Trust is Hard to Come By
By: Nekkyoo Ema
"There's always a light at the end of the tunnel - but it's usually a train coming to run you over." - Unknown
*****
The next day at breakfast, Riley sat with Hermione, Harry, and Ron. Harry seemed to have gotten over having to spend four grueling hours with Pansy Parkinson and was happily losing to Ron at the game of Wizards Chess they had set up.
Riley started looking around the Great Hall. She had finished her breakfast and now she was bored out of her mind. Hermione had her nose stuck in another book.
Riley had been staring into space, or so she thought, when Ron's voice cut through her daze.
"Plotting Pansy's death, are you?"
Riley blinked a few times and suddenly became very conscious to where she had been staring. At the back of Pansy's head.
"Shut up Ron." Riley said, her face turning a slight pink. "I didn't even realize I was looking there, okay?"
"So that's why your face is such a nice pink color?" Harry said, sitting down next to Riley as he lost his game against Ron.
"Would you just drop it already?" Riley said, looking around the table at her friends and fellow Gryffindors. "It was just a stupid fight. Get over it and talk about something else."
"But this is so much more interesting. It's not everyday that two girls start fist fighting in the middle of breakfast." Fred, one of Ron's older brothers, said.
Then Fred's twin, George, added; "if it did, we wouldn't have anything to talk about."
"How about we talk about what Katie and George did when I saw them duck into the empty Charms classroom after the Yule Ball?" Riley spat.
The smile fell right off George's face.
"What?" he asked, looking shocked.
"What?" Fred, Ron, and Ginny asked, all looking quite eager to hear details.
"What!" Katie cried from the end of the table.
During the argument that followed, no one noticed Riley get up and start walking towards the Gryffindor common room.
As all the Slytherins were laughing at the fighting Gryffindors, they didn't notice Draco get up and follow Riley out of the Great Hall.
Riley was almost to the second set of stairs she needed to go up to get to the Gryffindor tower when she felt someone's hand close around her arm. Then she felt herself being pulled into the nearest classroom.
"What the—" Riley started to say, but Draco clapped his hand over her mouth for the second time in two days. Riley was in a bad mood already, so she did the only thing she could think of: grab her wand and point it right between his eyes.
He uncovered her mouth slowly, "just stay quiet, okay? We need to talk."
"No, as a matter of fact, we really don't." She reached for the door handle but Draco had magically locked it.
"Riley, like it or not, but we did kiss in the Great Hall last night, and we need to talk about what that was all about."
"We were delirious... high on the fumes from the soap. Okay, there, we talked about it." Riley stated plainly, rushing on before he could get another sentence out. "Let's just pretend it didn't happen. Never speak of it again. We'll go back to being old frie—"
What he did next was unnecessary, shocking, and undeniably amazing: Draco kissed her again.
Finally he broke the kiss. Riley just stood there, stunned, limp in his arms. He looked down at her.
"You may be able to forget that tiny kiss from last night, but I know as well as you do that you won't be able to forget that as easily." And then he disentangled himself from Riley and walked out the now unlocked door.
Damn it. Riley thought. What kind of girl would I be if I forgot my first real kiss? Oh Hermione is going to kill me.
When Hermione walked into the Gryffindor common room not to long after Riley had gotten there, she could tell something was up.
"Hey Riley, what's – oh my god. You didn't!" She exclaimed.
Damn, Riley thought, she's good.
"It's not like I really had a say in it, Herm. He just grabbed my arm and dragged me into a classroom claiming that we needed to talk about last night. I said that we should just forget it ever happened and just go back to being old friends. But I couldn't even get the word "friends" out before he shut me up by kissing me!" Riley yelled back.
Then Hermione did something totally unlike her. She plopped down next to Riley and asked, "what was it like?"
Riley reeled back, "what? Did I just hear those words from your mouth?"
"Well, I've never been kissed before." Hermione said sheepishly.
"Neither had I before today!" Riley shot back. She knew she shouldn't be yelling, but she couldn't help it. Her best friend had just kissed her – again!
"What are you going to do? You can't avoid him – you have to eat at some point and he'll be down there." Hermione asked once Riley had clamed down.
Riley shook her head. "I don't know. I just wish – I just wish –"
What exactly Riley wished Hermione never found out because Harry and Ron entered the common room, bringing the toll of people that had escaped the fight four.
"Hey, guys." Ron said cheerfully. He looked like his birthday had come early. "What's up?"
"One: we aren't guys. Two: we're kind of in the middle of an important discussion." Riley replied.
"About what?" Harry asked.
Riley looked at Hermione with the question of: Are they always this nosy? In her hazel eyes.
Hermione nodded slightly. Then an evil grin set itself upon her face. "Out with you. We are talking about periods. You know those things that happen—"
"OKAY! Okay. We're already gone." Ron said in a hurried voice as he shoved Harry out the portrait hole again.
Riley and Hermione burst out laughing the instant the picture closed again.
"Now, I thinking that since it was Draco, the kiss wasn't all that great, right?" Hermione said after their laughing fit was over.
Riley diverted her eyes and that was all Hermione needed to know her answer.
"You mean to tell me that you actually liked it?" she sputtered.
Riley turned a nice shade of red. "He's a surprisingly great kisser."
"Well, you don't have to say it like it's common knowledge, Riley." Hermione told her.
"Sorry. Herm, I don't know what to do! I have a cousin who doesn't know I'm his cousin. I have a best friend that keeps kissing me. And I supposedly have a country to rule when I graduate! Why the hell does all this crap happen to me!"
"You have a cousin that doesn't know you're cousins?" Ron's very confused voice asked.
"Ron! What on earth are you doing? I told you to get out." Hermione yelled.
"I – I came back up to get the chess game." Ron said.
Hermione and Riley jumped up and cornered the red headed teen.
"What all did you just hear?" Hermione said in a very scary impression of Snape.
Ron shuddered. "I just heard Riley yelling something about her cousin – then Harry yelled at me to hurry up when she was yelling all that other stuff about 'friend' and 'crap' or whatever."
Riley looked him in the eyes. Judging him. "He's telling the truth."
Both girls went and sat back down.
"You didn't hear a word, Ron." Riley said simply.
Ron finally gathered up that courage he knew was somewhere in his body. "Yes I did. What are you two really talking about?"
"None of your business." Hermione said.
Ron's face turned to an angry red. "Let me get this straight. We are all friends here, right?" He continued before they could answer. "So if we are really friends then we should all be able to talk about things that are troubling the other! What are you two keeping a secret!" he yelled.
"Harry's my cousin." Riley said just to shut Ron up.
It did the trick. Ron stuttered incoherently.
"He's you're what?" Ron asked.
Riley turned to Hermione. "I'm noticing that that's a really big shock for everyone. Don't you think they would have put two and two together like you?"
"I know. I was just thinking that." Hermione replied.
"Hello! Person wanting an answer here!" Ron's voice cut through their conversation.
"His mum is my aunt. His aunt is my mum. Now you know. Don't tell him and leave." Riley yelled back and then she shoved the chessboard into Ron's chest and pushed him out the door.
"At this rate everyone will know." Hermione muttered darkly.
"Know what?" Harry's voice said.
"NOTHING! Get OUT!" both girls yelled.
"Why don't you just go to your dorm?" Harry asked, slightly frightened.
Riley mimicked Hermione and muttered something darkly before the two girls stood and went to their dorm.
Hermione waved her wand and put a Silencing Charm on the room.
"Okay. Let's think about this. One: Harry being your cousin isn't really a top priority right now. Two: you've still got a year to think about the crown. So that leaves us with three: Draco."
Riley moaned. "What am I going to do?"
Before Hermione could answer, an owl tapped its beak on the window.
"I don't think we should get that. Last time I answered an owl it landed me in detention." Riley said. "And we all know how that turned out."
"No, I know that owl. I would, since I've seen it everyday since first year. It's Draco's." Hermione said as she let the black owl in. As she untied the message, Riley gave him a cookie.
"What does it say?" Riley asked as Hermione unrolled the letter and read it.
Hermione smiled, "it says: Dear Riley."
"Herm!" Riley said as her friend stopped.
"Okay, okay. 'Dear Riley, I'm sorry about what happened at the Great Hall and today. I don't know why I keep doing that.'" Again Hermione paused as she giggled. "'Anyway, I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry and if you don't ever want to talk to me again – that's okay. I will understand. But if you do want to talk, let me know. I think we have a lot to discuss.'"
Riley moaned again and fell backwards onto her bed. "Why do weird things always happen to me?"
"Just lucky I guess," Hermione said as she turned the note over and grabbed her quill.
"Herm – Herm, what are you doing?" Riley questioned.
"Writing him back. You two need to talk and at least one of you wants to talk." Hermione replied. "How's this sound. 'Draco, I agree. We need to talk. Meet me down by the lake tonight' – what time should I write?"
Riley thought about it. "Um – how about after dinner?"
"Okay, this is what I have: 'Draco, I agree. We need to talk. Meet me down by the lake tonight after dinner. Riley.'" Hermione asked.
Riley sighed, "sounds fine to me."
Hermione left the room to go send the message back and Riley took her journal out.
December 17th
Draco kissed me again today. What am I going to do? He's my best friend and he has kissed me twice in two days. ...It was amazing though. Who would've thought he'd be such a good kisser? – What am I thinking? This is my best friend I'm talking about!
I told Ron that Harry is my cousin. It was the only way to get him to shut up about Hermione and I keeping secrets from them. I do have to say that it worked quite well. I think that I'll tell Harry now that we are cousins. It's about time that he knew. Besides, I know Ron and he can't keep a secret for more than a day.
Grandmum said that I don't have to decided if I want the crown or not until I graduate, but it's still a really big decision for me to make. I'm not even seventeen yet. Why do I have to be two months older than Harry is? It's just not fair.
Riley shoved the journal back under her mattress and got up to call Harry up. She opened the door and looked over the walkway into the common room. What luck, he was there.
"Harry, can I speak to you?" she asked.
Hermione, Ron, and Harry all looked up at her. Hermione and Ron were shaking their heads in a negative fashion behind Harry's back as he got up and said, "sure."
When he entered the room, she shut the door.
"Harry, remember that night you asked me about the people in the picture?" Riley asked as she lifted the picture book out of her chest.
Harry nodded, "the people you said were you're grandparents?"
"Yes," Riley said. "Harry, do you recognize the two little girls in the picture with them?" she asked.
"She kind of looks like my mum and my aunt." Harry said.
"Harry, that is your mum and your aunt. And those are their parents, Marie and Peter Evans." Riley replied.
Harry looked confused. "Why would you have a picture of them?"
Riley opened her mouth. But she couldn't think of the right words. "How about this picture?"
Harry looked at the picture. It was of him when he was a baby sitting next to a baby girl who had red-brown hair.
"Well, that's me. But who's the girl?" Harry said.
"Me." Riley replied.
"What? How? – I didn't even know who you were until this year." Harry exclaimed.
"I know this is weird, but Harry, you've got to believe me. My mum is you're aunt. When Aunt Lily and Uncle James were killed, my magic started to show up. I was at the house when Dumbledore left you on my mum's doorstep. I read the letter."
"But why don't you live there?" Harry asked.
"When I was about six or so, I accidentally made Dudley change into a pig – or some type of animal. My mum and dad were so mad that they yelled and screamed at me until they decided that I should go to an orphanage in America."
"But why didn't you tell me before?" Harry asked. He actually sounded hurt.
Riley sighed, "Harry, you have to understand that I couldn't. Not am I only your cousin ... but because I am two months older than you are, Grandmum has said that I have to ascend the throne of Vista when she dies.
"Now, technically, since my mum gave the Crown Princess title up to Aunt Lily, you should be the next in line, but I was christened to be next in line after my mum before she gave up the crown."
Harry stared at Riley like she had grown another head. "But I thought my mum was Muggle-born."
"Well, she was, sort of. But our Grandmum is a witch. Granddad was the Muggle." Riley told him.
"I don't even know where Vista is!"
"As should you not. It's entirely magical. No one in the Muggle world has ever seen it except if they have gone to Hogwarts or some other Wizarding school." Riley was starting to sound like Hermione... like she was reading right out of the book.
"Do you have any more pictures?" Harry asked.
Riley smiled, "yeah."
And for the rest of the day until dinner, the cousins looked threw Riley's picture book as well as Harry's.
"Sirius? Wow, haven't heard that name in ages..." Riley said.
Harry nodded, "yeah. I haven't received a letter from him yet this month. He's still hiding out."
"Harry, Riley – are you two coming or not?" Ron said as he poked his head into the room. They could see Hermione standing behind him.
"Yeah, let's get some dinner." Riley said as she stood up and walked down the stairs with Hermione.
"You do know you guys talked for almost five hours, right?" Hermione asked once the guys were far behind them.
Riley shrugged. "I guess you could say we were making up for lost years."
They walked into the Great Hall and Riley purposely looked at Hermione the whole time as they were walking to their table, talking like she wasn't avoiding looking at Draco.
"You can't avoid him forever. You have to talk to him tonight." Hermione said, catching on right away.
"Let me avoid him until then, okay?" Riley snapped back. "Sorry – I'm just kind of testy right now."
"You're not kidding." Hermione said blandly. They sat down across the table from Harry and Ron who were talking about Quidditch.
"What are you going to say?" Hermione said quietly.
Riley shook her head and ate her fork-full of mashed potatoes. "I don't know. I honestly don't think that if I had something planed to say, that it would come out right."
"You have a point." Hermione agreed.
Riley tossed her fork down lightly. "I can't eat."
"Why don't you go down to the lake early?" Hermione suggested.
Riley shook her head. "He'd see me get up. I'm not exactly conspicuous."
"Point taken." Hermione replied. She then looked at her watch. "You've got about a half hour until you said you'd meet him down there..."
"So?" Riley asked.
Hermione took out her wand and pointed it at Riley.
"What are you doing?" Riley hissed.
"The Appearance Charm. That way you can leave the Great Hall as me, and I'll stay, looking like you. Okay?" Hermione replied and then she said the incantation.
Riley took Hermione's wand from her and changed Hermione into her.
"For your sake, Herm, I hope he doesn't come over here." Riley whispered before she got up and walked out of the Great Hall in the general direction of the library. Who would doubt that she was Hermione Granger if she went straight for the library?
Riley doubled back when she was out of sight from the people in the Great Hall and went outside, her appearance changing as she walked.
I hope Hermione got out of the Hall before she changed... Riley thought as she sat down under a tree by the lake. It was freezing and now she was wishing she had just told him to meet her somewhere inside.
She turned slightly when she heard footsteps coming towards her. And then turned back to look at the stars.
"Hey, Riley." Draco said.
"Hi..."
Draco sat down next to her and they sat there in silence.
"Draco –"
"Riley –"
They both started at the same time, then stopped, laughing. The tension that had built up seemed to disappear – slowly.
"Go." Riley said.
Draco took in a deep breath. "Riley... I just wanted to tell you that I never intended to do anything I've done in the past two days. I was so happy to see you again after eight years of wondering where you were, what you were like, how you looked."
Riley remained silent as ever and continued looking at the stars.
"I don't know if you like me as more than a friend. But if you don't, that's okay." Draco paused. "It's not like I could ever tell my father about you..."
Riley exploded at that. "That. That right there is why I was so mad at you the first day on the train, Draco. You've changed, and not for the better! Lucius has molded you into the 'son he's always wanted.' And you just let him! You forgot about your roots. I'm surprised that you even remembered that picture."
Now it was Draco's turn to be silent.
"Do you think you were the only one that sat around for eight years wondering where their best friend was at that moment? Wondering what you were like, how you were doing? You promised me that you would keep in contact. But you lied."
"Riley—"
Riley cut him off with a wave of her hand. "I couldn't believe it when I saw you again. I was so happy, but I had no one to share that with... so I started to let my guard down again. I let people come back into my life. I prepared myself for the hurt that would come with it, but I never could have prepared myself for – for that."
He knew full well what she meant by 'that'. When she didn't continue, he did.
"Riley, my father has not molded me into the 'son he never had.' Nothing he has said or done to me would have changed the way I am today." Draco stated.
"That's a lie and you know it, Draco! You gave up on your Muggle roots. I have half the mind to go up to Lucius and tell him what his so-called pureblooded son is: a Muggle-born!" Riley yelled.
"You do that and you'll have signed my death certificate." Draco replied.
Riley sat back down with a thud. "I just want a normal life. I don't want all that I have. I wish I had never come to this school."
"Do you? Do you really wish that you hadn't come here?" Draco said, a slight hint of hurt in his voice.
Riley looked up at him. "Don't you think that you would be better off if you hadn't met up with me again? I'm a walking death certificate for you, Draco. I know who you are."
He sat down next to Riley.
"Yes, you are." He said.
Riley looked away.
"But I know I would not have been better off if you hadn't come. I just wish you had come sooner."
Riley's head turned towards him again. "How can this work? I'm your death certificate on legs," she said so quietly he almost didn't hear her.
"Nothing bad has happened yet, had it?" Draco retorted.
Riley smiled. "What about your father?"
"He can't rule me, Riley. I'm not his son... you said so yourself."
Riley finally felt the cold air rushing into her body again. She snuggled up closer to Draco like she used to when they were little and they would sneak out of the orphanage to watch the stars.
"Riley, answer me this one question." Draco said.
Riley looked up at him, "what?"
"Do you like me just as a friend?" he asked.
Riley stiffened. "I –" she faltered. Did she really like him more than a friend?
Believe in love at first sight... Don't judge people by their relatives... Love deeply and passionately – you might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely. All the Chinese wisdom sayings her Grandfather had told her when she was younger floated around in her head.
~~
Author's note: Heh, heh, heh. I love cliffhangers. Well, I love them when I write them, not when other people do. Well, don't hate me too much. Hope you liked this chapter. And, yes, those saying are actual sayings. So don't think I just made them up out of the blue.
Thanks for the reviews:
Nataly Ravenlock – thanks for saying Riley was a good character, she took a lot of thought!
Ariana Lupin – I'm a great writer? Thanks! :D