he could get a look at me. That platinum blonde hair was wet, droplets of water running down his neck, onto his pectorals. He had just come from the boy's showers.

"I hope you slept alright. I mean, who wouldn't in my bed?" He replied to the silence. I was still groggy and trying to wake myself up faster. How dare he walk in to me looking like a complete mess while he was unintentionally posing himself like a Greek god.

"Did we...erm..." I sputtered out.

"If you're asking if we slept together, no Adela Grimm, we did not. I took Crabbe's bed next to you. I made him sleep in the common room last night. Quite gullible, that one. All I had to do was tell him there was an endless box of chocolate frogs with his name on it, and off he went."

I quickly noticed my red dress lying on the floor beside Draco's desk. Examining my body, I was in a white v-neck shirt, and green plaid trousers.

"Did you undress me?" I asked.

"I couldn't have you sleeping in that dress, could I? It looked like a torture device. How do you women breathe in those things?" He pondered sarcastically.

My question didn't seem to phase him. I mean he had to have seen me naked to get me into these fresh clothes. How was that not the topic of conversation? How was he so calm about it?

"Are you alright after last night? I should kill Cedric for what he tried to do to you!" Draco couldn't contain his anger.

"No, don't kill him! Please, I'm fine. Can we just forget about that." I was embarrassed to talk about that so recently. "God, I should probably get going. We have classes in what, an hour?"

"Actually, I'm afraid we don't. It is Saturday, you know."

"Oh, that's right. Either way, I've overstayed my welcome Draco, and--"

"Please stay, Adela. Please."

I couldn't resist the effect this boy had on me. I couldn't just say no and leave. Besides, it was a Saturday. Best case scenario, I'd end up with my nose in some book at the library for the rest of the day. Be adventurous, Adela. Take a chance, you know you want to.

"Well, alright. But you better put some clothes on first." I joked.

I closed my eyes and waited for him to get dressed. Then, I felt a pair of hands on my face. They were cold, but slightly warm from the shower water. I opened my eyes and was greeted by the comforting smell of peppermint, reminiscent of that potions class that was already so long ago. Draco knelt down, becoming eye level with me.

He whispered, "Thank you for staying. All I ever needed was someone who chose to stay. I'm glad it's you."

He was just misunderstood. He obviously just needed someone to love him, to hug him, to listen to what he had to say. He'd never seemed to get that at home. He was the boy with no choice.

We spent the day sitting in his bed, talking about our hopes and dreams. Talking about how his father never loved him. When he would have guests over at the Malfoy Manor, Draco was expected to keep to himself upstairs for hours on end. When he forgot a chore, or scored a low mark on a test, he was smacked or hit. There were many things brought to light on that Saturday. I'd met a new person. Someone who was so broken, they had never felt happy. Instead, they learned to cover up their pain by inflicting pain on others.

I felt sorry for Draco Malfoy that day.