You've Got the Future of a Ticking Time Bomb, Baby
Authors Note: I'm starting this story as a continuation from another story that ended abruptly as the beginning of what I thought would be a glorious storyline was flashed and hidden. So, (the place where I get my draco fix), this is a continuation of your tale, "Summer Secrets At The Malfoy Manor".
DISCLAIMER : None of the Harry Potter characters, personalities, spells and/or other magical whatnots are mine, they are the work of the fantasmical J.K. Rowling. Any OC's, strange twists in the continuing plot and other realistic occurrences between characters are my doing, however.
3. 2. 1. GO!
Your thoughts had all but completely removed Draco from their midst, all habits to avoid him blending into your regular routine. You would've considered it strange had to you not created the idea yourself; now a habit to take the long hallway haunted by the Bloody Baron instead of the straight shot to your Transfiguration classroom. Harry might like to complain how he couldn't stop and chat things up with his more distant friends, but you would walk this way whether he liked it or not. And like a powerless puppy, he would follow your hastened pace with his own silent one as you jogged to beat the clock for your next class. It was all a safety precaution, you knew what would happen if the boy dared to show his face. The sleek blonde hair was too much for you see nowadays, even if he rarely crossed your mind anymore, you had a feeling the fury and broken heart still lurked inside you somewhere. Besides, he didn't seem to interested in finding you either, probably another slimy girl in his grasp.
And despite the fact that you had done all you could to try and live normally again, there was always that nagging thought that didn't hesitate to remind you that you weren't truly happy these days as you lived from day to day with the Golden Trio watching with worried eyes. Maybe the glances and looks had subsided a little now, but people still watched you with wide eyes as you stormed past, boy's instantly glazed over but a girl's memory was forever. Especially Pansy's, who didn't hesitate to loudly remind everyone in her presence how you had nearly killed someone in your first weeks here, a Slytherin boy no less. You could do nothing but grind your teeth and turn to those that still followed you, the three Gryffindors who smiled honestly and didn't hesitate to comfort you even if you weren't visibly upset. Somehow they knew about the nagging thought in your mind as well, even though you told nobody about the lonely horrorshow that was nighttime. How empty your bed felt without him holding you tight in his broad arms, no you told nobody about the pain. You wanted to pretend it was a clean break even though every part of your body yearned for his touch, his gaze. Yet you found yourself taking the Bloody Baron's hall every time. Somehow, you had started to wonder if things would ever truly returned to the way they had been before, when you could fall into his arms under a plethora of kisses gracing your lips.
"MIA!" a loud voice jerked you out of your daze, your eyes snapped up to a worried Harry's. Immediately your mind filled in the blanks: Quidditch field, Gryffindor practice, Thursday. Grip tightening on your broom, you realized you had been blindly hovering above the left goalpost and the Snitch had been flitting about for the past half hour. Sinking into your thoughts was something you did often lately, not thinking about anything but becoming a hollow shell with, according to Ron, "a bloody horrid expression" on your face, which you could only assume was some of the nagging sadness leaking through. Still, words came slowly as you tried to dismiss your dazed mood.
"I'm fine," you mutter, eyes sinking to your broom. Harry sighed, knowing you were lying but also realizing that nothing he did could fix the matter. Lifting his arm, he glanced at his watch and then at you. "We're late anyway, the others have started packing up already," he said slowly, reaching over with his foot to tip your broom towards the ground in a slow descent. The wind graced your face as you struggled to gain your alertness once more, and as the ground came closer you heard Harry speak up once more. "They're here," he hissed, landing softly next to you and dismounting his broom in one swift movement. From the tone in his voice, it didn't surprise you to see a group of silver and green robes strolling down the grounds to the field. Somehow they had claimed practicing hours just after that of the Gryffindor's, as if practicing in the darkness made them more difficult to destroy in the light. You don't understand the logic yourself, but another thing has caught your attention. Or rather, another someone: a platinum blonde boy was leading the pack, broom clutched in his hand and a trunk of Quidditch supplies clutched in the other. Heart sinking, your eyes immediately sink down as you begin to stuff away the Quaffle into it's large center pocket and the wrist guards of all the players in a wide side section on the next layer of the trunk. Harry hasn't moved from his position several meters away, and you could only imagine his expression: eyes narrowed, arms crossing his chest and legs spread as if mocking a Muggle bouncer. Somehow, you assumed, he must've felt more intimidating this way but you could only sigh and look away whenever he assumed the stance. Instead, the wrist guards consumed your attention, counting up the two beaters, three chasers and Harry's gloves before tucking them away into the compartment. Then, as you're strapping off your own Seeker gloves, you feel the pressure of eyes upon your small frame and can't resist looking up. Though, as soon as you do, you wish you hadn't.
Silver and deep green robes have formed a weak circle around you and Harry, who has, undetected, moved to your side as you pulled at the straps of your gloves. A pained expression crossed your face, but not because of the crowd of boys, rather one of the clips had just caught the thin layer of skin on your wrist and a thick bauble of blood was already starting to form. Licking your finger, you placed slight pressure where the clip had bit you and let your eyes travel up to Harry. Someone else was speaking, but you didn't want to look at the icy blue eyes you had fallen for so long ago, and still sent shivers down your spine.
"Potty, I do believe it's our turn on the field," a voice sneered. So, he didn't acknowledge you anymore? Was that how this was going to end? Heart sinking further into your depths, you bite back words and slip off one of your gloves, starting the other one. "Get your trunk and leave," seemed to be the general consensus of the others as they mumble among themselves. It frustrated you, and you threw off your other wrist guard into the trunk before leaping to your feet and slamming it closed. Harry's eyes shot to you instead of shooting daggers at Draco, and he picked up the trunk at the opposite side you were standing. Carefully, you began making your way out of the circle, unfortunately realizing at the last moment that you had to pass the boy you'd been avoiding to reach the storage rooms. Eyes glued to the trimmed grass below, you made to pass him.
A pale hand stopped you, along with a smooth voice you knew all too well. "Potty, you shouldn't make a sweet girl carry your junk. Be a man and do it yourself," the voice teased, and immediately Harry's hand knocked yours off the handle and grabbed it himself. Your eyes became wounded as you looked up at Harry's retreating back, how could he leave you with this….this traitor? Heated eyes flashed on your face as a jerk pulled you away from the rest of the circle by the very person you had been trying to avoid.
"Mia…" his voiced started, and cold fingers tipped your chin up in the same way it used to make your heart melt. Actually, it still did make your heart melt in a pathetic puddle, but you tried desperately to make it not show on your face. You had to let him apologize first, you weren't the one disappearing when you significant other was in desperate trouble. A soft breath drained from your mouth, green eyes traveling to his face with a blank look. His, on the other hand, seemed to reflect the sadness that had been nagging you all along. "I missed you." Immediately, your hands reach up and shove him away, somehow wiggling out of his grasp.
"That's all you can say?!" you cry, and before he could answer, you find yourself sprinting for the castle. You didn't look back but had a feeling he wasn't following you anymore as you pulled dashed through the entryway and through the cold stone walls. A sickening feeling caught you as a green slip tacked to the wall by magic slipped past. I still have to go to the masquerade ball, you remind yourself, thinking of the promise you had made to Hermione.
FINISH.
Read and review, please?
Another chapter will be up after I get some more of my homework done. xD