dark side • draco malfoy

26 | I'm In Love With You

I had come to the conclusion that life would never be boring if I continued to hang around Harry Potter and his friends. He had left several hours ago on a quest to find Professor Slughorn, after drinking his small supply of Felix Felicis.

Currently, Ginny, Hermione, Ron, and I were sitting in front of the fire in the common room, trying to help Ginny study for her O.W.L.s.

"Blimey, I can't even focus on studying for Charms when Harry's been gone for hours." Ginny groaned, banging her head against Ron's shoulder.

"Relax Gin, have some faith in the man." Ron sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

Suddenly, the portrait hole swung open and Harry entered, looking totally exhausted.

"Well? Did you get the memory from Slughorn?" Hermione questioned as he trudged past a group of whispering second year students and sat down beside her. The orange flames from the fire flickered across Harry's emerald irises, and he took several deep breaths before opening his mouth.

"Horcruxes. That's what You-Know-Who used. That's how he's able to keep coming back, and that's why no one has been able to kill him." He explained, looking terrified and furious at the same time. All of us were silent for several moments, totally lost for words and unsure how to respond to Harry's news. Finally, Ron (bless his soul) broke the awkward silence and eased the tension around us as he spoke up.

"Er, sorry to interrupt but what in the bloody hell is a horcrux?" He slowly raised his hand in the air.

No one said anything, until Hermione frowned at his words and glanced over at Ron with a terribly solemn expression, "Not good for us."

***********************************

Several hours later, I found myself walking along the edge of the Forbidden Forest with Draco. Only just yesterday he had finally been cleared by Madame Pomfrey to go outside the castle, however, he was still instructed to remain on Hogwarts grounds. The curse that Harry had hit him with had really taken a toll on him, although he was finally starting to look more like his usual self.

"So, how are you feeling?" I asked.

"Better. I'm still a bit sore and I'll be taking healing potions for another week yet, but at least I'm out of that god damn hospital wing." Draco chuckled, interlacing his fingers with mine as we reached the Black Lake. He let out a deep sigh, pensively staring at the low fog that covered the surface of the water.

"What's wrong?" I questioned, sensing his change in mood.

"I can't tell you, Ivy. It's too dangerous for you to know." He frowned, and I bit my lip nervously as I realized that he was talking about Death Eater business - You-Know-Who's business.

"Draco, you know you can tell me anything, right? I promise you can trust me, I'm here for you." I smiled at him, grasping his other hand so that now both of our hands were intertwined. He furrowed his brows in deep concentration, debating whether or not he could speak his mind to me. Finally, he met my gaze and I knew he had made his decision.

"It's the Dark Lord... he gave me a sort of... task, at the start of the semester." He began, tightening his grip on my hands, "He wants me to... kill someone. Someone that I really don't want to kill."

I involuntarily gasped, horrified that such a young wizard would be asked to perform such a dark and evil task.

"Who?" I whispered, as several possible names whizzed around inside my head. It was impossible to tell who He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named wanted dead, the list was endless.

"You have to swear to me that you won't tell a soul. Please, Ivy. If I fail, he'll kill me and my family." His voice suddenly became hoarse and croaky with fear.

"Of course. You can trust me Draco. I swear on Godric Gryffindor." I half smiled, trying to lighten the mood and show him that he could tell me anything. Draco looked conflicted for a moment, before sighing and making eye contact again.

"It's Dumbledore. I have to kill Professor Dumbledore." He mumbled, and I felt my jaw drop in shock.

"Christ, Draco. Is there any way you can get out of it?" I whispered, suddenly afraid that someone would overhear us. However, we were completely alone by the lake, as most students chose to stay indoors on this chilly day.

He shook his head, before clearing his throat and answering me, "No. Not that I can see, and trust me I've spent a lot of time trying to think of ways to get around it. There's no way out, Ivy. I have to do this"

And then suddenly he did something that shocked me even more, and broke my heart; he began to cry.

I immediately closed the small distance between us and pulled him into my arms. As he wept into my shoulder, I gently wrapped my arms around his torso so as not to irritate his injuries, and began rubbing small circles in his back. I had never seen Draco look so vulnerable and broken, and in that moment I didn't see a Death Eater on a murderous mission, but a sixteen year old boy who was completely broken inside and scared out of his mind.

"Draco, it'll be okay. I'm here, and I promise I won't go anywhere. I'll always be here for you." I whispered in his ear, and he finally pulled his head from the crook of my neck, eyes red and puffy and face glistening with fresh tears.

Before I knew it, Draco had captured my lips with his own, and he pulled me closer to him as we continued to kiss. Something in the back of my mind was screaming at me to stop, because at any moment a student or teacher might catch us snogging.

But I ignored the voice in the back of my head and continued to kiss him with as much passion and love as I could find. It was obvious to see that Draco Malfoy was broken inside, and I knew that it was up to me to put the pieces back together again.

And then a question hit me; did I love Draco? I had never been in love in my life, but my feelings for him were so strong and impossible to compare to anything else I had ever felt. My heart began to race even faster, and before my brain could process what I was doing, I pulled away from him and leaned my forehead against his.

"Draco, I think I'm in love with you."

His grey eyes suddenly shot open and widened in disbelief.

"You... you love me?" He asked incredulously.

I felt heat begin to rapidly flush across my cheeks, and suddenly an overwhelming wave of embarrassment flooded my senses.

"Um, yeah." I mumbled, glancing anywhere but his eyes. But then he surprised me.

Before I knew it, he had grabbed my face with both hands and smashed his lips against my own, moving them with a newfound passion and ferocity. As cliché as it seemed, I felt like fireworks were exploding all around me, and my heart swelled with happiness as I kissed him back.

"I'm in love with you too, Ivy Chapman." He smiled against my lips, and I pulled him into a hug, resting my head against his chest and breathing in his fresh scent. He pulled me closer to him, and I had never felt more safe and content than in that moment, embraced in his arms. I had never felt so loved.