I Always Knew

They catch me again tonight.

I almost make it to the portrait door, one hand firmly wrapped around

the handle, when Seamus grabs the neck of my cloak and drags me back

into the common room. It takes a while for me to come up with some

excuse, while they jam card games at me from all sides.

Winning the match today certainly isn't working to my advantage; I know

that Malfoy's already ticked about it. I guess snatching the snitch

from right under his nose can do that to anyone, even him.

I can feel Hermione's eyes on me from over top of her book (Hogwarts, A

History, she's reading it for the fortieth time). I'm beginning to

imagine that she suspects something. I always find her staring at me

with a wondering and often suspicious look in her eyes, especially when

I daydream in class, my own eyes trained on a particular seat in the

classroom.

So I sit here still, with my shrunken invisibility cloak pulsing a hole

in my back pocket, while my housemates cram chocolate frogs into their

mouths and howl about the expression on Snape's face when I caught the

snitch from his star pupil's easy grasp.

I finally manage to beg off Remedial Potions and the entire time I keep

thinking

'Draco's going to get tired of waiting...he'll leave and I'll never get

the courage to tell him after tonight.'

An hour later, which I can tell by the chime of the clock in front of

the Great Hall, I make my way, rushing under the cloak, my Marauder's

Map held firmly in front of me. On the map, the dots Argus Filch and

Mrs Norris stroll through the Slytherin dungeons while Snape stalks the

third floor near Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

Before I clear the parchment, I notice that Professor Dumbledore and

Madam Pomfrey are in the infirmary, the dots suspiciously close to each

other. I wiggle my eyebrows at this, amused, then tuck the worn paper

into my back pocket, next to my wand. Stopping at the door that leads

into the open Astronomy Tower, I carefully slide the door open a

sliver.

I can see Draco, curled into one of the windows, his long legs and arms

folded into parallel lines.

He waited for me.

It's decided, then. If he cares enough to stay then I'm going to tell

him everything, regardless of his reactions. But for now, I'm going to

play with him a little.

Nudging the door open with the toe of my shoe, I pad my way over to the

Slytherin, who hasn't moved an inch since I stepped into the room. The

closer I get, I can hear him mumbling to himself.

Cute.

Before I can nose any farther to satisfy my curiosity, he jerks

suddenly. Two silver quick-fire eyes stare straight into me. He reaches

one pale piano hand and I quickly shift a step back. Being the prat he

is, he brushes the cloak with his fingertips before I can move away

fast enough. The look on his face as he pulls the cloak off me is

hilarious and I repress a chuckle. I can feel this huge grin stretching

my lips and it annoys him to no end. "You always catch me Malfoy."

My voice sounds so rough, bouncing against the stones and wooden

panels. He looks so adorable with that childlike gleam of fury on his

face. The moonlight makes his pale skin and hair glow with an ethereal

light that I find so mysterious and intriguing. I can't keep myself

away from him, even when I know that eventually, this will all fall

apart.

I lean over him, keeping the Slytherin pressed firmly against the wall,

pinned beneath my body. My lips are seconds away from his, as I search

his eyes with mine. I can feel him shivering against me. I smirk,

imitating his classic smile.

"Miss me?"

Draco growls deep in his throat; I can feel the heat from our bodies

permeating the air around us. I know he won't admit anything to me but

I hope... I'm not going to hope for anything.

"Why would I miss you Potter?" the blond spits at me, his eyes glowing

like a cat.

I rile the snake... interesting. Something burns in my chest but I

ignore it. I know that I can't tell him quite yet. I might realize what

this intensity is between us but Malfoy, Draco, bottles away most of

his emotions.

"No, I guess not." I whisper.

Damn, I sound so forlorn. Forget it, we're together, Right here, right

now. To hell with everyone else and their feelings. I wrap my arms

around his waist and pull him against me.

'If I can't tell him, I'm going to show him.'

I awake later on to see his blurred figure above me. He hovers around

me, a vial pressed to my lips. Before I can yank him off or knock it

away, the liquid drips down my throat. A familiar pain begins to rattle

my body and I soon realize that Draco has forced the Polyjuice potion

on me. I try to stop him, to hold him down and knock some sense in him

when his wand is pressed into my chest.

"Stupefy!"

As I sense the curse surrounding me, I notice exactly whose essence

he's used in the potion. My hands are lengthening and my skin bleaching

out. My vision is suddenly sharp and in focus.

I can see his expression, a mixture of regret and pain. Tears burn the

back of my throat-I want to cry. I can feel my eyes brim as the

blackness takes its toll.

Moaning, I come back to consciousness in the school infirmary. A loud

commotion carries on in the outer hallways and the noise chills me to

the marrow. Death Eaters have come to Hogwarts.

'Where is Draco?'

The anger I felt before dissolves into worry.

'What has he done?'

Stumbling out of the bed, I frantically reach into my backpocket.

Sighing with relief, I remove the map and wand I find there. Tapping

the parchment I chant, my voice wobbling carelessly.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

The map blinks warily and rushes into focus. Quickly glancing through

the abundance of dots, I locate the one labeled 'Draco Malfoy'. I start

to shake uncontrollably. Fixed next to his dot is one clearly labeled

as Tom Riddle.

"Mischief managed." I choke, clearing the paper.

As I leave the room, I snatch up his Slytherin robe from the bed and

wrap it around me. For a moment, I'm distracted by a lump in the inner

pocket, but then something hits me that makes my hair stand on end.

'Please tell me you didn't do what I think you did Draco... Merlin,

No!'

I round the corner and the sight before me causes me to gasp. I watch

as Voldemort raises his left hand and brings it down, imbedding a

dagger in my chest.

My chest, because Draco's taken the polyjuice too. He's impersonating

me, knowing that they would come.

"HARRY!" I hear Hermione scream.

My hands begin to shake as I watch myself fall to his knees.

Voldemort's laughter pierces my ears...

He's taken them all. My mother, my father, Sirius and now Draco.

Without thinking, I raise my wand level to his head, the pain

threatening to explode. I don't know how I've gotten this close in so

short a time. I can see the glimmer of hate in his cat eyes.

"Avada Kedavra!" I shriek, the wand vibrating in my hands.

Coldly and without any emotion, I watch as Riddle drops to the ground.

Hermione and Ron stare at me, twin looks of astonishment written in

their eyes and expressions. I ignore them; all I can see is Draco,

cloaked in my body, lying in a pool of blood. I move to his side,

embracing the boy into my lap. Tears drift down my face until they hit

his, marking across the scar that started everything, even us.

Hermione and Ron pull desperately at my arms, trying to take him away

from me.

"No, go away. PLEASE." I murmur harshly.

Ron looks at me strangely and then gasps. The body before me shimmers

and then flashes back and for a moment I have the strange image of me

with blond hair and silver eyes. Draco stirs restlessly.

'We're back the way we're suppose to be.'

Sobs begin to rack my body.

'It wasn't suppose to be like this.'

'He didn't have to... for me.'

'I didn't tell him yet. He can't go until I tell him.'

He's reaching his hand to me. His white, slender hands... flecked with

blood. His blood. Oh Merlin... he can't see me and I'm right here in

front of him. I snatch his hand up between my own while brushing my

lips lightly against it.

"I... love... "

He's trying so hard to tell me. I clutch him to me.

"I know Draco... I've always known." I sob.

His body trembles for a moment and then, suddenly, he's still. No.

Someone comes and takes him away, wrenching him from my grasp. He slips

through my fingers so easily as Ron and Hermione pull me away.

Professor Dumbledore is there now, soothing tones and such.

I can't hear him very well, everything seems so subdued now. All the

colors have faded away with him. I just want to drift. So they lay me

down on one of the infirmary beds ,the same one as before, and leaving

me alone, go out into the hallway. After everyone has stepped out, I reach into the inner pocket of his robe and slip out the lump I find there. Smiling softly, I hold the green vial tightly in my fingertips.

See Draco?

I can be just as cunning and sly. Slipping this from your cloak before

anyone noticed. And now no one, not even death, can take you away.

I told you the Sorting hat wanted me in Slytherin.