In a heartbeat, I would do it all again - The Pretty Reckless

Gabrielle had made her way to the Gryffindor Common rooms after seeing Fred in Hogsmeade, everyone looked pretty morose. Ron was sitting on the couch, staring into the fireplace, not saying a word to anyone. Harry and Ginny were busy conversing into the corner on who would be the one to talk to him and Hermione was close by reading a book. "Gabbie" Hermione sighed in relief, it broke the awkward silence that the Gryffindor Common room was submersed in "where did you disappear off to?"

"Oh" she looked at Hermione bemused "I thought I told you I was going to see Fred at Hogsmeade after the match. It must've slipped my mind" she chuckled "he came to see Ron…." she trailed off she realised she shouldn't bring up the match.

"Fair enough" she nodded "oh! Here's something you'll find interesting…"

"Oh?" Gabrielle looked at her.

"Someone found Parkinson in the full body bind under the bleachers after the match"

"Oh wow" Gabrielle faked being shocked "that's a bit…insane" she struggled to find the words to describe it.

"She won't say who did it" Hermione added "usually she would jump at an opportunity to rat someone out, but she won't this time"

"I guess she's scared that they'll do it again, I guess" Gabrielle shrugged.

"Aren't you at least bit curious as to who did it, Gab?"

"Not particularly. If there is a vigilante person out there trying to punish people who have done wrong, then who am I to judge?"

"Gabrielle, this isn't Batman we're talking about"

"Batman?" Gabrielle looked at her friend in confusion

"He's a superhe-, look this doesn't even matter who Batman is"

"I wanna know who Batman is" Neville added

"As do I" Gabrielle agreed.

"ITS NOT IMPORTANT WHO BATMAN IS! The point is Gabbie, someone out there targeted the person who attacked you"

"Well, they have my thanks" Gabrielle nodded "I just don't see the point in finding who this person is. No one went on a search party on Pansy" she answered "I'm sure they know I'm grateful"

"But what if Pansy tries to attack you again"

"It's not going to happen" Gabrielle answered.

"But what-"

"It just won't, Hermione" Gabrielle cut her off "like I said, she would be too scared to try that again if I was the reason she was attacked. She wouldn't risk it. Now I'm just going to take a nap, I feel tired all of a sudden" she said as she walked up the stairs and into the girls dormitories. She felt bad that she had to dismiss Hermione like that, but any more questions Gabrielle may have let slip that it was in fact Draco who was protecting her and that would cause more drama than it was worth. She took out her want "Accio Ceraphine" her beloved owl appeared by the window and she let her into the dorm. She walked over to her desk and started to write a note. "S'il vous plaît livrer ce à Draco" she said as she tied the letter to her pet's leg. Ceraphine looked at her, tilted her head and hooted at her, she knew her pet was confused "Je sais que c'est bizarre. Je ne sais pas ce qui se passe. Mais je devais parler à Draco, correctement. Peut-être que nous pouvons être de nouveau amis" Gabrielle answered as she fed her owl pellets. She then opened the window "Allez, Ceraphine" she nodded. Her owl did as she was told and flew away. She walked over to her bed and sat down, all she could do now was wait.

Draco was in the dorm room, pacing up and down figuring out what had transpired. Had Gabrielle actually meant what she said? That she wanted to talk to him? His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a tapping noise at his window. He looked up and there was Gabrielle's owl, Ceraphine. He opened the window to let her in. She flew in and perched on the night stand. He walked over to her "Ceraphine" he nodded at her in acknowledgement, she hooted at him, he then untied the letter, he nodded but the Owl didn't move. "Ceraphine, go!" he looked at her, she didn't budge "oh right, bloody Char talks to you in french…uh…Allez, Ceraphine" he nodded "merci" he added. Ceraphine hooted in appreciation and flew out of the window. He trembled slightly at the letter that she had written, he opened and read the instructions.

Malfoy,

Room of Requirement in an hour.

Gabrielle.

Even though it was brief, short and straight to the point. He folded up the letter and placed it in his pocket. He suddenly became nervous and excited at the same time. He started to pace back and fourth in his room trying to figure out what he was going to say.

An hour had past and Draco took a deep breath to get his thoughts together and headed out of the Slytherin Common room. "Drakie, where are you going?"

"None of your business, Parkinson" he snared at her as he exited.

"Just going to the library" Gabrielle said as she called out to her friends as she exited the Gryffindor Common room. She took a deep breath, covered herself with her hood and started making her way through the castle. "What if the Room of Requirement doesn't let us?" she whispered to herself as she kept walking. She then started to worry about who would see her and him together, it was going to be interesting.

Draco was in the Room of Requirement. She was five minutes late. He kept looking around impatiently. The room had turned into a place where you could have a comfortable conversation. There was a roaring fire and a couch that was facing it, there was also blankets, mugs and biscuits that magically appeared. Draco was impressed. Whilst he was looking around, he couldn't help but think that Gabrielle wasn't going to show. Maybe she stood him up? Maybe she was only saying that to make himself feel worse about how he treated her. He was about to take a step forward to leave but the doors had opened. Gabrielle walked in, she had her hood covering her, so she was unrecognisable. She pulled the hood back. Draco still couldn't prepare himself for seeing her blue eyes, he was always taken aback by how different she looked and how beautiful she had become. "Char"

"Malfoy" she nodded.

"I didn't think you'd come"

"I'm a person of my word" she nodded "one of the very little things that you know about me" she said as she sat down on the opposite end of the couch, he did the same. They both stared at the fire awkwardly for a few minutes before Gabrielle decided to speak "Everyone is talking about Pansy being in the full body bind" she glanced at him.

"She won't tell anyone" Draco answered her.

"But, you know its known within the students that Pansy was the one that attacked me. Hell, I didn't find out until someone from Ravenclaw house let slip" she sighed "and now that she was attacked, everyone will be asking me if I knew who did it" she answered.

"No one will ever find out, Char" he reassured her "things aren't going to get worse for you, I promise"

"You can't promise that" she chuckled as she looked down at her hands clasped together "you can't. No one can. If I go through a day without being tormented by a Slytherin in some shape or form, that's a good day for me."

"I didn't realise we put you through so much." Draco sighed.

"No offence, but it began when you stopped being friends with me" Gabrielle added "you told your father, he told my father, well…home life wasn't ever going to be the same ever again. Not to mention life here was already a tough thing to go through, all the Slytherin's knew who I was, from first to 7th. And when I was sorted into Gryffindor and was friends with muggles, half-bloods…really, would that go well to you? You've been friends with purebloods your entire life, Malfoy. You wouldn't know what its like"

"You're right, I don't" he answered "…and…I'm sorry that you've gone through what you've had to go through."

"Why are you being nice to me all of a sudden?" Gabrielle turned to face him "I was invisible to you for the longest time, and since that dinner I've always sensed you around. And that time when I was in the infirmary…" she trailed off as he stopped making eye contact with her, he was embarassed "you really were there everyday, weren't you?"

"I had to make sure you were ok, I saw it happen. I called out to you."

"So it was your voice I heard" she said in realisation "I wasn't sure" she smiled "…thank you."

"You're welcome" he nodded "I just…hope you're ok."

"I am" she smiled "much better now actually. I haven't had any headaches in a while, so I'm in the clear. Fred has been…" she trailed off and looked at Draco who looked away again "has been a wonderful support for me." she answered "Why does it bother you so that I'm with him?"

"It…it doesn't" he said as he ignored her gaze.

"Malfoy…" she chuckled "it's been 5 years and I still know what you're like when you try to pretend something doesn't bother you when it does"

"I…don't know what you see in him"

"He makes me laugh, he makes me smile. Fred understands me, in an odd way. And he always tries to make sure I'm the happiest when I am with him, but he doesn't really have to try much. But knowing him, he does. Like I told you, he knew about the Slytherin background I came from, but he didn't care about that. And that's what I love most about him - that despite what I am, what I have been through, he will look past that and do what he can to be there for me, make me smile and just…he's an amazing person." Gabrielle explained. Draco noticed how much her voice and eyes lit up when she spoke of Fred Weasley. He didn't understand it.

"Do you love him?" Draco asked her.

"…I do" she nodded. That hurt him. Much more than he thought it would. Draco's parents and Gabrielle's parents were always under the impression that their children would get married one day, but that thought had changed when she was put into Gryffindor, but, Draco had always imagined that notion of one day being married to her and he admitted that he wouldn't have minded, in fact was looking forward to being with her. But that was no more. "I know that's not what you want to hear"

"I know" Draco looked away.

"We're just two very different people now, Malfoy. You have your place and I have mine"

"I know" he nodded as he stared off into the distance "and that was my fault"

Gabrielle didn't want to agree, but he wasn't wrong at what he stated either "You know what? We should play 20 questions"

"20 questions?"

"Oui, you ask a question, I answer and then you answer. Then, I ask a question, you answer, I answer. Its been 5 years, Malfoy - there are some things that I have not yet to know about you?"

"We don't know each other that well anymore, Char. But I look forward to the day that we do" he nodded. She smiled at his response "So…shall I go first, Char? Or you?"

And for the next few hours, Draco and Gabrielle had asked really thoughtful questions, ones that would require alot of conversation and some really stupid ones that required a laugh. It was the first time in a long time that the two of them had felt whole.

Ahhhh now that they're slowly starting to be friends, there is going to be some conflicts on the horizon. What would you like to see? Please review to let me know x