Don't Hold Back
By OracleVortex
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Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter…if I did, then I'd be stinkin' rich!!
This was supposed to be a Christmas fic, but it spiralled out of control and evolved into a full-out romance! This is my first (romance) so please be nice. Oh! Don't forget to review!! Thanx muchly!
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Prologue: A Common Interest
The wind blew lightly, rustling the grass and tousling his hair. Kicking off the ground in one smooth, practiced motion, Draco Malfoy began a lazy circle around the Quidditch pitch. It was very early in the morning, and the Slytherin Quidditch team wasn't due on the pitch in another half of a hour. In that time, at least, Draco would be able to let his worries drift away with the breeze.
His father had died during the summer, in what was publicly called a magical mishap. In the private contours of the Malfoy household, it was known to be a result of disappointing He-who-must-not-be-named. Draco's mother was slowly retreating into the depths of their house, drawing away from society and away from everyone and everything. Including her own son.
Draco sped up, now sending his Nimbus Two thousand and one into a series of controlled loops and patterns. Besides his family life, he also had to deal with the pressures of school. He was struggling to keep up in his classes, with exception of potions and charms; the two classes that he showed any skill in at all. To add to this, Harry Potter always managed to step in Draco's way and save the day or win a trophy. Gryffindor, for example, always won the house cup, now, because Harry always managed to save the school and earn the exact right amount of points to win.
Everything was just so infuriating.
Dipping his broom sharply, Draco fell into a steep dive. Waiting until he was mere millimetres away from the ground, he pulled up, managing not to smash his brains on the grass. He then came to a complete stop, swinging a leg off his broom at the same time. Maybe if he hurried, he could get breakfast and still come back for team practice.
A gust of wind drew his attention to the sky above him. There, flying around like he had been, only moments before, was a girl, dressed in muggle clothing. Draco watched as she went through a difficult flight pattern, swooping around the goal posts on either side of the field, and then performed a complicated set of spiral turns. She came to a complete stop in front of Draco, swinging one leg over the side of her broom. She sat in mid-air, the broom still hovering above the ground.
"Good morning." She said, a smile on her face.
Draco only stared at her, his heart beating fast. Her hair was a dark raven black, and her eyes brightly glimmered like strange amethysts. Lightly tanned skin disappeared under the collar of a sleeveless mandarin turtleneck, and slender legs were covered in cream Capri. Feet bore black water shoes that waved purposely at Draco, reminding him to respond to the girl. His eyes flickered upwards.
"How long have you been out here?" He heard himself asking. Who was this girl? He had never seen her around before.
She shrugged, tucking a strand of hair behind one ear. It was cut short in layers, in what muggles called a pixie cut. "I saw you in the air…you looked so much at ease that I couldn't help but join you." She paused, looking at him sideways. "My name is Gemini…what's yours?"
"Draco Malfoy." He responded. "Sorry that I didn't see you…I lose myself in the rush sometimes…" Horrified, he looked at his shoes. What was he saying? A Malfoy never—no…that was his father talking. Straightening, he looked the girl in the eye.
She was smiling again. Hopping down off of her broom, Gemini stood in front of him, keeping his gaze. Within arms length away, Draco saw that he was a full three inches taller than her; the top of her head came directly even with his nose. Nice height.
"Understandable." Gemini said softly. "It's amazing, being up there on your own…it's just you, your broom and the open sky. It's like being truly free, like no one can hold you down, and no one can stop you from flying away…its breathtaking."
Draco found himself nodding. "It's an escape—I wouldn't give it up for anything in the world…" He allowed himself to smile at her. Then he noticed something. On her right hand, the one that was holding her broom, she wore a woven band of red and gold threads. Normally, this would have meant nothing to the young man, but at Hogwarts… "Are you in Gryffindor?" He blurted.
Gemini cast a puzzled glance at him. "Yes…I'm a sixth year, why d—"
Draco interrupted. "I'm in Slytherin…sixth year," he said bluntly.
Her eyes widened at the piece of information. "Oh…I see..." She looked away. In Hogwarts there were four houses in which you could be sorted into. Gryffindor and Slytherin were two of them, and they were natural enemies. Typically, among the student body, you usually associated with your house, but had the freedom to hang around with other houses. Gryffindor and Slytherin, however, never mixed. Never.
Instinctively, they both took a casual half step backwards. There was a long, uncomfortable pause and they both looked at each other at the same time.
"I kind of hungry, so I'll head—"
"Team practice should be any minute now—"
They stopped. There was a hesitant laugh that wavered for a moment, but eventually faded away.
"Well…I'll go then…" Gemini said slowly, turning to walk away. "See you around…"
"Yeah…" Draco watched her leave. She brushed by the Slytherin Quidditch team as they came onto the field.
"Who was that?" Nicholas Markstone asked. He was a wiry fifth year, who was also the captain of the Quidditch team.
Draco shrugged. "Nobody…let's practice."
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How can Draco be so mean, you ask? Well, DUH, he's Draco Malfoy!! In the books (and the movie) he was so totally a nasty dude! It's a bit… well… sexy (Hee! Bad boys are so hot!!!), but it's too bad that he turns out to be…a bad guy! Oh well…I'm going to make him a bit more of a softy…but not mushy softy… so don't worry…he'll still be mean and stuff…
Heh…you should definitely stay tuned…
OracleVortex
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