Memories

I hadn't seen anyone as captivating as her in years, and I doubted that I ever would again. No one could compare, really, despite how much I tried to convince myself that so many others were just as good.

Why did I let her go? She had been beside me for years, safely hidden in my dormitory for when I managed to safely make it back to her. Sometimes she went with me on trips or to class - she never liked being cooped up inside for too long - and these moments were both the best and the worst. There are so many dangers in the world (predators, from bugs to pesky witches clinging to my arm, for example) that I wanted to keep her hidden and preserve her beauty for myself, but she wouldn't tolerate it.

Once, she came close to death. Too close. This was why I didn't take her on outings with me - it's too dangerous, I'd whisper, leaning close so no one would eavesdrop. It's Care of Magical Creatures class; who knows what that oaf has planned for us today. But she wouldn't listen. She never did.

And what happens, you ask? I almost get my arm sliced clean off by some mutant chicken. Not a normal chicken, but some beast with poison talons. I'm lucky to have made it out alive, but I've got a strong nerve and genes of steel. Poison won't do me in!

But her, she's more fragile. I had to step up and face the creature head-on, shielding her from it. I'd do it again in a heartbeat! She means - meant so much to me that I couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to her.

That was our last outing together, during my third year at Hogwarts.

Years later, I had been given a task to complete. A dangerous task, one that could bury both me and my family six feet under. She was worried; I didn't come in until late at night, and even then I wouldn't sleep but in fits. She slept beside me, so I'd protectively wrap my arm around her and tell her that everything was going to be alright. I was going to complete my assignment, and we'd be able to live happy lives together, away from the influence of others. Of course, nothing ever goes as planned.

We were in the Room of Requirement, just the two of us. We hadn't shared a moment like this in a while, so the air was thick with tension I could almost taste. I stroked her smooth skin, gazing at her lovingly, trying to convey the depth of my feelings... But it didn't matter, not anymore. Once she had an idea, its seed was impossible to remove.

I gently pressed my lips to hers, the knot in my throat immovable. I couldn't speak. Couldn't say all that was on my mind. Somehow, though, I knew she understood. All of our years together, and she was as good a mind reader as any Legilimens. On a final whim, I sunk my teeth into her soft flesh and tasted her for the first - and final - time. It was something I'd never had the courage to do before, but she accepted it with grace. I could almost see her radiance, her loving smile, were it not for the cabinet door now hiding her from view.

I raked in a breath, leaning against the cabinet. It wasn't too late - I could still open the door and bring her back with me! She never would have forgiven me, had I snatched her away. No, she had to do this - for me, for the family, for us. I whispered the incantation, and the whoosh of her departure chilled me to the core.

She never came back.

Author's Note:

Hello, readers! Thank you for reading my drapple! It's my first one, written purely for fun, so I hope you enjoyed it. I know that technically Draco did not bite the apple - Borgin did - and that it DID reappear. Let's just say that in my version. Draco had to find more apples to use later on. :)

This may turn into a series of drabbles or short one-shots in the future, for whenever I feel like writing without much purpose. Thanks for reading!