Chapter Eighteen
Come on. You'll Be Suprised
"Cailee! There you are!" Cailee spun around as she heard the all-to-familiar voice. Her heart skipped a beat.
"Draco?" she asked, looking around, since she couldn't see him as crowded as it was.
"Yep. It's me," he said, grinning, showing off the smileCailee had fallen in love with. He looked stunning, wearing robes of deep, emerald green, and his hair the way Cailee liked it.
"I've been looking for you," she said, as he came up to her and she hugged him.
"Same here. You're good at hiding," he said, laughing.
"Nah. Even Hagrid could hide behind that large tree in the middle where we were sitting." She saw his jaw tighten, but he didn't say anything, just smiled.
It was awkward for a moment, and then a slow song came on. He pulled her close, and she found herself remembering the Halloween party. She visibly shook, while trying to mentally shake the other thoughts that had come to mind. He only held her tighter. When it was over, he pushed her away, leaving his hands around her waist, and hers around his neck.
"Cailee. . . I. . Uh. We'll. . . we…I've been thinking…" he grabbed her hand and started making his way through the crowd.
"Draco! Where are we going?" she asked, as he pushed open the doors to the grounds. Cailee was short of breath. It was absolutely…gorgeous. There were two fountains in the middle of what looked like a park, with benches surrounding it. There were different paths to take, and Cailee couldn't see the end of them, or over some of them, because the shrubbery was so tall. There were flowers lining all the cobblestone paths. He continued to hold her hand and walked around the two statues and took a path off to the left.
He grinned. "I went left. Time for a change, don't you think?" he asked, grinning, but still walking, all though he had slowed his pace. Cailee had stopped struggling and trying to get answers. She just went.
The path continued to wind, and every now and then they saw some couples talking, kissing, and hugging. Cailee grinned when she noticed that one of them was Dean and Ginny, again. Soon the sound of running water came to her ears, but she couldn't see it yet, the path was so narrow. All of a sudden they turned a bend, and there was a waterfall. It was a weird spot for it to be, nevertheless it was there. Cailee, always one to think things through and be logical, tried to figure out where the water started. Then she noticed that it was a tall, maybe fifteen-foot golden archway, and the water stemmed down from that, sparkling different colors every now and then. He kept pulling her.
"Draco, we're going to get cold and wet. We can't go through there," she said, firmly planting her feet in the ground.
"Come on. You'll be surprised."
Cailee went rather reluctantly. On the count of three they both stepped through it. Or Cailee had tried to step through it. But it was a lot larger and wider than she thought, and they were actually standing in the middle of the waterfall, with water pouring down every side of them, but not in between. Cailee instantly shivered, before realizing she wasn't even cold, or wet. She looked up at Malfoy, and he was smiling.
"What?" she asked.
"Cailee, I know you've only just forgiven me, but please. I can't, won't, lose you again. Will you…" he looked to the sides, as if distracted, "will you go out with me?" He asked, pulling out the star charm bracelet, and placing it into her hand.
She kind of gasped. She was startled. He looked down in her eyes, and she really didn't know. She wasn't sure what was going to happen to him when she finally finished her mission. And this was a way to fix things with him, make her father happy, and she could stay here. But she didn't want to risk it…she looked down, and away. She could feel him sigh deeply, and slump down a bit.
"I know. It was a wild shot, to even think it," he said.
She looked up slowly. "Are you…are you really sorry?" she whispered.
"Yes! Cailee, I am so, so, so, sorry. I really, truly am. I promise you now, I won't ever hurt you like that again," he said, his voice sinking to a whisper.
"Ok then," she said smiling at him. And to see the smile he gave her, it made her so happy. He took the star charm from her hand, and clasped it around her wrist. Then he pulled her close, and kissed her softly on her lips, before trying to make it more passionate. She pulled away.
"No, Draco, not yet," she said, hugging him, but resting her cheek against his chest.
It was like she was beginning to know him again for the first time. Draco was a fairly nice guy…except for his one secret. Cailee couldn't comprehend why he chose what he was, it was beyond thinkable. That was the one thing that bothered her about him. He couldn't possibly be one of the people who had caused so much trouble to Harry…and to Cedric Diggory's parents. But he had. As much as she wanted to, she just couldn't change that.
They spent a good hour walking around on the grounds, talking and laughing together. Again, she couldn't believe that this strong, handsome guy standing next to her could also be purely evil, full of hatred, despising others, killing others. She shuddered at the thought.
"Are you cold?" he asked, looking at her.
"Yea, it's getting a bit cold out here. Let's go inside."
As they were walking, she slipped her hand inside his and he smiled.
Author's Notes: A fairly short chapter, but if you all review today, I'll put up the next one just as soon as I can! There's still one more chapter to the dance scene in this story.