Draco stood waiting next to the banister that led to the girl's dormitory, becoming a little anxious. He checked his watch; five minutes to six. He had dressed early, and wore a new set of black dress robes, his Head Boy badge glittering in the dim light. The common room had emptied out minutes ago; only Draco was left to wait for Beaux. As he turned away from the banister, he heard a door somewhere above him creak open slowly, and distinctly heard the sound of heels on the stone floor.
"Draco," he heard Beaux say quietly, and he turned. Who he saw before him looked nothing like the Beaux he had seen only hours before. Her hair had been pulled into small tight curls, pushed up onto her head and surrounded by small blue flowers that matched her dress. She wore makeup, though Draco hardly thought she needed it. She had put on a small silver chain, complete with a miniature uncoiling snake. But what amazed the blonde seventh year wasn't any of that; it was how perfect and beautiful the dress his mother had made for her looked. It fitted wonderfully, and when she descended the stairs, the small trail flowed behind her, moving silently. She laid her hand upon the banister, and Draco saw that she wore the Promise Ring, which winked at him when brought into light. Beaux laughed softly, and Draco realized that he had his mouth hanging wide open, and shut it quickly.
"You...er...look...ah...you're perfect," he told her, snaking his hand into hers. She felt warm, not icy like the last time he had touched her.
"Thank you, Draco. You look handsome," she told him, and he saw that small sparkles were glittering around her eyes.
"Shall we head down?" he asked her, gesturing towards the common room door.
"Sure, I would love to," Beaux said with a little smile, and they walked out, arm in arm, towards the Great Hall.
When they arrived, Draco held the door for Beaux, and she did a small curtsy, her dress flowing out beside her as she dipped and came back up. They walked into the Great Hall, and were amazed that only two tables were left, both brought into the middle of the room. A dozen Evergreen trees sparkled at every angle, and snow fell from the bewitched ceiling, evaporating inches from their heads. Pixies and faeries flew amongst them, and the school ghosts sang merrily, flowing in and out of the walls. Draco walked with Beaux to one of the tables, which was occupied by Professors Snape and McGonagall, two Hufflepuff first years, and Hagrid, the groundskeeper at Hogwarts. At the other table, Draco spotted Potter, Weasley, Granger, and another girl he didn't recognise, all of who were careful not to make eye contact with him; Headmaster Albus Dumbledore sat alongside Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher, and Madame Hooch, the flying instructor. Draco pulled out a seat for Beaux, and she sat gracefully into her chair. There was no food on the table, only shining golden plates and goblets. Dumbledore stood, and the already quiet chatter died down completely.
"I hope that you have all had a pleasant Christmas," he began, "and that only the best will be served to you tonight. As for entertainment, I have invited to the Christmas feast the Weird Sisters, whom all of the students who attended the Yule Ball three years ago may remember." And at this, three girls walked in, all extremely hairy, the color of their skin a deep sickly yellow. They carried what looked to Draco like guitars, and a few of the students applauded as they started to play a fast, upbeat tune.
"And now, let the feast begin!" Dumbledore cried happily, and at that, each empty plate filled with dinner; Beaux stared at all the turkey, chicken, fruits, vegetables, and desserts that had appeared before her. She didn't know where to begin. Draco looked at her, and asked, "Do you need help deciding?"
Beaux just laughed. "No, I just don't know where to begin!" She chose a little bit of everything, except dessert. Draco chose the same as her, but not before hearing a hearty laugh from the other table. He turned around; the unfamiliar girl who was sitting next to Potter was laughing through a mouthful of turkey, her shoulders shaking up and down. She had waist-length blonde hair pulled back into a long braid, and had light tan skin. She wore a dress that had no straps, and it was the deepest shade of purple. Harry caught Draco's eye, and sniggered, his jet-black hair a mess as usual. Draco turned back, curious at who that girl could be. Beaux seemed to be reading his mind.
"That's Kara Beaumont," she told him, dabbing the corners of her mouth lightly with her napkin. "She's in seventh year, I think, and is quite fond of Harry. At least, that's what Hermione told me a few days ago."
"Oh, yeah, I think I know who she is," Draco said, though not very certain he had ever even heard the name. The girl indeed had an interest in Potter, and he felt a twinge of jealousy, though he didn't know why. Perhaps it was because Potter had managed to get a date so quickly, that Draco had not succeeded in making his Christmas horrible.
After an hour or so, the Weird Sisters took a break, applauded once again by the students, and most of all Hagrid, who was booming, "Play summat more good music, eh? Yer extraordinary! Drinks all around!" Beaux looked at Draco, who had not touched his food, and was staring off into the distance.
"Draco? Why aren't you eating anything? You're very quiet, are you feeling okay?"
"What? Oh, I'm fine, Beaux, I was just thinking," he told her, looking at her and smiling.
"About what?" she asked him, setting down a fudge cake.
"Just...I don't know what to do after Hogwarts," he told her, though that wasn't what he was thinking about at all. He didn't like lying to Beaux; and he felt a twinge of guilt as she poured over him.
"Oh, Draco! You're excellent at flying; that win against Gryffindor was amazing, just the way you flew was so elegant! You should try for a career in Quidditch, I bet you would get on an international team in a heartbeat!" She smiled, and took his hand in hers, the ring cold on his hand. He jumped, and she pulled back.
"Are you sure that's all that's bothering you?" she asked him, caressing his hand with her fingers. Draco took in a deep breath; he would have to tell her the truth.
"I just...I'm jealous of Potter, sitting over there with his girl friend, after what happened today."
"Why are you jealous?" Beaux asked him, and this wasn't what he had expected. She knew he had been jealous, but she wanted to hear what he had to say.
"I don't really know why, I just am," he said, a bit more irritated then he felt, and Beaux looked away from him.
"I'm sorry I asked, it's none of my business," she said, resting her hands to herself on the table. "It's your life."
"No, I mean, I feel jealous, but..." Draco started, but at that moment, Kara walked up to their table, and he looked around, Beaux as well.
"Excuse me, but are you finished with this treacle pudding? We ran out," she told Beaux, and she looked at Draco, smiling a wide smile. He didn't smile back.
"Are you done with it, Draco?" Beaux asked him, and he noticed that she didn't look him in the eye.
"I'm done, yeah, I guess," he said carelessly, and pushed the pudding over to Kara, who hesitated.
"Wait, aren't you the famous little couple Draco and Beaux?" she asked them, kneeling down on the bench beside Beaux, who moved a little ways from her.
"I heard so much about you in Transfiguration."
"Er...yea, sure," Beaux said, pushing her plate away. Draco nodded in agreement, and Kara actually squealed.
"Aw! Really? You two make the best couple!" she said to them, getting up and almost knocking over a goblet of butterbeer.
"Thanks," Draco said, and moved closer to Beaux, who shivered as he put his arm around her waist.
"Well, have a good Christmas!" Kara said to them, taking the pudding and going to rejoin Potter, who put his arm around her shoulders. Now it was Draco's turn to be curious. Beaux was staring out the high window, the snow falling fast and hard. He pulled her closer to him, and he thought he noticed her hesitate for a moment.
"Are you mad at me, Beaux?" he asked her, and she shivered again. "I'm just...just a little cold, that's all," she told him, moving away from him a little bit.
"Here, take this," Draco told her, and he removed his cloak and put it over her shoulders.
"Thank you," she whispered, shivering again. He didn't know why he did it, but before Draco knew what was happening, the Weird Sisters were playing a slow, mellow tune, and he was taking Beaux's hand and walking toward the front of the stage, where a few couples were dancing. Beaux, who seemed to have expected this, put her hands around his shoulders, he put his hands around her waist, and they rotated slowly on the spot, Beaux smiling and seeming to forget about being jealous that Draco was eyeing Kara. They danced in silence for a while, and then Kara and Potter joined them, Potter looking rather pleased with himself. Draco, who had made a promise to Beaux not to make rude comments to Potter in front of her, looked away from him. However, he could feel Kara's eyes staring into him, and tried to revolve himself and Beaux away from her.
"You know what, Beaux?" Draco said after a while, and she looked up at him, because he had said it rather harshly.
"What?" she said, apparently surprised by his attitude.
"I love you," he told her, and her heart melted into a puddle, dripping onto the floor.
"Bet you didn't know that was what I was going to say, did you?" he asked her, as he saw her expression relieve into a smile.
"No, I didn't," she said to him, laughing. Draco pulled her closer to himself, kissed her twice on the lips. He didn't care about Potter anymore. All he cared about was Beaux as they danced; they danced even as the music stopped, even as everyone left for bed, even as Potter and Kara made their ways out of the Great Hall hand in hand. They simply rotated on the spot, embraced in each other's arms, Beaux's head resting on Draco's chest, his cloak still around her shoulders. It was a long time before they pulled away from each other. Beaux looked up at Draco, and he was surprised to see that her bright green eyes were twinkling with tears.
"What? What is it, Beaux?" he asked her, holding her out to look at her. Her makeup had been slightly smeared, and the glitter had gone from her face, but she still looked as lovely as ever to him.
"It's just that...Draco, you're my first true love, and..." She couldn't say it. It would sound so meaningless to Draco, so pointless. But, like that time she had done it before the Hogsmeade trip, he lifted her head up gently with his hand, and stared deeply into her eyes.
"Tell me," he whispered, putting a few flyaway hairs away from her face and behind her ears. Beaux took in a deep breath.
"Draco, I love you, and I just don't want anything to happen to that, I want to stay standing here forever, with you, like our love is frozen in time. I don't want you to be with anyone else, because I just won't be able to stand it. I know that you love me as much as you say, and I just want our love to be pure, sweet and simple. I don't want it to be full of obstacles. I just want to stay here forever," she said, and she couldn't help but cry. Her shoulders shook hard, and Draco could feel his eyes watering.
"Beaux, I feel the same exact way about you," he told her, and he realized that he was crying, as well. "Ever since you came here, I've been in love with you, and I don't ever want that to end. You may not be my first love, but you will always be the one I truly loved, and I hope that will always stay the same."
Beaux looked up at him, her eyes shining like large orbs. "Can we go back to the common room, Draco? I think it would be a better place to talk." She had a funny smile on her face, and Draco understood what she meant by 'talk.'
"Sure," he said to her, smiling, and they walked out of the Great Hall hand in hand, Beaux still covered by Draco's cloak.
"Are you sure this is what you want to do?" Beaux asked Draco, who had taken off the cloak and was lying on her dormitory bed. Her hair had come undone, resting in curls around her, and she was smiling at Draco, who had taken off his shirt. She had been surprised, though she didn't know why. Draco was muscular, his pale arms flexing and his chest looking more like it should be in a weight-lifting contest. He didn't seem it, but she knew he was quite strong. Maybe it was the Hogwarts robes that made him seem smaller.
"Yes, because you are the one I want to do this with," he told her, sitting down next to her. He stroked her hair, and she touched his arm softly. She shuddered, and he took her arms and looked at her.
"This is my first time," she told him, looking at him deeply.
"As is mine," he whispered into her ear. Without giving a notice, he took her arms, flung them around his neck, and kissed her, so passionately that she was utterly surprised. His chest was warm against her dress, and she smiled to herself. It truly was the best feeling in the world when you were doing it with someone you loved.
Her dress lay strewn over an empty chair, his shoes thrown onto the other side of the room. Draco lays next to Beaux in the single bed, the curtains pulled tightly around the outer sides. He didn't sleep, and couldn't help but wonder, as Beaux lay there sleeping, that that had been her first time.
"She looks so peaceful when she sleeps," he said to himself. "Like she hasn't a care in the world."
At this, Beaux's eyes fluttered open, and she turned in the bed onto her other side, the blankets brought up to her neck. She sighed, and smiled at him.
"'Morning," he said to her, kissing her on the cheek.
"'Morning," she said softly, readjusting the blankets.
"What do you want to do today? Go on the grounds? Maybe Dumbledore will let us go to Hogsmeade," he told her, but she touched his lips with her finger.
"I don't want to do anything right now but be with you," she told him, kissing his neck gently. He shuddered, and gathered up some of the blankets that had fallen to the floor.
"Shall we keep this secret, then?" he asked her, playing with her hair as she laid her head on his bare chest.
"I think that would be best, because we are only seventeen, you know," she told him, smiling mischievously and closing her eyes again.
"Alright," he told her, laying his head back on the pillow. His hair was messed, covering his face, but he didn't care; he'd just spent the night with the most wonderful girl he could ever meet.
She was lying on the floor, rigid as a board. She couldn't move a single muscle in her body. She tried to block out the screaming, tried to cover her eyes from the horrible sight that was shown before her. A tall, evil figure was standing above a man and a woman, both in their early 20s, hovering under the shadow of the man standing before them. The man was handsome, with dark hair fanned back and tousled. His eyes shone a bright green and full of fear. The woman had long brown hair, and a pale white complexion. Again the young girl tried to cry out, tried to do anything, but it was too late. The shadow figure whispered the deadly words, and no sooner did the screaming from the two people stop that a green flash of light seared through the two bodies, and then they were lifeless, not in any more pain. The figure turned towards the girl, not more than four or five, and walked slowly towards her. She opened her mouth again to scream, and this time, it worked. She screamed so loud, but the figure just kept moving towards her. Off in the distance, she could hear her name being called. "Beaux! Beaux! Beaux!"
"Beaux! Wake up! Wake up!"
She opened her eyes, and looked to her right. There was Draco, his eyes full of worry and concern.
"Wha...what happened?" she asked him, her voice trembling.
"You were screaming, so loud, and you were shaking, too,"he told her, bringing her closer to himself. He gasped; she was shaking violently, but she was as hot as fire. He looked down at her, then at the door, still hoping that no one had heard her.
"Tell me what happened, Beaux. What did you see?" he asked her, taking one of her hands and holding it to his chest. He had to calm her down; her breathing was in short breaths, and she wasn't looking directly at him.
"I...I can't tel...tell you Draco," she told him between breaths. She felt her face; it was covered in cold sweat.
"Yes you can, you can tell me anything," he told her quietly, sitting up a little bit.
"NO, I CAN'T!" she screamed at him, jumping up and bringing the blankets with her so quickly that Draco fell out of the bed. He scrambled up to get his pants, so that he wasn't entirely naked in front of Beaux.
"Why?" he asked her, his patience seeping away.
"Because, I just...I can't," Beaux said to him, and at this, she started to cry, and she fell slowly to the floor, the blankets falling around her. She covered her face with her hands, and heard Draco make his way over to her and kneel down in front of her. He took her hands away from her face, and she sniffed.
"Beaux, I love you more than anything, but if you can't trust me to not believe what you say..." he trailed off, looking at her with his deep grey eyes.
She looked at him; it was time to tell him the truth.
"Remem...remember when you said that I was perfect, Draco?" she told him, looking at his chest; she couldn't bring herself to look at his face.
"Yes, and you are perfect, don't tell me that you aren't," he said to her, taking her chin in his hands and bringing her face up to his.
"I'm not, though. I'm not perfect" Beaux told him, looking anywhere but his face. "Do you also remember that I told you about my parents, and how they died?"
"Of course," he said, with a bit uncertainty about where she was going with this.
"Well, I...I didn't tell you the whole truth. The real truth."
"What do you mean?" he asked her; he was becoming confused, and a little angry.
"Have you never heard my last name before?" she asked him.
"No, Chasity isn't that big of a name, Beaux," he said.
"I mean my real last name. My real last name is...Riddle," she whispered, and she looked down and turned away from Draco.
"Riddle? Where have I heard that? ..." Draco began, but she turned around and went down his throat.
"RIDDLE! RIDDLE, DRACO! TOM RIDDLE! THE DARK LORD! VOLDEMORT!" she screamed, panting. Draco moved back from he believe what he'd just heard?
"But how can that be, Beaux?" he asked her, puzzled and confused. Beaux, this sweet young beautiful woman he loved, related to the Dark Lord?
"Because..." she mumbled something Draco couldn't understand.
"What?"
She mumbled again, a little louder, and didn't look him in the eyes.
"Beaux, just say it!" he shouted, becoming agitated.
She looked up at him. "He was my uncle."
It took a moment for this to register in Draco's mind. But after he got over this, anger took over.
"Why didn't you tell me, Beaux? I thought I said I could trust you!" he shouted again, standing up and pounding over to the window. The anger he had unfortunately inherited from his father was raging out of him.
"I was scared!" she cried, standing up as well but remaining where she was.
"I didn't know what to do or who to tell! I was five years old, Draco! I didn't tell a single soul what I had seen! They questioned me over and over again, and I lied, because you want to know what The Dark Lord said to me? He said that if I ever spoke a word of what happened, of what I really saw, that he would cause me unspeakable pain! What would you have done? I asked Dumbledore if I could change my name because of it, and he understood! I did what I thought was best, and I told you, and you took it the wrong way!"
Draco heaved his shoulders up and down in a huge sigh. He drooped his head, not responding to Beaux. "Draco? Please, answer me!" she cried, walking a little towards him.
"Don't!" he shouted, and she stopped so abruptly it was as though a freezing charm had been placed on her. "Don't come near me, I..." he turned around, anger swelling up inside him like a large balloon. "You're his blood... You have evil in you! How could you keep this from me?"
She turned from him, unaware of the tears now streaming freely down her face.
"I'm sorry, Draco," she whispered, "but I'm nothing, nothing like my Uncle. He's dead now, and if you choose not to believe that I'm not like him, that's your opinion." She turned to face him again; the sheets draped around her like a dress. "But if you can't look me in the eyes and tell me that you don't see it, then maybe we weren't meant to be here together. Maybe last night was...was a mistake."
Draco walked towards her, looking right into her eyes. Her green eyes, now red and smeared with makeup, still shone the brightest green in the world. His heart, still full of hatred towards The Dark Lord, and how Beaux could be related to him, faltered for a moment.
"I... I don't know what to do right now, Beaux," he said, and it was the first time that he felt an empty pit in his stomach. "I need to think about this." She dropped her head down.
"I understand," she said softly, but Draco could see her tears falling to the floor and wetting the sheets. He looked at her for a moment more, and talked out of the room, not looking back as he closed the door with a loud click. She turned around, staring at the door, and collapsed, breaking down completely. She had to come to with reality; her love was gone, and all that was left was a bottomless pit of sadness.
It had been a week since everything had happened; fortunately, word hadn't gotten out that Draco and Beaux had broken up, and it seemed to be hitting harder on Draco than on Beaux. He sat outside the grounds of Hogwarts, watching the glittering surface of the blue lake shimmer in the sunlight. He put his knees up to his chest, and folded his hands around them. He knew that Beaux would never be like the Dark Lord, but to keep something like this from him, he would never understand... He felt so many emotions inside his head; anger, sadness, confusion, wonderment, and then anger again...he closed his eyes, trying to push the swirling thoughts out of his mind. It wasn't until he heard the soft flump of someone sitting down next to him on the grass that he opened his eyes again.
"Hey, Draco," Kara said, smiling at him with her deep blue eyes. He tried to force a smile, but it just wouldn't come, and he turned away from her, thinking it should be made illegal for someone to smile so much when it wasn't the right time.
"Er...are you okay?" she asked, moving a little closer to him. Draco didn't like this, and inched away from her.
"Kara, I don't really want to talk about it now, it's not a good time," he told her, staring out at the lake.
"Oh, I understand," she told him, twiddling her thumbs carelessly. "It's just that, well, Beaux has seemed upset all this past week, and I wanted to know if you...well, knew anything."
He turned on her, his face burning with anger. "Why don't you go ask her yourself?" he hissed, seethingly, his grey eyes wide.
Kara seemed totally oblivious to how he felt. "I already tried, but she won't tell me anything. She's a mess, Draco, haven't you seen her?"
Draco felt some of the anger inside him recede, and instead, fill with sadness and confusion. He hadn't seen Beaux all week, even the previous day, when classes had restarted after holiday break. He hadn't seen her at all in the Great Hall or common room: it was like she was never there to begin with. He shook his head, and stood up.
"I've got to go...class," he muttered to her, and he started to walk away, when she caught his attention.
"It's about you and her, isn't it?" she cried after him, and he stopped dead in his tracks, turning slowly to face her. He felt his anger coming again, and tried to control it, but it was too hard. He ran to Kara, and whispered deadly into her ear.
"If you utter so much as a word of this to anyone...well, let's just say I know more hexes than you do words," he told her, and turned away, leaving Kara to stand dumbfounded at what she had just heard. She watched after him, his blonde hair bright in the sunlight.
So that was it, she told herself, and as soon as she had seen Draco enter the doors to Hogwarts, she ran inside too, heading straight for the Library.
She found Beaux resting her head on top of Fantastic Career Advice by Madam Pinx, Witch of the Year, 1705. Kara gently shook her shoulder, and she jolted awake, crying out softly.
"Wha...what?" she said dimly, looking around. When she saw Kara, she let out a sigh of great relief.
"I thought you were...never mind, what are you doing here Kara? I thought I told you not to come anymore. It's too risky, he'll find me."
Kara felt pity for Beaux. Her usually beautiful long brown hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail, which hadn't been combed in days. Her face was smeared with makeup, and her eyes had lost their gorgeous sparkle. Her robes had become stained in places, and her attractive pale skin was covered with specks of dirt, her nails bitten to the cuticle.
"He hasn't a clue where you are, Beaux, don't worry," she told her, sitting down across the other side of the table. She smiled, trying to make Beaux feel better, but she just sighed.
"I know I shouldn't be here," she said after a while, and Kara looked up.
"What do you mean?" she asked her, pulling her chair in towards the table so that she wouldn't have to talk so loud.
"I mean, let's face it," Beaux said, standing up and tripping over a plate of forgotten food Kara had brought to her two days before. "Draco is not in love with me anymore. I should just move on. But why is it so difficult?" she cried, slamming her hand against the wall and making a few spiders fall out of their cobwebs.
Kara stood up and walked over to her, putting a soothing hand on her shoulder. "Beaux, I know for a fact that it's not the easiest thing to go through...breaking up with the one right person, I mean. But there will be more, and someday, you'll find that special one, the one who you can spend the rest of your life with."
Beaux turned around to look at her, her fists still on the wall. This was when Kara noticed the ring; even though her hands were dirty, Beaux's ring shone as bright as new. This sparked her interest.
"Where did you get that?" she asked her, pointing at the ring on her left hand.
Beaux quickly dropped her hands to her robe pockets, hiding the ring from view. "It's just some silly gift someone gave me a long time ago, it doesn't mean anything..."
"Oh, I think it does!" Kara said, and grabbed Beaux's arm, yanking out her hand so that she could see the ring again. She gasped as she realized what it was.
"This...is that...a promise ring?" she said breathily, taking Beaux's hand and moving it around, so that the ring sparkled at every angle.
Beaux tried to yank her hand away from Kara, but she held a tight grip. She was forced to nod her head slowly.
"Did Draco give it to you?"
She nodded again, tears welling up in her eyes.
Kara gasped again. "Why are you still wearing it? Didn't you just listen to yourself? Ger rid of it!"
Beaux looked up at her, tears streaming down her face. She couldn't tell her the real truth; even though she thought she didn't love him anymore, she couldn't bring herself to throw away the ring Draco had given her.
"I still love him, Kara," she whispered softly, sniffling and pulling her arm again away from her friend. Kara's eyes opened wider, and her mouth dropped.
"But he doesn't love you!" she told her firmly, and Beaux looked up at her, her mouth hanging open. "He can't stand you anymore! He told me so at the edge of the lake today. He's over you, there's no more love, and I think it would be best for both of you if you just...moved on."
"Why were you talking to him?" Beaux asked her quietly, her voice hoarse.
"Well, he's not yours anymore," Kara explained. "He DOES have his own free will to talk to whoever he wants. He likes me; he confessed it only a few short minutes ago. I'm so sorry, Beaux," she said, with a hint that she didn't feel sorry at all, "but I like him too."
"Kara!" she said, surprised at how her friend was behaving. "How could you do that to me? I still love him..."
"Not anymore!" Kara cried, and at this, she pulled out her wand from inside her robes, pointing it at Beaux's heart. "Recedus loveonius!" Three small streams of bright yellow light flew right at Beaux's heart, and she gasped, startled and scared at the same time. She couldn't scream; couldn't move. The light decreased, and in its place, a small red sparkle no larger than a tack came floating out of Beaux, and Kara turned her wand on herself, so that the sparkle went into her heart.
Beaux gasped, not knowing what to do. The love she felt for Draco was suddenly...gone. She looked at Kara, hate in her eyes. "What did you do to me?" she uttered deadly, trying to ball her hands into fists. But she didn't have enough strength to, and all they did was fold a little.
Kara laughed at this. She told her, "Why, I believe I just took your love for Draco, and transferred it...into me." She smiled, and sat down, staring at Beaux.
This was too much for Seventh year; not knowing where to do or where she was going to go, she ran out of the library, her face in her hands.
Kara sat alone, smiling. She knew that Beaux still loved Draco; it was such pity that Draco didn't love her back. Her plan to flirt with Harry Potter had caught Draco's attention, and she smiled even wider at this. She found Beaux's state quite amusing, because now, she could have Draco all to herself, without that little Miss Perfect interfering with them. She walked out of the library quietly, humming to herself.
Beaux rushed in to the Slytherin Common Room, moving blindly through the tears that covered her eyes. Thinking she was going up the right stairs, she headed to the girl's dormitory. It wasn't until she bumped into someone and heard a soft "Oof" from them that she realized she had ended up exactly where she didn't want to be. She wiped her eyes, stepped back, and gasped.
"Beaux!" Draco cried, his voice cracking. He was surprised to see her, and at the same time, he felt anger building up inside of him again. He looked at her, her face dirty, hair a mess, but stared only at her eyes, which, to Draco's amazement, had turned a dark brown. "What...what happened to you?" he asked her, trying to keep his voice down.
Beaux turned away from him, but she couldn't move anymore. She sat down on the cold stone floor, her head hanging low. She heard him sit next to her, and felt his eyes burning into her, but she just sat there, trying very intently to stare at the floor and wish it to open up, so she could just fall, never ending.
"Beaux," Draco whispered, moving closer to her. His anger was gone, and what was left in its place was; love, sadness, and so many upsetting emotions that he felt his eyes well with tears. He made to move some of the loose hairs out of her face, but she jumped at his touch, and closed her eyes. He pulled his hand back, but didn't take his gaze off of her. "Please," he said to her, "Beaux, please...I need to know the whole truth; is there anything else you want to tell me? Anything?"
She looked over at him, her eyes suddenly turning back to green. However, the glow Draco had seen only a week ago had faded. "I...I can't tell you, Draco. There's nothing else."
Draco realized something at this; his feelings for Beaux were growing steadily back, and even though she looked a fright, he thought she was the most beautiful human he had ever seen. He took her hand in his, and lifted her chin gently. Her lip trembled, but she didn't resist.
"I still...I think...I still love you, Beaux," he told her, and not giving her any time to answer, he kissed her softly on her lips, putting his hand behind her neck. But at this, she pulled away, staring at him oddly.
"I don't," she said, sounding pretty surprised at what she had said. "I don't love you anymore. Kara does. You love her too, so go and have a wonderful life together!" she gathered up enough strength to stand, and walked down the stairs quickly, leaving Draco to stare after her in amazement. Him? Love Kara Beaumont? He shook his head and stood up, about to go after Beaux, but let her go. Still, her couldn't let her go forever. He darted after her, his heart growing with love when he saw her.
He called out to her, but she just kept walking, her hair becoming undone from its ponytail and flowing out behind her. He sprinted up next to her, then in front of her, and she stopped, not looking at him.
"Please get out of my way, Draco," she whispered, staring hard her shoes.
"What's the matter, Beaux? You're acting very...odd," he explained, bending down so that he was in her line of vision. However, she seemed very determined not to look at the blonde seventh year, and turned around.
Draco stood back up. "I don't get it," he told Beaux's back. "I thought you still loved me enough..." but he never got the chance to finish. She turned on him, her long hair whipping him in his face gently.
"DRACO, I DON'T LOVE YOU ANYMORE! KARA DOES! SHE'S WAITING FOR YOU IN THE GREAT HALL!" Beaux screamed at him, and with a sharp turn, she ran for the girl's bathroom.
"Waiting for me in the Great Hall?" Draco muttered to himself, looking around as if the answer was right in front of him. He wanted to go after Beaux, but knew he had to leave her alone. He wasn't sure what was going on; it sounded like Kara had planned something. Whatever it was, he was going to find out. Walking, almost running, Draco turned the corridor and made his way toward the Great Hall.
Kara sat at the Gryffindor table, eating her turkey sandwich by herself. Since word had gotten out that she had used Harry, which hadn't taken a very long time, she had made enemies, from Slytherins to the very people she sat with in the common room every night. She was just finishing up her cherry punch when she saw a shadow hover above her, and looked up to see who it was. She smiled when she saw the sneering face of Draco Malfoy, his face bright pink and his fists shaking with anger.
Aw, he's so cute when he's mad, she thought to herself, twisting around in her seat to get a better look at the seventh year.
Can I help you Draco?"
"Actually," he said slowly, making sure she could hear him only in a whisper, "there is. Can you come outside with me?"
Her smile grew wider. "Sure," she told him, and gathered up her books for next class before following Malfoy out of the Great Hall and onto Hogwart's rolling green grounds. She gathered speed so that they were walking at the same pace, and looked over at him. He was staring straight forward, a vein going above his eye. She winced, and looked away. Seeing him this mad, she knew he must've known something had happened between her and Beaux. Draco led her underneath the shadows of a small tree near the edge of the lake. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her gently to the ground, her robes fluttering out beneath her.
Draco looked into her eyes, which were staring intently back at him; he looked away, because oddly enough he reminded her of Beaux. "What did you do to Beaux?" he asked her quietly, never taking his eyes off the mouldy bark of the tree.
"Nothing, why? Does she seem upset?" she asked him, inching her way closer to the boy in front of her.
"Upset doesn't begin to describe it, and I know you did something to her, because she mentioned you when I talked to her today," he told her, his voice cold.
"Me? Why would she mention..." Kara began, but Draco snapped his head up, looking directly into her eyes.
"DON'T TELL ME THAT YOU DIDN'T PUT A SPELL ON HER!" he yelled, so loudly that Kara sat straight up, her eyes wide with surprise.
"A spell? Draco, Beaux is my friend, why would I ever put a spell on her?" she said calmly, though her voice shook a little. "I know she hasn't been feeling too good lately, maybe she's imagining things."
Draco stood up, his tall figure looming over Kara's. "She's not 'imagining' anything, Kara. You did something to her, something that took her love away from her, away from me. Don't you understand? I'm in love with her, and I will always be in love with her."
"No," she said, standing up and coming within inches of Draco's face. "You won't."
"Don't be the one to tell me whom I will and won't love!" he told her, his hand gripping his wand inside his robes.
"Oh, come on, Draco!" she said, becoming agitated. "She doesn't love you anymore! Get it through your head! Haven't you felt the same feelings I've felt?" she told him, coming ever so closer to him.
"No, I can't say that I have," he told her, standing his ground and his hand gripping his wand more tightly.
"Well than maybe this will jolt your senses," she told him, and without hesitation, she pulled his collar towards her and kissed him, more passionately than she had ever kissed anyone. But before she could do what she really wanted to do to him, Kara felt a painful jab into her left side, and she screamed, backing away and looking at Draco. He had his wand pointed at her, his hand steady, and she opened up her robes, hoping the sight wouldn't be gruesome. She nearly fainted when she saw what he had done to her. Blue blisters had started to appear around her stomach, all the way up to her heart, multiplying by the hundreds. She looked back at Draco, an anger filling up her body.
"WHAT...DID...YOU...DO...TO...ME?" she screamed at him through gasps, because the pain was starting to make her nauseous.
"A simple lie spell," he smirked, stepping closer to her and wiping off his lips onto his other hand. "You really should pay more attention in Defence Against the Dark Arts."
Kara fell to the ground, grabbing her stomach in pain. She writhed, rolled around on the grass, and then stopped. Draco moved forward to her, and could hear a light panting. Pointing his wand directly at her chest again, he muttered, "locomotor mortis bodius," and instantly Kara's body gently floated upwards, and he took her and slumped her against the tree trunk. Her head lay on her slowly rising chest, and he cleared his throat before he began questioning her.
"What spell did you place on Beaux Riddle Chasity?"
In a monotone, Kara answered "A love reduction spell, 'Recedus loveonius.'"
"Why did you put the spell on her?" he asked, growing impatient each second; he didn't know where Beaux had gone, or what she may have done.
"Because I wanted you to have feelings for me, the way I have feelings for you," she answered, her head still lowered.
"What," he asked her angrily, "would ever give you the impression that I would love you over Beaux? Even with the charm, how would you get me to love you back, exactly?"
"I made a potion during Professor Snape's class, a love spell that I was going to slip into your drink at dinner without your noticing," she replied.
"What happened after you put the spell on Beaux?"
"She ran away, and I felt like I was floating on air, because now I have the love she had for you. She will never love you again like I love you, Draco Malfoy."
At this, she looked up, her eyes blank and staring.
Draco swallowed before he questioned her again. "How do I get her to love me again?"
"You can't make her love you against her own will, only with potion can you make that happen," she answered quietly.
"How do I get her to love me without doing that?"
"You have to show her how much you care for her, and if she doesn't return your love after that, then there is no point in trying; her mind will be made up forever after twelve o'clock midnight tonight."
"Why tonight?"
"Because that is when her day of birth is," Kara said, and Draco started to see a slight glint in her eyes, meaning the spell was starting to wear off. He didn't have much time.
"Where will she be?"
"Only you can know that answer; only you know where to find her and her equal other," she said, and her head drooped down; the spell had been completed.
He wondered what Kara had meant by 'equal other.'
"Am I too late?" he wondered to himself. "Has she already found somebody else?"
Knowing he did have much time left, he ran back to the castle, totally clueless to what Kara's last answer had been.
Beaux slumped down against a corridor wall in the dungeons, panting. She had practically run away from Draco, and she needed time to think. She sighed heavily, her breath visible in the air. She put her hand to her heart, and thought of Draco; nothing loving came to mind. All of the times they had been together; the first time they had talked; the trip to Hogsmeade; their first kiss; it only seemed like someone else's life. Which, Beaux reminded herself harshly, it already was. She pounded the floor angrily with her hands, and screamed aloud in a tidal wave of emotions. She was not prepared, however, for something to pound back. Something inside of her stomach kicked her painfully, and she gasped, forgetting for a moment where she was, or why she was there. Beaux looked down at her stomach, and felt it gently.
"What was that?" she thought to herself, examining her skin closely. Had that really just happened? Not waiting to think, she started to get up, but heard a voice call out her name.
"Beaux! Beaux! Are you down here? I need to talk to you, Beaux!" It was Draco; she got up quickly and turned to run down in the opposite direction, but she stopped. Running from him wouldn't make this situation any better; if not worse. She inhaled, and yelled hoarsely, "I'm here, Draco!" He came running to her from the end of the corridor, the light cast by the torch on the wall dancing across his sweaty face. She looked into his grey eyes, which were filled with concern.
"How did you know I was here?" she asked him uncertainly; her mind was still on the mysterious pounding that came from her stomach.
Draco swallowed before answering, his blonde hair sticking to his oval shaped face.
"I...don't...I don't know," he panted, clutching a stitch in his side.
"Something just told me that you were down here." He moved around to her side and sat down beside her, his face in his hands. Beaux drew in her knees, wrapping her arms around them. There was a pregnant pause where neither looked at each other. Then, at the same time, they started to babble off apologies.
"I'm sorry."
"I didn't mean what I said."
"I made a mistake."
"I don't know what I was thinking letting you go."
"I didn't know what Kara was doing!"
"Wait!" Draco shouted, and Beaux looked over at him, caught in the middle of a sentence. "What do you have to be sorry about? You're not the idiot who didn't give me a chance."
"Why are you looking for me?" Beaux asked him, completely ignoring his question. Then, as an afterthought, mumbled, "I bet Kara is looking for you."
"Actually," Draco said, a bit loud, "I figured out what she was doing to you. She stole the love you had for me and put it into herself, then proceeded to try and make me fall in love with her."
"Did it work?" she asked, looking into his eyes once again.
"Of course not!" he cried, taking her hand. He was startled to feel her icy skin beneath his; usually it was so warm. "I love you, Beaux, why can't you see that?"
"But, Draco," she told him, getting up and walking to the other side of the corridor, "you said it yourself. Kara stole my love for you. I can't love you again. It just doesn't work that way."
Draco stood up, but didn't walk over to Beaux. He didn't want to make her more uncomfortable than she probably already was.
"Beaux, listen. Can we please just talk? I...I made a mistake," he said, sounding defeated at admitting this. "I made the worst mistake of my life by letting you go."
When she didn't answer, Draco said (more to her back), "You don't have to forgive me. I don't know what came over me that day. But I didn't give you a chance to explain fully. I was shocked, angry, all the things I shouldn't have been with you. You didn't deserve that."
Beaux turned around to face him, her eyes teary. But Draco noticed something wrong. Her eyes, still green, had a dazed and far off look to them. "Draco?" she whispered hoarsely, and suddenly, and her body collapsed, falling against the wall with a thud.
"BEAUX!" Draco screamed, running to her side. He bent down and felt her wrist; she was dead cold. She still had a pulse, but it was so fast that he could barely count the beats between each. He checked her head and stomach to make sure there was no bleeding. But as he was checking her stomach, he noticed something odd. A rather large lump had formed in the centre, and when he pressed down on it, he felt, with amazement, a second lump. He took his hand away quickly, and looked at Beaux's face. It was sweaty and worn, her eyes closed in a painful manner.
"Bloody hell," he muttered to himself, and, lifting up Beaux in his arms, walked as fast as he could to the Hospital Wing.
"Will she be okay?"
"I'm not sure as of yet, Mr. Malfoy."
"Poppy, how long has she been unconscious?"
"Nearly two hours, but she should be waking any time soon."
"Can you do anything else to wake her?"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Malfoy, but we cannot take any risks without knowing what the outcome will be. It is far too early to know anything is one hundred percent."
Voices shook Beaux from the darkened place she had been. There were people speaking softly, their words mixing together, making it hard for her to make out exactly what they were saying. She opened her eyes weakly. It was dark; she had been out longer than it had felt. All she knew was that she was in the Hospital Wing, and three dark figures stood standing near the entrance. By the sound of their voices, Beaux guessed that they were Draco, Madame Pomfrey, and Dumbledore. As she tried to manoeuvre herself so that she would be able to correctly hear them, a stabbing pain shot into her stomach, and she screamed piercingly. The conversations stopped abruptly, and the next thing Beaux knew, Draco was at her side, along with Dumbledore and Madame Pomfrey.
"What's...happening to me?" she cried, barely able to speak under the pain.
"Dumbledore and Madame Pomfrey have been trying to decide that for the past few hours, but they didn't want to do anything until you awoke," Draco told her, brushing her untidy hair out of her sweaty face.
"Ms. Chasity..." Dumbledore started, but Beaux stopped him.
"It's all right, Professor," she explained. "He knows." She nodded towards Draco.
"Hmm, very well," he said, and cleared his throat to begin again.
"Ms...Riddle, Madame Pomfrey wishes to ask you a few, er, rather personal questions. Do you wish Mr. Malfoy and myself to leave the infirmary?"
"I'd rather have Draco stay, if that's alright," Beaux said hoarsely, her eyes watering with pain.
"As you wish," Dumbledore said, patting Beaux's hand softly before striding out of the room in his elegant night robes.
"Mr. Malfoy, you may want to take a seat," Madame Pomfrey said quietly, moving to Beaux's right side of the bed. Draco pulled out his wand from his robes and muttered "locomotor chairius," and a chair skidded across the room, stopping in front of the bed.
"Now then, my dear," Madame Pomfrey started, "how long have these pains been happening?"
"Er...they just started today," Beaux whispered, closing her eyes as a wave of nausea came to her. She breathed in deeply, and exhaled, the pain subsiding just barely.
"I see," she muttered, waving her wand at a clipboard that lay on a nearby table. "Have the pains been only happening in your stomach and lower abdomen?"
"Yes, and could I please have some water? I feel a bit sick," she told the Nurse, but it was Draco who sat her up and helped her drink down a few gulps of water.
"That's enough, we don't want to give her too much, Mr. Malfoy," she said sternly, but her eyes were filled with worry as Beaux looked back at her.
"Anything else, Madame..." she began, but another pain ripped through her stomach, and she screamed, sitting up straight and grabbing her stomach. Madame Pomfrey and Draco pulled her back down, going against her will.
"You have to be calm, Ms. Riddle!" Madame Pomfrey exclaimed over the young girl's shouts. "You'll wake the school!"
"Calm down, Beaux, I'm right here," Draco told her soothingly, taking her hand and squeezing it gently. But in turn, she squeezed right back, nearly crushing every bone in his hand. He winced, but did not let go.
"What's...the... Next...question?" Beaux asked the Nurse, panting and taking deep breaths.
"Right, um...have you engaged in any sexual intercourse during the past month?" she asked, and Draco and Beaux both looked up at her, then at each other.
"Yes...About three weeks ago," Beaux said, trying to relax. She knew what was coming before Madame Pomfrey even told her.
"Well, my dear, it looks like you're going to have a child," the Nurse said, and Draco looked back up at her, a look of confusion in his eyes.
"A what?" he whispered, and Beaux told him, "Draco, I'm...I'm pregnant."
Draco sat down again, dawning comprehension coming unto his face. "My God...I'm a...I'm going to be a father?"
Beaux nodded slowly, and Draco put his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking. It took a moment for her to realize that they were alone for the time being, so she sat up (with difficulty) and turned to face Draco.
"Draco, I'm sorry, I...if you want me to ask Madame Pomfrey to perform an Abortion Spell, then..."
"NO!" Draco shouted, and Beaux nearly fell off the bed as he stood and looked into her eyes. "'No' what?" she asked him weakly, her eyes filling with tears of pain.
"I mean no, I do not want an Abortion Spell," he told her, wiping his tears away. "I want to keep the child."
"You want to...to keep our child?" she repeated, tears of joy coming down her face and mixing with sweat.
"Yes, more than anything," he told her, kissing her forehead. "If that's what it takes to be with you, caring for our child and me giving up everything for you and them, I'll do it."
At this Beaux broke down entirely, sobbing into her hands. Draco leaned over hesitantly, not knowing whether she wanted him to hug her or not. He was still in shock at becoming a father; how could he be ready in time? He was on seventeen, barely an adult. How was he going to be able to support a family?
As he was reaching to touch Beaux, she let out a piercing scream, and her head flew back, covered in sweat.
"WHEN...WILL...IT...STOP?" she shrieked, grabbing the handlebars on each side of the bed.
Draco found himself feeling useless; he couldn't even comprehend what kind of pain she was in, so trying to comfort her wouldn't make the situation better. He just nodded his head and sat next to Beaux, taking her hand and stroking it. Her hair, her face, her entire body was drenched in cold sweat, and she bit her lip as another contraction stabbed at her stomach.
"Madame Pomfrey!" Draco shouted into the empty Hospital wing; he couldn't stand to see Beaux in such pain. "Madame Pomfrey, she needs your help!" The aged nurse came running from the back of the infirmary, her face flustered.
"Of course she needs my help, Mister Malfoy," she told him matter-of-factly, waving her wand at Beaux's bedside table. Instantly, an assortment of bottles and instruments appeared, some rather gruesome looking. "She's going into labour."
At this, Beaux looked up at Madame Pomfrey, her eyes chocolate brown as they had been the night Draco had ran into her.
"La...labour?" she asked the nurse, panting from the pain and strength it took to speak. "But, it's not possible, Draco and I only a month ago."
Madame Pomfrey sighed. "As I expected, you know nothing of a birth in our world."
"Is it different from a Muggle-birth?" Draco asked, looking paler than usual. He truly wanted to stay for the birth of his child, but he was also becoming nauseous at the thought. The nurse just waved her hand at him to quiet his questions.
"I will answer and explain everything to you in a moment," she told him, picking up a dark blue bottle in the shape of a large teardrop. "But right now I need to check on the child's health."
Draco stepped back as Madame Pomfrey drew close to the bed, and helped Beaux sit up, though with great difficulty, as she was in much pain.
"Now, I will need to see your stomach and lower abdomen, Miss Riddle, would you like Mister Malfoy to stay in the room?"
"Yes!" she said without hesitation, and looked up at him. "I mean," she told the nurse, "unless he wants to leave."
"I'll be fine," Draco said, though the voice that came out of him didn't quite sound like his own.
"All right," Madame Pomfrey said, sighing again as though she did this everyday. She lifted up Beaux's robes to her stomach, where the lump Draco had barely noticed before had now grown to the size of a large cantaloupe. The nurse, as Beaux and Draco watched (Beaux squinting her eyes shut in pain) took off the top of the tear-shaped bottle, and poured a thick liquid onto Beaux stomach. At once, the liquid started to steam, and Beaux shrieked out.
"It's FREEZING!" she shouted at the nurse, and Draco had to stifle a sigh of relief; he thought she had been burned.
"Well, would you rather have the cold or the foul tasting medicine, missy?" Pomfrey asked her, smiling when Beaux sighed and bit her lip to not shriek out.
Madame Pomfrey then started massaging her hands over the lump in Beaux's stomach, the steam from the medicine rising higher and higher.
"Ah, just as I suspected," the nurse mumbled, pressing rather painfully down Beaux bladder. "The baby is as healthy as a hippogriff and it just about ready to be born."
Draco gasped; he hadn't expected the birth of his unborn child to be so soon! As Madame Pomfrey was cleaning the liquid off of Beaux's stomach, he asked her yet again, "Are wizard pregnancies and births erm...speedier than Muggle ones?"
"By far, yes," Pomfrey said, not even bothering to look at him as she waved her wand again; the bottles and mixtures were vanished and in their place stood a cauldron, sitting perfectly balanced on its side.
"How much farther?" Beaux panted, biting down on her lip again as another contraction caused her severe pain.
"Well, when the child is first conceived, it's growing rate is about one hundred times faster than that of a Muggle Child," Pomfrey explained, filling the cauldron with a clear substance. "You and Mr. Malfoy conceived about three to four weeks ago. Therefore, the child is about nine months ahead of the average Muggle Child."
Draco looked back at Beaux's stomach; it amazed him so that a child was actually growing in there. Madame Pomfrey filled the cauldron to the brim and muttered a spell Draco could not comprehend. Instantaneously, the liquid turned jet black, and smelled highly of Vaseline and dragon breath.