A/N: I wrote this especially for ernesdo. Happy Birthday, you awesome sauce crazy person. And no, this is not actually going to happen. Just so you don't freak out and pelt me with tomatoes.

"Fear has a funny way of ruining everything." -Anonymous

I never wanted us to be like this. We were supposed to just be friends. Best friends. But somehow along the way, fate decided to cast out her whip and catch us around our heels, tripping us and making us fall. Things were simple. I was smart. He was... not. We had fun. Just friend. Why does it always seem to get ruined somehow? I wanted to just be his friend. We didn't talk at all last year, so I was thrilled this year when we somehow started speaking again. But somehow it got ruined.

I know how, too. I put my trust in the wrong people. I thought they were my best friends when they weren't. But he was always there for me. There propping me up and lending me a shoulder when I needed one to cry on. He was, all in all, my best friend. Who is he? Draco Malfoy. Duh. He was the sweetest thing ever. It didn't matter that he was a Slytherin while I was a Gryffindor. It didn't matter that we were in our own circles of friends, or that I had a different best friend in my own house. He was still there for me when I needed him, and I thought that he would never leave. I never wanted him to leave.

So why did he? According to him, it was because his dad didn't like me. But was that really the reason? Really? I mean, you don't just string people along like that. No normal human with a heart does, at least. But was he really the person I thought I knew? It doesn't seem like it anymore. I thought I knew him once. I thought he could trust me, and not hurt me. But he hurt me when he cheated on me. Hurt me when he lied to me. Hurt me when he dated that other girl that used to be my friend. Hurt me when he then tried to cheat on her with me.

Was he really the person I thought he was, then? Because we had some great times, too. Like when I went to watch him play Quidditch. Or when we were there together without planning it, and he hugged me four times. Four! That's more then he's ever hugged me over the span of our entire friendship of three years. Have we really been friends for three years? It seems like much shorter of a time. And have I really liked him for all of that time? Once, I would deny that with every fiber of my being. Now, I'm not so sure. Because I was jealous last year when I thought he was dating another girl.

No, I am not in denial. I'm just... sad. And scared. Yeah, I'm scared. Scared of what he'll say tomorrow when I see him in school. Scared of what he will say to me when I apologize for coming back into his life and messing it up. Because Draco's dad hates me, and I don't know why. Apparently, he blames me for problems with his son. It's not my fault that Draco didn't want his dad to know that he was dating me, the lowly Muggle Born Gryffindor. It's not my fault that my best friend wanted to commit suicide and was cutting himself. It's almost like he blames me for telling someone and getting his son help. What? He needed help. And I could be the one to give it to him.

His father wrote me the other day. I was shocked. Astounded. Dumbfounded. Why would a grown man write to a thirteen year old? I soon found out. Apparently, it was because he was quite irritated with the way I was trying to save my friendship with his son. So according to him, writing me was perfectly okay. I turned the letter over to my mother, who quickly took care of it. She spoke to Mr. Malfoy, assuring him that if she had seen anything I had done, she would have punished me for it. But, as I hadn't actually done anything for her to see, she informed him that he needed to let it go. He wasn't too pleased, to say the least.

At least now Draco and I are allowed to speak again. He was extremely mortified that his father would do such a scandalous thing. You know, the whole writing to a thirteen year old bit. He's apologized for it a billion times, it seems, but I just don't care anymore. It's not about his father. It's none of his father's business if Draco and I are friends or not. And that's what I told Draco. If his father has a problem with me, perhaps he should actually meet me first, before passing judgments as to whether I am a suitable friend for his son.

I'm scared of Lucius Malfoy, to be quite honest. His daughter, Rose, is perfectly normal. She's one of my closest friends, in fact. Just like Draco, who has come to be my best friend. I've never met his wife, but I've heard that she's a perfectly kind and understanding woman. So why is Lucius so cruel? Was he abused as a child or something? Or is it just lack of a heart that makes him this way. I may not have mentioned this before, but his letter? It wasn't just a letter. It was a Howler, that exploded in the Great Hall for everyone to hear.

Today is my birthday, and I haven't received greetings. From anyone. You would think that they'd care, after all, they are supposed to be my friends. Sure, I haven't actually spoken to most of them in a while, but still, I would like to think that they'd remember my birthday. It's a lonely feeling, to be quite honest. It's lonely, and you feel like no one cares about you or likes you. To be quite honest, I feel alone in the world. It's just like I felt last year, when Draco and I could barely speak. It's like I felt in First Year, coming to a school full of witches and wizards, and having never heard of magic before except in fairy tales.

Hogwarts is like the stuff of Muggle legends. Mum and Dad tell stories all the time about how magic came to be, and things like that. It came as a real shock to them when not only I, but my sister Hannah, too, were paid a visit by Professor Sprout and informed that we were witches. Hannah ended up being sorted into Professor Sprout's house, Hufflepuff, but I was, and still am, a Gryffindor. There's still a part of me that wishes that I could've gotten Ravenclaw, but I've made fantastic friends in Gryffindor that I hope will last my lifetime.

I walked down the hall, my head hanging low. My friends really and truly had forgotten my birthday. I felt sad and pathetic. On any other day, none of this would've mattered, but all of my friends had forgotten my birthday, and that was a huge deal to me. This was the day that I turned fourteen. I was officially a teenager, no more questions asked, and my friends weren't even around to celebrate it with me. Where could they be?

An empty classroom door had been left ajar. I slipped inside, hoping to get some alone time, and gasped. Streamers were hung from every angle, and there was a large banner proclaiming the message, "Happy Birthday, Megan!" I grinned, feeling tears rush to the corners of my eyes. Rose came over and gave me a huge hug.

"Happy Fourteenth Birthday," she whispered in my ear, before stepping back to allow Annie Smith to hug me as well. Where was Draco? Why wasn't he here, celebrating my special day? "Cake time!" Rose trilled, pulling me over to where a large, three tiered, lavender frosted cake was standing in its place of honor, atop a crystal platter. As I blew out the candles, I made one wish. Please, let Draco at least be my best friend, if not more, for the rest of my life.