Desired Life as The One He Loves

Chapter 1: Night Before Hogwarts

Kasper, my snowy owl hoots and screeches loudly in her cage all the while banging into the sides trying to get out, she's demanding me to free her, as if she's locked in a prison. I raise my head from my book to glare at her. She goes quiet immediately and stares back at me. You could even call it scowling. Ever since thousands of owls have gone missing this past week, I've been hesitant about letting her out at night. I look out through the closed window and up at the moon. It's glowing bright tonight. If I needed to look for her, I could probably detect her within no time. As I consider letting her out Draco opens my bedroom door and walks in. My focus on the moon breaks, I am now staring at Draco, wondering what he wants.

"Your father says it's time for dinner," he informs me. I nod in return. Then stuff my bookmark in The Standard Book of Spells by Miranda Goshawk and slide it under my bed. A week prior Draco and I had gone to Diagon Alley to purchase our school supplies for the upcoming year at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, so I was only doing some light preparation for the upcoming school year.

"You should let her out, she needs space to spread her wings," Draco says, referring to Kasper.

"I was thinking about it," I say. "I'll let her out, but only until dinner is over." I get up out of my lying position on my bed to unlock Kasper's cage when a barn owl comes flying up to my window, flapping its wings repeatedly to stay in midair. I open the window at once. The owl swoops in madly, causing my papers on my desk to cascade to the floor. I go to take the owl's letter, but Draco gets to it first.

"It's for me. From my father," he says with a look of pure disappointment. With one last glance at the letter, he crumbles it up into a ball and throws it into the trash bin across the room. The barn owl tips its head to the side, wondering why Draco hadn't read the letter.

"Go on. Shoo!" Draco says, motioning for the owl to leave. After several attempts to shoo the owl away, it gives up and flies out into the night sky.

"You're not even going to read it?" I ask. Ever since Draco has refused to support The Dark Lord, his father, Lucius Malfoy, has disowned him. That's why Draco spent all summer at my folks' place. When Lucius found out his son was against The Dark Lord, he lashed out at him, struck him twice on the face. Draco still has marks but they're healing, he'll be better in no time.

"No, I'm not. He has nothing to say that will ever convince me to change my mind." I look at him, really look at him. He looks wretched, betrayed even. Hopefully, once the school year starts back up, the amount of homework will cause him to forget his horrible father. Draco then turns to leave but before walking out the door he turns back to look at me, his striking blue eyes shining in the moon's light.

"Are you coming down, darling?" He asks. My heart warms when he calls me darling.

"Yes, just let me unlock Kasper's cage first." Draco nods and then walks out of my bedroom, closing the door behind him. I go to unlock Kasper's cage but before I can she pecks me on the fingers as if to say thank you.

"You're welcome," I reply with a look of annoyance. I open her cage with a click and she flies out instantly, fanning out her wings as far as they will go, hooting with satisfaction. I look out at the moon once again before pointing at the open window for her to leave. Then, with one flap of her wings, she's gone into the night.

As I walk down the stairs to the dining room, I can hear Draco and my mother talking about something. Though I can't hear it because of my noisy jumps down the stairs. I quiet my steps and stop to stand on the last stair, leaning closer toward the dining room, listening carefully to what they're saying.

"I hope you plan on giving her something for your one-year anniversary," I hear my mother say rather judgingly.

"Oh yes. I am planning something, although I probably shouldn't tell you, Natalia could hear." My heart beats faster and my insides grow warm at this, I even blush a little. One year with the love of my life and I still get butterflies whenever he's in the room. My mother claps frantically from the kitchen. This should really excite her. She's been in love with the fact of Draco and I dating for a long time, ever since they met back in my second year.

"John!" She calls my father. "Start hiring Wedding planners!" My father gives a short laugh from the kitchen, Draco says nothing. I blush, marrying Draco would be amazing, but we are too young. We should not be thinking about that just yet. My mother likes to think ahead, way ahead.

"Natalia, it's dinnertime!" My father hollers out to me. "You told her, didn't you Draco?" Draco nods towards my father as I turn the corner into the dining room. They set the room up all fancy. Candles are burning in the center of the table and the crystal chandelier is polished. My mother sets out several turkeys on the table, she even gets out the expensive silverware.

"What's the occasion?" I ask, sitting down next to Draco. He puts my hand in his under the table, making sure my parents don't see because if they did they really would hire the wedding planners.

"Your father and I thought it would be nice to celebrate the upcoming school year. It's a really important year this year. The year of the O.W.Ls," my mother says, giving me a double eyebrow raise and setting a plate down in front of me. My throat forms a lump after hearing this, I had totally forgotten this was O.W.Ls year. The O.W.Ls is a very intense and difficult test all fifth year's take, preparing for them is never easy. And to think in a few days I will have to study for them makes my stomach turn in knots, creating a queasy feeling. Thinking about the O.W.Ls always leads to thinking about failure and that scares me more than anything, well not as much as losing Draco.

"But no need to stress," my mother says, as if she's reading my very thoughts. "Dig in everyone, tonight is supposed to be fun, carefree." How could I be carefree after she just reminded me that this year is going to be the most stressful, most nerve-wracking year yet? Draco circles my palm slowly with his thumb to calm me down. He always does this when I get worked up. I had almost forgotten he was holding my hand. The lump in my throat vanishes and my breath steadies itself. With this, I pick up my fork with my free hand and dig into my mashed potatoes. Not once does Draco's thumb stop circling my palm.