Music Box
Miranda stared intently at the silent music box as she lay, unmoving on her bed, her head propped up on her hands. She heaved a long sigh. She had tried everything she could possibly think of to get it to start working again, but had no such luck. Her mother had given it to her exactly one year from today, on her ninth birthday and it had great sentimental value; it had also been her mother's most cherished possession when she was of the same age. If she couldn't fix it, then she obviously wasn't meant to have it. If it remained broken, then it wasn't meant to be…
A knock then sounded at the door and before she could call whoever it was in, said person slowly pushed the door open and stepped inside. Miranda barely glanced up from her current infatuation, but managed to catch a glimpse of blonde hair out of the corner of her eye. She, however, kept her gaze fixed on the broken music box, as if her eyes alone would spark life from it.
"You've been here all day, have you?" She could only nod. After all these years, it came as no surprise that he could read her like a book; there were no secrets they kept hidden from one another. He closed the door and stepped closer to where the music box sat atop her dresser, lonely and lifeless. He reached out a hand and ran his fingers along its newly polished surface. He knew; he knew how much it meant to her and why she was so intent on fixing it. He continued to stroke it gently, as if pondering over some deep thoughts.
"It's fine…" She closed her eyes with a sigh. "You needn't worry about something so petty. I'll be fine…" Her words clearly conflicted with how she was feeling, but she refused to show her distress over the matter. Unfortunately, however, Draco's ability to break through the seemingly impenetrable fortress that was her mind was actually a bit annoying at the moment. She hated when people worried about her, especially when the problem was hers and hers alone to fix. She wanted to tell him that, but couldn't find the words or the heart to do so. Instead, she let her head fall into her arms now curled around each other, still with one eye focused on what was right in front of her: the music box and him. He certainly posed as a good distraction from sleep, especially when he was so intensely focused on the one item she urged him not to be concerned with. He always did never cease to amaze her.
The blonde fiddled thoughtfully with the key, turning it over and over again in his hand. He wound it once, twice, three times and then suddenly…a beautiful sound emanated from the box. He half-smiled at hearing the familiar tune, the tune that he was so accustomed to hearing since the day she first wound it. It certainly brought a whole new meaning to the phrase "to bring music to one's ears".
As soon as the unforgettable melody reached Miranda's ears, she perked her head right up and shifted into a sitting position, throwing her legs over the side of the bed and swinging them back and forth to the entrancing sound. She had almost forgotten just how enlightening and captivating the melody really was…almost…
"It's so b-beautiful…" She could feel the heat rise to her cheeks and knew that they were probably as red as a tomato. She had the words on her tongue, the words she wanted to say as thanks for fixing her treasure, but she couldn't manage it without a stutter. "Th-Thank you…" It seemed almost too good to be true, considering the history of their relationship; there was never a time when the two were not playing pranks on and teasing one another. It definitely made one cherish moments like these…even if the feeling may not be reciprocated, or even acknowledged by the other. Even so, she would always have the memories…
Memories. Of this moment, that was all he would have. His parents, most especially his mother would never learn of this moment. Just another one of those little secrets kept between two close friends…
OWARI