Moonlight and the Madness of Loving You- (A Draco Malfoy Love Story)

Heartbreak- Chapter 17

Heartbreak

Chapter 17

                Life at Hogwarts was becoming very difficult for Annabelle since news of who her real father was came out. Slytherins were always giving her a hard time and nearly everyone else was avoiding her like the plague. Everyone but Harry, Hermoine, Ron and the other friends she’d made in the D.A. But the thing that hurt the worse was Draco. He would have nothing to do with her. Then Professor Flitwick, the Ravenclaw head of house and charms teacher, announced tryouts for the choir. The bad thing was he was requiring the entire Ravenclaw house to tryout. Anna knew she had a decent singing voice, thanks to all the muggle music she had grown up listening to. When it finally became Anna’s turn to sing she hit every note perfectly. Professor Flitwick cried with delight, “My dear girl, where have you been? Why did you not try out for choir last year?”

                Anna blushed in embarrassment as all eyes were turned to her, “Sir, really, I have never performed before in my life.”

                “Young lady, you are a natural,” Prof. Flitwick gushed, “needless to say you will be one of my top choir members.”

                Anna didn’t know if she should grateful. She wasn’t the sort who enjoyed calling any attention to herself and choir was never something she’d considered. But she wasn’t about to let the Professor down, so she agreed to do it. Maybe it would help take her mind off Draco Malfoy.

                Anna also received an owl from her new found father, Lupin. He asked about her and then explained that he and Tonks would be very busy and away from home, doing work for the Order. Anna realized that this meant they would be in danger. Since neither of them would be home much he asked if she would mind staying at the Weasleys’ for Christmas break in a few months. Lupin assured her he would see her there and sent his and Tonks love.

                Anna owled Lupin back to tell him that she would love to spend Christmas at the Weasleys’. She understood he would be working and begged him and Tonks to please be careful and sent her love. Anna didn’t want to think of the thought of losing the only family she now had left.

                Anna was leaving choir practice late one night from the great hall. She had decided to stop by the library to grab a book for her herbology classwork. It was getting close to time for curfew, so she went quickly. She turned a corner and quickly found herself face to face with Draco. It happened so fast they nearly collided and Draco grabbed her arms harshly.

                “Why don’t you bloody well watch where you are going?” he sneered, at first not realizing it was Anna.

                At first Anna had been happy to see him, her face lit up, but it quickly changed to hurt, “Sorry Draco,” she said quietly, “will you release my arms, you’re hurting me?”

                Draco quickly let go of her, as if she were something poisonous. He was planning to walk on around her, but she blocked him, “How have things been going for you?” Anna asked, not sure how to talk to this different Draco.

                “Things have been fine for me, Blackburn,” he said tartly.

                Anna looked at him in a shocked, hurt expression. This wasn’t the same Draco she had come to know. Why was he treating her like this? The thoughts started running through her brain, thoughts that he really couldn’t stand her anymore because of her father, Lupin. He really was just like his father, cruel and full of himself and his prejudices. Anna was starting to feel a little sick. Sick with herself for ever falling for Draco Malfoy.

                “Now if you will excuse me,” he sneered, not looking at Anna. He pushed by her, heading quickly down the hall to disappear around the corner.

                Anna brought her hand up to her cheek, where she could feel the tears starting to creep down her cheeks. She felt like the biggest idiot in the world. So this was what it felt like to have your heart broken, she thought, as the realization that she was in love with Draco Malfoy hit her. She was willing to have him, despite everyone’s warnings, but he did not want her.

                Anna wiped the tears away roughly, anger replacing hurt. Anna made a vow to herself that that these would be the last tears she cried over Draco Malfoy.

                Anna could feel herself shaking slightly; she was letting her nerves get the best of her. It had been a few weeks since her confrontation with Draco and she had thrown herself fully into her classwork and choir practice. So much so, that Professor Flitwick had picked her to perform the solo parts of the piece they were performing. They would be performing for the celebration of Prof. Dumbledore’s birthday. Anna was having second thoughts, but it was too late now that they had assembled on the stairs leading up to the teachers table.

                The music began and Anna tuned everything else out of her mind, not looking at the hundred or so faces looking up at them from the feasting house tables. It was a slow, haunting melody that Prof. Flitwick said was one of Dumbledore’s favorites. It spoke of all things from struggles to tragedy, triumph and love. Thoughts of Anna’s missing parents, and her real father, Remus Lupin, and everyone else she loved fueled her voice, even the feelings of pain from a certain platinum haired Slytherin prince who had broken her heart. All of that emotion went into her voice as she sang her parts solo.

                When it was over, not a sound could be heard in the great hall. Anna could feel the sting of tears, but she held them back, how she did not know. And then suddenly the hall burst out with applause to Anna’s surprise.

                Professor Dumbledore and all the teachers were on their feet, applauding loudly. Little Prof. Flitwick ran up the stairs, grabbing Anna’s hands in his own. If she had been on his level he probably would have hugged her, “I told you my dear, you have the voice of an angel,” he said, shaking her hands, tears running down his cheeks, “Never has my choir had such an outstanding performance or response.”

                “Thank you,” Anna turned pink with embarrassment. Anna quickly went and took her sit at the Ravenclaw table, sitting next to Luna and some others.

                “That was lovely,” Luna sighed in her silvery voice, “I do hope the choir performs again soon.”

                “Thanks Luna,” Anna looked around shyly. She was never one for theatrics or the spot light. Anna couldn’t help but notice that a lot of the students were now looking at her differently, as if a new respect for her had been discovered that helped them overlook her werewolf father. A lot of them sent smiles or waves her way and she noticed some of the girls had tears in their eyes from her performance.

Draco’s pov

                Draco looked out across the great hall to the Ravenclaw table, hardly able to take his eyes off Annabelle. His mind kept going back to a few weeks before when he had treated her so badly in the hallway near the library. Draco was still haunted by the look on her face when he’d said the things he had and it was killing him. It wasn’t as if he didn’t have enough horrible things going on in his life, but then to hurt the one person he had started to care about above all others was torture. But she couldn’t find out that deep down in his soul she was the only thing that helped keep him going; that she gave him peace in his heart. Anna could never know that it was tearing him up inside not being with her.

                When she had performed that beautiful song it had filled his heart with longing for her. Her angel’s voice was like fresh water, washing away all the filth and darkness that had filled his heart and life since his father’s arrest and his terrible summer at home. Draco knew that his nastiness to Anna had worked in distancing her from him. Although he knew when she was present in a classroom or around school, he no longer felt her eyes on him or had to evade her attempts to talk with him after classes or during breaks. Draco realized he had hurt her deeply, but it had to be done. His only hope was that if he survived, she could forgive him.