In Between The Relationship
A Draco/Gwen Story
The Relationship was over. She was done with him. Over. Done. She had had enough, but deep in her heart she still felt something. Gwen knew that Harry was an ass for kissing Cho. He should have never done what he did. Harry had more class then that, or so Gwen thought.
Gwen spent most of her days, since the kiss, feeling confused. She didn't know what to think any more. She had had to face so many horrible things in her life, but this one hurt the most. She trusted Harry. She let him into her secret world and how does he repay her? By kissing another girl. Harry had been coming up to Gwen everyday now, apologizing to her. Trying to get her forgiveness, but no matter what he said, she still felt the pain of having her heart broken.
Malfoy on the other hand, seemed to be very interested in Gwen. After they're little run in a couple weeks ago, he was convinced that Gwen was into him.
'Everything was wet and gloomy. Gwen was feeling miserable. To help clear her mind, she decided to go for a walk. Because it had rained, no one was outside. Gwen walked through the courtyard alone. She was thinking about Harry. He had been trying so hard to make things better. Gwen knew that Harry didn't mean what he did, but when she remembered them kissing, she became mad. She knew Harry didn't mean it, but from what she saw, she might have been wrong. As Gwen was walking, she stopped paying attention to where she was going. She then bumped into Malfoy.
"Move Malfoy." said Gwen.
"Why?" said Malfoy, very slyly.
"Because you're in my way. Move." and Gwen walked past him.
"So, I hear you and Potter are officially over."
"So?"
"That means your available, right?"
"Why?" asked Gwen.
"Think about it," said Malfoy as he walked behind her. "Potter's the up tight, do-gooder. He follows the rules and is everyone's favourite person. You on the other hand, are more of the outgoing type."
"So?"
"Well, wouldn't it make sense to be with someone more like you? Someone like... me."
Gwen stopped in her tracks.
"What did you say?" asked Gwen, turning around.
"I said, you should be dating someone more your type."
"And that would be you?"
"Exactly."
"Your kidding right?" said Gwen with a small laugh. "I wouldn't date you if you were the last boy on Earth. You make me sick. Just hearing your name makes me want to vomit."
"Gwen, I know you like me." said Malfoy. "You've always liked me. Ever since you first met me. Face it, you only went out with Potter because you're both famous."
"You're so full of yourself." said Gwen walking away.
"Yeah, well so are you." and Malfoy grabbed Gwen, turned her around, and kissed her.
Gwen was in shock, but did nothing to stop him. The kiss lasted 10 seconds. Malfoy then slowly let go of Gwen. Gwen had a calm look on her face. Malfoy grinned. Gwen looked so happy, when suddenly, she punched him in the face. Malfoy fell right to the floor. His nose was bleeding. Gwen leaned down and whispered into his ear 'If you ever do that again, I'll give you more then a broken nose.' and she walked away. Malfoy watched her walk way with a somewhat happy look on his face.'
Malfoy knew that Gwen wasn't just going to come up to him and say 'I like you.' She needed to be persuaded and that's just what he did. For days Malfoy dropped hints to Gwen. Giving her looks. Gwen knew what Malfoy was doing and for some reason, she seemed interested. Malfoy wasn't the most kind, respectable boy at Hogwarts, but he did have an air of mystery. Gwen was definitely attracted.
One day during study hall, Malfoy found Gwen sitting out side in the courtyard reading a book. Malfoy was quite taken buy Gwen. She was not only beautiful; she also knew how to take care of herself and new how to defend herself. Malfoy was more into girls that were the damsel in distress, but something about Gwen interested him more then any of the other girls he'd liked. He decided to go up to Gwen and ask her out. As he walked up to her, he was a little nervous, but kept it sundial.
"Hello Gwen." Said Malfoy from behind her.
Gwen turned around in shock. She wasn't paying attention to what was around her.
"Oh, what do you want Malfoy?" asked Gwen.
"I noticed you were by yourself, so thought you might want some company." Said Malfoy sitting next to her.
"Really, and what made you think I want you as my company?"
"A hunch."
Gwen was a little taken back at how Malfoy was acting. He seemed so genuine, but in his Malfoy way. It was oddly cute, but weird.
"Well, that was very thoughtful of you," said Gwen still a little shocked
"Gwen."
"What?"
"Seeing that you're over Potter, how would you like to go to Hogsmead with me and get a drink, tonight."
"Are you asking me out?" asked Gwen very taken back.
"Yes." Said Malfoy proudly.
Gwen had to think for a second. She wasn't over Harry, but she was interested in Malfoy.
"Sure. I think that would be nice." And Gwen left.
As Gwen was leaving, Malfoy felt a sense of joy.
"Oh, but Malfoy," came Gwen "If your doing this because of some kind of joke, you will regret it." And she left.
Late that night, Gwen snuck out of the girl's dorm and crepped her way to the courtyard, where she would meet Malfoy. They were going to fly over to Hogsmead and get a drink at one of the pubs. A few were always open late. As she arrived into the courtyard, Malfoy was standing there with his broom. Gwen was a little nervous. She didn't know what was going to happen that night.
"Hi." Said Gwen, walking up to Malfoy.
"I thought it would be easier if we fly." Said Malfoy.
"Ok."
They hopped onto his broom and flew off into the night sky. While they were flying, Gwen couldn't help but think.
'What if we don't have anything to talk about? What if he only talks about himself?"
Gwen hadn't felt this nervous in a long time. Malfoy was also feeling a bit scared. He too didn't know what was going to happen. When they arrived at the pub, there weren't to many people there. A couple of old wizards talking about the good old days, a man with a dark coat, and large black hat covering his face, drinking something, and a strange lady, who looked oddly familiar to Gwen and the bar tender. Gwen and Malfoy decided to just order a couple ButterBeers. When their drinks arrived they both decided that they were going to have to talk eventually. Gwen noticed that Malfoy was a little jumpy.
"This wouldn't be your first date would it?" asked Gwen taking a sip of her drink.
"No, why do you ask?"
"You seem tense."
"Oh."
A moment of silence went by.
"So you enjoying being on a date with me?" asked Malfoy with a lift in his voice.
"What?" asked Gwen. "You're so full of yourself."
"Then if I'm so full of myself, why are you out with me?" asked Malfoy
"I don't know."
"Well, I think that you have finally came to your senses."
"What?! So going out with you means I've come to my senses. From what?" said Gwen, angrily.
"From being with Potter." Said Malfoy. "He must have been a real load."
"HARRY was not and how dare you say that. You know, I don't even know what I saw in you." And Gwen got up to leave.
As she headed out the door, Malfoy followed. He finally caught up to her, as they reached the Shrieking Shack.
"Gwen," said Malfoy grabbing Gwen's arm.
Gwen just looked at him.
"Why are we here?"
"I don't know you followed me." Said Gwen turning around.
"No, why did you come here?"
"I don't know I always found the Shrieking Shack to be interesting." Said Gwen looking at the shack. "Why'd you follow me?"
"I didn't want you to go." Said Malfoy.
"You didn't?"
"You sound shocked."
"I am." Said Gwen throwing her head back. "You don't strike me as the type of person who would chase after a girl."
"Well I would if I liked them."
"So every other girl you've 'liked'" making quote fingers "wasn't real. You only pretended to like them?"
"No. I've just never found anyone worth running after." Said Malfoy.
"What makes me different?"
Malfoy just looked at her.
"I don't know. I guess because you're different."
They both stared into each other's eyes. Everything began to go quiet. They moved closer and closer until their lips touched. Gwen's heart lifted, as did Malfoy's. They both felt taken. Malfoy's lips were smooth, but rough. Her lips moved with his. Gwen's lips were strong, but soft. Malfoy slowly put his hands on her hips and she put her arms around his neck. They could hear nothing around them. It was as if they were the only to people left in the world. It was magical.
Very late that night, Gwen arrived in the Gryffindor common room feeling light headed and happy. She hadn't felt this way in a very long time. As she walked further into the common room, she was awakened from her trance, by the sound of a cough. She jumped around only to see Hermione sitting on the couch with a book. Gwen thought, for a second, that it was Harry. She wouldn't have known what to say to him if he caught her sneaking in from a date with Malfoy.
"And were have you been?" asked Hermione putting her book down.
"Out."
"With who?"
"Now how do you know I was with someone?" asked Gwen putting her hands on her hips.
"Because you have a strange look on your face."
There was a moment of silence.
"You weren't with Harry were you?" asked Hermione.
"No!"
"Then who?"
"Ok," said Gwen sitting next to Hermione. "I was with someone. Actually it was a date and a rather surprising date."
Hermione just looked puzzled
"I was with… Malfoy."
Hermione jumped back. She had her hands over her mouth and her face was all wrinkled up.
"Malfoy?" said whispered. "Why… how… uhh… eww… Malfoy?"
Gwen rolled her eyes. "Yes Malfoy."
"Ok, let's start from the beginning. When did you start to like him?"
"Well, we did kiss a couple weeks ago. He kissed me…"
"Gwen. This doesn't seem like you."
"But then I punched him for kissing me."
"Ok that seems more like you." Said Hermione in relief.
"But then I started to fall for him. He's different then Harry. He talks about himself a lot, but tonight he was so… not Malfoy. He was sweet and somewhat kind."
"Did you… kiss him."
"Yes. It was very nice. It was not intense." Said Gwen with a smile.
"Ok eww." Said Hermione. "Gwen, what about Harry?"
"I don't want to deal with Harry and you will not tell him OR Ron about this. Ron would make to big of a deal about the whole thing and Harry would be even more hurt."
"So are you going to go out with Malfoy again?" asked Hermione.
"I don't know." Said Gwen, getting up. "But I would like too."
Hermione sat in the common room alone.
"Malfoy… ewww." Said Hermione quivering.
For the next week, Gwen and Malfoy kept to their normal routines. Gwen avoided Harry, and Malfoy spent his time with Crabbe and Goyle, in the Slytherin common room. But at night they would sneak away and go to the Shrieking Shack. It's was the only place no one would find them. They didn't want people knowing that they were dating. It would cause too much commotion. As they snuck behind everyone's backs, Hermione had to keep all that was going on from everyone. She hated seeing Gwen with Malfoy together. She knew Gwen didn't love him, and it broke her heart knowing she wasn't with Harry. Hermione was so happy every time Harry used to talk about Gwen. When he was with her, he felt at home and Hermione knew it. Gwen didn't want to be with Harry at the moment, but she didn't want to hurt him by telling him about her and Malfoy and Hermione sure didn't want to be the one to tell him. But they both knew that he wasn't going to be happy when he found out.
One day, out in the courtyard, Ron and Hermione were walking together. Hermione was trying to explain the Transfigurations lesson to him, when Ron spotted Gwen, running off the school grounds.
"And that's how the… Ron are you even listening to me?" asked Hermione.
"Um No."
Hermione made a face. "Ronald, what are you looking at?"
"I saw Gwen run by." Walking further away from her.
Hermione remembered that Gwen had mentioned she was going to cut study hall and meet Malfoy at the Shrieking Shack. Hermione had to stop Ron from following her. If he found out where Gwen was going, he would definitely tell Harry.
"Ron, um…" said Hermione, catching up to him. "Ron, shouldn't we be heading back to the common room. I promised Harry I would help him with some homework."
"Then go. I want to see where Gwen's off to."
"But why?"
"Because it's more interesting then studying." Said Ron.
As they followed Gwen some more, they ended up at the Shrieking shack.
"Why's Gwen here?"
"I don't know. Let's go." Said Hermione, but before she could move a boy appeared in front of Gwen. He was hidden in the shadows.
"Who's that?" asked Ron.
"Ron, I really think we should leave."
The boy moved out of the shadows and it was Malfoy. Gwen and him were kissing under a tree.
"… Malfoy?" yelled Ron, but Hermione covered his moth before Gwen or Malfoy could hear.
As they ran back to the school, Hermione noticed Ron looking puzzled. He looked disgusted and confused at the same time. It wasn't the fact that he found out that scared her, it was what Gwen was going to do when she finds out he knew. Hermione had to convince Ron that what he saw was nothing. And if that didn't work, then she would have to persuade him not to tell anyone.
When they arrived at the school, Ron still looked odd, but know he was looking at Hermione weird. Like she knew something he wasn't telling her.
"Ron, um… what you saw… um…"
"Did you know?" asked Ron.
"What?"
"Did you know that Gwen and Malfoy were seeing each other?"
"Um well…"
"You did."
"So… so what if I did. Like it matters to you and it's not like I could tell you anyway. I promised Gwen I wouldn't tell anyone."
Ron had a look in his eyes.
"You wont tell anyone, will you?" asked Hermione, hesitantly.
Ron didn't answer.
"Ron."
"What if I did?"
"RON." Yelled Hermione. "You can't. Do you know what will happen if people found out? You can't tell a soul and that goes triple for Harry. If he ever knew…"
"Well he's going to know."
"WHAT?" yelled Hermione, louder.
"He's my best mate and he'd want to know. He'll finally get over her and realize she's moved on to… Malfoy." Said Ron making a face.
"Ron, Harry would be devastated if he knew. He would be even more heart broken and I don't even think that Gwen's really over Harry. I think this thing with Malfoy will end fast, but I think it would be better if it ended with out anyone knowing. Got it?"
"Yes."
That night, Gwen arrived in the common room feeling very happy. She had just spent the whole afternoon with Malfoy. They cut all their classes to just be together. When she walked into the girl's dorm, Hermione was the only one there. Gwen just threw herself onto her bed and gave a big sigh. Hermione looked at her and felt her stomach turn. She knew she had to tell Gwen what happened, but she looked so happy and peaceful.
"I had the most wonderful time with Draco." Said Gwen, still lying on her bed. "It was so nice. Nothing could bring me down."
"Nothing?" asked Hermione, reading her charms book.
"What did you mean by that?" asked Gwen sitting up.
"Well."
"Hermione."
Hermione said nothing.
"What?"
"Today me and Ron were walking in the courtyard when he saw you running off school grounds. He got curious and decided to follow. I tried to stop him, but he still went. We followed you right to the Shrieking Shack and…"
"AND."
"And he saw you with Malfoy. You kissing."
Gwen couldn't breathe. She nearly fell over from what she just heard.
"Wh… wha… what?" finally getting the word out.
"I tried…"
"He… saw us."
"Yeah."
Gwen said nothing.
"Gwen?" asked Hermione, nervously.
"I'm going to kill him." Said Gwen walking to the door.
"Gwen no, you can't."
"Why? You know he's going to tell Harry and then that will make things even worse. If I kill him now then there's no problem."
"Gwen, if you kill him then you'll be doing all that you tried not to do last year."
Gwen stopped.
"He promised not to say anything. I made sure of that."
There was a moment of silence.
"If he spills, YOU'LL have hell to pay." And Gwen threw herself into her bed. Hermione just stood there in fear.
The next couple of days were very calm. No one seem to be in some sort of up roar, so Ron was keeping his word of not telling. Hermione was a little shocked, thinking that Ron would say something and then she would be in shit. Harry still had no clue as to what has been gong on with Gwen and Draco. Draco also didn't know Ron knew. Gwen didn't think it would have mattered whether or not he knew. Malfoy has never cared what other people think of him and he surely wouldn't care if people knew about them.
Lately Malfoy'd been pestering Gwen to let people know about them. He wanted to stop sneaking around, even though it was very fun. It would be easier for them to see each other that way, but Gwen kept saying no. It was easier for her if people don't know.
"Gwen, why?" asked Malfoy.
The two of them were sitting by a tree, having the same conversation they have been having for a week now.
"I just don't think it's a good idea. I've spent my life in the shadows. I think it would be too much if people knew. Everyone would make a big deal about it and then things would be awkward."
"How would things be awkward?" asked Malfoy.
Gwen just looked away.
"Oh I get it. You don't want anyone to know about us, because Potter would find out. I thought you didn't like him?" asked Malfoy.
"I don't." said Gwen, in a soft shaky voice. "I just don't want to hurt him even more then he already has been."
Gwen was starting to get confused. She was having feelings for Harry again, but when she looked into Malfoy's soulful, gray eyes, the feeling just went away. Gwen knew she didn't love Malfoy, but she couldn't help fall for his charm. Yes, Malfoy is arrogant and self sentered, but he just looked so good under the moonlight, Gwen felt drawn to him. As they kissed under the moonlight, Gwen could feel a passion she hadn't felt in a long time. It was as if Malfoy brought back some of her emotions she had lost in her life.
The next day, Gwen was feeling happy. She felt light hearted all day. Nothing seemed to bring her down. Her and Hermione spent most of the day together gossiping and talking. Ron and Harry would casually pop into their conversations. Gwen still felt awkward around Harry. It was hard keeping a secret away from him. Gwen always felt a close connection to him and was never afraid to tell him something, but things didn't seem to feel the same. As the day went on, Gwen still had that light-hearted feeling inside of her. Nothing was going to ruin her day.
That afternoon, Ron was acting stranger then usually. Everyone seemed to notice it.
"Ron,"
"What?" said Ron with a jump in his voice
"You all right?" asked Hermione.
"Yeah. What makes you think I'm not?"
"Um you're all jumpy and twitchy." Said Gwen.
"Has something… happened? Something you're not telling us?"
"No! Not at all. Nothing at all!" said Ron looking around again.
There was a moment of silence.
"You know, I'm not feeling so well… so I'm just going to go off to bed… bye" and he left.
Gwen, Hermione and Harry all just looked him, with funny looks, as he left the Great Hall. That night, Gwen came up to the common room early. Her and Malfoy weren't going to sneak out to night. Gwen was too tired anyway. She had had a big potions test that day, a DADA project and a Divination assignment. And with Ron acting all weird, she didn't want to chance him seeing her and Malfoy together again. As she lay in her bed, Gwen couldn't help but think. She wondered if Malfoy was right. Maybe it would be fine to go public with their relationship. He was so eager to do so, and as she thought about it even more, it didn't seem so bad.
While Gwen was sleeping, she slowly drifted off to sleep. Her eyes closed and she fell fast into a dream. Gwen was walking along the corridor, when Hermione comes up to her. She's all frantic and excited. As Hermione grabs Gwen's arm, she pulls her down to the courtyard.
"It's a surprise," said Hermione.
As Hermione continued to pull on Gwen's arm, Gwen couldn't help but feel excited. She didn't know what was going on, but the fact that Hermione was so excited, made Gwen excited too. They reach the courtyard; Gwen had a huge smile on her face. Her heart was racing with excitement. She couldn't wait to receive her surprise. But suddenly her excitement had disappeared. As Gwen stood at the courtyard entrance, she could see Harry, her boyfriend and the one she cared so dearly for, kissing Cho Chang. Gwen was shocked, but in that same second, her shock turned into rage. Hermione was standing right next to Gwen and couldn't believe what was going on. She looked over at Gwen and before she could do anything, Gwen had gotten her wand out and shot a hex at both Harry and Cho. They went flying across the courtyard. Harry laded on the ground and Cho landed in a bush.
As soon as Gwen shot her spell, she was already on her way to the Gryffindor common room. Gwen couldn't believe what she had just seen. Her heart was racing with anger. She could hear her pulse beating in her ears. Her hands were numb, her face was hot and her eyes were starting to tear up. She wasn't paying any attention to what was around her. She could hear nothing and only see what was ahead of her. Gwen could feel tears sliding down her face as she reached the common room. Each tear stung her cheeks as they slid down. Ron was in the common room, but Gwen paid no attention to him. She ran even faster up the stars to the girl's dorm. When she reached her bed and threw herself onto it. There was no one else in the room and as she lay on her bed, she burst into tears. Gwen had never felt this hurt. Her heart was broken.
Suddenly Gwen woke up. She was breathing heavily. Her heart was racing and she was sweating. Her body felt all tingly and she couldn't move for a moment. This was the 5th time she had had that dream that month and every time she woke up feeling the same way she did now. She hated it. Gwen lay a little bit longer on her bed, wanting to catch her breath, when she heard a noise coming from the common room. As she got up, she saw that she had missed her morning classes and it was lunch. So Gwen got dressed and headed down stars. There were a few girls in the room reading the daily profit. They were giggling and whispering as Gwen passed by. They didn't seem to notice her. As she made her way to the great hall for some lunch, Hermione was at the end of the staircase waiting for her.
"Hi Hermione." said Gwen.
"Gwen," shouted Hermione, "Have you read the Daily Profit yet?"
"No, why?"
"Um well."
"Hey Gwen." Came a voice from behind them.
Gwen turned around and saw Parvati walking down the stars.
"Hi."
"So you moved on pretty quick."
"What?" asked Gwen
"From Harry. I didn't think the relationship would last, but you sure found someone else people quick."
"What… are you talking about?" asked Gwen in confusion.
"Oh really Gwen. Like you don't know. Here it's all over the Daily Profit." And she left.
Gwen grabbed the newspaper from her and glared at the front page in horror. It read:
'A Secret Side to Gwen BY: Rita Skeeter: Gwen Gryffindor, a young Hogwarts girl, had been in a relationship with the famous Harry Potter for some time. They both shared common interests and are both great enemies of You Know Who. The 2 were inseparable, but just 2 months ago, Gwen was heart broken when she found Harry Potter kissing another girl. She was so heart broken that she chucked Harry out of her life. Now a new women, she has found new love. Draco Malfoy, who has had his eye on Gwen for some time, have been sneaking around the school grounds for one month and having a secret relationship behind everyone's backs. Finally, a reliable source decided to come clean and tell the story of Gwen and Draco Malfoy's secret love. Will the relationship last or will she chuck him like she's done another? But more importantly, how will Harry feel about all of this?'
There was much more to the article, but Gwen couldn't read anymore of it. She knew who the reliable source was and she needed to find him.
"Gwen, I tried to…"
"Where's Ron?" cut off Gwen.
"I don't know. I haven't seen him."
Gwen then ran off to find Ron. Hermione followed. Minutes later, Gwen found Ron in the boys dorm. He was sitting on his bed reading the article Rita Skeeter had written.
"You told!" yelled Gwen, shooting a spell at Ron.
Ron went flying across the room. Hermione ran over to him.
"Bloody hell." Said Ron.
"You told Rita Skeeter about me and Malfoy." She shot another spell.
"Gwen stop!" shouted Hermione grabbing her arm.
"How did you know it was me? They never said."
Gwen looked at Hermione and then back to Ron.
"Hermione?"
"I had to tell her."
"But why isn't she mad at you?" asked Ron.
"Because I've known all along."
"What?" yelled Ron, walking over to her
He stopped as soon as Gwen aimed her wand at him.
"I caught her sneaking in one night and she told me."
"Plus I knew Hermione wouldn't go and tell RITA SKEETER about us."
"Ron why did you tell her?" asked Hermione.
"I didn't… I was actually talking to Fred and George about it and she happened to be listening behind a pillar."
"WHAT? Why were you talking to Fred and George?"
"They have ways of making people talk." Said Ron. "So then Rita came over and started asking me more questions, and it all just spilled out. I was in shock. It happened so suddenly."
"You found out a week ago." Yelled Hermione.
"Yeah well… I don't know."
There was a moment of silence.
"Gwen?" asked Ron slowly.
"You impudent little SLUG. I'm going to kill YOU!" and she got our her wand.
She shot a spell but Ron moved before it could hit him.
"Gwen."
"You're a dead man."
"Gwen STOP!" Yelled Hermione, moving in front of Ron
Gwen stood still, catching her breath. She was furious with Ron. Now everyone knew about her and Malfoy, but she suddenly felt somewhat relieved. Maybe this was a good thing. No more sneaking and hoping not to get caught. Then Ron mentioned something that made Gwen's heart stop.
"I wonder how Harry's taking the news."
Hermione and Ron froze at the sight of Gwen's face. Her skin was pail and clammy. Her eyes were opened very wide and her body was trembling. She then turned on her heal and headed out the door to the great hall.
"Nice Ron." And she ran after Gwen.
Gwen raced down the to the Great Hall and found Malfoy sitting with his friends, Crabbe and Goyle. She ran over, grabbed Malfoy and pulled him off to the side. She was trembling, but Malfoy seemed to be quite happy.
"Did you read the Daily Profit?" asked Gwen.
"Yeah. I don't know who the reliable source is, but I'm glad. Now we don't need to sneak around." And he gave Gwen a big kiss.
As Malfoy kissed Gwen, she seemed to calm down. Her trembling had stopped and her heart was beating properly. When Malfoy let go of her, she felt calm. Like everything that has happened was meant too. She looked into Malfoy's big gray eyes and just melted.
"Ummm." was all that Gwen could say. She was speechless.
Malfoy just giggled. Gwen had never heard him giggle before. It was kind of sweet. It reminded her of… Harry.
"Well, look who's come around." Said Malfoy
Gwen turned around and found Harry standing in front of her. They stared into each other's eyes. Gwen couldn't move. Her whole body was frozen in fear, of what Harry was going to say to her.
"Hello Harry." Said Gwen slowly and nervously
There was a moment of silence.
"So Potter, read the Daily Profit this morning? Interesting stuff." Said Malfoy, holding Gwen's hand.
Harry said nothing. He just stood there, staring at Gwen. She was now even more afraid to say anything. Harry's face was so calm, but still hurt and angry. Gwen knew Harry was going to be angry with all of this when he found out. She didn't know what to do.
"I…"
"And I thought breaking up with me was punishment enough." And he walked away.
"Harry…" said Gwen
Gwen just stood there. Malfoy didn't seem to know what to do. He knew Gwen was hurting, but he had won her. She was his girlfriend now. What was wrong with the situation? One minute everything was fine. Gwen was beginning to like the idea of going public, but then she sees Harry.
Gwen was so confused. She didn't know what to think at the moment. Malfoy wasn't Harry, but he did give her a sense of mystery that Harry didn't show as much. As she stood there, every student in the Great Hall watched her. No one knew what was going on.
A couple weeks went by. Gwen and Malfoy were still together, and things were better. Gwen felt good about being with Malfoy. As he had said many times before, no more sneaking around and having to worry about being caught. No more pretending and hiding. She felt happy with him. Malfoy also felt happy. Gwen brought out a side of him he never knew he had. He was kinder, sweeter, but only to Gwen. Everyone else was also getting used to them. Many felt that since Gwen and Harry had had encounters with the Dark Lord and that they were famous, that they were perfect. But Gwen and Malfoy have lots in common and fit well with each other.
Another reason Gwen's has been feeling at ease is because Harry hasn't been around her much. Harry had stopped eating with her and doidn't study with Ron or Hermione if she is there. Harry couldn't bear be near her. The thought of her being held, kissed or cared for by Malfoy, made his spine tingle. Malfoy was a loathing creature that Harry hated from the start. He knew that the relationship wasn't going to last much longer. Not if he had anything to do with it.
Hermione and Ron were beginning to worry about Harry. All that had been going the past few weeks, had made him very unhappy. Hermione hated seeing him this way. She knew that this was partly her fault. She needed to help him.
Late one night, Hermione and Ron found Harry sitting on the couch in the Gryffindor common room, looking at the fireplace. He seemed lonely. Hermione sat next to him and Ron sat in a chair.
"Harry, how are you?" asked Hermione
"Alone."
"Harry, why haven't you been eating or studying with us any more?"
"I can't be with Gwen. I can't be near her."
"But why?" asked Ron.
"It hurts to much. She shouldn't be with him. He shouldn't be with her."
"Harry…"
"I know what you're going to say Hermione. You think I should get over her. She's gotten over me and I should move on. Our relationship wasn't going to last forever and that we shouldn't dwell on the past. Well I can't, no I don't want to." Said Harry
"That doesn't mean you can't still be around us." Said Hermione.
"Gwen's mostly with Malfoy anyway. It's gross seeing them kissing and holding hands…"
"RON." Yelled Hermione.
"You don't get it." Said Harry "Gwen means more to me then anything. When she wasn't with anyone, I had a better chance of making things right, but now that she has a new… boyfriend, I can't just take her away, but I know she doesn't love him."
"And how do you know she loves you?" asked Hermione.
There was a moment of silence.
"I… don't."
"Harry, you can't live like this. I'm not going to say you should move on, but you need to at least talk to her." Said Hermione
"I don't know."
"Harry, if Gwen means that much, you can at least talk to her. I know for a fact that she tried her hardest to not let you know." Harry just looked at her
"She didn't want you to be in even more pain."
"Then how did everyone find out?"
Harry could see Hermione looking at Ron. Harry turned around and saw Ron's guilty face.
"So that's why you were acting so weird the night before."
"It just slipped out. Ok. I'm sorry." Said Ron.
"Harry, talk to her." Said Hermione.
Harry was unsure of what to do, but he did know he needed to do something. A couple days later, Harry was in the common room doing homework, when Gwen walked in. Gwen didn't notice Harry at first, but when she saw all the other people in the room leave, she noticed him. Harry and Gwen hadn't spoken for weeks. she started to walk away.
"You shouldn't be with him." Said Harry.
"What?"
"You shouldn't be with him."
"And why shouldn't I?"
"Because, you deserve better."
"He's not what you think. Malfoy may be arrogant and self obsessed, but he can be sweet and kind. At least he's that way to me."
"You always said he was a loathing creature that should go back to the worthless home he grew up in. You always hated him."
"Things change. People change." Said Gwen.
"Gwen, I know you." Said Harry standing up
"Not well enough to go and kiss another girl."
There was silence for a moment.
"I know you don't love him."
"What?" asked Gwen "Harry, I've moved on and you should too. Then we can stop all this arguing."
"I don't want to move on. I care about you too much to let you go. I'm sorry for what I did, but you deserve better."
"Harry, get over yourself. You're acting like a child."
"Does he stroke your hair?" asked Harry
"What?"
"Does he stare into your eyes and say how beautiful you look every time he does?"
Gwen said nothing.
"Does he tremble sometimes when he holds your hand?" continued Harry "Does he smile at you? Does he stay up and talk to you at night?"
"Stop." Said Gwen
"Does he know your secrets? Does he make you feel safe…"
"Stop!" said Gwen louder
"Does he stand up for you? Hold you tight? Kiss you on the forehead?"
"STOP IT." Yelled Gwen shooting a spell at Harry
Harry fell onto the floor. Gwen ran over to help him up.
"Malfoy's not the same as you." yelled Gwen
"And you're your not the same as him. You two may be similar on the outside, but you're not on the inside. I know you."
Harry stared into Gwen's eyes. Gwen could see the sparkle in his eyes she always saw. Harry leaned forward and kissed Gwen. Her lips were soft and so were Harry's. Gwen felt weak and taken. His lips slowly moved hers and she slowly moved his. Suddenly Gwen felt sick. She was living the moment Harry and Cho had. She couldn't bare it.
"I can't." said Gwen moving away. "I can't hurt Malfoy the way you hurt me. I'm sorry, I have to go." And Gwen ran to the girl's dorm.
Harry was left standing in the common room alone. He felt bad. The kiss wasn't like it was. It felt cold. He was reliving the moment with Cho. Harry had tried to hard to get Gwen back, but that he had hurt her even more. He realized that while she was with Malfoy, he couldn't try anything. She was Malfoy's girlfriend and he couldn't help that. It hurt him to see them together, but it killed him to have hurt her even more.
When Gwen got to the girls dorm, it was empty. She threw herself onto her bed and cried. She was so confused. After what happened that night every thing she thought to be fine, wasn't. Her feelings for Harry were returning and she didn't know how to react to them. A few hours went by and Gwen was still in the girl's dorm. She had been trying to figure out what to do. All the girls in the dorm returned to drop off their things and get ready for dinner. No one seemed to notice Gwen, except Hermione. Hermione saw that something was wrong. She waited until all the girls had left before asking what was wrong.
"You coming to dinner, Gwen?" asked Hermione
Gwen said nothing.
"Gwen, are you all right?" asked Hermione
There was a moment of silence.
"Well if there's nothing wrong…"
"Harry talked to me." Said Gwen finally
"Really." Said Hermione, happily "How did it go?"
"Horrible." Said Gwen, sitting up
"What? Why? What did he say?"
"He said I shouldn't be with Malfoy. That I deserve better…" Gwen said exactly what was said in the conversation to Hermione. Gwen didn't even look at Hermione, but she new she had a disgusted look on her face.
"… After I threw the spell, I went to go help him up. He said I'm not the same as him and then he…"
Gwen stopped. She blinked hard to stop the tears.
"He kissed me."
Hermione was shocked.
"Oh dear. This is just like what…"
"What he did to me only with Cho." Said Gwen. "I did stop the kiss, but when I was kissing him, I felt just like I always did before. Hurt knowing that I was hurting Malfoy. The kiss was not the same either. It didn't feel right. Like it was forced. "
"You don't have feelings for Harry again, do you?" asked Hermione
"I like Malfoy, but he's not what I want." Said Gwen with a frown "I want someone that excites me all the time. Even though being with Malfoy is fun, I think it was all the sneaking around that made the relationship exciting. Now that I think about it, having everyone know about us isn't so great. Harry always made me feel safe and warm, even though we are both enemies of Voldemort. That's what was so thrilling. Never knowing what was going to happen. It may not have always been happy not knowing, but Harry was never boring. There is something about him that I…"
Gwen stopped. She was getting carried away. Gwen looked at Hermione. She was giving her a looked that looked like she knew what Gwen was going to say.
"Gwen, if you care about Harry so much, why don't you forgive him. He misses you."
"It's not that easy for me. When you've had a life of torture, pain and sorrow, you can't just forgive that easily. Harry was the one to bring happiness back into my life. He had me feeling again and then he took some of that happiness away when he kissed Cho. I care about him, but I don't think I can trust him again."
"Harry cares about you, Gwen, a lot, but if you feel this way about him, then you're making the wrong choice to be with Malfoy."
"I need to sort this out and soon. I can't stand this confusion."
As Gwen sat there, she knew something needed to be done. She had to do something.
The rest of the week, Gwen was on edge. She was stressed about what happened between her and Harry, but she was also confused about her and Malfoy. She knew things weren't the same, but Malfoy was so happy with her. Everywhere they went, he would hold her hand, kiss her, and flaunt her around. He cared so much about her. Finally, one day she made up her mind and was sure of what to do. That day her and Malfoy were walking in the courtyard. It had rained earlier, so everything was wet. No one was outside except them. Gwen wasn't talking much and Malfoy could tell something was wrong. He had noticed it all week. Every time he would kiss her, she wouldn't react. He'd hold her in his arms and she would just stand there. The expression on her face was always vacant and she was quiet most of the time. Malfoy didn't like how she was acting.
"Gwen, you alright? You've been acting strange all week. It's getting annoying."
"Have I?" asked Gwen, not looking at him
There was a moment of silence.
"Yes and I want to know what's been…"
"Draco." Stopped Gwen.
They had stopped walking. Gwen was shaking.
"I can't do this."
"Do what?"
"Be with you. I don't mean to be blunt about it, but I can't be with you." Said Gwen.
There was a moment of silence.
"That's why I've been acting so strange. I've had a million things swirling around in my head the last little bit and I've just needed to…"
"Its Potter, isn't it?" interrupted Malfoy.
"What?"
"You still have feelings for him… I'll kill him."
"You will not!" said Gwen in a harsh tone "You will not touch him. He's not to blame, I am."
"Why are you doing this? Things have been great." Said Malfoy
"Yes they have been, but things have also changed too." Said Gwen
"What's changed, a side from going public…"
"That's just it. It was going public that changed everything. Our relationship was better suited being a secret. That's what made it interesting and fun. When everyone found out, it didn't seem so special. Everyone knowing was fine at first, but then having everyone know about it began to change how I felt."
"Gwen you're special to me. I've never said that to anyone. We're so much alike, almost the same."
"No we're not. We may be on the outside, but inside I'm not the same as you. Draco, try to understand that what we had together, when we snuck around, was something no one else could see and that's what I fell for: the very small, secret side of you no one could see, but when people saw us, things were different. You didn't show that side anymore, even when we did sneak around. I need someone who can be himself all the time. I fell for the secret side of you and that's all. We're not the same, Draco."
Malfoy had the saddest look on his face. Gwen knew she had broken his heart, but she saw nothing left in him for her. She felt so bad, but it had to be done.
"I'm sorry Draco." And Gwen gave Malfoy a kiss.
She felt a tear run down his face. As Gwen walked away, Malfoy just stood in his sorrow. He was heart broken and hurt. Gwen knew that he was and felt bad. While she walked to the Gryffindor tower, she couldn't help think that maybe it was wrong to do this. When she reached to common room, Hermione, Ron and Harry were all sitting by the fireplace working on homework. When she saw Harry she knew she had done the right thing.
"Gwen, there you are." Said Hermione walking up to her "I've been looking for you everywhere."
"I've been with Malfoy." Said Gwen quietly
"Did you?" asked Hermione
Gwen nodded her head.
"Oh, Gwen that great!" yelled Hermione, while giving Gwen a huge hug.
Gwen just made a funny face,
"Well, I'm just going to go off to get cleaned up." And Gwen left.
Hermione was so happy with Gwen, but Ron and Harry were a little confused.
"Hermione, what the bloody hell were you two talking about?" asked Ron.
"Gwen chucked Malfoy." Said Hermione with a grin.
"She broke up with him!" said Ron in astonishment.
"Yeah."
"Wow." said Harry
"I'm actually relieved. I never thought they looked good together." Said Ron
"I think on the outside they did, but on the inside they had nothing in common." Said Hermione looking at Harry. "Well, I better wash up before dinner too."
"Me too. See you later mate." Said Ron following Hermione
"Harry just sat on the sofa, grinning. 'Gwen had broken up with Malfoy' was all that Harry could think of. Even though he never thought it would have happened like this, he was still happy. He now felt he could properly win back Gwen's love for him and not have to worry.
While Gwen was rummaging through her stuff, she also felt happy. She knew that when people found out, Malfoy was going to say it was him that ended it, but Gwen didn't care. She also knew that Harry was soon going to try to get back together with her. Gwen still didn't trust Harry, but she wasn't so down about it. In many ways she was excited to have him try. It was one of the things she liked best about him. Things were going to be all right. Not right at the moment, but soon. It was just going to take some time.
THE END