Limerence; Draco Malfoy

Chapter Forty-Three: Jealousy

September 5th...

September 10th...

September 20th...

October 1st...

... October 30th...

Time glided by like a dream.

I had not spoken or had any contact with Draco ever since I'd stormed out of that classroom in my first week here. We shared the same classes. The same common room. He sat behind me in Defence Against The Dark Arts, but not once did we have any sort of exchange.

Verbal or psychical.

In fact, we hadn't even made eye contact. Any time I saw a flash of platinum hair in my line of vision, I'd avert my gaze. If I saw him standing with Blaise Zabini and the others at the end of a corridoor I needed to walk down, I'd hurry away before they could see me. I'd made up my mind that avoidence was key to a peacefull existance.

And in many ways, that'd proved to be true.

Now that Draco was absent in my life, my life here at Hogwarts had become alot simpler. Peacefull, almost. I felt like an ordinary student again. I'd go to class, daydream and then make up for all the stuff I'd missed in my study sessions with Hermione and Ginny in the library. I'd spend breaktimes with them, and also Fred, George, Harry, Ron and Neville.

I was happy at the fact I'd found an accepting friendgroup -- more than happy, in fact. And often I'd find myself thinking that if it wasn't for Ginny's talkativeness, Hermione's kind advice or Fred's jokes, then I'd be having a miserable time. But it was safe to say I'd finally gotten what I originally wished for:

Real friends and a Malfoy free existence.

Yet no matter how absent he may have been from my life, I couldn't deny the fact he still lived in my thoughts. Especially at night.

Because night-time meant distractions were harder to find -- it mean everytime I'd shut my eyes to try and sleep, his face would flash into my imagination.

And then my dreams would take me on a stroll down memory lane -- back to the prefects bathroom. The storage cupboard. The woods.

All of it.

The jumper he'd let me borrow was shoved at the back of my wardrobe in the dormitory. I didn't know what else to do with it: he hadn't asked for it back and I didn't want to go out of my way to speak to him. I suppose I should've just thrown it in the mud outside somewhere, but that seemed kind of petty.

More often than not, he would creep into my headspace when I was least expecting it. Like on this fine day, for instance. It was October 30th, a Saturday, and me and Fred Weasley were sat on a fallen tree trunk on a patch of grassy turf in the school grounds.

The others were spending the morning huddling away in the library where it was cosy and warm, but Fred had announced he was going to go out for a cigarette. He'd asked me to join him.

"I need some company, you coming Vi?"

And he had started striding away before I could answer. I'd quickly scurried after him, spotting the grin that'd flashed across his face.

He'd held the door open for me and together we'd stepped out into the frosty air.

I was bundled up in a coat, scarf and mittens, but Fred only wore a plaid jacket. But I guess when you're as tall as a small tree, you don't feel the cold all that easily.

Now we sat, cigerette smoke drifting around us in clouds. The sky today was an azure blue colour -- crisp and cloudless. Pale, wintry sunshine beat down, making the copper in our hair glow like fire.