It was the last lesson of the day, and the Gryffindors had Potions with the Slytherins. As Kristy sat down at her desk, her potions partner sat next to her.
Draco Malfoy.
They never really talked unless it was for class. In fact, Kristy thought he didn't even know her name.
The class was about to end, so everyone hurried to finish their potions.
As she reached out to take some Dragons Blood from Draco's side of the desk, he did the same. What she didn't notice was that her sleeve rolled up, exposing her scars. But Draco noticed, and stared wide-eyed at her wrist.
When she realised what he was staring at, she quickly pulled her sleeve down. Just as he was about to ask about it, the bell rang, and she ran out of the classroom.
Draco didn't know why, but he followed her. He couldn't see her anywhere, but he had seen her many times sitting under a tree near the Black Lake. It was farther away than the Whomping Willow, but he didn't care. He quickly took off towards the exit.
He finally found her, crying, curled up in front of the tree. Her long curly brown hair was now messy, sticking out at odd angles. She looked up, but he was crouched behind another tree. Suddenly, he saw her pull out a small silvery object from her bag, glittering in the sunset's last rays.
He was frozen. He couldn't move as she slashed the small blade over her fragile wrist. His eyes were blurry, and all he could hear were her quiet whimper, followed by light sobbing.
He fell to his knees as she slashed the blade for the fourth time on her left wrist. Suddenly, all his senses came rushing back, as he quickly got up and rushed to her, gripping the hand with the blade just before she made her fifth cut.
She tried struggling out of his grip, but it was no use. She was too limp to put up a fight.
"Look at me." He said, barely a whisper.
She kept her head down, but finally gave in and looked up. He looked at her puffy red eyes, which had once been full of life, but now her bright blue eyes were dull and empty. His heart broke at this sight. He didn't know how, where or when, but he had fallen for her.
He felt his own tears prickling his eyes, but he didn't dare making them fall. It felt like forever before he said something.
"Why?"
It was such a simple word, yet he could see grief spreading through her eyes.
"Because I'm not good enough for anything." She said looking down, her voice quieter than a whisper, but he still heard her.
He felt his heart shatter into pieces. He knew she was broken, but he wanted to fix that.
Suddenly, he pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly. Surprisingly, she hugged back, and started sobbing in his shoulder. He didn't care if he got blood stains on his clothes, he was just happy to hold her.
"Thank you." She murmured in his ear once she stopped crying.
He was shocked to say the least. No one had ever said "Thank You" to him. He looked at the forgotten blade on the ground, and he tightened his grip around her waist.
"How long?"
"Two years."
His eyes were wider than ever, and his grip was tightening by the second. How didn't he see this? When spring came she refused to wear short sleeves, and when summer came she would always put on heaps of layers. No one really noticed, and he knew exactly why.
She was invisible. She hardly spoke to anyone, and he had never seen her with other people. She was always in the library, alone. He felt guilt overwhelming him. He should have noticed something; and now, it's too late.
"I'll protect you."
Those words left his mouth before he could realise what he said. Did he really want to protect her? Was that really what he wanted?
"Theres nothing left to protect. If you haven't noticed, I'm broken."
Those words stung his heart. His throat was dry, and a stray tear fell from his eye.
"I'll fix you."
She was shocked. She had never thought that maybe, just maybe, she could be fixed. That she could be happy. This boy whom she thought didn't know about her existence was hugging her. Helping her. Giving her hope; something she lost long ago.
Suddenly, the unpredictable happened. He kissed her. At first it was a quick peck, but surprisingly, she kissed back. They stayed like that for what seemed like forever. He arms were around his neck now, gently playing with his hair, while his arms were around her waist, holding her to him.
It felt amazing for both. They felt butterflies in their stomachs, and they were lost for words as they parted for air.
He pressed his forehead against hers, looking in those deep blue eyes that slowly filled with emotion again. Their hearts beat faster as they gazed into each others eyes. She examined his face, which was once cold, but now had a hint of emotion. His hair was slightly messy and single tear was slowly falling from his eye.
"Please don't do this to yourself again." He murmured, pressing his lips against hers yet again.
"I-I can't Draco." She said, breaking the kiss. "Theres no use of living if no one cares for you."
"But I care now, and I wont leave you." He said, intertwining their fingers together and planting a gentle kiss on her lips.
They stayed curled up together against the tree for the night, talking about everything. She talked about her worries while Draco comforted her, cuddling her when she needed to cry.
And from that day on, Kristy never cut again. She had someone who cared. She had her Draco, and he had his Kristy.