Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any other characters, creatures, settings, etc. from the HP Universe. J.K. Rowling owns everything!
It was Hogwarts' first trip of the year to Hogsmede and Draco was already feeling bittersweet about it.
"Having to see the Gold trio of Potter, Weasley, and Granger," thought Draco, "At least I'll get to be with Pansy." He was just about done packing for the upcoming Christmas break and yet he had a pit in his stomach. He didn't know why he felt so anxious when this was supposed to be a time to relax. Draco was getting lost in his thoughts when Crabbe and Goyle came strolling in.
"What's taking you so bloody long mate!" said Goyle. "We just saw the trio leave and we have the perfect prank to play on 'em," cackled Crabbe.
Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle were always loyal friends to Draco. The two may not be the brightest, but they were good company. The three of them had been friends for quite some time; their parents introduced them when they were small boys. This is how they knew just the right things to say to pull him out of his own head. Crabbe and Goyle have been his faithful followers since day one. He liked having them around. Plus it also helped to have his own personal bodyguards when he's the son of Lucius Malfoy.
Draco quickly slammed the trunk with a little more force than he should have. He could see the fear in his companions' eyes. "Right, let's go then," Draco snarled.
-
"ADELAIDE MARIE SMITHORN!" yelled an impatient Hermione. Addy was racing down the stairs trying to get to Hermione before she was really in a world of trouble. Hermione Granger was not a girl you want to keep waiting. She was one of Adelaide's first friends at Hogwarts. Addy always considered herself a loner, until she met Hermione. No one would say more than a few words to her and she liked it that way. Adelaide was extremely bright and competitive which intimidated a lot of her classmates. No one would even think to give her a passing glance, that is, until she met Hermione, her new roommate. They had met their match in each other, which allowed the girls to become very close, very fast.
So Adelaide knew, when Hermione said, "Now," she meant *now*. "Okay, Okay, I'm here," The petite girl gasped as she reached Hermione. As she was catching her breath Hermione shouted, "Finally! Now let's go." And with that, Adelaide was once again ten steps behind Hermione.
Addy was running out the door, trying to keep up with Hermione. Her auburn hair rushed behind her as she quickened her pace. Eventually the two girls caught up with Harry and Ron, which gave the girl a chance to catch her breath. Ron and Hermione quickly latched hands and Addy and Harry smiled at each other awkwardly. Ever since Ron and Hermione realized their feelings for each other, it made their group outings all the more awkward. Adelaide and Harry were strictly platonic friends. To be honest, she always thought he had a thing for Ron's younger sister, Ginny. Regardless, that was not her place to assume. She giggled to herself as she imagined Ron's reaction to her revelation.
They were almost at Hogsmede when suddenly the group stopped in front of her. She was so lost in her thoughts that she almost smacked into the back of Harry. She peered over Harry's shoulder and saw three boys. She had seen them before. The two in the back were brunettes. One was slightly pudgy with a glossy look in his eyes. The other was slightly taller but had the look of a little boy, simply trying to please the adults in the room. The two of them were snickering as they looked her group up and down. Adelaide's eyes then fixated on the boy in the front. She knew exactly who he was. Draco looked nothing like the other two. He had platinum blonde and a strong yet slender frame. His eyes…Adelaide let out a small gasp. The color always took her by surprise; they were striking. She could barely keep focus. However, he had his eyes locked on to Harry's. The silence was finally broken by a low, growling voice.
"Well who do we have here…the golden trio?" Draco grumbled as he looked at each of them. "Potter, Granger, and Weasley," he had begun a carefully crafted insult for the three of them, as he normally would, but suddenly stopped when he saw another person in his presence. "Oh and who is this?" asked Malfoy intrigued at the set of eyes peering over Harry's shoulder.
This set Addy off. She was a very passionate person and Draco had just hit her buttons. She didn't understand how he could possibly not remember who she was. She spent countless days in Potions class, showing him up. She wanted to be the best; better than Snape's "pet". Then he would give her the same icy stare after every time she showed him up, until she left. That stare always left her cheeks burning for hours after class. He was the only one in class who ever looked at her that way, let alone even glance at her. Letting her temper seethe out of her, Adelaide retorted, "Don't you remember the one who beat you in every exam in Snape's class."
Of course Draco knew who she was. He could never forget the humiliation of being shown up by her, every chance she got. She was the only one in that class who could possibly beat him. A Malfoy simply wouldn't forget that nor take it lightly. She pushed him each class to be better; but when he took one step forward, she was already twenty ahead. She was so frustrating and yet there was something about her that just, lit a spark in him. He smirked a bit as he remembered how flushed her face got each time she caught his eye. He knew he had an effect on her and he relished in every chance he got to take advantage. Realizing that his enjoyment started showing on his face, he forced the idea out of his head and started glaring back at the trio.
"Malfoy…" started Harry, he took a step forward, clenching his fist. He was getting protective of his friends; though it was Hermione who made the first move. A small grin creeped up on her face as her eyes focused sharply at the three boys in front of her. "Look guys, there's a trio in front of us too… a trio of assholes!" Hermoine spat at them. Draco had heard enough from her. There was no way in hell he would let someone of her status speak to him in that way. Draco roared, "Shut up you little…" but before he could do anything, Hermione had whipped her wand out of her pocket and with a flick of the wrist shouted,"Levicorpus!" Draco felt the Earth flip below him as suddenly was held up by his ankles. He began thrashing as Crabbe and Goyle quickly spun and sprinted off, hoping they were not next.
Looking at the two run away like cowards, Draco rolled his eyes. "Some bodyguards," he thought as he felt the blood rushing to his head. He reminded himself to chew them out later for being such deserters. As his anger subsided, Draco quickly pondered his options as to how to break the spell. He wasn't going to let some mudblood make him out to be a fool.
"Come on guys, let's go" muttered Hermione as she began her quickened pace once more. Ron and Harry instantly followed after her, knowing that even though he didn't say it, the damage Draco caused was done. Addy looked back and forth between her friends, who were slowly disappearing in the distance, and Draco, who was still strung up and staring at the light coating of snow below him. She knew that she should go with her friends. As she took a step forward, she felt something strong tugging on her insides. She grimaced as she knew her empathetic nature was taking over. While she knew it wasn't her battle, she just couldn't leave him helplessly dangling there.
As the last outlines of her friends disappeared over the hillside, she begrudgingly walked closer to Draco. He was too lost in thought to notice as she whispered "Liberacorpus." Draco swiftly fell face first into the frozen ground below him. He groaned as Addy gasped "Oh no!" Upon seeing him landing on his face, Addy closed the distance between them. She threw herself on the ground and as gently as she could, turned him over. Even through his jacket, she could feel the toned muscle of his arms, just as she had imagined them. Her cheeks were beginning to flush when suddenly she cupped her mouth to stifle her gasp.
The bridge of his nose had a small gash that had blood slowly trickling down the side of his face. Draco opened his eyes and saw the concerned look on her face. As he caught her eye, she softly squeaked out, "A-a-are you okay?" she took his face gently with her hands to assess the damage.
He used his elbow to push himself up slowly in order to regain some balance. The distance between their faces began to close as she got closer to look at the damage. His eyes moved slowly from her softly protruding chin, across her slightly pouted lips, until finally up to her eyes. He was taken aback by their icy blue color. The color was similar to his. Both were lightened with tones of silver that made them sparkle. But while his eyes were deathly pale, the outlines of her irises were a soft cerulean, the irises itself a crystalized sapphire. His eyes were clearly darker, scarred by the anguish he's seen and felt.
He hastily broke their gaze and pushed himself up, out of her grasp. He had suddenly felt heavy; he needed some air. With a flick of his finger, he wiped away the blood that still lingered on his face. He could not keep her entrancing gaze any longer. He stared at the ground as he kicked some of the snow below him. "You didn't have to do that," warned Draco, "If Granger saw that she would have never forgiven you." Addy let out a deep breath that she didn't even realize she was holding. She wrung her hands as she realized what he had said. Hermione will certainly be upset if she finds out what she did. Addy sighed as she stared at the top of his head, "Well, I couldn't leave you there, no matter how much of a jerk you are to her."
Draco's face shot up as he took her comment as an insult. He opened his mouth to fire a quip back at her until he noticed her coming closer again. This time she wasn't fixated on his eyes though. He didn't realize she was surveying his nose until she placed her smooth hand on his cheek again.
"Your nose doesn't look broken so that's a plus" Addy said as she smirked. Their faces were dangerously close again. Draco gently shook her hand off and shoved his fists in the pockets of his jacket. Adelaide bit her lip at his harshness and turned away. She knew that no good would come out of helping Draco Malfoy, but she thought it was the right thing to do anyway. She swore under her breath, knowing that Hermione was right about him. She hated being wrong. Just as she was about to stride away with what dignity she had left, Draco cleared his throat. He knew he upset her and wanted to clear the air. It was the least he could do; the girl did help him down after all. "What is your name anyway?" He said as he slowly walked up next to her. He knew what her name was, but he thought it would be kind of fun to see her squirm. Addy grumbled as she said, "My name is Adelaide Smithorn, but most people call me Addy". She began to walk away from him, fuming that he couldn't even remember her name.
Draco suddenly began to follow her. He had a smirk on his face as he kept up pace with her. This frustrated Addy more. "So you're a pureblood, right?" asked Draco with increasing curiosity. He knew his parents had a few friends named Smithorn. That means they had to be pureblood. "Yup and both my Mum and Dad work in the Ministry" she said annoyed, but still tried to keep a confident stance. She didn't know what angle he was trying to play with her, but she was damn proud of what her parents did and wouldn't let him make her feel insignificant. "That's interesting," started Draco. "Listen I…" he said slowly brushing her hand. Addy's cheeks quickly became bright red as she felt the gentle touch.
"Draco, baby, there you are!" yelled Pansy. The two stopped dead in their tracks. The raven haired girls' heels clicked hard against the stone path she was stomping across. Underneath her silky bangs, she had an annoyed expression. She had been looking for him for over fifteen minutes, which to Pansy, was fourteen minutes too many. He almost forgot about his lunch date with his girlfriend Pansy Parkinson. "Shit," Draco thought turning away from Addy who swiftly moved away from him. As the color to her cheek returned, one could see the battle of humiliation and lust rolling across. Addy furrowed her brows as she heard Pansy's sharp, nasal tone. She began to pick up her quickened pace again, keeping her head low to hide just how flushed she had become.
"See you around, Malfoy" she said as she briskly walked out of reach. Draco watched Addy hurriedly leave. He suddenly felt very cold again. He figured the wind must have picked up again as he watched Addy rapidly disappear in the distance. When any trace of her figure was gone, he slowly turned to Pansy with dread.
-What do you guys think? I really haven't touched this story in years but I have recently become inspired to re-write it. I've always been very fond of it and want to give it the attention and detail it deserves. I will be trying to update as best as I can, but please be patient! It will be worth it, I promise. Please review and share! Thanks!