When Maria left the dorm the following morning she found everyone in the common room and the great hall go eerily silent when she entered. She cast an accusing glare and Draco then ran away to an isolated corridor where she could be alone. She hated feeling this way; she felt vulnerable, isolated, and useless. She liked being strong, powerful, it'd gotten her into so much trouble before, but she couldn't change. A voice sounded in her head and initially she dismissed it as a figment of her own imagination. Her eyes opened and she saw Draco looking over her. She rolled her eyes and ignored his presence.
"Maria," he said. "I didn't say a word to anyone."
"Yeah right, get lost Malfoy," she replied frowning.
"I didn't, please believe me. I may not be the most trustworthy person in the school but I'm honourable."
"Get away from me, I don't believe you. I'll never trust you again, not that I ever did," he held his arm out to help her up. She simply pushed it aside and got herself up. She looked at him with disgust; he was only slightly taller than her so she could see into his eyes. "I hate you and I can prove I'm powerful. If I wasn't so mad at you I'd prove it, but you're not worth it." Maria walked away her head held high. "I thought you weren't the person Hermione warned me away from, but you are." Draco followed her not willing to end on that note. She hurried to the lake and collapsed by the waters edge. The first of the winters snow fell on her as she sat, tears rolling down her cheeks.
"If you stay out here you'll freeze and with that colour hair they'll not find you until the spring," his usually cold voice sounded slightly warm. She would have smiled if she weren't so determined to not talk to him. "I'm telling you the truth. I didn't tell anyone," he placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Then who did?" she had intended the words to sound harsh, but they were quite the opposite.
"I don't know, maybe Ron or Harry?" he commented.
"Not funny and equally inaccurate."
"Maria, it was probably a ghost who told a naive student and he passed it on. Everyone knows every secret. It's McGonagalls fault," she turned to him and his grey eyes appeared much softer. She shuddered as the cold got to her. "Here," he knelt down, took off his cloak and wrapped it around her. "If you get up you'll be warmer."
"Don't push it Malfoy," she smiled noticing his arms were still around her.
"What?" she looked at his arms. "Oh, sorry. Do you forgive me?"
"No, but I guess you won't go until I do," his arms hadn't moved.
"See if you forgive me now," he tightened his grip pulling her closer, his lips touched against hers and he gently kissed her. Her mind raced, he was so gentle. His tongue parted her lips and their tongues danced as the snow fell around them.
They separated and she smiled and then reality set in.
"GET AWAY FROM ME!!!" she screamed.
"Huh, what?" he was confused by her sudden change of heart.
"You're a pillock Malfoy. Tu es un bâtard, comprendez?" she snapped.
"What?"
"Learn French, and stay away from me," she took off his cloak and threw it on the ground. "I'm not going to be manipulated by you."
"Maria, I'm not trying to manipulate you. I'm confused, I honestly didn't breathe a word of your expulsion," he continued and gripped her left hand tightly.
"Get off me, everyone knows now and it's all your fault," she snarled drawing her right arm back and slapping his cheek. Draco's silvery eyes flashed with anger that dissipated when he saw her shaking again, either with anger, the cold or maybe she was so upset. His grip loosened, but his hand stayed touching her skin. His cheek stung and was a contrasting red against his usually paleness, her eyes hovered over the mark and then fell to the ground.
"Sorry, I deserved that. I shouldn't have...." the snow shone around her like an aura. "You're so beautiful," her eyes sparkled as she looked up to him. Snow gently caressed her skin.
"I'm sorry, I guess I'm afraid to trust it," (A/N, McBealism not mine) she reached a slender hand up and timidly touched her handprint.
"Trust what?" he questioned not used to such feelings or emotions.
"What I feel, what I believe you feel, us. I have no idea," he picked up the cloak and knocked the snow off it. Placing it around her shoulder he led her back to the castle.
----------------------------------------
Draco walked Maria up to the portrait of the fat lady. He smiled as she gazed at it and then back at him, then at the floor.
"Everyone will be in there, I can't face it, Draco."
"Hey," he tilted her head upwards. "Don't put yourself down. Your friends are in there, probably wondering where you are.
"Humph, friends, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. Yeah, real friends, I'm an outsider, they've known each other since they started here. I don't belong," Maria's fair skin appeared to pale.
"Maria, this isn't like me at all, I'm never sympathetic. I don't belong here anymore than you do. But those three idiots hate you so much that they beat me up to 'save' you."
"You have friends here? Crabbe, Goyle what about them?" she quietly asked.
"Them? They are not friends they're lackeys. They have the intellect of a dragon, and the sense of humour of a werewolf on a full moon," the corners of her mouth twitched.
"Hey, it's true and nothing to smile about."
"Draco, I don't get you. I doubt I ever will. But..." a noise sounded from behind the picture. "I'd better go before you get pounded again." He smiled and nodded. She took off the cloak and folded it in half before giving it back to him. "Thank you, for everything." She brushed her lips against his cheek and watched him disappear down the corridor. "Godric."
In the Gryffndor common room groups were huddled together gossiping. Maria looked past them and hurried up into the sixth year dormitory. She sat down on her bed and took out her diary. It was a thin leather book with fine gold lettering and binds; she placed her wand on the spine.
"Alohamora," the binds fell off the book, she opened it "dictate" and it flicked open on the first page, she then began to dictate to the book. "Everything has gone wrong, not only does Draco know about Beauxbatons, but the entire school does, I'm miserable, I tried to start fresh. It's impossible. I believe Draco when he says he didn't do this. Then again there's everything Hermione told me about Draco, that he's a pathological liar. I don't see that in him at all, I see a sensitive person that I feel connected with. Fini." The book snapped shut and rebound itself. Maria sighed and rubbed her eyes.
"Are you all right?" looking up she saw Hermione.
"Yeah," she smiled feebly.
"I didn't know about..."
"Don't bother, I didn't want anyone to know. However, I might just pull a little prank on McGonagall."
"Why McGonagall?" Hermione asked.
"She told Malfoy and he must have told everyone else."
"Malfoy? Pansy Parkinson, Millicent Bullstrode and Blaise Zabine told Pavati and Lavender. They heard it themselves."
"Malfoy is innocent? I'm gonna do something to Slytherin that they won't forget soon."
"Maria," he said. "I didn't say a word to anyone."
"Yeah right, get lost Malfoy," she replied frowning.
"I didn't, please believe me. I may not be the most trustworthy person in the school but I'm honourable."
"Get away from me, I don't believe you. I'll never trust you again, not that I ever did," he held his arm out to help her up. She simply pushed it aside and got herself up. She looked at him with disgust; he was only slightly taller than her so she could see into his eyes. "I hate you and I can prove I'm powerful. If I wasn't so mad at you I'd prove it, but you're not worth it." Maria walked away her head held high. "I thought you weren't the person Hermione warned me away from, but you are." Draco followed her not willing to end on that note. She hurried to the lake and collapsed by the waters edge. The first of the winters snow fell on her as she sat, tears rolling down her cheeks.
"If you stay out here you'll freeze and with that colour hair they'll not find you until the spring," his usually cold voice sounded slightly warm. She would have smiled if she weren't so determined to not talk to him. "I'm telling you the truth. I didn't tell anyone," he placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Then who did?" she had intended the words to sound harsh, but they were quite the opposite.
"I don't know, maybe Ron or Harry?" he commented.
"Not funny and equally inaccurate."
"Maria, it was probably a ghost who told a naive student and he passed it on. Everyone knows every secret. It's McGonagalls fault," she turned to him and his grey eyes appeared much softer. She shuddered as the cold got to her. "Here," he knelt down, took off his cloak and wrapped it around her. "If you get up you'll be warmer."
"Don't push it Malfoy," she smiled noticing his arms were still around her.
"What?" she looked at his arms. "Oh, sorry. Do you forgive me?"
"No, but I guess you won't go until I do," his arms hadn't moved.
"See if you forgive me now," he tightened his grip pulling her closer, his lips touched against hers and he gently kissed her. Her mind raced, he was so gentle. His tongue parted her lips and their tongues danced as the snow fell around them.
They separated and she smiled and then reality set in.
"GET AWAY FROM ME!!!" she screamed.
"Huh, what?" he was confused by her sudden change of heart.
"You're a pillock Malfoy. Tu es un bâtard, comprendez?" she snapped.
"What?"
"Learn French, and stay away from me," she took off his cloak and threw it on the ground. "I'm not going to be manipulated by you."
"Maria, I'm not trying to manipulate you. I'm confused, I honestly didn't breathe a word of your expulsion," he continued and gripped her left hand tightly.
"Get off me, everyone knows now and it's all your fault," she snarled drawing her right arm back and slapping his cheek. Draco's silvery eyes flashed with anger that dissipated when he saw her shaking again, either with anger, the cold or maybe she was so upset. His grip loosened, but his hand stayed touching her skin. His cheek stung and was a contrasting red against his usually paleness, her eyes hovered over the mark and then fell to the ground.
"Sorry, I deserved that. I shouldn't have...." the snow shone around her like an aura. "You're so beautiful," her eyes sparkled as she looked up to him. Snow gently caressed her skin.
"I'm sorry, I guess I'm afraid to trust it," (A/N, McBealism not mine) she reached a slender hand up and timidly touched her handprint.
"Trust what?" he questioned not used to such feelings or emotions.
"What I feel, what I believe you feel, us. I have no idea," he picked up the cloak and knocked the snow off it. Placing it around her shoulder he led her back to the castle.
----------------------------------------
Draco walked Maria up to the portrait of the fat lady. He smiled as she gazed at it and then back at him, then at the floor.
"Everyone will be in there, I can't face it, Draco."
"Hey," he tilted her head upwards. "Don't put yourself down. Your friends are in there, probably wondering where you are.
"Humph, friends, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. Yeah, real friends, I'm an outsider, they've known each other since they started here. I don't belong," Maria's fair skin appeared to pale.
"Maria, this isn't like me at all, I'm never sympathetic. I don't belong here anymore than you do. But those three idiots hate you so much that they beat me up to 'save' you."
"You have friends here? Crabbe, Goyle what about them?" she quietly asked.
"Them? They are not friends they're lackeys. They have the intellect of a dragon, and the sense of humour of a werewolf on a full moon," the corners of her mouth twitched.
"Hey, it's true and nothing to smile about."
"Draco, I don't get you. I doubt I ever will. But..." a noise sounded from behind the picture. "I'd better go before you get pounded again." He smiled and nodded. She took off the cloak and folded it in half before giving it back to him. "Thank you, for everything." She brushed her lips against his cheek and watched him disappear down the corridor. "Godric."
In the Gryffndor common room groups were huddled together gossiping. Maria looked past them and hurried up into the sixth year dormitory. She sat down on her bed and took out her diary. It was a thin leather book with fine gold lettering and binds; she placed her wand on the spine.
"Alohamora," the binds fell off the book, she opened it "dictate" and it flicked open on the first page, she then began to dictate to the book. "Everything has gone wrong, not only does Draco know about Beauxbatons, but the entire school does, I'm miserable, I tried to start fresh. It's impossible. I believe Draco when he says he didn't do this. Then again there's everything Hermione told me about Draco, that he's a pathological liar. I don't see that in him at all, I see a sensitive person that I feel connected with. Fini." The book snapped shut and rebound itself. Maria sighed and rubbed her eyes.
"Are you all right?" looking up she saw Hermione.
"Yeah," she smiled feebly.
"I didn't know about..."
"Don't bother, I didn't want anyone to know. However, I might just pull a little prank on McGonagall."
"Why McGonagall?" Hermione asked.
"She told Malfoy and he must have told everyone else."
"Malfoy? Pansy Parkinson, Millicent Bullstrode and Blaise Zabine told Pavati and Lavender. They heard it themselves."
"Malfoy is innocent? I'm gonna do something to Slytherin that they won't forget soon."
