Memories of a Broken Heart

Draco sat idly observing his eggs and toast that morning, dreading the day ahead. Students busily ran around him, chatting about everything and nothing. He hardly caught anything other than jumbled gossip about the chosen one and the parties that were going on that summer in London. The hard wooden seat under him was cold and starting to seep through his trousers. The smell of breakfast was making the room spin, a bit of nausea growing in his navel.

He pushed through the air as he stood and spun away from the eating hall. Students complained as he made his way through the mass of them. The dread of the day to come was getting to him. He had to stop thinking about it. I have to. He thought, cringing as he tried to ignore the growing queasiness.

Deep in thought, he ran straight on into a figure. Just another annoying little- He shook his head, an ache adding to his discomfort, and there stood a girl. She wasn't any sixth year he'd seen before but she couldn't have been any younger. She was short, with long curled dark hair and piercing blue eyes. Her plump lips were in an "O" as she stared back at him, her cheeks flushed a gentle pink. He noticed an anchor necklace that sat on her collar-bone as his eyes slowly slid down her porcelain skin.

"I'm sorry." Her sweet voice startled his vision to snap back to her face. The new student looked down and hurried off around him before he could apologize in return. Mentally, he kicked himself as he watched her slide into the swarm of students returning from their meal.

Crab and Goyle were approaching and, wanting to avoid having to explain his foul mood and steaming red cheeks, he turned on his heel and continued on.

You have got to realize what we've been through… Her words were menacing his thoughts while he struggled to concentrate in potions, Snape jabbering away at the front of the room. Draco did not dare even sneak a peek where she was sitting. That girl who said those dreaded words. That girl who tore his heart in half. He refused to think about her, the sickening feeling he had that morning returning full force.

His eyes narrowed on the quill in front of him and the blank parchment. The class was almost over and the test was tomorrow and not one note had been taken since they had begun that unit. It's her fault, that filthy little mud- "Mr. Malfoy, please demonstrate for us Oblivious Unction?" Snape's grumbling voice buried itself deep within the ever-growing dread.

"Uh-"

"I'll do it sir." Her. It was her. Why couldn't she stop behind such a know-it-all? Why couldn't she just get out of his life? Draco sunk back in his seat as she stood in his peripheral vision.

"Miss Granger." Snape nodded, stepping aside from the mess of ingredients. Hermione rushed to the front, setting herself up. Draco watched in secret amazement as her tiny hands moved about the ingredients and were perfectly plopped in one by one in the correct order. A pang in his heart caused a pickle of tears to touch his eyes. The memories she brought all flooding back in one big hit. Biting his lip, he stood, just in time for the clock to strike the end of class.

When he made it back to his dormitory, he collapsed onto his bed. Fits of shaking and tears engulfed him while he held onto his knees, praying no one would intrude. Luckily, he seemed to have chosen to skip the one lesson no one else had. Memories of kisses, secret nights spent outside amongst the stars and whispered secrets in the hallways. No one knew about their love and no one ever should. It was a mistake that should never have started. He should have never trusted the chosen one's conspirer.

His eyes were fixed on the lackluster wallpaper and the post of his bed. The deafening silence surrounded him, painfully pricking his senses. Mucus was pouring from his nose, forcing him to wipe the inconvenience from his upper lip with the side of his white button up. The dormitory was just as depressing as he felt, the faint light was the only difference. There was no light for him. She was his light and now she's gone.

Slowly, his fit came to a close, his cheeks dried and his body calmed down to a dull twitch. His sheer stupidity was what always brought him to tears. How could I have ever trusted her? What was I thinking? I betrayed my family, my name… Everything. A hitch caught in his throat when he heard the thudding of other kids outside his door. Swiftly, he wiped his face free of any evidence and threw open the door, storming out of the viewing eye of others.

The grounds were just as green as they were every year, although no longer heavily patrolled since Harry had defeated Voldemort. Draco was glad for the new start at Hogwarts, no longer being the head bully but generally ignored by the population nowadays. That's how he got into it with the little know-it-all. They both had made the decision to go back for their seventh year and finish up their studies. One smart move that led to, what seemed like a thousand bad ones.

The wind was brisk that day, even for an early spring day. He assumed that Hogwarts was feeling just as how he felt deep down inside. Cold and ignored.

"You again." A sweet voice he remembered seemed to come out from nowhere. He rounded a tree, looking for the source. "Up here!" Draco glanced upward. There, on one of the branches, was the girl she had seen in the tree. "Funny how you never see someone your whole life and the instant you meet them, you see them everywhere." With that, she hopped down in front of him. "I'm Annabel."

Dumbfounded, Draco stared at the girl. Her prettiness once again overwhelmed him, his eyes picking up where they left off and falling down her perfect chest and flat stomach which led to flawlessly curved hips and toned legs that peaked out from her little black skirt and dripped like white silk into mid shin boots. He didn't realize his breath was caught in his throat until he looked back up to her eyes. "I'm Draco." He rushed, tumbling over his words. He was pretty sure his name sounded less like Draco and more like "Dako."

Her sensual lips formed a sweet smile, causing him to feel uneasy about how he felt about her. She must be at least two years younger than him, being 18. His mind flashed the Hermione and how effortlessly he fell in love with her and how horribly it had turned out. A shudder ran down his spin and he front at the smiling girl before him who was waiting for him to reply to something he hadn't heard. "I have to go, it was nice to meet you Annabel." With one last look about her, he started off, gently brushing her gray sweater with his arm.

A shock like no other he had felt before invaded him and he spun to face her. His heart was pounding just like it had when Hermione had been on top of him, but harder. What felt like a warm mist was sitting on his palms while he gazed her directly in her soft blue eyes. He could no longer feel the breeze of the spring day and all sounds had seemed to cease around him. Annabel wasn't flinching either, although she appeared to be much more composed than he felt.

"Draco! Over here mate!" Goyle's voice originated from behind him, allowing him an escaped from the tie that was unwillingly forming between them. He turned to see the pair of friends he had grown to dislike. "Where were ya this mornin'?" Goyle inquired, peeking over Draco's shoulder. Letting into temptation, Draco followed his once best friend's stare to the newly empty space behind him. How had she left so quickly?