Something I just had to get out of my system when I suddenly thought of the idea… One-shot, by the way… Hope you enjoy.

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JUST LIKE BEFORE

By Erythros

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He remembered his most favorite way of kissing her.

Gently placing his lips on top of her forehead when he held her close to him, enjoying her closeness, and doing it when she least expected it.

He loved seeing her cheeks fluster so much after he did so, and looking up at him with her intimate brown eyes. He just loved the feeling of her gazing up at his deep, gray eyes; she gave him a feeling no one was capable of giving to him…

That feeling of love and joy he only felt when she was around him.

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He recalled so clearly the very first time he wrapped his arms around her…

They were seventeen at the time, still young and carefree. He had sat at the edge of the Slytherin table one night, burying his head in his hands, trying to forget the feeling of emptiness and depression filling up inside him. No one was around anymore, since it was already after hours… but he hadn't cared. He needed the peace and silence that night.

And suddenly, someone had entered the Great Hall. He had looked up and there stood the Head Girl, looking stressed and surprised to see someone still present in the Hall. Her brown curls had billowed behind her as a soft breeze passed by.

Of course, he thought, Her nightly duties. How he had pitied her.

And an uninvited thought had come fluttering in his troubled mind. As she stood frozen by the entrance, this certain Slytherin thought of the Gryffindor Head Girl as beautiful. Light from the torches bounced on her brown hair and skin, enhancing her whole self's beauty. Why had he overlooked this before?

"What are you doing here?" she questioned, placing her hands impatiently on her hips.

He hadn't answered. Silence hung in the air for a moment, before he finally heard her sigh. He had thought that she would leave him in peace, but instead, she unexpectedly sat down beside him and said, "You look like you need to tell someone something. Care to get it over with so I can usher you out of here?"

And before he made up his mind, he found himself blurting out everything he felt… his woes, troubles, feelings… everything he tried to hide and keep a secret all his life. He had felt ashamed and stupid afterwards; he scolded himself for telling everything to a Gryffindor. And a Mudblood at that.

He just knew that she was going to laugh at him… he just knew that in a matter of milliseconds, this girl would tell him that he was so childish for making such little problems ruin his whole life.

But it hadn't come.

Instead, before he knew it, her arms were wrapped around him in a heartfelt embrace. He hadn't known how to react to this. "All you need is a hug… a warm hug," she had whispered quietly, keeping her hold on him intact, "Then you'll realize that those things are just nothing at all."

And finally he wrapped his arms around her as well and he whispered back, "Thank you."

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Now, he was reaching his seventies. His once blonde hair was already colored white, and his smooth skin was wrinkled. Though everything in his body aged, his eyes were still filled with the same twinkle they once had when he was an adolescent.

He sat on a bench in the park, surveying a young couple who was hand in hand and looking at each other lovingly. He sighed. I had my share of that, he thought, smiling to himself as he recalled his own love life.

He turned to his left and smiled gently. "Hermione?" he whispered softly.

An elderly woman his age stirred slowly and mumbled words he could not understand. Her light brown curls tied up in a loose bun were streaked with gray, and like he, she had wrinkles present in her once smooth face. She was still asleep with her head resting on his shoulder. He wrapped his left arm around her and smiled even more.

"You're going to do it again, aren't you, Draco?" she muttered, grinning slightly, her eyes still closed. He knew she was still sleeping; she was only talking in her sleep. Nevertheless…

"Would you mind?"

"Not at all."

And so he did.

He kissed her in his most favorite way of doing so.

Gently placing his lips on top of her forehead when he held her close to him, enjoying her closeness, and doing it when she least expected it….

Just like before.

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Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed… Thank you for having the patience and kindness of at least checking this fic out! I highly appreciate it!