A/N Well, here it is. About time I uploaded really. This will no doubt be the first of many HP stories, because they are my favourite to write. I hope you have a very enjoyable time reading this and come back for more! :D
Disclaimer - I obviously don't own J.K. Rowling's amazing imagination. However, Alaina is all mine as will a few other OCs that shall come up later. A little thanks to my wonderful friend Charlotte who let me steal her character Amelia who shall appear more often in future chapters.
His Little Irish Secret
It's seven o'clock and she's stood in front of the same bare wall, eyes closed and mind focused on the room she requires. The clunk of a door resounds in the noiseless corridor and her eyelids slowly open. Now in view is a dark wooden door with a brass handle and a bright glow issuing from the gap at the bottom. She smiles and lays a hand on the door knob, twisting it slightly and entering the room beyond. The warmth immediately hits her and wraps itself around her very soul; the fire's lit. Quietly, she slips off her cloak and shoes and glances over at the source of the cosy atmosphere. The flames dance happily in there pit and throw shadows over the bland walls, giving them pattern and life. She pays no heed to the darkened corners of the small room, her eyes simply drawn to the couch encased in the fire's glow. Just visible over it's musty brown back is the only reason she came. The sole reason she's not already curled up in Gryffindor tower with a good book. Sleek and gorgeous white-blonde hair falls softly onto a pale and prominently featured face, given colour only by the flame's will. She makes her way over silently, her lips graced with a smile. His own tight lips twist into a smile and his eyes sparkle as she takes up the free space next to him. She sits close, her arms sliding smoothly around his thin waste.
"Good evening, Alaina." His voice is smooth and concentrated, her eyes closing to listen to his deep tone. She bites her lip ever so tenderly and looks up into his steel grey eyes. If anyone else were to look they'd be met with a cold, hard stare. But Alaina was different. Special. She was always greeted, without fail, with a warm and affectionate gaze. Blinking, she lets her head rest on his shoulder.
"Good evening, Draco." Her voice comes out somewhat small and maybe even a little nervous but truthfully, she's never felt so at home. Alaina is quiet. Always. Despite being a Gryffindor and younger sister of the notoriously loud Seamus Finnigan, she's a timid creature who keeps almost entirely to herself. Draco presses his lips to her forehead and settles back against the couch pillows, eyes firmly on her.
"How've you been since our last rendezvous?" He's silently aware she doesn't have many friends and it almost pains him when he spots her alone in the library almost every day. But he can't intervene. He can't invite her to his group. He can't tell her brother or twin sister. It's like he's the only person she sees and like always, she's smiling at the memory of the two of them together. Her change in mood had indeed been immediate and her face is still covered with a large grin.
Her mind was already thrown back a couple of weeks when he'd surprised her with a bunch of roses and an invitation to the room they were currently occupying. They'd sat and talked and laughed and… kissed. Her cheeks tint rose at the thought and she nods in response.
"Not too bad. Seamus has been banging on about me seeing Damon." Turning up her nose, she shakes her head as Draco resists the urge to insult the suggested boy.
Damon Monroe is indeed good-looking, but not smug about it. His grades are above average and he trains as a replacement seeker, behind the golden boy. In her brother's eyes, he was ideal but her opinion greatly differed. In her opinion, she didn't need anyone but the man in her arms. Of course, Seamus hadn't a clue about their relationship, much like everyone else, and would no doubt murder Draco if he knew the truth.
"Ah, yes. Finnigan made Blaise's potion explode the other day. Purposefully or not, Blaise wasn't happy." A small laugh escapes him and she raises an eyebrow lightly. It's far more than unusual for him to be amused by the actions of a Gryffindor, let alone Seamus, especially when it affects another Slytherin.
He shrugs, surprised at his own amusement and supposes he'll need to get used to the Irish boy if he and Alaina are to be together. But are they? He'd been thinking about it lately. They were a secret for a reason, or rather a few reasons, and there was no explanation for why that would change. People probably wouldn't accept the idea of a Gryffindor and a Slytherin, especially a Malfoy, being together. His father would indisputably go ballistic and do god-knows-what to her and her family. He snaps back to reality after their shared silence, by her voice as she resumes conversation.
"I hear Pansy Parkinson fancies you." She says cautiously, inwardly terrified that his answer will involve him somehow reciprocating her feelings.
Alaina always had the problem that she thought every girl in Hogwarts was prettier than her, despite her boyfriend's continued reassurances otherwise. Although she had an identical sister, Amelia, she often felt her twin was much better looking and apparently quite datable. Truthfully, Alaina was indeed quite pretty. Light brown hair cascaded down to the middle of her back in gentle waves and curls, and big brown eyes finished off her soft face. She was a tad smaller than most other girls and had perhaps a few too many freckles for the average taste but she didn't have anything glaringly horrid about her. In her opinion, she is a bit too chubby because she isn't as stick thin as some of the others in her year.
Pansy however was another story. In the year above with Draco, she's petite with sleek, dark brown hair down to her shoulders and piercing green eyes. She also seems the most like Draco's kind of girl. Little did Alaina know, Lucius Malfoy was in fact encouraging his son to make a move. Pansy was willing, interested and nothing less than a rich pure-blooded Slytherin. A perfect exhibit of a Malfoy future wife.
"Alaina? Alaina?" His smooth voice was finally getting through to her as she realises she'd gone off into a daze with a tear sliding down her reddened face. "Alaina? Are you okay?" He repeats with concern in his voice. She starts nodding, hurriedly wiping the tear from her face as if he might suddenly forget it's existence.
"Yes, yes. I'm fine." The quiver in her voice doesn't help her argument and Draco frowns deeply, unbelieving.
"No, what's the matter? Why the tears?" He asks deliberately with a firm tone, hoping she wouldn't lie for a second time.
"I'm just a little…" She pauses, deliberating. "… afraid." She finally finishes, casting her gaze to the red carpeted floor.
"Afraid? Afraid of what? You know I wouldn't let anything happen to you." He starts, somewhat defensively. Surely she knew that? Knew that he cared. That he'd protect her. That he maybe even, possibly, perhaps, slightly…loved her? Well, 4 months was a long time to go without pondering feelings deeper than friendship. Then again, Draco Malfoy doesn't admit feelings lightly.
"Not that. I know that." She smiles brightly before turning solemn again. "Afraid that…you'll have to date Pansy. Or rather…want to." She pulls her knees up to her chest and onto the couch's thick pillows, eyes avert from his face. He in turn frowns and shakes his head. Although his father was pushing at him to make an effort, he's quite happy with his little Irish secret.
"Don't be silly. You're my girl, you know that. She might not but, who cares? It makes us a better secret if people think I'm interested in Pansy and her in me." He shrugs and despite her best effort, Alaina isn't convinced by his offhandness. Sighing, she nods unconvincingly and casts her gaze back to the fire. He tucks a stray curl behind her ear and kisses her cheek softly with affection.
Quiet shuffling. Barely audible over the crackle of the flames, it comes from the corridor outside once more. Was that voices as well? Draco's ears are pricked almost like a dog's and he's completely still. Alaina turns to him and before she can utter a word, his finger is on her slightly parted lips.
"Draco?" Pansy's nasally voice seeps through the apparent solid wall and more shuffling is produced.
"This is crazy. It's a solid wall, where would he have gone?" Was that the gruff voice of Crabbe? No, too dumb and not rough enough. Blaise Zabini is more likely.
"Shh. I think I heard something." The female Slytherin spits back at him. "He went somewhere in this corridor, I'm sure of it. I will find him. Something's going on and I want answers."
Draco's heart rate's quick and panic is evident in his eyes. He can't be caught with a Gryffindor. He just can't. Alaina's looking at him with nervousness, almost pleading for a suggestion of what to do and he can barely focus. He can imagine Pansy's thin fingers searching the wall thoroughly and the lump in his throat will not budge despite his continued swallowing.
What the hell is he going to do if she makes it in the room that has kept their secret for so long?