Waiting

Snow was falling as Allison hurried to catch up with Hermione and Harry. They were heading to Potions, and despite the atmosphere around campus, no one was excited. Everyone else seemed to be cheery and merry with the holidays approaching, but Allison couldn't be inspired. The past few days since the break-up and her confrontation had been torturous, and Allison had taken every precaution to avoid both Seamus and Pansy. She had been staying away from Draco as well, since she didn't know what to make of Pansy's accusations. She had just wanted to be alone for a couple days to sort out her thoughts, but she had not made much progress. She took every opportunity to ignore her dilemma.

She could see her breath puffing in front of her as she jogged through the thick blanket of snow covering the ground. When she caught up to her friends, she cheeks were flushed red with cold. She tightened the scarlet scarf around her neck and pulled her hat down over her ears. "Hey guys," she gasped, out of breath. The two looked at her and smiled. She suddenly hoped they wouldn't mention her break-up, because she realized that they must have heard by now. She then noticed their serious expressions. "What's wrong?"

They both looked exhausted and upset. Hermione spoke first. "Slughorn's Christmas party is coming up. We're expected to bring dates." She looked sullen. "I wanted to bring Ron, but he guessed that I was going to take Cormac. I told him I had wanted to bring him instead, but he was bitter. Now I guess I'll have to take Cormac after all, since Ron hates him so much." She looked down at her feet and kicked a patch of ice.

"Aw, I'm sorry Hermione," Allison sighed. "Ron was just being Ron. You know that."

Hermione's face twisted in resentment. "I don't even like Cormac. He's arrogant." Allison couldn't help but smile at Hermione's desire to get even with Ron, even if it meant spending an evening with someone who made her crazy.

"And what about you, Harry? Why do you look so troubled?" Allison asked.

"Hermione's just warned me that a whole lot of girls are trying to slip me love potions. That's just what I need to worry about now, with Voldemort on the rise." He shook his head in disbelief. Allison laughed at his misfortune, and he joined in. It felt good to be able to laugh about something as trivial as love potions. It reminded Allison that not everything was as bad as it seemed.

As they entered the Potions classroom, Allison wished she could run. She wasn't ready to confront Seamus or Draco, but it had to happen sometime. She saw Draco and made her way over to the handsome blonde. She had switched seats, since Seamus had made it clear that he didn't want to talk to her, and she found that the only open seat was next to Draco. As she sat down, he smiled and put an arm around her. Allison cringed and said nothing. Luckily, there was no time for conversation before the lecture promptly began.

All throughout the class, Allison could feel Draco's eyes on her. She felt like he wanted to say something, but he never had the chance. She watched the minutes pass by relentlessly, praying frantically for class to be over. She needed to talk with Draco, but not here. Finally, Slughorn dismissed the class and she rushed out the door, knowing Draco would follow her.

She walked down to the Black Lake, knowing that she wanted to be far away from anyone. A thin layer of black ice had formed over the water, and the trees had dropped their leaves. It was too cold for many students to be traveling near the lake. Allison was reminded of her visit in the fall, but everything looked different now. She crunched over the frozen snow and stopped, waiting for Draco to appear. A few minutes later, he emerged from the skeletons of the trees and met her at the edge of the water.

She looked up at him with shining eyes and took his hands in hers. "I need to talk to you." Her words sliced through the crisp air like a blade. No sounds could be heard except for the occasional gust of wind blowing through the tree limbs.

Draco's face fell and a look of concern spread across it. "I don't like the sound of this," he sighed worriedly. He leveled his gaze with hers and grew serious. "What do you want to talk about?"

"As you probably know, I broke up with Seamus a few days ago after you left. He was upset, but hopefully he'll come around." Allison drew in a deep breath. "But that's not what I'm upset about. After Seamus left, I was confronted by Pansy."

The mention of Pansy made Draco visibly distraught. He frowned and tensed his jaw. "What did she do?" he asked flatly.

"She shoved me up against a wall and claimed that you were her man. She told me that I'd best stay away from you." Allison studied Draco's reaction. Upon hearing her words, anger blazed across his face. His hands clenched in to fists, and his eyes flashed with contempt. Draco was clearly infuriated, and Allison almost regretted telling him, but she had to know the truth.

"Oh, she's taken it too far this time. Pansy has always been trying to get my attention and flirt with me, but I've never said I wanted to be with her. I can't believe she would do something like this." He shook his head furiously. He wrapped his arms around Allison protectively. "I'm sorry she did that to you. I will make sure it doesn't happen again." He unzipped her jacket and lay it on the ground. He pulled her sweater off her shoulder and examined her bruise. She trembled from the cold, but his touch warmed her and sent shivers through her. He sighed and stroked the bruise gently with his thumb. All of Allison's doubts from earlier faded away, and she let herself be taken by him.

He lowered his head and kissed her shoulder softly. "Does that feel better?" he asked smiling.

She looked at him coyly and pulled down her other sleeve. "Well, my other shoulder hurts, too," she said. She bit her bottom lip and grinned.

"Well in that case," Draco purred. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist. He pulled her close and kissed her other shoulder, working his way up to her neck. She could feel his hands on her hips, and he reached for the hem of her sweater. She lifted her arms as he pulled off her top and left her bare, other than her black bra. Goosebumps formed on her skin, but she leaned in to Draco's warmth. She grabbed his shirt and raised it over his head, leaving his strong chest exposed. She touched her body to his, and the sting of the cold went away. Even though there was snow on the ground, they didn't seem to care.

Allison tilted her head up to meet his lips. He met them voraciously and she kissed back with passion. She felt his tongue touch hers, and she brought him closer. With a ravenous look in his eyes, he began to run his hands over her body. They reached her chest and boldly slipped under her bra. Though surprised, Allison didn't falter. She kissed his neck and chest, and he exhaled happily.

The setting sun cast shadows across the lake, and darkness began to settle over the land. The temperature dropped, and Allison and Draco began to shiver. They reluctantly parted and gathered their clothing. As Allison was struggling to pull her sweater over her head, Draco looked at her against the sunset and murmured, "You're so beautiful." She glanced at him and smiled shyly. He took her hand in his, and they walked back towards the castle.

When they neared the entrance, Allison became aware that she was still holding Draco's hand. She thought of what Seamus or Pansy might say or do if they saw her like this. Her hand slipped from his, and he stopped abruptly. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Allison wished he hadn't stopped. She tried to piece together an explanation. She managed to stammer, "I just realized that we're not officially a couple. I don't know what would happen if we were to walk in to school holding hands. I'm… afraid of how people might respond." She stared at him sadly, knowing that she was being too concerned.

He looked hurt, but his voice didn't reflect it. "I understand. We're definitely a controversial couple. Yet if you want to be with me, we're going to have to tell people eventually."

"I know. I think I just need a little more time," she responded. She gazed in to his disappointed eyes. "I'm sorry."

He kissed her delicately on her forehead. "Just know that I'll be waiting." With that, he turned and headed in to the darkness.

Allison stood alone, concealed in the blanket of nightfall. She couldn't ignore Draco's dismay at her hesitation to announce their relationship. At the same time, she knew that her Gryffindor friends would not welcome a Slytherin in general, not to mention someone her close friends believed was up to something evil. She didn't want to have to decide between her friends or Draco, but she was afraid that having both would not be a likely possibility.