Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. All characters are J.K. Rowling's, and the song, Never Gone, belongs to the Backstreet Boys.

In My Heart Is Where You Are

If you saw at Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson together, there might be a few words that came to mind. Happy. Proud. Perfect. The only couple at Hogwarts that really turned heads.

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Draco and Pansy were almost total physical opposites. Draco was tall – nearly six feet, had slivery-blond hair, and had eyes of pure ice – The perfect picture of the Slytherin Prince. Pansy, on the other hand, had shockingly brown eyes, her hair black and straight – falling to mid-back, and was just barely five foot six.

The two were, in truth, the perfect match. Both cold, distant, and brought up in homes where no one could be their equals. They both loathed every house but their own, and took the most pleasure from torturing Gryffindors. Even in Slytherin, the two chose to only make a few, select friends, to simply gain everyone's respect. Everyone's fear.

And that they did. It wasn't until about half way through their second year that they realized that they were very much alike. They became closer, and eventually, became the other's closest, and most trusted friend. Each saw the other through everything – break-ups, parents… There was nothing they couldn't work through together. Finally, in the 4th year, they began to date.

There'd never be another couple like them…they all said. Perfect…they whispered. Everyone saw their relationship as perfect, and in reality, it should have been. The other was the only one that they saw as their equal. But they knew better than to even utter the word perfect.

Perfect… If only. There was no such thing as perfect anymore. Only confusion, denial, and hurt. Not in their lives. There never really was. There might never be.

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Draco sat in the Slytherin Common Room. He gazed out the window, even though the winter frost distorted his view. The rest of his house was buzzing around him, but he ignored them entirely. None of them mattered now. Only she did. And now, he may well have already lost her.

He ran his fingers through his silvery-blond hair and sat back more into the chair. He touched the black leather lightly, smiling slightly, in spite of himself. This was the chair in which he and Pansy had planned to leave a few Dungbombs in front of the entrances to the other houses. That was a good day. God, how he missed those times. How missed laughing. How he missed her.

She had seen all the things in him that were good. She was the fire to his ice, and she had kept him level. So many things that were good in him were because she found them.

The things we did, the things we said
Keep comin' back to me and make me smile again
You showed me how to face the truth
Everything that's good in me I owe to you

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Pansy sat in the library – the last place that anyone would think to look for her. Looking around the room, and among the shelves, she began to think about her relationship. It had been wonderful for a few months – Draco was always by her side when she needed him, and all the times that she thought she didn't, too. He had proven himself to be her rock and sanity through the beginning. Pansy laughed. "Now he's the cause of my insanity…" she whispered. She was stupid to think that it would last. So stupid.

It started with just a few small fights – every couple had them, and they weren't above that. Some yelling here, and some shoving there. Completely normal. But eventually, they became suspicious of each other. They began to fight constantly, nit picking at everything that the other did. But of course, no one ever knew. They both knew that they had an image to maintain, and they were not about to ruin it.

So they held their heads high, determined to make the whole school keep on believing that they were still the 'It' couple. They still held hands, and they still kissed each other – everything that they did when things were ok. But their hands were cold now, and the kisses were empty and emotionless. When they were alone, there were barely any words exchanged. That hurt her. So much. They were so distant from each other, so far away. But no matter what she felt, she couldn't hate him. He was still in her heart. She still loved him, and she knew that that was not going to ever change.

Though the distance that's between us
Now may seem to be too far
It will never separate us
Deep inside, I know you are

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Draco looked into the now-dying fire. The embers glowed brightly, rivalling the flames that once too their place. He was still thinking about Pansy. No matter what he did, his mind drifted back to her. There was nothing that wouldn't lead his thoughts back to her. She still held a place in his heart. The same heart that she had melted, and that had fallen in love with her. The heart that was now cold and lost all over again.

He had been with her for nearly 2 years, and at one point, they had been with each other every step of the way for everything. Now, there might as well be a thousand miles between them. They fought constantly, and the fights always ended in bitter words. Words that he didn't mean.

Flashing back, he remembered their last fight. It had been just outside of Herbology. He had told her that he didn't love her. Well, kinda anyways… He had said he hated her, but by the look in her eyes, it was just as crushing. He felt horrible for that, because he knew it was a lie. He still loved her more than she had ever realized.

Never gone, never far
In my heart is where you are
Always close, everyday
Every step along the way
Even though for now we've got to say goodbye
I know you will be forever in my life
Never gone

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Love. What a word. Pansy remembered how the teachers looked down on them, thinking they were too young to know what love was. Gods, they had been determined after that. They had been so determined to show them all that they did know what love was, and that love was what they were feeling for each other. It dawned on her then that that's what they had really had. They had been in love. Maybe that's what would save them…

Suddenly, Herbology flashed back to her. She saw everything as clearly as if it had happened just yesterday, instead of two weeks ago. The look on Draco's face, the tone of his voice when he told her he hated her, it was all there. Tears rolled down her cheeks at the thought. It wasn't true… she told herself. It couldn't be. In her heart, she knew that he didn't mean it. She knew he still loved her. But something else was telling her otherwise.

She shook her head in frustration and tried to think of something good. Of course, something involving Draco popped right into her head. It was only a few months earlier… The Golden Trio had been bad-mouthing her, and Draco got really upset. But something was different that time. He had simply taken her hand, and walked away with her. Not before flipping them off of course, but he still walked away. She remembered telling him that night how proud she was of him, and how that had taken a lot of grace and strength. That had been the first night that they had fallen asleep together on the couch, and it turned out not to be the last.

I walk alone these empty streets
There is not a second you're not here with me
The love you gave, the grace you've shown
Will always give me strength and be my cornerstone

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Pansy woke up in a cold sweat. She pushed her long, dark hair out of her eyes, and took a deep breath. "Stupid Draco…" she muttered to herself. He haunted her once sweet dreams. Now, she was lucky to have a full night's sleep. She wanted this to work out with Draco, she really did, but she just didn't see how it could or would.

Wiping a tear away, she pulled her night coat on, and headed downstairs. Maybe a quick trip to the kitchens would get her mind off things.

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Draco settled himself onto a stool in the kitchens, and waited for his glass of water. He had woken up on the chair, and decided he needed to clear his head. He and Pansy were both smart people, but they just couldn't seem to end the fighting and go back to what they had before. Draco wanted this to work out badly – Pansy was the last good thing in his life. His mother was a good person, and he loved her, but she herself seemed distant after his father had been imprisoned. He did not see how this would work out with Pansy, but something in him said that it had to. It just had to.

He was broken out of his musings by the arrival of another person into the kitchens. He turned around and saw that it was Pansy. Pansy froze on the spot, and looked at him, her face red and puffy, tears still falling freely. She knew this was it. Draco stood up and walked over to her. Looking up at him, Pansy felt his thumb gently brush against her cheek, wiping the tears away.

That was all it took. Draco swept down and held her tightly. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and held on tightly.

Never gone, never far
In my heart is where you are

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There were no words exchanged between the two that night. There was no need. They both knew that everything was going to work. They both knew that they were truly in love.

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A/N: Yay! Well I hope you all liked it. A far cry from my normal stories, but I'm feeling angsty today, so there! Please rate and review! I loff you all!