CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN: DECISIONS
Saturday, 20th March 1999
After the celebration in the Slytherin Common Room, the Scoobies portkeyed back to Sunnydale, and Buffy knew there was only one more day before she too had to pack up her belongings and leave Hogwarts for good. She and Draco had been living in denial for the previous week, and had adamantly refused to even think about her departure. But now that it was upon them, they knew they needed to discuss it.
They retired to Buffy's room, wanting privacy, and knowing that her single room would be the best place for it. They both discarded their cloaks, leaving them in the cream pants and green and silver turtleneck sweaters of their Quidditch uniforms. They sat silently on the edge of Buffy's bed.
Draco sighed and reached across to grab hold of Buffy's hand.
"So…you leave tomorrow," he said.
"I know," Buffy whispered, close to tears. She refused to look up at him, knowing that if she looked at him, she would completely break down.
Draco swallowed hard. He didn't understand why fate had been so cruel to him. He had been given an amazing gift, and to have it yanked away from him was beyond cruel.
"Will I ever see you again?" he asked quietly.
Buffy had only ever heard him sound so vulnerable once before in her entire life. He'd been speaking about his older and now deceased brother, and it seemed that the only thing that could compare to that loss was Buffy's departure.
"You will," she promised him. "I mean…once you get your apparating license, you'll be able to come and visit me pretty easily."
Draco nodded thankfully. He made a mental note to go and get his license the moment he graduated from Hogwarts. The platinum blonde Slytherin boy breathed in deeply. He'd been taught from an early age that emotions made you weak, and he could understand why someone would think that. He'd never felt more vulnerable in his life as he did at that exact moment, and it was because he knew he needed to tell Buffy of the epiphany he'd had earlier that week.
"Buffy?" he began nervously. "If I tell you something…will you swear that you won't laugh?"
Buffy looked at her boyfriend to try and read his eyes, but he'd schooled himself to block his emotions. She nodded and Draco brought down his walls, his eyes softening. Draco brought his hand up to gently touch Buffy's cheek, shifting forward so that their foreheads touched softly.
"I love you," he whispered.
Buffy's breath caught in her throat and she could have sworn that her heart skipped a beat. A slow smile spread across her face and she ducked her head and tilted her chin, their lips touching softly.
"I love you too," she replied, knowing that it was completely true.
She'd thought that after loving Angel, she would never be able to love anyone else ever again. But, after meeting Draco and getting to know him and share in his life, she'd been proven wrong. He'd been there for her again and again, and she'd opened up to him as much as she could. She liked the way that they were equals, rather than him seeing her as someone to be coddled and protected.
She loved him, plain and simple. Seeing Angel and getting closure with him had been incredibly therapeutic for her. She'd been able to realise that that chapter of her life with Angel was complete and now she could completely devote herself to Draco. She just hated that her time with Draco was about to come to an end.
Draco swallowed hard, an unfamiliar tightness in his chest beginning to swell as tears gathered in his eyes.
"I don't want you to leave," he whispered.
"I don't want me to leave either," she replied.
"Promise you won't forget me."
She kissed him hard, and Draco brought his hand up to tangle in her hair, the kiss lasting for minutes on end, leaving the both of them breathless and starving for more. They pulled apart and looked at each other, both of them silently communicating their wants and needs to each other.
Buffy would be leaving in the morning, and by some unspoken agreement, they both knew what was about to happen. Buffy was leaving, but they wished to seal their love and devotion for one another.
Draco leant forward, and the kiss they shared was gentler, but with no less passion. Buffy sighed contentedly into the kiss, shifting herself to that she was seated in Draco's lap, straddling him.
"Is your door locked?" Draco whispered, his lips never leaving Buffy's.
The Slayer could barely think straight, but she cast her mind back to when they'd entered the room. She groaned, half in dismay, half in pleasure as Draco's lips moved to suckle at her neck. She reached for her wand and aimed it towards the door.
"Colloportus."
The door sealed itself closed and Buffy dropped her wand to the ground, thankful that Draco had had the sense to remember that they could have been interrupted at any time.
Draco's hands moved beneath Buffy's sweater and he slowly pulled it off her, before quickly divesting himself of his own sweater as well. Buffy's hands roamed Draco's chest, her lips pressing nipping kisses across his skin. Draco lifted Buffy and twisted them so that he was laying atop her, his fingers fumbling with the button and zipper of her pants.
The Slayer impatiently helped Draco to remove the rest of the Quidditch uniforms, leaving both of them only in their underwear. With shaking hands, Draco pulled the straps of Buffy's bra down her arms, his finger tips skimming Buffy's skin making her shiver in anticipation. He smiled at her nervously, his breath catching in his throat as he took in the sight of her slim and tanned body.
"God you're beautiful," he breathed quietly.
Buffy just smiled and helped Draco to discard his black silken boxer shorts as she divested herself of her panties, their hands exploring each other, learning the curves, bumps and scars that made up their lovers skin as they kissed deeply.
They pulled back endless moments later, their eyes meeting. They smiled at each other and hesitated a moment, their eyes seeking confirmation from the other. They smiled simultaneously and finally stopped talking.
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Sunday, 21st March 1999
(Told you I can't write it. Half-hearted attempt. My apologies at how badly I suck.)
Buffy and Draco were awoken by a frantic knocking on the door. Buffy groaned, her eyes still closed, not wanting to register the sound behind the door. Draco sighed and pulled Buffy closer to him, his legs tucked behind hers, the two of them spooning together.
"Aren't you glad we locked that door?" Draco whispered, chuckling a little.
Buffy laughed and nodded, stretching against Draco luxuriously. Draco's breath caught in his throat and he pulled Buffy even closer.
"C'mon Buffy! Open the door!" Blaise yelled from the Slytherin corridor. "I know you're in there!"
Buffy sighed. "This wasn't quite how I'd imagined this morning to go."
"Me neither," Draco replied.
The knocking didn't cease and Buffy knew that Blaise was going to be persistant about it. She sighed and reluctantly pulled away from Draco, slipping out from beneath the covers. Draco stared at her naked body appreciatively, sighing in disappointment as Buffy pulled on a pair of jeans and shirt and made her way over to the door. Draco pulled the sheet up to cover his lower body, not particularly wanting Blaise to see him in all of his glory.
Buffy opened the door, and Blaise barged in before coming to a complete halt as she saw Draco lounging in Buffy's bed. Blaise turned to look at the Slayer, who'd suddenly gone an interesting shade of red. Blaise just laughed, shaking her head.
"Good for you two," she said, genuinely happy for the couple. She turned away from Draco and looked to her best friend. "I want details later."
Buffy rolled her eyes but nodded, ignoring Draco's protesting outburst.
"Are you coming down for breakfast?" Blaise asked.
Buffy nodded. "Just give us a few minutes to get ready. We'll be down there."
Blaise nodded, snuck one last look at Draco's naked chest and left the room.
Buffy turned back to the bed and walked over, ripping the covers away from Draco.
"Hey!" he complained loudly.
Buffy just smiled, and let out a surprised yelp when Draco grabbed her by the waist and pulled her onto the bed. They kissed again, both of them lost in the feelings of it, the kiss slowing down until they remained within a half-inch of each other.
"Your last Hogwarts breakfast," Draco mused.
Buffy sighed and nodded. "Yeah. And then I go home."
Draco sighed and tried to quell the blooming sadness that was gathering in the pit of his stomach. He felt as though he wanted to throw up the contents of his stomach, and he knew that he would be hard pressed to make it through the day without completely breaking down in tears.
They lingered on the bed in each others embrace for a moment longer before finally letting go of each other and dressing for breakfast. Draco made a quick detour to his own room to get new clothes, knowing that it would be too obvious to go down to breakfast in his Quidditch robes from the day before.
They made their way down to the Great Hall and stole a quick kiss before entering the huge double doors that led into the room where Buffy and Draco had first met.
The entire student body and most of the Professors stood upon the entrance of the Slytherin duo, applause, wolf-whistles and catcalls echoing throughout the hall. The couple looked at each other in confusion. It wasn't until they spotted the huge sign at the Slytherin table that they realised what the cheering was for.
The sign read: "Goodbye Buffy. We'll miss you."
Buffy smiled and felt tears well in her eyes. She looked up to where Professor Dumbledore was seated. He raised his goblet and nodded at her, silently toasting her. He winked at her, silently thanking her for uniting the houses together in one common cause. It would still take years before the four houses would ever be united completely, but they seemed to be well on their way towards finally letting old grudges rest.
Buffy took a seat between Draco and Blaise and the cheering died down. Professor Dumbledore stood and again raised his goblet.
"I have no doubt that you are all aware of Buffy Summers imminent departure this very afternoon," Dumbledore began. "So, as an entire school and as one family, let us raise our glasses in a toast to Miss Summers. We wish you a fond farewell and the best of luck when you return back home. Here's to Buffy."
Buffy's tears fell as hundreds of glass goblets clinked together and the toast was repeated. Draco squeezed her hand beneath the table and brought his hand up to Buffy's cheek to gently dab her tears away.
"I think they like you," Draco whispered, forcing a smile to his face, trying to keep his own tears from falling.
Buffy half-laughed, half-sobbed and nodded.
"You won't forget us will you?" Blaise asked.
Buffy just grinned and shook her head. "As if I ever could?"
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As always, my thanks to John for letting me know where my downfalls are! *lol* ;) This chapter may have seriously sucked without ur input. And my extreme thanks to everyone for your reviews and all that sorta stuff. Seriously blown away by yaz all. Three chapters to go! Huzzah.
Toodles.
K.
Shameless plug: Check out the next part of the Murderer's Daughter/Witch's Family series, 'A Wizard's Slayer'. (Oh please, like shame is something to be proud of.')
K.