Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books, Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc,. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Author's Note: This is not my best. I wrote this in a hurry...

Imaginary by Missy Padfoot

I linger in the doorway
Of alarm clock screaming
Monsters calling my name
Let me stay
Where the wind will whisper to me
Where the raindrops, as they're falling, tell a story
Imaginary-----Evanescence, Fallen

Draco Malfoy stared out into the white abyss of winter. Little puffs of snow gently fell down to the ground; a bitter cold constantly gracing his face with numbing kisses. It was quiet, peaceful, one could say, but it didn't fool Draco. It simply couldn't because today, Draco knew what was going to happen, and frankly, it was his choice. And so, Draco sat there, under an oak tree, staring out to the frozen lake, waiting.

He knew he had been there for more than a couple of hours, he was sure. But as to how many exactly, he might never know. The sun began to rise and Draco stared blankly at it. It would have been so much more beautiful if he had been there with Harry. Holding him in his arms, kissing, whispering... anything. And Draco knew why his heart was filled with regret.

"Draco."

Draco turned his head and saw a black cloaked Severus Snape covered in snow. Snape had a grimace etched upon his face, and Draco knew why.

"Yes?" Draco answered quietly, turning his head back towards the lake.

"Draco," the mean repeated his name, "breakfast is to start in an hour. Surely you have reconsidered by now."

Draco didn't answer and Snape sighed. "I don't know why you don't just tell him, I sincerely doubt he'd say no."

Draco shrugged. "It doesn't matter, he would never have had truly wanted it. Why would he?" Draco said bitterly. He then snorted as he thought about it a while longer. "After all, am I not the son of one of the most reknown Death Eaters? Have I not been his rival for almost seven years?"

Snape rubbed his forehead tiredly and went over and sat by Draco on the snow. He too looked out to the lake. "You had one year," he began, "one year and you did nothing. You brought this upon yourself."

Snape looked at Draco and was surprised to see a tear slowly run down Draco's cheek. Draco made no move to wipe it away.

"I know." He said bitterly. "I know."

Snape nodded and stood up. He wiped himself off of snow and took out his hand and offered it to Draco. Draco took it and stood up. It was then he wiped his tears.

"Go get dressed and get ready for breakfast."

Draco nodded and began heading towards the castle.

"It didn't have to be this way." Snape said as we walked behind the blonde.

"I know." Draco said. "I know."

Harry was staring at his food, sighing and thinking about Draco. He wondered what everyone would think if they ever knew about his crush.

He snorted to himself. He could just imagine Ron getting red with anger and Hermione trying to figure out if he was under a spell or something.

Harry sneaked a peak towards his favorite Slytherin and saw Draco looking blankly at a wall behind him. Hary frowned. Why did he look ... empty? Had something bad happened?

Harry admired Draco and couldn't look away. Even while he knew Draco must have been miserable, the blonde was still beautiful. He was still graceful... he was still the boy Harry had fallen in love with.

Harry cursed every bone in his body. How could he have defeated Voldemort, a basilisk and so much more, and not even have the courage to go up to Draco and tell him his feelings?

All year, Harry had tried to get a rise out of the blonde so they could do the thing we're they're arguing intensely, and the next, they're kissing passionately. For some reason, though, he could never bait him. It was almost as if he was being ignored. And that by itself hurt more than any hex imaginable.

Suddenly, as if Draco knew he was being watched, he turned and saw Harry staring at him. He frowned as Harry blushed and looked down. And because he looked down, he didn't see Hermione contemplating what she just saw.

Hermione had known Harry had a crush on Draco. She had for a few months already, as did Ron, and she also saw the lustful looks Malfoy had sent Harry. She was not stupid. But she just found something out... something just after breakfast.

She had been walking towards the library when she heard Pansy Parkinson and Daphne Greengrass gossiping. Hermione quickly hid behind an alcove and listened.

Pansy was obviously frustrated. "I don't know what I'm doing wrong, Daphne! How could I NOT be Draco's mate? I mean, he should have approached me already, right?"

Daphne nodded.

"So that means my darling has already found them! This cannot be! I have to be the next Mrs. Malfoy, not some slut who's just after his money!"

Hermione raised an amused eybrow.

Daphne looked thoughtful for a moment. "Perhaps he hasn't found them? I mean, it's not always guaranteed Veela's find their mates, right?"

Parkinson narrowed her eyes. "If that would be so, there would be NO future Mrs. Malfoy?"

"What do you mean?"

Pansy frowned. "Veelas, if they don't find their mates by their eighteenth birthday, die."

"Do you think that will happen?" Daphne gasped. "When's his birthday?"

"Tomorrow actually."

"So do you think he'll die?"

"No." Pansy said. "I bet he's going to show who has ended up with tomorrow, though. Fucking slut. I mean, I have been by Draco's side this whole time... I have practically..."

And they walked off.

Hermione quickly ran off to the library to research on veelas.

After a few hours, Hermione sat back on her chair and contemplated everything she just learned. First, Veelas start looking for their mate on their seventeenth birthday. Second, Parkinson was right, if veelas didn't find nor bond with their mate before their eighteenth year, they were to die...

But she thought things over. Who could be Malfoy's mate. Her first guess? Harry. Why else would he have been giving Harry those looks of longing and lust? It was a known fact that Vellas were only attracted to their mates, and not even another veela could distract them.

But Harry never bonded with Malfoy, because if had, he would have been unconscious for a week, and Harry had surprisingly not been that much to the Hospital Wing. So that meant that there was no bond, that Malfoy proabaly didn't even try. That Harry was in love with Malfoy, and that Harry could proabably lose the love of his life in a matter of a couple of hours.

With that last thought, she raced to go find Harry.

Draco stepped out to the snow outside. It was going to be his eighteenth birthday in less than an hour. It was dark and the snowing had stopped. The sky was clar and the ground was sheeted white.

Draco smiled sadly. At least he was going to die in a beautiful night.

Hermione found Harry doodling on his potions paper. "Harry, hurry! We have to find Malfoy!"

Harry froze. "What?"

"I have no time for this! Harry, come quick! Draco will die if you don't come now!"

"Why? What happened?"

"Harry, Malfoy is a veela... and he never got his mate."

Hermione saw Harry look hurt. "You don't understand, Harry! He probably never went after his mate in fear of rejection."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Harry, YOU are his mate. And his birthday is in a few minutes, and if you don't so much as kiss him, he will die!"

"Is this some sick joke?"

"Harry, listen. I and Ron know. I mean we KNOW. And I know this is really surreal. I know that it might sound stupid, but you have to go and find Draco before his birthday and kiss him so he won't die!"

Harry rushed towards his map and found the name 'Draco Malfoy' written in bold letters. He was outside. Harry grabbed Hermione and hurriedly told her where they were going. When they reached the grounds, Harry checked his map again.

Draco's name wasn't there anymore.

Harry heard a gasp and turned to see Hermione staring at something by a tree. When Harry looked to see what it was, his heart got caught in his throat. It was Draco.

"But..." Harry began shakily, he broke into hysterics, "It isn't even his birthday yet! He still has more than half an hour!" He sobbed.

"Harry, he poisoned himself. Look at the bottle."

Harry didn't. He just craddled Draco's body in his arms. "Wake up, Draco. Please? Oh God, please?"

Hermione knew she had to tell someone. She quickly ran off to Dumbledore.

Meanwhile, Harry was still crying. "I love you, Draco. I love you! We could have been together. Its my fault. its my fault."

Even while dead, Draco still looke beautiful. Harry parted the hair covering Draco's face and leaned in and kissed the blonde's cold lips. Heart broken, Harry glanced over at the bottle that had ended his world. He reached over and gently pulled the bottle out of the snow. a sad smile came over his face as he tilted the last drops of poison into his mouth.

Author's Note: Huge thanks to x-fanfiction-addiction-x for the last two sentences. They were truly beautiful.

Reviews are welcomed. :)