Chapter 6-
Lilly felt a dark cloud of foreboding descend upon her as her boyfriend stood and crossed the room to her. He smiled and pulled her up into his arms, attempting to kiss her on the lips.
Lilly pulled away.
He stared at her; was she still mad at him? "Lilly-" he began.
"Harry," she interrupted. "I…I think…" he smiled warmly at her. "I think we should break up," she blurted out.
He froze. His smile became cold and forced. "Is this a joke?"
"No," she murmured, tears springing to her eyes.
"But- but it was all working out so well," he stammered.
"No Harry. It wasn't you- you want to think it is, so we can keep on living this dream. And it is a dream, isn't it? Harry Potter, the boy who lived dating-"
"The most beautiful girl at Hogwarts," he finished hollowly. "I still don't see anything wrong with the dream, Lilly."
"Let me talk. We… we fight too much, Harry, you know we do. And you're so protective of me, until I want some protection and then you're off saving the world or in the usual case, getting bored with me and hanging with Ron and Hermione. You're either with me twenty four seven, stifling me, or not there at all! Harry, I know it's partly my fault but as much as I hate to say this, I don't like the person you are when you're dating me."
Harry shook his head. "It's not just that, Lilly. You loved me these holidays, didn't you? You couldn't have after all… love doesn't change her mind."
"I did… I do," she whispered miserably. "Just not in that way anymore."
"Well I'll- I'll make you!" He grabbed her by the arms and pulled her up to him. He forced his lips against hers, pushing his tongue against her mouth, demanding access. Lilly felt a cry rise within her and she pushed him away.
He had tears in his eyes, and she realised that for all Draco's words, Harry Potter did love her, or at least thought he did. He crumpled to the ground. "I'm sorry Lilly, I'm so sorry," he whispered again and again.
She began to cry too. "Oh Harry, I love you so much, but you're just a brother to me. I… I thought I loved you in the way you love me, but I was just touched and honored that you… felt this way for me. I felt that… that I had to, seeing as this was all I craved for over my first years here."
Harry smiled weakly, blinking back the tears and stood up. Lilly wrapped her arms around him, in the hug that she would have given to Ron, and Harry hugged her back trembling.
"So that's it then," he whispered.
"Yes Harry. That's it."
He smiled again, and began to go up the stairs, and Lilly sat down wearily in a chair and waited. After two minutes had passed, she began to count softly under her breath. "Five… four… three…. two….one…."
"Lilly!" came the enraged voice of Ronald Weasley who was leaping down the stairs two at a time.
"Hello Ron," she said quietly.
"YOU BROKE UP WITH HARRY? WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING, YOU FOOL? HE'S EVERYTHING YOU'VE EVER DREAMED OF AND YOU'RE BREAKING UP WITH HIM?"
"Ron, please don't talk to me like that," Lilly began softly.
"WHAT POSESSED YOU, WOMAN? YOU'VE HAD A CRUSH ON HIM FOR YEARS AND WHEN YOU'RE ACTUALLY GOING OUT WITH HIM YOU FEEL THE NEED TO BREAK UP? WAS HE GETTING TOO BORING FOR YOU OR SOMETHING?"
"No, of course not I just-"
"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU 'JUST' DID OR THOUGHT OR FELT. GO UP THERE AND APOLOGISE TO HIM NOW, MAKE HIM TAKE YOU BACK."
"No Ron. I made the right decision. I have to stick by it now."
"SO IT'S YOUR PRIDE THEN? YOUR PRIDE WHICH MAKES YOU REFUSE TO MAKE IT RIGHT WITH HIM?"
"No Ron, it's more than that-"
"SO THERE IS THAT THEN. YOU ADMIT IT, YOU BLOODY WHOR-"
"I will not have you speak to me like that Ronald!" Lilly shrieked, losing her temper. "It's my decision, I made it for all the right reasons and I'm sticking with it!"
"WHAT ARE THE RIGHT REASONS?" Ron bellowed back.
"I- I don't love him, I'm in love with- with somebody else."
Ron turned red, then purple. "What?" he said incredulously.
"Don't worry about it," Lilly muttered. "I'm going to bed. Thanks for making my evening such a pleasant one."
"Wait Lilly, I didn't mean to yell, I'm just confused. Did you say you're in love with someone else?"
"Yes."
"And are you?"
Lilly sighed. "No of course not, I just said it to make you stop yelling," the lie tripped smoothly off her tongue. "I broke up with Harry for different reasons- ones I'm not telling you. It's between me and Harry."
"Oh, right. Okay then. Hey, where were you this evening?"
"Lessons with Snape. Dumbledore's making me take extra ones. Goodnight, Ron."
"EXTRA LESSONS WITH SNAPE? WHAT THE HELL IS THAT FOR YOU-"
But Lilly had already left.
She did not stay in the Girls Dorm. She grabbed her broom from there, an old comet two sixty and flew out of the window, ignoring the annoyed mutters of some of the girls when cold air rushed into the dormitory. Her eyes glistened with tears, and her heart pounded hard against her chest. She flew directly to the astronomy tower, where she could just make out silver hair glistening in the moonlight. Swooping around in a circle, she flew through the window narrowly missing Draco Malfoy.
"I thought I told you to go," he said sharply.
"You did. I didn't listen," she smiled sweetly at him and he snorted contemptuously. "Now, now Malfoy, if the wind changes and you're still making that face it will be stuck forever!"
He sneered at her. "God you're naïve," he spat.
"No, Draco," she said gently. "I just see the glass as halfway, instead of your bullshit about it being half empty."
"So you're one of those ridiculous optimists then."
"No." She sighed. "I'm one of those ridiculous people who don't give a crap whether the glass is half full or half empty, because it's still water."
He didn't reply. His gaze was fixed on a star outside; he was staring at it as if his life depended upon it.
"Draco."
"Mmmn?"
She had a feeling he wasn't listening. "I'm growing a beard out of green spinach." No reaction. "I accidentally put my heart on the stove and now it's melting." Nothing. "I broke up with Harry."
He spun around as well as one could do on a windowsill, albeit a wide one. "What?"
"Got your attention now, have I? Listen to me, you fool of a boy. We need to get along for this whole defeating evil thing to work. You don't like me, I don't like you-" Liar, liar, pants on fire. "But can we please just try and be civil?"
"Did you say that you broke up with Potter?" he asked impatiently.
"Why do you care, Malfoy?" she said carefully.
His eyes met hers, and held them. She saw strange emotions there, ones that she couldn't quite define, but still feelings she had never thought she would see in Draco Malfoy's eyes. She felt something surge in her heart, and her eyelashes fluttered with the sudden excitement that was consuming her.
He looked away. "I don't." Disappointment seemed to flood her body, and he saw her face was flushed and sad. He knew she had been waiting for something, some gesture from him… but he was a Slytherin, and she was a Gryffindor.
There was an awkward silence. Finally, he spoke. "Lilly, it's late. We should be going back to the common rooms."
Lilly shuddered. "I can't."
He was confused. "Why not?"
"I told you, I broke up with Harry. I can't go back there; he's their hero and all the girls will have found out by now. I really am not in the mood for being attacked."
"Where will you go then?"
"I don't know. Guess I'll camp out here."
"It's winter. It's freezing!"
"I don't care."
Draco surveyed her thoughtfully. "You could try the room of requirement."
"What d'you mean?"
"If you wanted a place to stay overnight, I'm sure it would provide it for you."
"Hey, that's not a bad idea. Thanks Malfoy," she grinned, eyes alight with the idea of sleeping somewhere knew. "What time is it?"
As if in answer to her question, the castle clock boomed half past two. Lilly groaned. "I'm going to be a wreck for class tomorrow," she muttered.
"Why not wag?" Draco said suddenly.
"How can we? We're at a boarding school, remember?"
"Yeah, but just send an owl to Potter and the Weasel- I refuse to call him anything else, Lilly- saying you don't feel well."
"What about the Hospital Wing? I could go there and get fixed up in a second."
"Say that you can't be bothered dragging yourself to get fixed up and that you're loathe to miss a chance for a day off school."
Lilly nodded thoughtfully. "I'll probably be bored, but."
"I'll wag too, and come and hang out with you."
Lilly giggled. "I never thought I'd see the day where I'd be 'hanging out' with Draco Malfoy."
His cheeks tinged with pink. "Well, we could just practice spells and such, that's what I meant."
She smiled. "That'd be cool. What time should I expect you?"
Draco smirked. "Well it is a day off, so I on my part shan't be getting up until eleven."
"Hear, hear," Lilly laughed. "So I'll see you around quarter to twelve then?"
"That would be fine. Goodnight Lilly."
"Night Draco."
She left the astronomy tower and made her way to the room of requirement, sudden tiredness overwhelming her. Reaching the corridor she walked up and down it three times with only one thought in her head: A place for tonight and tomorrow, whatever they may bring. On her third walk back, the door appeared and gratefully she opened it and stepped inside.
It was a warm, cozy room with the same windowsill and drapes and a large bed with a thick quilt, soft pillows and soft mattress. Folded neatly on one of the pillows was a pair of pajamas: a cotton red tank-top with black pants were simple, yet warm despite her bare arms and Lilly, not bothering to notice the rest of the room, climbed into bed, pulled the covers over her head and fell straight asleep.