Chapter 5: Rising Above

One Friday afternoon, Mara was feeling a little down. The common room was totally empty, and all her new friends were off doing stuff. She didn't feel like going out today. She felt… like she wanted to drag out her old CD player from home, pop in a CD, and just sing. Let the music flow.

She wondered how she could get her old CD player from home to England… Maybe, just maybe…

"Accio CD player!" she said. It might as well have been hers! It looked exactly the same, same scuff mark right under the open button, which she'd put there after dropping it (oops!) one day. It was the same color, a minty green. And inside, one of her CDs was sitting there. She saw which it was, and immediately turned it on, and skipped to the perfect song for how she felt.

Just as she pushed the play button, someone quietly slipped into the room and sat on the stairs, wondering how long it would be before she noticed him.

Then the music started playing. He saw her close her eyes, moving her head with the hypnotic beat.

"What I'm standing on is sinking in

And I don't have a clue how to get off of it

But when I look at you, there is hope.

You see the sadness in my eyes

You read the blue between the lines

You could be the one to hold me, when I wanna cry.

Underneath this smile,

My world is slowly caving in,

All the while, I'm hanging on,

'Cause that is all I know.

Could you be the one to save me,

From every bad habit that has helped me dig this hole?

I've been hiding out for miles,

Underneath this smile.

I have walked this with broken bones

I've been keeping secrets under all these lights

But when you're around my defenses go

You don't let me run away form you

You don't let me twist and turn the truth

It feels as if I'm naked when you're standing in the room.

Underneath this smile,

My world is slowly caving in,

All the while, I'm hanging on.

Could you be the one to save me,

From every bad habit that has helped me dig this hole?

I've been hiding out too long,

Underneath this smile.

Underneath this smile,

Oh, yeah.

Underneath this smile,

My world is slowly caving in

All the while I'm hanging on instead of letting go

Could you be the one to save me

From every bad habit that has helped me dig this hole?

Underneath this smile

Could you be the one to save me

From every bad habit that has helped me dig this hole?

I've been hiding out for miles

Underneath this…

Underneath this…

Underneath this smile.

What I'm standing on is sinking in."

He stood up from his seat on the stairs and clapped. Startled, she turned around.

"Draco! Um, how long have you been standing there?" She asked, looking embarrassed.

He raised his eyebrows. "How long have you been singing?"

Her face went red. "I'm sorry. I just… I'm uncomfortable with people listening to me sing…"

"Why not? You're really good. I liked it," he added.

"It doesn't matter, okay? Just forget it." She turned off the CD player and stowed it in her trunk, passing him on the way up and down. "Why does it matter to you, anyway?"

"Why does singing matter to you?" He replied.

She shook her head, and sank into a comfy chair. "Why are you back so early? I thought everyone was going to be gone for a few hours."

"Oh, they are. I just got bored."

"I'm sure you did," she said, at his careless tone. "Even if you were bored, why did you come back?"

"Well, let's see. I have about fifty people out there, surrounding me, all family friends I don't care for, and in here, I have one person who doesn't care if my family is the richest, or poorest, or even if I had a family. You would treat me the same. They'd drop me like a flaming slug if I was poor or an orphan."

"Of course I would! I hate people like that, you know."

"People who only care for appearances?"

"No, people who only have enough brains in their head for us to hear the tiny stone rattling around in the wind."

Draco couldn't help but smile and laugh at that. "Seriously," she continued, "they're so stupid not to realize how good a person you really are. You're no where near as tough and superficial as you act toward the Weasleys and company." She paused. "At least you're not toward me."

She looked at her watch, hurriedly, and said quickly, "I, uh, have to go. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

Then she did not go out the portrait, but up to the girls' dorm.

She laid down on her bed, thinking.

That song I was singing… I usually skip over it, but today, it was the only one I heard. Its usually because the lyrics depress me, but today it was like they freed me… Like I'd realized something… she thought. Then she thought about the lyrics. "Could you be the one to hold me when I wanna cry…" That's when it hit her. I sang that today, because I related to the lyrics. Because… I'm starting to have feelings for Draco? Her mouth dropped open slightly at the realization of it. She couldn't. He is a friend. Just a friend. Just an incredibly hot friend. Just a… oh my God. Did… I just think what I think I thought? Oh, God. Now I'm confusing myself. She covered her face in her hands. I can't face him tomorrow!

That same night, Draco laid in his own bed, thinking once more of Mara. And about the conversation they'd had, and of her singing.

She sees right through the brick wall that Mother and Father, and all the other students here are fooled by. And that song… Some parts of it sounded so… familiar, like I might have spoken them myself. "Underneath this smile." I hide so often beneath my own smile, I'm almost not sure where the real me is. And, then… other parts of the song drew me to it, to… her. Like I just wanted to hold and comfort her, even though she seemed so happy singing. His mind flashed to when the music had just begun, and her eyes were closed, her head swaying to the beat. I wanted to kiss her, right then, so badly. That beat… her head, her entire body, rocking back and forth. I wanted to hold her. Kiss her. Have her kiss me back… His own head rocked, to the beat of the song long since faded from the speakers. And he fell asleep.

A/N: Hope you liked this chapter. I had to up the rating a bit, in my mind, to Teen, since Draco's thoughts got a bit… Well, he's a teen guy. What'd you expect? Anyway, disclaimer: I do not own the characters of this story, except Mara and her parents. Oh, and the dark blond boy on the train:D I also do not own the song or lyrics in this chapter. It's a Hilary Duff song, from the second album. It fit the story line so well, in my mind. Hope you liked. Also, want to thank Strawberry Michiko for her review! I'll try to develop her more and more as the story progresses. I'm glad you like my writing! I do too!