"I'm still very sorry for calling you a mud-blood today," Draco whispered into my ear as his hands were tangled throughout my long blonde hair.
"It's okay," I sighed the words. Although I sounded full of contempt, I truly was okay with it. It needed to be said so nobody could know.
"No," he stated, "It's not okay." With a swift motion, he pulled his hands free of my hair and rolled to the other side of the bed. "I don't like keeping up this," he paused, "this image. The image of my father." I couldn't see his face, but I knew the tears were coming. Silently, I just curled up behind him and held him while he sobbed. The Draco Malfoy that I knew was so different, and so compassionate than the one everyone else knew.
"Draco," I said, "you had to do that. If you hadn't Pansy would've gone straight to your father."
"I broke up with Pansy."
"You what?" I was stunned. He couldn't break up with her. She was a conniving girl. When Pansy Parkinson didn't get her way, she would make it her way. She stopped at nothing. She wouldn't hesitate to do anything to me or Draco.
"Iris, I couldn't stand it anymore. I love you." Draco Malfoy. A Pure-Blood Slytherin had broken up with Pansy Parking, also a Pure Blood Slytherin; the ideal girl for him, someone his father would approve of, for me. Iris Tissim. A Muggle-Born Ravenclaw.
"Draco," I smiled. Of course I loved him, too. But that he would risk everything for me. I lost it, I shed tear after tear.
"Hey, Iris, why are you doing that? C'mon, please stop..." Draco then hoisted himself up on his elbow and stared his dull silver eyes into my violet hued ones. I did love Draco. I really, and honestly loved him. He couldn't throw everything away for me, though. Family is important. If Lucius were to ever find out about his son shagging a muggle-born, things would not end well for anybody.
"Draco," I don't know if the words could escape, "Draco," I just continued to sob.
"Iris, hey," he looked into my eyes and said soothing words attempting to shake me of my hysterics.
"Draco, if your father knew. If the Death Eaters knew," I tore my gaze away from his face and toward the black velvet of the sheets. I couldn't look at his face when I did this.
"Iris," I heard, "no, stop. I don't want you to continue," I felt every part of me shatter as I heard the man I love sob. Because of me. I was hurting the man I love. But it needed to be done. He needed to be safe. I wouldn't let his father kill him, not the Death Eaters, not even Lord Voldemort himself.
"Draco I love you and I don't want anything to happen to you. If you're with me, you won't be happy." I felt the arms around me go limp.
All I heard next was a silent, "no..." Escape from his lips.
When Draco had finally finished with his hysterics and screaming that he would kill anyone that got in our way, he had collapsed from exhaustion onto the bed we had used in the Room of Requirement. As silently as I could, I got out of the bed and dressed myself in my uniform and robes. I didn't bother tying my tie. It was nearly 1 o'clock. The entire school would be asleep, save for a few ghosts.
Just as I finished pulling my robes on, a hand grabbed my wrist and forced me back down on the bed.
"Draco." I said firmly, "it's late. If we don't get back to our common rooms-" I was cut off by a pair of pale lips crashing down onto mine. Draco then kissed me with such passion that I went completely limp knowing this would just lead to trouble. As much was I wanted to just kiss him back and tell him I love him, I willed myself out from beneath his chiseled chest and arms and stood my ground next to the bed. A few moments of pain passed as we stared at each other. His eyes spoke to me saying, "don't go," mine just said, "goodbye."
"But," he said, "I love you! How many times do I have to say I don't care about Pansy or the Death Eaters, or even my father!" I turned back to him.
"You don't, Draco, but I do! If any of those people found out about you and I, they wouldn't only go after me, but you! I couldn't mentally handle anyone hurting, or even killing you because of me!" I was yelling now. I didn't want to. My point needed to be made.
"Iris. I gave myself to you. Everything. You mean absolutely everything to me, I've cried in front of you. I've never even cried in front of my own gods damned mother in known memory!" He wasn't sad. No, his eyes were still leaking salty liquid, but he wasn't sad. He was angry. He had a violent look in his eyes I only saw one other time. It was during a quidditch match. Ravenclaw vs. Gryffindor. I, as the seeker was battling Gryffindors seeker, Harry Potter. The two of us were flying savagely after the peculiar golden ball. While my hand was reached out, Harry's broom knocked into mine and I fell down to the earth at an alarming speed, unable to regain control of my broom and woke up in the hospital wing a few days later. Draco enraged with Potter, but when confronted Harry just said,
"When do you get defensive over anyone that isn't a Pure-Blood, Malfoy?" Draco was so scared news would travel that he ran away. Something that he would normally never do.
Now here we were. He had the same look as when Harry Potter knocked me into a small coma. But his anger wasn't toward Harry. It was toward me.
"You can't just leave because some people won't approve!"
"I have to," with those last words, Draco's face changed entirely. He didn't look angry, just blank. Empty.
"There's a war coming, Draco. A war on mudbloods an-" I was cut short.
"DON'T call yourself that!" his normally silky voice boomed and cracked throughout the room, causing a chill to creep its way down my spine.
"I can call myself what ever I want!"
"No, it's hurtful and wrong! I won't let you hurt yourself like that!"
"And I won't let you hurt yourself by being with me!" Draco sat down on the bed. With no other words, I turned to leave the Room of Requirement where all that would remain were memories of days Draco and I spent doing nothing but talking, snogging, and making love. I was turning the handle to the door when Draco spoke up.
"Why don't we just not tell? It's simple. Please. We will just keep it a secret. Out secret."
"Draco, do you know what they do to people who are lying?"
"They won't know!"
"Yes," I boomed, "they will. The Death Eaters always know! And you're one of them, you'll be around them all the time." I emphasized the last three words as I stared into his eyes. "They will find out, and they'll kill both of us for being blood traitors. I don't want it to, I really don't, but it needs to end." I was in tears again for the countless time that night. I was crying and crying when it hit me. Draco won't be able to successfully lie to the Death Eaters after what we've done. I could run and hide, join D.A. Draco wouldn't be able to escape without being found because of his Dark Mark. I couldn't do anything to fully protect him. Fearing that the worst would happen, I lay down on the bed opposite to Draco. Not looking at him, just listening to him breath as he stroked my hair.
"I will always love you, Iris." With those words, it hit me. I could protect Draco. As silently as I could, I pulled my wand out of my robes drew up the courage to through with it. After twenty minutes of hesitation and weeping I leaped out of bed and pointed my wand directly at Draco.
"Iris, what are you doing?!" He had a look of panic.
"Draco, I love you so much. I want you to know that I love you," the words sounded like a foreign language as they escaped their way through my sobs. Draco had a sudden look of realization on his face and tried to lunge. But I was too quick.
"Obliviate!"