Chapter 5
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Sooner or later I had to explain myself, at least to Pansy and the dorm girls.
But I had more time to prepare than I did with Draco to come up with a lie this time.
I had bitten my lip and played it off as a nightmare that I often had that was just so disturbing to see while awake. They all gave me hugs and their sympathies and it was over like ripping a band aid.
It wasn't quite a lie either.
I slept in late the next day as it was finally the weekend and my crying had tired me out.
Beauxbatton weekends often had early extra classes for OWL cramming that were pretty much mandatory.
It was nice to have the option to just relax the whole day.
I noticed the curtain shift not long after I had woken up and a familiar tabby was tossed in.
"Hey Bailey." I chuckled in the dark as he gave my outstretched hand a headbutt.
"Oh no! My cat! Better go get him!" Pansy said loudly and dramatically as a few other girls giggled.
"Oh no, shhh, Bailey!" I giggled as I could see the curtains ruffle and rip open.
"There you are! Oh! Allie! You're still in bed?" I rolled my eyes and sat up.
"It's barely midday!"
She rolled her eyes now and picked up the cat.
"It's actually 2 pm I'll have you know." My eyes widened.
"Pardon?" How? How was it so late in the day?
Pansy frowned at my panic and sat down on my bed.
"Hey, you must have needed it. We're gonna go to Hogsmeade for a bit. Wanna come along?"
I thought about it for a minute but I wasn't feeling like going out beyond the grounds today... I still felt weird.
I politely declined and Pansy nodded in understanding.
"We'll bring you back something sweet from Honeydukes."
I thanked her and she herded the girls out to leave.
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The common room was completely empty when I eventually got dressed and came down the stairs.
A small smile crept onto my face as I made my way over to the fire and curled up in the nearest armchair.
I stared at it for a while before the flames made me feel sick and turned away, noticing a figure who hadn't been in the common room before I had sat down.
I jumped slightly and exclaimed an "oh!" In surprise.
It was Blaise.
"Didn't mean to sneak up on you." He said with an amused expression and I put my legs down to sit up properly.
"Ne t'inquiete pas... don't worry about it..." I said softly, feeling uncomfortable as he stared at me.
After a long awkward pause I could hear someone coming from the boy's dormitory.
"Ready Blaise...? Oh, good afternoon Frenchie." Draco said with a smirk as he came round the corner into the common room area making Blaise chuckle.
This again?
Nope. Not having it anymore.
I got up and sighed, walking away to go back up to my dorm without a word but he grabbed my wrist to stop me.
I turned with a scowl to face him and met his soft smile.
"What?" I said bluntly and he chuckled at my bitterness.
"Meet me in the common room at 9 tonight..." before letting me go and leaving with Blaise.
I blinked after him, feeling the emotional whiplash he was starting to give me.
What the hell did he want now?
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I moped around the castle for a while after that, exploring new hallways and stair cases until I found the astronomy tower and spent some time relaxing at the balcony.
As I watched the clouds move around the blue sky I heard a fluttering behind me. I turned my head and grinned
"Flamber!" I stretched out my arm to welcome him and he flew to me.
Inside his beak was a letter and I gave his beak a playful series of kisses that only a bird owner would truly understand the value of.
He let the letter drop into my lap and flew off to perch on the balcony rail.
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Dearest Alura,
Glad to hear you're getting on well in your house.
We're still having teething issues here and grannie is giving us all kinds of howlers for leaving Paris.
She never stops speaking highly of you though.
Flamber was anxious to get back to you so only a short letter this time mon petite cherie.
We all send our love, keep your chin up
Mere et Pere
xxx
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"Oh." I jumped as someone reached the top of the stairs and noticed me.
"Ginny?" I asked as I stood up, recognising the girl who stood there awkwardly.
"Alura." She muttered bitterly, about to go back down.
"Wait! Please wait?"
She paused down a few steps and heaved a sigh.
"What do you want?" She glared and I frowned in hurt way.
"To not be enemies." I said softly and she scoffed.
"Too late to want that."
This time I scowled.
"Because of my house? Because of a feud that we have no personal stake in?" She looked me up and down but her expression softened.
"Because that's just how it is."
I shook my head.
"That doesn't make any sense! You're a good person. We got along. You saved me and I'll always remember the strong girl who protected me on the train. I won't be able to repay you when you hate me so much." She looked away from me and sighed again.
"It's not personal. I'm sorry Alura. I won't be outcast for being friends with a Slytherin." She looked me in the eye with an expression of sadness.
"I'm sorry." And with that she went back down the stairs.
I stayed in the tower for a while after that, angry at the pointless divide this school had.
Was Pansy and the other fourth year girls the only acceptable friends for me to have?
I felt like I finally understood why the houses closed ranks so tightly. There was no way to make other friends...
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It was late in the evening by the time Pansy came back to the common room with a bag full of goodies from Hogsmeade.
I gave her a friendly smile from the couch as she popped herself down beside me and put a hand on my shoulder.
"How you feeling, Allie?" She asked with a motherly tone as the girls filled the other seats in the common room, all chatting away to each other.
"Much better than earlier, thanks." She smiled softly then smirked.
"Oh that's too bad! I bought this bag of sweets for a sad girl! Not one who's much better!" She cried dramatically and I laughed, playing along with a-
"Oh no! I really am feeling quite terrible!" We laughed together as she lifted the bag and put it in my lap.
My eyes widened.
"Not the whole thing, surely?" Pansy winked.
"We all got to go and eat out and eat our snacks on the way back... this is from all of us, not just me. We didn't like how you would be missing out."
My mouth opened in shock as I looked at the other girls who all gave grins back to me.
"Th-thank you all so much." I said with tears swelling in my eyes. Pansy rolled her eyes and opened the bag for me.
"It's just candy Allie, it's not a pony."
We all burst into laughter.
We pretty much claimed the common room, just the seven of us all laughing and snacking, till dinner time.
We went down to the Great Hall in our little tribe together and continued our gossiping. But I kept my eye on my watch...
8pm
I could see Draco with his male friends sat down near the middle of the table.
Our eyes met for a second before he turned to laugh at something Blaise said.
I looked down at my food, having lost a bit of my appetite in my snacking.
I sighed and kept my eye on my watch as I slowly disengaged myself from the conversation, pretending to get sleepier.
8:14
8:22
8:37
I wondered if I should leave now or not when I noticed Draco get up and leave on his own.
My eyes followed him out and I waited a few more seconds before excusing myself.
I rounded the corner and looked around, seeing Draco turn a corner further down the hall and quickly tried to catch up with him.
He was walking in the opposite direction of the common room now though and I frowned, trying to close the gap.
"Draco?" I called out and he stopped, turning around with his hands in his pockets and a smirk on his lips.
"What did you want so badly to talk about at 9?" I narrowed my eyes as I caught up to him.
He looked at his watch then back to me.
"It's not 9 yet." he said with a smug chuckle and began to continue walking, going slowly till I caught up to his side
"Where are we going?" I asked softly as he began to walk out of the main castle.
"I think this is far enough." I said stubbornly as he ignored my question.
He kept moving. I stopped.
"Come on, almost there." He smirked over his shoulder.
After a moments hesitation I followed again, ending up on a long wooden bridge in the grounds.
He stopped and looked over the edge. It seemed like a bottomless pit beneath us with jagged rocks marking the way down. I shuddered at the thought of falling as he lent back against the fencing.
"I owe you... an apology." He muttered at last and my eyes bulged wide open. He gave a small chuckle and shook his head.
"I'm sorry for my behaviour towards you." This felt so off. There was something else in his smile. More than just making up...
He pushed himself to sit on the wooden railing, holding onto a post as he chuckled at my suspicious glare.
"Forgive me? Please?"
I narrowed my eyes again and crossed my arms.
"I forgive you..." I said slowly and he grinned, swinging his legs a little.
"So... lets say I fall off this bridge... you wouldn't transform to save me?"
My eyes widened again in shock and rage.
"I mean... now that we're all made up and all... you couldn't really let me just plummet to my death knowing you could do something about it..."
"Draco... Please get down..." I panicked. He was right. He may not be a good guy all the time, but I wouldn't let him fall...
"Let's make a deal. Ill give you ten seconds. Either turn or I let go..." He leaned all the way back, holding onto a piece of the bridge by just his finger tips.
He wouldn't actually do it... would he?
"Ten"
"Please don't make me..."
"Nine..."
"Draco!"
"Eight..."
"I hate you so much right now."
"Seven... Six..."
"I take back my forgiveness!"
"Five, four, three..."
"I won't do it!"
"Two..."
"I'll let you fall then!"
"One..." He let go.
HE LET GO!
DAMMIT!
I lurched Over the edge, grabbing his arm as we both fell.
I hugged his torso close as we screamed.
"Dammit!" I roared as I spread my wings and transformed, holding Draco tight in my wings before wrapping my jaws around his torso gently as I lifted higher and higher out of the gorge.
I began to silently fly over the grounds, truly taking in the beauty of Hogwarts at last from this angle.
It felt good to be in this form again...
Dammit...
I lifted Draco up and onto my back, relaxing my jaws to let him free.
He sat himself just below my wing joint, holding my neck tightly. He was shaking like crazy.
Good!
I let out a little dragon chuckle as I drifted over the black lake.
It felt so strange, I had never flown before... The last time I had been a dragon I was a juvenile that could only breathe fire.
I had grown, I realised.
I was far longer and my wingspan had easily tripled.
After gently gliding with the currents, Draco seemed to have calmed and was enjoying the flight as much as I was.
I roared gently, sounding similar to a thestral and the soft fragile sound coming from my beastly throat surprised me greatly.
Draco let out a 'whooot' of his own and leaned back to let the breeze wrap around him.
I jerked upward a little to make him hold tight again as I began to fly higher into the clear night sky, feeling like I could touch the stars if I really tried.
I took my time to discover my wings, to see what I could do with them, how powerful they felt.
I could feel Draco gently touch my neck with a shiver and very cold hands. I understood he was too cold up here and started to bring us back down, aiming for the astronomy tower for a hidden landing.
I fluttered down clumsily to the astronomy tower observation deck, nudging Draco to climb into the open balcony.
I crawled in after, becoming smaller until I turned back to human form.
Immediately the consequences of my actions dawned on me and I scowled to myself.
Draco turned to me with a wild grin.
"That was amazing! You're amazing, Alura! I've flown a broom but that has nothing on riding a dragon! You were amazing up there!... Alura?" his adrenaline fuelled panting slowed down as he cautiously took a step towards me.
A single tear fell down my cheek as I squeezed my arms tightly.
"I'm so confused..." I whispered brokenly, falling to my knees.
I felt disgusting, violated, free, unleashed, happy, angry, sad, passionate...
I shut my eyes tightly and felt Draco kneel beside me and cautiously begin to pull me towards him. I let myself fall into his arms as he sat down with me between his legs and wrapped in his arms.
"I'm sorry Allie..." he breathed softly in my ear as he held me tight.
"I shouldn't have pushed you like that-"
"I'm grateful..." I cut him off and sniffled, pulling away to look up at his face.
He looked down at me in confusion as I gave a weak smile.
"I've been so scared... I didn't think I could control it... you proved me wrong."
He stared down at me at a loss for words as I tenderly reached up to touch his face.
"Thank you. I don't know how I'm feeling right now about it... I'm just glad I feel different for it..."
This time he cut me off.
"Can... Can I kiss you?"
My mouth opened slightly at the question and I looked up at him, holding me close and protectively in the silent solitude of the tower.
"...Oui..." I whispered. Our lips briefly touched and we looked at each other. I could see so much I didn't understand in his eyes but I knew it felt right. This felt good. He had seen me now, my darkest self... yet he looked at me this way...
I placed a hand on the back of his neck and gave a gentle pull to bring him back.
He didn't take much convincing.
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A/N: review? :3