We walked back to the Slytherin common room, hand in hand. I couldn't stop smiling the whole way there, i was so happy. The thing i'd wanted more than anything, for two years, was finally mine. Draco was smiling too, his other hand in his pocket, and there was something...different about him. He seemed, i don't quite know. Happier, softer. The hard exterior that everyone, including me, saw every day had gone, leaving something...better. Something kinder, more care-free. I wished that he'd never have to go back to what he was. When we got to our common room, i expected Draco to let me go and resume his hard image, but he held onto my hand. We stopped for a moment in front of the entrance. Draco looked down at me, and smiled, squeezing the hand ha had hold of. I smiled back and we turned to face the door again.

'So.' said Draco.

'So.' i replied. We took a few deep breathes, then entered. Draco went through first, pulling me after him, my heart beating fast, my stomach knotting. I had no idea what people would think, what they would say. What they would do. Draco seemed confident, but he didn't have anyone to fear in that room. I did. As we walked in, no-one seemed to notice us at first. There were students everywhere though, sitting on the green leather sofa's, studying, sitting around the dark green table, working, standing by the fireplace, talking. It was a sort of comfort that there was so much noise, it felt like no one knew we were there. But then Belinda, who was sat on one of the sofa's talking to Daisy, looked up at me. At us. She had been laughing at something Daisy had said, but as soon as she saw us, the smile disappeared from her face, and was replaced by a gormless look. She looked at me, then at Draco, then down at our clasped hands. Like i said, she was a little slow. Gradually, anger appeared on her face, and she looked at me with pure hatred. I ducked away from her glare, and Isabelle Jenkins, one of the nicer girls in my year who'd also noticed us, ran up to me with a huge grin on her face as she grabbed my free arm.

'Oh my gosh, Cleo! Are you two finally together?' she whispered at me. At this point, Draco walked towards his friends, who were calling him over. He still had my hand, but let it go, running his hand along mine until only our fingertips were touching, then dropped his arm, smiling at me as he went. Then he turned and in my last glimse of his face, i saw the hard exterior return as he smirked at the comments they said. I stared after him for a little while, before remembering that Isabelle was still standing there, expectantly. I turned to her, only now realising what she'd said.

'Finally?' i said, frowning, 'What do you mean finally?' She rolled her eyes at me and smilied.

'Everyone knew you liked each other, but no one understood why you didn't just go out with him.' she replied. When she said everyone, i knew she meant the girls of Slytherin. I blushed slightly.

'Well, yeah' i said, deciding to ignore her second comment, 'I guess we are.' Draco was heading up to the boys dorm by this point, and turned to me for a second. And for a second, he revealed himself, giving me a slight wave before icing over and continuing up the stairs. A few other Slytherin girls started rushing over as they went, grabbing me and all be very...excited at me. Eventually, they managed to half pull, half push me up to our dormitory, where i was shoved down onto my bed and had questions throw at me for hours, even when we were all in bed too. I told them what i was willing to tell them, which they seemed to be happy with. Everyone was exceedingly happy for me, which was a relief, but there was one person who hadn't spoken to me since i'd got there. Belinda lay stiffly in her bed, facing away from me, pretending to be asleep. When they'd given up on questions, feeling they'd found out everything they wanted to, the room went quiet, with just a few whispers between beds. Belinda sat up, got out of bed and proceeded down into the common room. I got up and, feeling we needed to talk, followed after her. When i entered to common room, Belinda was standing by the fire, staring into the flames, anger rippling from her. I stood at the bottom of the steps, feeling awkward, until she finally broke the silence.

'Why?' she said, quietly. I could barely hear her.

'What?' i replied. She spun around and stared at me, her eyes boring into mine with a look so cold i shivered.

'I said, WHY?' she repeated, raising her voice slightly. Despite her glare, i walked forwards a little towards one of the sofas.

'Why what?' i said. She stormed around the sofa towards me, whilst i retreated towards a wall.

'You know perfectly well what!' she yelled, stopping a few feet away from me, 'Why did you have to do that?' At this point, the fear started to rise inside of me, as i saw how angry Belinda was. But the fear sparked anger in me too.

'I have ever right to be with someone i love!' i yelled back, 'it's not as if i wasn't allowed or something!' She looked at me coldly.

'You knew how much i liked him! You knew and yet you still went ahead and did it!' she screamed in my face. As this conversation wasn't exactly quiet, the entire girls dormitory had come down to watch, and were all huddled on the stairs.

'Yes i knew!' i yelled back, 'and i held off and tried to force my feelings for him away for fifteen months! Fifteen months, Belinda! Whilst i watched you flirt with him, and try any desparate thing to get him to notice you! You never had to wait a second, because i held out for you. I did nothing wrong today! I simply gave in and told someone how much i loved them. And, fantastic, he feels the same about me! Me, Belinda, not you! So stop acting as if i enticed him away from you or something.' She stared at me for a second or two, a little stunned by my words. And i watched the anger and hatred rise up in her, as she knew i was right. Slowly, her hand crept to the back pocket of her pj's. I watched, only realising what she was doing at the last second. Too late.

'EXSPELLIARMUS!' she screamed, and i was sent rocketing into the wall behind me, my head connecting sharply with the stone. I heard several shrieks from the girls on the steps as I collasped on the floor, and leant up on my elbows. I saw Belinda's face was still like a volcano, and i weakly tried to reach for my wand, which i had also slipped into my pocket. As i brought it out, i realised she'd winded me, and i could barely breath, meaning i was unable to perform a disarming spell. I dropped it by my side and tried to stand up, using the wall as an aid. Belinda, still furious, turned her back on me and leant on one of the sofas. I stumbled towards her, cautiously. My leg was killing me, and it hurt to put any weight on it, so i limped. My head felt odd, as if something had been dislodged inside it, and the room span slightly. I heard noises behind me, and turned to see that a few of the boys had come down to investigate. When one saw me, he ran back up to their dorm. Bloody hell, what do i look like? i thought to myself.

'Belinda, please, lets just talk ab-' i started to say, placing my hand on her shoulder. She spun around, pointing her wand at me once more.

'RICTUSEMPRA!' she bellowed, cutting off my sentence and throwing me spiraling backwards. I hit the wall once again, my ribs smashing into the stones, crushing my arm as they did so. I fell on my side in a heap on the floor, and everything started fading. Everywhere hurt, but after a while, the pain went away and was replaced my a dull numbness. I heard several more screams, and saw Belinda storm past everyone back up to the dormitory, people jumping away from her. I heard running footsteps and suddenly Draco's face was in front of mine, his hands gently holding my cheeks, pulling my face slightly more upright. When i winced at this action, he lay my head carefully on the hard, cold floor again. i heard him say something, but it was too muffled for me to understand it. I felt something trickle down my cheek, and when i saw Draco's hand pull away from me, i could see it was blood. I smilied at Draco's panicing face.

'I think she took it rather well.' i said, and everything faded into blackness.