Disclaimer: I do not own Hogwarts, Draco, Harry Hermione, Ron, or anything
else related to Harry Potter, save my character Lilith. On that note, this
story is co-authored. Thank you BrownEyedBaby, for everything. You are the
best rper I've ever met, especially when it comes to Draco. (No offense
Jackie! I still love you!)
Lilith Densy Silverose looked out the window of the East tower. The empty room held no furniture, nor did it even have a glass window. Outside, she saw the day turn chilly. Her hair, which had become an almost silver-white color, blew around; the tower was acting like a wind tunnel. She found this to be a good thing, as it kept most people away. She gripped the paper in her hand tightly. She was really alone. She was now under threat of being sued- by her own parents!
'So this is what it's like to not be wanted.' She thought bitterly as her hair blew in graceful swirls around her. She never thought this would happen... at least this wasn't how she imagined she'd lose her family. She thought about the people who had offered to help her. How could she-in good conscious- accept that help? She was a near stranger to them, someone who ate and sat alone, someone without anyone who gave a damn.
"Why should I be surprised by anything anymore? I brought this on myself... somehow..." She spoke quietly out loud, and wouldn't have noticed anyone coming in the room.
She let the paper go, and fluttered around and around in the room, as if mocking her. She moved to the window and closed her eyes, letting the now- falling rain splatter her on the face. If felt cold, but so did the tears she shed as they slipped down her face...
Draco raced out of the common room. He wasn't about to be blamed for something Goyle had thought up. As if by instinct, he decided to go to the east tower. No one was ever up there, the only tower the proved useful was to the north, which overlooked the lake.
He slowed down and climbed the stairs, his robes dripping, and then he went up through the trap door. When he turned from the door, a piece of paper flew over his eyes. He removed it and slowly looked over it. When he looked up, he noticed a girl standing by the window, letting the rain fall on her face.
"Does this belong to you?" He walked to the window and leaned in the opening next to her, the rain soaking his sleeves further.
Draco hadn't realized that he was actually being nice. He had a new respect for life since his mother sent him the news. Maybe not a new outlook on people, but he figured one day, someone was going to have to help him and it was time to have more alliances.
She jumped, almost as if she'd been pricked. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw it was only Malfoy... wait a minute... MALFOY?!?!? All color drained from her face, and she was about to make a nasty retort when she realized that he was actually being nice.
"I...Um...y...Yes...actually..." She slowly held out a hand for the paper back as the color went to her face and came back in a flushed red color. This was the person who she'd been fighting a crush of for almost 3 years now, and he was ACTUALLY being nice!! To HER!! "I.... my name's Lilith. Lilith Silverose." Why not introduce herself? She knew who he was, but seeing as she was a Gryffindor and only had one or two of his classes now, she didn't see how he'd know her. Her bangs were, by now, plastered down to her face, and she was glad she'd worn her vest with her white shirt because she was soaked from the rain.
"Um... if you don't mind my asking... what brought you up here?... Not many people come here by choice..." She was looking for anything to keep him from asking what was on the paper... 'Yeah, Lilith, as if he'd even care.' She thought numbly to herself. She didn't want to have his sympathy... she had plenty of that from other people. And no matter how much she wanted to... she just wouldn't feel right moving in with anyone who offered. She suppressed a sigh and looked back out the window, closing her shockingly green eyes and let the rain hit her face again.
She just let the rain hit her face as she waited for his answer.
Draco nodded at the introduction. "I've heard of you. You don't associate with Potter, Weasel, and Mudblood that often, do you?" He pulled his arms into his chest. "Draco Malfoy... and no doubt you've heard of me before." He stood up straight, struck with pride in the fact that everyone knew him or feared him.
Draco stood once again with his hands out of the window, catching the rain in his palms, and then flipping his hands so the water continued to fall. "The only reason I'm up here is because I didn't want to be apart of Crabbe and Goyle setting off a few jokes in the common room. Which, I'll probably be blamed anyway, but I did my best to get away."
He looked at Lilith. She seemed distracted, and normally, Draco wasn't sympathetic to other people's problems, but it was time to try. "What brings you up here then?"
"No I don't associate with them... actually they don't know I exist... I'm surprised you've even heard of me... And yes, I've heard of you. Very few people haven't. Your father is Lucius Malfoy, right? Heh... That must be nice..."
She realized she was babbling. "Sorry. Well, if you end up needing an alibi, I'll supply you with one, you know... seeing how it's true that you really weren't involved in anything those two are probably doing. Heh..." She listened to herself talk... she was nervous. Dear Merlin, she hoped she wouldn't suddenly say something stupid like how she's had a crush on him for almost three years.
He asked.... She opened her eyes again and let the water hit them, blurring her vision. "Do you want the sob story, or do you want the excuse?"
Why should she tell someone who probably wouldn't care about her problem? Besides, it wasn't as if Draco Malfoy was suddenly going to grow angel wings and a halo and offer her a place to stay.
She was letting the letter get wet, and the ink that ran from it stained her pale white hand, the black droplets falling hundreds of feet to the earth like poison from a wound.
Draco listened intently to Lilith's answers. She had heard of his father, and he had no doubt she was in awe of him. Of course, Draco couldn't stand his father at the moment. Somehow, he knew that the only reason his mother needed help with the baby was because his father wasn't accepting the child. Draco shook his head back into reality.
"Tell me the sob story... I think I got the excuse from the letter." He pointed to the soggy piece of paper in her hand. The letter now was just streaks of black ink on a piece of parchment. None of the words could be made out, and the parchment itself was beginning to tear from the wind and rain hitting it.
The rain began to increase in strength, and lightening could be seen across the grounds. Draco grasped Lilith's shoulders and pulled her back from the window, even though she was already wet. She was shaking a bit, so Draco sat her down against the wall where the wind in the room couldn't be felt. He took off his robe and laid it over her to warm her. It had dried off since he had come into the tower, and he didn't need it.
Draco sat down next to her and listened to her story.
She could hardly believe he was being this nice to her. She half thought that she was going to wake up at any second... but when she realized she was awake, she found enough of her voice to begin her story.
"Well... it started when I was fairly young. My mother had left my father and me. She had said something about me being a burden, and a reminder of her lost youth... My dad was crushed, he's a sweet man, but very gullible. It took him sometime for him to recover, but he did, and he did his best to raise me.
"When I first arrived at Hogwarts, I had hoped to make new friends and such... Heh... yeah, right. Most people didn't notice me at all, save for school staff. I got lonely, and started a penmanship with my father. We wrote each other everyday, that is, until about two months ago. His letters stopped. I knew something was wrong, but I couldn't leave school to find out... until he wrote me back two weeks ago... He said that my mother had returned, and that she wanted to make us a family again. I doubted that. What she wanted was to brainwash him, and make him her pet and slave... I spoke to him through the common room fireplace when no one was around... Heh... He... was worn... tired and older looking then I'd ever seen before... "
Her face contorted in a mixture of pain, and she fought to keep from crying in front of him. "I was told to not return home, because I was no longer welcomed there... And when I wrote to my father... I got a letter from my mother's attorney ... stating that if I were to ever try to contact them again, I'd be sued for harassment. And, well, I have a very limited amount of people at school who would give a damn..."
She pulled his cloak around her tighter, shivering a bit still. "I ... couldn't find the heart to take up some offers of people letting me stay with them... I hardly know the people who did... I just..." She shrugged. "Why would some person I hardly know let me stay with them when I know I would never be able to pay them back?..."
With a heavy sigh, she hugged her knees, and closed her eyes, letting her head rest against the wall. "Sorry for laying this on you..."
Draco closed his eyes and listened to Lilith's story. He imagined what it would be like if his parents ever abandoned him. It was a horrible thing to think about. When she had finished, he opened his eyes and looked at her.
"I can't say I know how you feel, but if it makes things any better, you could always..." He noticed her robe after she hugged her knees. She was a Gryffindor, there was no way his father would let him invite a Gryffindor for the summer. He swallowed and continued, "...I mean, you could always take up someone on their offer. Maybe they don't know you, but you are their classmate, and they want to watch out for you."
He too leaned his head against the wall, his mind stranded to his mom. "Maybe it'll help you if I let you in on my little secret."
She couldn't help but smile a little. He was so... nice... Not anything like what her Gryffindor classmates had said. "I'm good at keeping secrets, besides... I don't have anyone to tell." She gave a wry smile. "So, do tell..."
She wondered what could be plaguing him. He was Draco Malfoy, right? The boy with money and both parents... a family. He had high class friends, and self-appointed body guards. He probably even had a girlfriend...
Lilith kept her eyes closed as she waited patiently for Draco to speak. She hugged her knees tighter. Why were things the way they were?... Why couldn't she have been in Slytherin?... maybe then she could have had a chance with him... Maybe... in a couple hundred-thousand years or so.
Draco took a deep breath, confronting his problem, or joy, for the first time out-loud. He decided just to start with the point.
"My mother is having another child, which is going to mess up the fact that I'm my parent's only heir. Now, there really isn't a problem with having a younger sibling, I suppose, someone to pick on and teach everything to. But I get this feeling..."
He paused and shook his head, "...more like a strong intuition that my father doesn't want the child. The only reason I say that is because my mother sent me a letter about it, and she mentioned she needed some real help. The only reason she would turn to me is if my father had turned on her."
He looked at Lilith. He couldn't think of what else to tell her about it.
Her eyes opened and she looked at him with Sympathy. "I'll help you out any way I can." It was the only thing she could think of saying. She wasn't going to make him promise anything, or make any pledges. That would be just plain stupid.
Lilith's shocking green eyes bore into Draco's eyes. She meant it when she said she'd help him, even if he couldn't help her. "I'm sorry, about your father... I guess there's a lot about you people don't know..."
In truth, she'd never really seen him as a bad guy... But how could she honestly say she hadn't seen him as having the perfect life to brag about?
"I wish I had a sibling... but then again... that'd be just one more person for my mother to brainwash." She finally tore her eyes away from his. "I am sorry." Her eyes became glued to his robe on her lap, keeping her legs warm as the storm outside only got louder. "Hey... Draco?...If you... ever need anyone to talk to... if you ever just need someone to listen... You can come to me...I mean it..."
She hoped he believed her.
Draco felt the weakness in his mind. He had never really thought of being nice before, and here it was paying off. Maybe he had just picked the right person to talk to, Gryffindor or not.
"Right back at you." He smiled and put is hand on her knee. His eyes were looking at her pale complexion and wet hair. He hadn't ever noticed any other girl besides Pansy. 'But she's a Gryffindor, don't go there...' he thought.
He removed his hand after a few moments and placed it back on his own lap. Then, he let out a sigh as his head hit the wall behind him. The storm grew louder, and the wind picked up a bit. Draco somehow found himself wishing that he could find a reason for grabbing onto Lilith and not letting her go. He wanted something to protect her from.
She wished he'd have left his hand on her knee... it was almost comforting. She didn't mind rain. It was the thunder and lightning of storms that she hated.
Outside, there was a brilliant flash of light, casting odd shadows around them. She closed her eyes. Ever since she was little she had hated storms. The rumbling sound of thunder was almost deafening, and she jumped in her seat with a startled cry. Grabbing the robe that was still on her lap, she hid under it, half from embarrassment, and half in longing to make the storm go away. The tower still rumbled a bit from the shock of such catastrophic sound waves.
She peeked out from under his robe, blushing. "Sorry... I just... well... hate thunder storms... rain's ok.... Just... the thunder and lightning scare the beejees out of me..."
Draco had never been afraid of storms before. He was comforted by them most of the time. As he watched how scared she was, he knew this was the only chance he was going to get to protect her. He had to make a split second decision about how he felt about Pansy, and how his parents would react, and what his friends would think, for right when all of this ran through his mind, another lightening bolt hit. It startled Draco since it had hit the ground near the tower.
He looked out to see the smoke from where the lightening had hit. Not but a few seconds later, a loud thunder shook the tower and Draco pulled himself back inside. He noticed Lilith was under the robe, and he immediately made his decision.
He dropped to his knees beside her and picked her up into his arms. He slowly moved on his knees away from the window, carrying her with him. When they were far enough away from it, Draco put her down, but left his arms wrapped around her, making sure she was safe from the wind and rain.
She couldn't help but give a small whimper as the last bolt that rocked the tower actually hit the ground near it... she could smell the burnt ground. But before she could peek out, she felt herself being lifted, a sensation she was most certainly not used to...
None the less, she held onto him, her cheeks blushing a bright red as he carried her out of the room, and even then, not letting her go. She didn't want him to let go either. He was keeping her safe, safe from the wind, rain, thunder and Lighting. She pressed closer, but not imposingly so, to him. He was so warm. Could this really be happening? She prayed it wasn't a dream. She prayed to all the deities she knew of, and then some.
"..I...I like you a lot... Draco... A lot a lot..." She said softly, shyly, as if she were a 3rd grader talking to a boy she had a crush on... well, she wasn't a third grader, but she DID have a crush on him.
She just hoped... well... no matter.
Draco was silent as he listened to Lilith confess to him how she felt. It was horrible to think that such a wonderful person could fall for someone that wasn't that great. He thought about his hardships, and how much she was going through. Maybe she was caught up in the emotions of the moment.
Draco couldn't say anything in response. He thought about Pansy, and how much she meant to him. How his father approved of her as a good suitor. But then he pulled his mind back to reality. Lilith was sensitive, but not like any other Gryffindor Draco knew. She was in awe of his father, something other Gryffindors definitely were not.
He still didn't say anything, but pulled her closer to him, rocking her back and forth. Her head was rested on his shoulder, and he gently laid his head on hers.
She closed her eyes, and just listened, the storm raged around the tower, but even with that, this close, she could hear his heart beating. He was so warm, and this felt... good. It felt right to Lilith.
She instinctively nuzzled her head against his shoulder lightly, smiling as his head rested on her. It was beginning to get late out, but then again, without Filtch or Norris around... it didn't really matter. She breathed in deeply, the light scent of him drifting to her.
She hummed softly, just loud enough for him to hear, it was a lullaby her father used to sing to her when she was small and couldn't get to sleep. Dumbly, sleepily, she murmured to him. "You smell nice... did you know that?" She smiled a little, and went back to humming, which became softer and softer as she struggled to stay awake.
"Hey... Draco?... I think I'm getting' a little bit sleepy..." The words came out, but barely. Would he still be nice to her when the sun came out tomorrow?... She didn't know... and frankly, she didn't care. She'd found a few minutes of happiness in the darkness life was determined to bury her in. Perhaps tonight she would sleep peacefully.
Draco listened to her sing. He remembered the tune. His mother sang it to him at night, when his father wasn't home. He thought of what a great mother she really was, and how much his father intimidated her. Then, his mind drifted to how he was no longer the only one who would hear that song from her.
"Lilith... if you are getting tired, maybe we should get you back to the dorms." He lifted his head off hers, and lifted her chin with his hand so that she was looking at him. "You don't want Mudblood knowing you're gone. She's mental, that one!"
Not only did he fear Hermione catching Lilith, but he also wondered what Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy were thinking. They didn't have a clue where he was, or who he was with. And Draco knew that the minute he entered his dorm room, there would be questions. But there would be even more if he stayed in the tower with Lilith for the night.
She looked into his eyes. He had such stunning eyes. "No one will notice me missing. Potter and company barely register my existence. And since you're the great Draco Malfoy... you can have your secrets... I..." She blushed a bit. She couldn't help but just wish this to last longer...but... "But... if you think it's best to go to our respective dorms... then... I won't oppose you.
She did something brazen, that took all the bravery she had. She leaned up and kissed his cheek softly. Lilith shrugged as she pulled back. "Dreams have to end sometime, I suppose."
Lilith stood and looked at him, a half-hearted smile. Knowing he would probably choose to leave, she savored what she would have in the morning. The brief interlude in her life when Draco Malfoy, the boy she had a crush on for 3 years, talked to her, and was nice to her, even though they were from separate house, enemy houses.
Draco tried not to smile, but couldn't help it. He was, however, a guy who liked girls. He looked out of the window and saw that the rain had died down. He looked back at Lilith and stood up, giving her his hand to help her up.
"I suggest we should go now, before the rain starts up again." He pointed towards the window. "And I wouldn't say that dreams have to end, just be delayed for a while."
He was sincere with what he was saying, but he wasn't sure why he had said it. He wished he could have spent the time with Pansy instead of Lilith. 'Lilith is great,' he thought, 'but it feels like I'm doing something wrong.'
Draco knew the soft side of him had come out, and that Lilith would never see him as the same rude and crude boy he really was.
She looked out, and smiled a bit. She knew it wasn't certain, but for now, that narrow ray of sunlight in her life was enough to keep her alive. "You have my word that I will never tell anyone about our meeting." She spoke softly as she took his hands to stand up. "Maybe I'll see you around. Maybe..."
She stepped down slowly, stopping just before she disappeared from his view going down the spiral stairs of the tower. "If you ever just want someone to talk to... I'll be here..."
With that, she stepped down the stairs to the darkness of the tower entrance.
Lilith Densy Silverose looked out the window of the East tower. The empty room held no furniture, nor did it even have a glass window. Outside, she saw the day turn chilly. Her hair, which had become an almost silver-white color, blew around; the tower was acting like a wind tunnel. She found this to be a good thing, as it kept most people away. She gripped the paper in her hand tightly. She was really alone. She was now under threat of being sued- by her own parents!
'So this is what it's like to not be wanted.' She thought bitterly as her hair blew in graceful swirls around her. She never thought this would happen... at least this wasn't how she imagined she'd lose her family. She thought about the people who had offered to help her. How could she-in good conscious- accept that help? She was a near stranger to them, someone who ate and sat alone, someone without anyone who gave a damn.
"Why should I be surprised by anything anymore? I brought this on myself... somehow..." She spoke quietly out loud, and wouldn't have noticed anyone coming in the room.
She let the paper go, and fluttered around and around in the room, as if mocking her. She moved to the window and closed her eyes, letting the now- falling rain splatter her on the face. If felt cold, but so did the tears she shed as they slipped down her face...
Draco raced out of the common room. He wasn't about to be blamed for something Goyle had thought up. As if by instinct, he decided to go to the east tower. No one was ever up there, the only tower the proved useful was to the north, which overlooked the lake.
He slowed down and climbed the stairs, his robes dripping, and then he went up through the trap door. When he turned from the door, a piece of paper flew over his eyes. He removed it and slowly looked over it. When he looked up, he noticed a girl standing by the window, letting the rain fall on her face.
"Does this belong to you?" He walked to the window and leaned in the opening next to her, the rain soaking his sleeves further.
Draco hadn't realized that he was actually being nice. He had a new respect for life since his mother sent him the news. Maybe not a new outlook on people, but he figured one day, someone was going to have to help him and it was time to have more alliances.
She jumped, almost as if she'd been pricked. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw it was only Malfoy... wait a minute... MALFOY?!?!? All color drained from her face, and she was about to make a nasty retort when she realized that he was actually being nice.
"I...Um...y...Yes...actually..." She slowly held out a hand for the paper back as the color went to her face and came back in a flushed red color. This was the person who she'd been fighting a crush of for almost 3 years now, and he was ACTUALLY being nice!! To HER!! "I.... my name's Lilith. Lilith Silverose." Why not introduce herself? She knew who he was, but seeing as she was a Gryffindor and only had one or two of his classes now, she didn't see how he'd know her. Her bangs were, by now, plastered down to her face, and she was glad she'd worn her vest with her white shirt because she was soaked from the rain.
"Um... if you don't mind my asking... what brought you up here?... Not many people come here by choice..." She was looking for anything to keep him from asking what was on the paper... 'Yeah, Lilith, as if he'd even care.' She thought numbly to herself. She didn't want to have his sympathy... she had plenty of that from other people. And no matter how much she wanted to... she just wouldn't feel right moving in with anyone who offered. She suppressed a sigh and looked back out the window, closing her shockingly green eyes and let the rain hit her face again.
She just let the rain hit her face as she waited for his answer.
Draco nodded at the introduction. "I've heard of you. You don't associate with Potter, Weasel, and Mudblood that often, do you?" He pulled his arms into his chest. "Draco Malfoy... and no doubt you've heard of me before." He stood up straight, struck with pride in the fact that everyone knew him or feared him.
Draco stood once again with his hands out of the window, catching the rain in his palms, and then flipping his hands so the water continued to fall. "The only reason I'm up here is because I didn't want to be apart of Crabbe and Goyle setting off a few jokes in the common room. Which, I'll probably be blamed anyway, but I did my best to get away."
He looked at Lilith. She seemed distracted, and normally, Draco wasn't sympathetic to other people's problems, but it was time to try. "What brings you up here then?"
"No I don't associate with them... actually they don't know I exist... I'm surprised you've even heard of me... And yes, I've heard of you. Very few people haven't. Your father is Lucius Malfoy, right? Heh... That must be nice..."
She realized she was babbling. "Sorry. Well, if you end up needing an alibi, I'll supply you with one, you know... seeing how it's true that you really weren't involved in anything those two are probably doing. Heh..." She listened to herself talk... she was nervous. Dear Merlin, she hoped she wouldn't suddenly say something stupid like how she's had a crush on him for almost three years.
He asked.... She opened her eyes again and let the water hit them, blurring her vision. "Do you want the sob story, or do you want the excuse?"
Why should she tell someone who probably wouldn't care about her problem? Besides, it wasn't as if Draco Malfoy was suddenly going to grow angel wings and a halo and offer her a place to stay.
She was letting the letter get wet, and the ink that ran from it stained her pale white hand, the black droplets falling hundreds of feet to the earth like poison from a wound.
Draco listened intently to Lilith's answers. She had heard of his father, and he had no doubt she was in awe of him. Of course, Draco couldn't stand his father at the moment. Somehow, he knew that the only reason his mother needed help with the baby was because his father wasn't accepting the child. Draco shook his head back into reality.
"Tell me the sob story... I think I got the excuse from the letter." He pointed to the soggy piece of paper in her hand. The letter now was just streaks of black ink on a piece of parchment. None of the words could be made out, and the parchment itself was beginning to tear from the wind and rain hitting it.
The rain began to increase in strength, and lightening could be seen across the grounds. Draco grasped Lilith's shoulders and pulled her back from the window, even though she was already wet. She was shaking a bit, so Draco sat her down against the wall where the wind in the room couldn't be felt. He took off his robe and laid it over her to warm her. It had dried off since he had come into the tower, and he didn't need it.
Draco sat down next to her and listened to her story.
She could hardly believe he was being this nice to her. She half thought that she was going to wake up at any second... but when she realized she was awake, she found enough of her voice to begin her story.
"Well... it started when I was fairly young. My mother had left my father and me. She had said something about me being a burden, and a reminder of her lost youth... My dad was crushed, he's a sweet man, but very gullible. It took him sometime for him to recover, but he did, and he did his best to raise me.
"When I first arrived at Hogwarts, I had hoped to make new friends and such... Heh... yeah, right. Most people didn't notice me at all, save for school staff. I got lonely, and started a penmanship with my father. We wrote each other everyday, that is, until about two months ago. His letters stopped. I knew something was wrong, but I couldn't leave school to find out... until he wrote me back two weeks ago... He said that my mother had returned, and that she wanted to make us a family again. I doubted that. What she wanted was to brainwash him, and make him her pet and slave... I spoke to him through the common room fireplace when no one was around... Heh... He... was worn... tired and older looking then I'd ever seen before... "
Her face contorted in a mixture of pain, and she fought to keep from crying in front of him. "I was told to not return home, because I was no longer welcomed there... And when I wrote to my father... I got a letter from my mother's attorney ... stating that if I were to ever try to contact them again, I'd be sued for harassment. And, well, I have a very limited amount of people at school who would give a damn..."
She pulled his cloak around her tighter, shivering a bit still. "I ... couldn't find the heart to take up some offers of people letting me stay with them... I hardly know the people who did... I just..." She shrugged. "Why would some person I hardly know let me stay with them when I know I would never be able to pay them back?..."
With a heavy sigh, she hugged her knees, and closed her eyes, letting her head rest against the wall. "Sorry for laying this on you..."
Draco closed his eyes and listened to Lilith's story. He imagined what it would be like if his parents ever abandoned him. It was a horrible thing to think about. When she had finished, he opened his eyes and looked at her.
"I can't say I know how you feel, but if it makes things any better, you could always..." He noticed her robe after she hugged her knees. She was a Gryffindor, there was no way his father would let him invite a Gryffindor for the summer. He swallowed and continued, "...I mean, you could always take up someone on their offer. Maybe they don't know you, but you are their classmate, and they want to watch out for you."
He too leaned his head against the wall, his mind stranded to his mom. "Maybe it'll help you if I let you in on my little secret."
She couldn't help but smile a little. He was so... nice... Not anything like what her Gryffindor classmates had said. "I'm good at keeping secrets, besides... I don't have anyone to tell." She gave a wry smile. "So, do tell..."
She wondered what could be plaguing him. He was Draco Malfoy, right? The boy with money and both parents... a family. He had high class friends, and self-appointed body guards. He probably even had a girlfriend...
Lilith kept her eyes closed as she waited patiently for Draco to speak. She hugged her knees tighter. Why were things the way they were?... Why couldn't she have been in Slytherin?... maybe then she could have had a chance with him... Maybe... in a couple hundred-thousand years or so.
Draco took a deep breath, confronting his problem, or joy, for the first time out-loud. He decided just to start with the point.
"My mother is having another child, which is going to mess up the fact that I'm my parent's only heir. Now, there really isn't a problem with having a younger sibling, I suppose, someone to pick on and teach everything to. But I get this feeling..."
He paused and shook his head, "...more like a strong intuition that my father doesn't want the child. The only reason I say that is because my mother sent me a letter about it, and she mentioned she needed some real help. The only reason she would turn to me is if my father had turned on her."
He looked at Lilith. He couldn't think of what else to tell her about it.
Her eyes opened and she looked at him with Sympathy. "I'll help you out any way I can." It was the only thing she could think of saying. She wasn't going to make him promise anything, or make any pledges. That would be just plain stupid.
Lilith's shocking green eyes bore into Draco's eyes. She meant it when she said she'd help him, even if he couldn't help her. "I'm sorry, about your father... I guess there's a lot about you people don't know..."
In truth, she'd never really seen him as a bad guy... But how could she honestly say she hadn't seen him as having the perfect life to brag about?
"I wish I had a sibling... but then again... that'd be just one more person for my mother to brainwash." She finally tore her eyes away from his. "I am sorry." Her eyes became glued to his robe on her lap, keeping her legs warm as the storm outside only got louder. "Hey... Draco?...If you... ever need anyone to talk to... if you ever just need someone to listen... You can come to me...I mean it..."
She hoped he believed her.
Draco felt the weakness in his mind. He had never really thought of being nice before, and here it was paying off. Maybe he had just picked the right person to talk to, Gryffindor or not.
"Right back at you." He smiled and put is hand on her knee. His eyes were looking at her pale complexion and wet hair. He hadn't ever noticed any other girl besides Pansy. 'But she's a Gryffindor, don't go there...' he thought.
He removed his hand after a few moments and placed it back on his own lap. Then, he let out a sigh as his head hit the wall behind him. The storm grew louder, and the wind picked up a bit. Draco somehow found himself wishing that he could find a reason for grabbing onto Lilith and not letting her go. He wanted something to protect her from.
She wished he'd have left his hand on her knee... it was almost comforting. She didn't mind rain. It was the thunder and lightning of storms that she hated.
Outside, there was a brilliant flash of light, casting odd shadows around them. She closed her eyes. Ever since she was little she had hated storms. The rumbling sound of thunder was almost deafening, and she jumped in her seat with a startled cry. Grabbing the robe that was still on her lap, she hid under it, half from embarrassment, and half in longing to make the storm go away. The tower still rumbled a bit from the shock of such catastrophic sound waves.
She peeked out from under his robe, blushing. "Sorry... I just... well... hate thunder storms... rain's ok.... Just... the thunder and lightning scare the beejees out of me..."
Draco had never been afraid of storms before. He was comforted by them most of the time. As he watched how scared she was, he knew this was the only chance he was going to get to protect her. He had to make a split second decision about how he felt about Pansy, and how his parents would react, and what his friends would think, for right when all of this ran through his mind, another lightening bolt hit. It startled Draco since it had hit the ground near the tower.
He looked out to see the smoke from where the lightening had hit. Not but a few seconds later, a loud thunder shook the tower and Draco pulled himself back inside. He noticed Lilith was under the robe, and he immediately made his decision.
He dropped to his knees beside her and picked her up into his arms. He slowly moved on his knees away from the window, carrying her with him. When they were far enough away from it, Draco put her down, but left his arms wrapped around her, making sure she was safe from the wind and rain.
She couldn't help but give a small whimper as the last bolt that rocked the tower actually hit the ground near it... she could smell the burnt ground. But before she could peek out, she felt herself being lifted, a sensation she was most certainly not used to...
None the less, she held onto him, her cheeks blushing a bright red as he carried her out of the room, and even then, not letting her go. She didn't want him to let go either. He was keeping her safe, safe from the wind, rain, thunder and Lighting. She pressed closer, but not imposingly so, to him. He was so warm. Could this really be happening? She prayed it wasn't a dream. She prayed to all the deities she knew of, and then some.
"..I...I like you a lot... Draco... A lot a lot..." She said softly, shyly, as if she were a 3rd grader talking to a boy she had a crush on... well, she wasn't a third grader, but she DID have a crush on him.
She just hoped... well... no matter.
Draco was silent as he listened to Lilith confess to him how she felt. It was horrible to think that such a wonderful person could fall for someone that wasn't that great. He thought about his hardships, and how much she was going through. Maybe she was caught up in the emotions of the moment.
Draco couldn't say anything in response. He thought about Pansy, and how much she meant to him. How his father approved of her as a good suitor. But then he pulled his mind back to reality. Lilith was sensitive, but not like any other Gryffindor Draco knew. She was in awe of his father, something other Gryffindors definitely were not.
He still didn't say anything, but pulled her closer to him, rocking her back and forth. Her head was rested on his shoulder, and he gently laid his head on hers.
She closed her eyes, and just listened, the storm raged around the tower, but even with that, this close, she could hear his heart beating. He was so warm, and this felt... good. It felt right to Lilith.
She instinctively nuzzled her head against his shoulder lightly, smiling as his head rested on her. It was beginning to get late out, but then again, without Filtch or Norris around... it didn't really matter. She breathed in deeply, the light scent of him drifting to her.
She hummed softly, just loud enough for him to hear, it was a lullaby her father used to sing to her when she was small and couldn't get to sleep. Dumbly, sleepily, she murmured to him. "You smell nice... did you know that?" She smiled a little, and went back to humming, which became softer and softer as she struggled to stay awake.
"Hey... Draco?... I think I'm getting' a little bit sleepy..." The words came out, but barely. Would he still be nice to her when the sun came out tomorrow?... She didn't know... and frankly, she didn't care. She'd found a few minutes of happiness in the darkness life was determined to bury her in. Perhaps tonight she would sleep peacefully.
Draco listened to her sing. He remembered the tune. His mother sang it to him at night, when his father wasn't home. He thought of what a great mother she really was, and how much his father intimidated her. Then, his mind drifted to how he was no longer the only one who would hear that song from her.
"Lilith... if you are getting tired, maybe we should get you back to the dorms." He lifted his head off hers, and lifted her chin with his hand so that she was looking at him. "You don't want Mudblood knowing you're gone. She's mental, that one!"
Not only did he fear Hermione catching Lilith, but he also wondered what Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy were thinking. They didn't have a clue where he was, or who he was with. And Draco knew that the minute he entered his dorm room, there would be questions. But there would be even more if he stayed in the tower with Lilith for the night.
She looked into his eyes. He had such stunning eyes. "No one will notice me missing. Potter and company barely register my existence. And since you're the great Draco Malfoy... you can have your secrets... I..." She blushed a bit. She couldn't help but just wish this to last longer...but... "But... if you think it's best to go to our respective dorms... then... I won't oppose you.
She did something brazen, that took all the bravery she had. She leaned up and kissed his cheek softly. Lilith shrugged as she pulled back. "Dreams have to end sometime, I suppose."
Lilith stood and looked at him, a half-hearted smile. Knowing he would probably choose to leave, she savored what she would have in the morning. The brief interlude in her life when Draco Malfoy, the boy she had a crush on for 3 years, talked to her, and was nice to her, even though they were from separate house, enemy houses.
Draco tried not to smile, but couldn't help it. He was, however, a guy who liked girls. He looked out of the window and saw that the rain had died down. He looked back at Lilith and stood up, giving her his hand to help her up.
"I suggest we should go now, before the rain starts up again." He pointed towards the window. "And I wouldn't say that dreams have to end, just be delayed for a while."
He was sincere with what he was saying, but he wasn't sure why he had said it. He wished he could have spent the time with Pansy instead of Lilith. 'Lilith is great,' he thought, 'but it feels like I'm doing something wrong.'
Draco knew the soft side of him had come out, and that Lilith would never see him as the same rude and crude boy he really was.
She looked out, and smiled a bit. She knew it wasn't certain, but for now, that narrow ray of sunlight in her life was enough to keep her alive. "You have my word that I will never tell anyone about our meeting." She spoke softly as she took his hands to stand up. "Maybe I'll see you around. Maybe..."
She stepped down slowly, stopping just before she disappeared from his view going down the spiral stairs of the tower. "If you ever just want someone to talk to... I'll be here..."
With that, she stepped down the stairs to the darkness of the tower entrance.