To Kag
FACEBOOK PAGE: Harry Potter and the I Can't Believe it's Over
Lena sat in the Gryffindor common room, staring out one of the grated windows, lost in thought. Se blew at her messy bangs, in frustration. When was Draco going to signal her? She looked down at her watch, 11:25 p.m.
"Only a half an hour, until Christmas Day," she thought. Maybe Draco had forgotten? Maybe he was mad at her for exchanging gifts with Harry, Ron, and Hermione first; they were her best friends, after all, much to Draco's displeasure. Surely, that wouldn't stop him though, right?
Lena's heart sank, she knew Draco, the *real* Draco. Surely, she hadn't been wrong about him...had she? Snow fell on the grounds, making the entire area look like a white ocean, the hills like white waves and the trees like the biggest icicles in the world.
Just as Lena turned away, ready to go to bed, a blue light reflected off the walls, making it look more like the Ravenclaw Common Room than the Gryffindor one. Lena smiled to herself, before flying back to the window ledge. She looked down. There, blonde head almost blending in and black robes nearly swallowed by darkness, was Draco Malfoy, mainly distinguishable by the subtle, emerald green lining his robes that now shone in the light from the spell he had cast.
An owl landed on the outside of ledge of the window, which Lena quickly opened. A jet black owl held its leg out, but when Lena tried to take the letter from the outstretched leg, the owl jerked it back and snapped at her. Lena looked stunned for a moment, before remembering what Draco had told her. The owl had been raised by Malfoys, he was a true slytherin owl, he expected payment.
Lena reached into one of her robe's pockets and pulled out the owl treat Draco had given her earlier on, and held it cautiously between her thumb and forefinger, trying to keep herself from jerking away as Night Flyer took the treat without any hesitation or inhibitions. "Now can I have my letter?" She asked sarcastically, putting her hands on her hips. Se was forced to condense her laugh into a giggle, as Night Flyer promptly held out his leg; she didn't want to startle him, though she didn't know if that was even possible.
Shaking her head, Lena took the note. Opening it, with a racing heart, Lena quickly read:
Miss Lena Blackheart,
Please do me the gracious honor of accompanying me in the courtyard, just outside the clock tower. I shall wait there until you arrive, so hurry because its bloody cold out here and I do not wish to die of hypothermia.
Your friend,
Draco M.
Lena smiled at the end. She quickly hung her head out the window and nodded vigorously. Draco sent up yellow sparks, which Lena replied to with green. Quickly, two streaming bursts of yellow went up, before Malfoy ran off in the direction of their suggested meeting place.
Quickly, Lena put her coat on, replaced her cloak over it, and carefully snuck out, trying to avoid Filch and Ms. Norris. Peeking around a corner, she saw them. Hurriedly, she muttered a spell that Draco had taught her, which made her invisible.
She kept her hand around the small package that jostled around in her robe pocket. She was afraid, if she let go of it, it would fall out. Her heart raced with excitement, he was going to love it!
Outside, Lena stopped in her tracks. Candle lit tree ornaments floated in various locations and the snow overhead fell around the courtyard as if a glass bowl had been placed over it. It was amazing! A light dusting of snow covered the ground, but not too much. At the far end, a small tree sat on an extended tree skirt with a single gift box beneath it. The tree was decorated and garland had been hung all along the walls, arches, pillars, and even over the fountain, the boars having sparkling lei of garland. Lena walked forward, filled with awe.
Where was Draco? Had he done all of this? Well, of course he had, it wasn't like Filch would have. Lena giggled at the thought.
Suddenly, Lena felt a tug on her black ponytail. Surprised, she spun around. "Draco," she said, grinning in greeting. "You like it?" He replied, pale blue eyes alive and glinting. Up against the snow and lights, he was beautiful, she couldn't wait to see him by the tree! Lena smiled, as the floating ornaments reflected their different colors in his eyes, filling them with specks of red, green, gold, and silver.
"Did you do all of this?" She asked, even though he obviously had, but then again, he could have asked someone to or had Crabbe and Goyle do it. "Yeah," he said, fidgeting. "Like it? Naw," she sounded unenthusiastic. Draco looked down, then looked like he would protest when she suddenly said,"I love it! Draco, this is amazing!" She turned, looking back at the scene before her.
Draco stared at her, she was beautiful. He began to sweat, even in the cold, as he thought about her gift. She'd like it, wouldn't she? He wanted to go up behind her, move her hair off of her neck, and...no, he couldn't. He couldn't jeopardize their friendship, not yet, anyways.
Lena turned back around, eyes sparkling. "I love it!" "Good, now let's see if you like your gift just as much," Draco said, smiling. "Ok, but can we get a picture of this, before it has to be taken down?" Lena asked, looking up at him as he led her towards the tree, his arm around her back. Se could feel his arm against her more prominently than anything else. Her spine tingled, ever nerve alive and buzzing. "Calm down, he doesn't think of you like that," she told herself, but she couldn't help the way she felt and part of her didn't want to let the feeling go.
Draco smiled, his teeth just a shade brighter than his pale skin. "Already taken care of," he said, pulling a camera halfway out of his pocket. "Asked the Creevey boy." "Asked?" Lena looked at him suspiciously. "Actually, yes. I told him it was for a special occasion." How was this special? Of course it was, it was Christmas, but how was this particularly special? Was it jut because he had decorated the place?
They stopped at the tree. Draco gestured for her to sit. "Perfect," he mumbled. "What?" Lena asked, wanting to confirm what she thought she heard, her ears were know to play tricks on her from time to time. "Nothing, just let me get a shot of you." He held the camera up and took his picture. "Alright, now you!" Lena said, getting to her feet and taking his spot while he sat down. "Smile!"
With her happy tone, sparkling eyes, black hair specked with different colors from the lights, and smile, Draco couldn't help himself but to smile. A sharp "click" and she came to join him, handing him the camera as she lowered herself down. "So, who should go first?" Lena asked.
"I will," said Draco,"and not because I'm a greedy Slytherin, but because I want to save the best for last." Lena nudged him in the arm. "Hey!" She laughed at his protests. Soon Draco was laughing with her. Between his smile and the sound of his laugh, Lena was loving every second of this beautiful night and never wanted it to end.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out the small box. "Here ya go, happy Christmas, Draco!" She said, handing him the long, slender, silver wrapped, green clad ribboned box. Draco smiled at her, due to the wrapping. She blushed, praying that he hadn't noticed.
Draco slid the ribbon off, carefully, then worked on the paper, which only took him approximately thirty seconds, even though he didn't tear any of it. Lena's heart pounded in her chest, she hoped he would like it, no, that he would love it. She took a few pictures, and he opened the box. He examined the gift for a moment, before holding it up and setting the box at his side. "It's a wand grip. A silver snake since you're in Slytherin. Do you like it?" She added, trying not to sound nervous, she wanted his honest answer.
Draco took out his wand and slid the winding snake onto it. He turned it over, rotating it, looking thoughtful. "Naw," Lena's mouth dropped it. Ok, she wanted honest, but he didn't have to give her the non-sugar coated version. "I love it," he finished, eyes twinkling mischievously. Lena knew it was childish, but she stuck her tongue out at him. He simply laughed. "You should have seen the look on your face! Oh, wait, you can!" He held up the camera. "Draco!" She squeaked. They both began laughing again.
"Alright, you're turn, m'lady," he said, grabbing the small box that lay behind him. Lena took it, amazed that her hands were perfectly steady. Draco took the camera and watched in silence. Lena removed the golden ribbon, slid the lion-shaped to/from piece off, and carefully unwrapped that red wrapping. Inside, was another box. She gave him a look, laughing. He just smiled. Lena opened the small box, it was shaped like a lion. She slid the red ribbon from it, not a present ribbon, but a thicker ribbon. She opened the tin and inside was a small bag, with a silver glint. Lena quickly took the bag out, setting the tin on her lap, and untied it. Inside was the most beautiful necklace Lena had ever seen. She unrolled it, so that it dangled in front of her.
She watched it spin slightly, lightly stopping it with her fingers. It was a black heart with silver waving prongs and a silver chain, which glinted lovely in the candle light. "Draco!" She gasped. "Do you like it?" He asked, getting up and going around behind her. Lena nodded, speechless. "Want me to help you put it on?" Lena nodded again,"yes, please," she twisted, handing it to him. She took her ponytail and lifted it, Draco's hands in front of her. She watched his hands, until they disappeared behind her neck. She listened to the clasp shut.
"I'm glad, Miss Lena Blackheart," he whispered the last part in her ear and a chill zipped down her spine; she could hear the wink in his voice. Lena reached up, putting her hands on her new treasure, then twisted to look at Draco. He had moved to the side a bit, so it wasn't as hard to see him. Suddenly, her mouth felt dry and she was extra self-conscious. Did her breath smell? Were her nose and face clean and clear?
She wanted to stay that way, eyes on his, but she hastily looked back ahead of her and down. To her surprise, however, Draco appeared in front of her. She only looked partway up. Draco's hand came into view, as he placed his thumb and forefinger on her chin, gently lifting her head upwards.
"Draco?" The words came out almost silently. She searched his eyes. As he stared back, she noticed that his face was getting pinker. "No way!" Lena could scarcely even consider it, even in her own mind. She blinked rapidly, trying to determine if it was her mind playing tricks on her or if Draco was getting steadily closer.
She went to blink and her eyes stayed closed, as she felt two, warm objects meet her lips. She jumped, but did not pull away and, to her great relief, neither did Draco. She returned his kiss.
Several minutes later, they broke free of each other, Lena was left breathless, Draco was beet red. "Ready for some pictures?" He asked, following a few minutes of silence that strangely felt like hours. "Yeah," Lena said, biting her lip. Draco helped her stand, but she didnt let go of his hand after.
They took several snapshots and then headed back towards the castle, hand in hand. "This was the best Christmas I've ever had," she said, looking over and up at Draco, who was just a few inches taller than her. "Really?" He said, a slight smile playing on his lips, though he did not look at her. Those lips, had they really been for her at one point? It felt like so long ago already, too long ago.
"The last gift was my favorite," she continued, now taking her turn to change shades of pink. "Yeah, mine to," he agreed, stopping in front of a portrait shortcut. He turned to face her, both of her small hands in his large ones. She looked at them, his long, pale fingers supporting her smaller, darker ones. "A gift should be used more than once," he said. Lena looked up to see him smiling. "Well, I'd like to use this one all year round if I can," she could barely keep eye contact with him, a huge, probably dorky, smile on her face, her heart raced, her face and the back of her neck growing hot, and she was suddenly oddly aware of how sweaty her palms were getting.
"A gift is meant to be kept," he replied, grinning. Lena stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. She went to back away, when he leaned in and began to kiss her.
A short time later, which was too short in Lena's opinion, Draco said the password, which Lena barely heard over the pounding in her ears, as she looked up at him, and they proceeded to walk through, hand in hand.