Just Because
It has been seven years… Almost.
… It has been more or less seven years since that git Draco Malfoy came into my life. Seven years since we had been sorted into Slytherin, marking the start of our journey through Hogwarts: School of Witchcraft and Wizardry together as classmates and teammates.
Draco and I have a very complex relationship. He has never ever spoken to me before, even though we have the same classes together. He has never bothered to ask me to accompany him to the Yule Ball during our Fourth Year – he always had that dog Pansy Parkinson following him around, probably making it easier for him not having to ask anyone at all.
What's more, Draco never cared that Professor Dolores Jane Umbridge, as part of her Inquisitorial Squad, once also selected me as a member. He never bothered to ask how my day was, or if I was feeling all right.
In fact, Malfoy didn't give a damn about my very existence, which is why all this had to be sorted out right now, before the Hogwarts Express stops, motivating all of us to leave.
Who would have though that someone like me would grow in love with somebody like Draco Malfoy? Me? I'm the one who's tough, proud, and aggressive… That foul scumbag…
Sure, he's good-looking… Intelligent… Always updated with the latest news of the Wizarding community…
But, hell, that's exactly what makes him the complete idiot! What is wrong with me?
Our "association" is not making what I am about to say to him easy. You don't just walk up to the most cunning, most popular, most handsome guy of your House and say you love him.
But whatever! Honestly, who cares how or what I'm going to look like… I don't care how foolish I am going to look in front of him. I'm not going to care about what the others are going to think anymore. It's now or never; I won't skip this opportunity. This is going to be the last time I'm ever going to see him if I keep on shutting up.
She put down her copy of the Sunday Prophet and folded it. She stuffed it into her luggage and heaved a sigh.
Why has she gotten herself into this? But there's no turning back now…
She straightened up and with extra force pushed herself from her seat. She opened the compartment door and once outside, slid it back, closing it.
Gathering strength, she breathed a sigh once more and marched along the compartments, peeking inside them so as to see if he was there with his cronies. Not that she cared anymore; she made it a point to think this whenever she thought of backing away.
Continuing to glance at every compartment, she thought about how it would go for her if he didn't want a chance at love with her. That would be intensely terrible, so she shifted to the thought of what would be if he had agreed to her proclamation.
He would take me to Europe to sightsee on the Eiffel Tower, make fun of the Muggles as they went about; we would walk around Italy, eating every flavor of expensive Italian ice cream; we'd have the most expensive, most romantic dinners at the end of the day…
After 10 minutes of alternately sneaking quick looks at every compartment, she found him. Not with those oaf lunatics he calls his friends, but sitting alone in the middle of one side of the compartment seat.
She hesitated. For a moment, she half-turned and run far, far away from this compartment as fast as her legs could carry her. But she again realized that when she turned her heel to go away, this chance would be gone forever. And besides, he was just alone in there – this must be a sign.
She knocked on his the sliding door and once he turned his head to see who it was, she barged in and knelt down in front of him.
"I promise," she started, hot droplets of tears falling from her eyes. "I will be forever faithful to you – I will make you the happiest man on Earth!"
The lad looked aghast, and puzzled at the same time, he stood up and backed away from her. He looked somewhat disgusted, but she didn't care about it now.
"I promise you, Draco," she wailed. "You'll never go finding another if we had together!"
The adolescent whom she called Draco continued looking obviously stunned and taken aback. She cried in front of him for a long time, and the two remained that way for a while.
It was until someone had opened the compartment door, and she wiped away her tears and saw Draco kneeling in front of her with sincere eyes.
"I never knew you felt that way," Draco began. "But, however, I am pleased that you have gathered up all your strength to tell me this today.
He stood up and walked over to the open compartment door. She looked up from her wet hands and saw him standing beside that Mudblood from Gryffindor – Granger? Hermione Granger, was it?
"Y-y-you d-don't m-mean th-that, r-r-right?" she asked, forcing a smile, half hoping that she was going to hear a "no" for his answer and expecting him to come over to her and proclaim his undying love for her in return.
"I have found the one in this world for me," Draco declared, grinning sympathetically at her. "It was only a week ago when I decided that not all purebloods have to go with the same pureblood families.
"I'm sorry," Draco nodded towards the brown-haired female beside him, and placed his left arm around her waist. "But I choose to be with Hermione Granger… err… Millicent, is it?"