Chapter 10

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The weeks passed in a much easier way after that.

The school didn't lash out anymore and me and Draco pretended it never happened.

We had become close friends as Halloween approached, but we hadn't touched each other in anywhere near the same way we had on the astronomy tower or even the day he took me to my bed.

We kept a friendly distance.

And Flamber hadn't come back yet... which worried me deeply.

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"What about you Allie?" Pansy threw her pillow at me with a giggle and I looked up from my book in surprise.

"Huh?" I blinked at her, throwing her pillow back with a raised brow, fist pumping the air at it smacked her in the face.

She laughed, putting the pillow down.

"Hal-o-weeen! What are you going as? For the dance?"

"Oh!" I closed my book and scooted to the end of my bed to join the group conversation.

"I haven't thought about it! What about all of you?"

"No idea... I suggested a group trip to Hogsmeade. You game?" Daphne Greengrass said, leaning forward on her bed with her feet swaying in the air.

"I am! I can't think of a single thing to wear... actually having a browse sounds fun!" Tracey Davis chipped in from beside Pansy as she twisted loose braids into her hair.

"So... you gonna drag your butt out of the castle to come with us?" Pansy grinned widely as she gave me puppy dog eyes and I rolled mine.

"Of course I will."

"Are you going to ask Draco to the dance?" Daphne smirked, making kissy faces.

I began to stutter that we were just friends when Pansy interjected.

"Of course she won't! Girls don't ask the boys! If he's truly a gentleman he'll ask her!"

I smiled at her as she puffed her chest.

"And who will you be expecting to ask you?" Tracey giggled, tying off the twin braids for Pansy.

"I have already been asked!" She squeaked in joy and the other girls jaws dropped in a chorus of "Who?"

She dragged out her moment, leaning forward to get everyone's attention.

"Blaise!"

Everyone burst into Squeals of delight.

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"No... no... no..." Pansy sighed, digging through the rails despairingly.

"All the good ones must have gone..." Daphne pouted, stepping out of the changing room in a devil themed dress.

I dragged my hand across the rails absently as the girls complained and complimented each other as they tried outfits on.

I could always go as my dragon... just say it's a very elaborate costume...

I chuckled, pulling the hangers across to have a look at each costume but fell silent as I stopped at one.

I gently ran my fingers down the scaled fabric of the bodice of a long dress that looked like blue flames in the skirt half.

I gulped and quickly moved past it, not wanting to wear anything resembling fire.

Something in jewel colours caught my eye and I pulled it out.

"Allie, nothing fits right..."'Pansy whined, slouching against my shoulder before gasping.

"That is beautiful! Go try it on right now young lady!"

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I laid on the common room sofa, flicking through the pages of a strange magazine Luna had suggested to me during astronomy class earlier in the week.

I could definitely see why it was her type of reading... but perhaps not mine...

I felt my ankles lift and looked up from my magazine to see Draco pointing his wand at my feet.

I raised a brow at him as he smirked back.

"You don't have to take up the entire thing." He said as he grabbed my ankles with his hand, letting the levitation spell drop before sitting down and laying my legs in his lap. I rolled my eyes and hid my blush in the magazine.

We hadn't been this close in a long time...

"What are you reading?" He asked, gently tugging at the top of the pages.

I let it go and he laid it on my shins to flick through it.

He rested a hand on my knee and I wished I had the magazine back to hide the scarlet hue of my cheeks.

We had seen each other naked yet I blush like a 13 year old when he touches my knee?! Ugh... grow up, Alura.

"So I heard a rumour... that Theodore Nott is going to ask you to the Halloween dance." He mused as he flipped through the pages.

"O-oh?" I said in genuine surprise and confusion.

"I don't know him that well..." I said, my eyes scanning Dracos face.

"Would you accept his invitation?" He asks, turning another page.

Was he playing around?

I bit my lip and relaxed into the armrest of the sofa.

"I don't know... I've got my hopes up that... someone else might ask..."

He did an awful job at suppressing his smirk and lazily finished the page before closing the magazine and resting his head back against the headrest, looking over at me.

"Oh yeah?" He began to trace his fingers around my knee, making me squirm.

"Yeah. And that tickles, Malfoy."

He looked down at his hand, slowing his fingers down and tracing circles.

I watched him curiously, wondering if he would actually ask me... or tell me what was actually on his mind.

"Allie... Alura." He trailed off, slowly looking up at my face.

"Yes?" I smiled, urging him to continue.

"Will you be my date to the dance?"

I wanted to fly. I wanted to transform and fly around the common room, back flipping, roaring, spitting fireworks. Even then it wouldn't be enough to express what was going through my body.

It pulled at my chest and bubbled my skin.

I swung my legs off of him and reached my hand out to him.

He looked so confused but let me pull him up and drag him outside wordlessly.

I took him to the bridge and beamed up at him. He gave me a puzzled smile and stroked my face.

"Now I have a question for you, Draco." He tilted his head and furrowed his brows.

"Yeah?"

I went up on my tip toes to whisper in his ear.

"Do you want to fly with me?"

I stepped back and smiled as a slow grin formed on his face.

He grabbed my waist and pulled me close to plant a kiss on my lips.

I wrapped my arms around him and kissed him back, having forgotten the electric feeling his lips had. Why had I avoided this? Pretended it never happened?

I parted and closed my eyes, stretching out my arms as I felt them expand.

I took my time transforming, letting every muscle tingle and stretch out pleasurably.

I opened my eyes to find Dracos jaw open in awe, finishing my transformation to look down at him and bend my head to his eye level.

He gasped faintly and laid a hand on my snout.

I shut my eyes and made a purr like noise, lowering my body to the ground.

I could feel him tremble as he climbed onto my back and got himself settled in a secure position.

"Oh my god!"

My head snapped to the startled voice of a girl and I began to panic.

Someone had seen me.

My heart sank as I saw Ginny shaking.

"Fuck..." I heard Draco whisper and I lowered my head passively, making a small friendly noise.

"What the hell Draco? Why do you have a dragon?" She screamed.

Did... did she not see me change?

Surely no one would believe her that Draco flew off on a dragon...?

Before Draco could spit a threat or a hex her way, I ran for the gorge, diving into it to get the air under my wings.

Fuck fuck fuck...

My moment of happiness instantly drowned in the panic... the way she looked at me put a lump in my long throat.

I stayed low in the gorge, following it as it curved around the grounds, too afraid to be seen in the air.

I spied a little boat shack and darted for it to turn back.

I hyperventilated as Draco hopped off and caught me as I stumbled forwards in my human form.

"I- I shouldn't have done that! Now she knows! Now Griffendor will know!"

Draco tried to shush me and get me to sit down but I just couldn't.

I paced back and forth, running my hands through my scalp and tugging at my hair.

"Fuck! I'll be found out... I'll be expelled! I'll be locked away in the ministry dungeons! Or Azkaban-!" I screamed out as I tripped and hit the ground, my ankles held together by a jinx from Dracos pointed wand.

"Calm down!" He hissed, taking the jinx off and crouching down to me.

"I'm sorry, but you wouldn't stop..."

I gave him a glare and brought my knees up to my chin, rocking slightly.

"I'm so visse..."

"No one will believe that stupid little blood traitor." Draco grumbled, letting himself tip back to land on his behind to sit beside me.

"And even if they do, they won't say a word. They don't know it was you. It'll all point at me. And no one messes with a Malfoy."

Even still, I looked at my shoes and curled inwards.

"The way she looked at me..."

I heard him sigh and shift, standing up and reaching down to pull me to my feet.

"She didn't know it was you. Or any other poor cursed girl."

"Cursed?" I gave him an entertained look and he shrugged.

"I don't know of any magic that can turn a person into a dragon at will that isn't a curse. " he smiled but I looked away.

"It is a curse I suppose. It certainly feels like one."

He reached out a hand to me and looped his fingers with mine.

"What you can do is incredible. What you did is long behind you. Just... enjoy this gift."

"I wish I could just give it away. I feel so guilty every second I walk around freely. I killed a child. All I can see is her burning and hear her screams when I land.

I can't make it right... and that means I'm always in the wrong."

Draco shook his head and began to walk, half tugging at me to walk beside him, our hands still woven together.

"You're a girl with a gift that backfired once. A long time ago. You need to forgive yourself for it already..."

I ripped my hand away.

"How the fuck am I supposed to forgive myself for burning a god damn child to death? I've tried Draco! Everyone tells me to try! But they don't have to listen to that little girl tell me what a monster I am every night!"

Draco opened his mouth but closed it and sighed instead.

I frowned at my feet and pinched my arms as I crossed them.

"I'm afraid I'm gonna burn you. You trust me too much."

"I don't trust you too much. I just believe you're a good person- A strong person. Hear me? Person. Not a monster. I believe that."

Did he? What did he really see looking at me? A big scary ally? Or human being he genuinely liked to be around?

"You don't know me-" he began to protest but I waved my hand to cut him off with a smile.

"I mean me. Not my past, but me. Who I am. You know nothing about me. What's my favourite colour? The last book that made me cry? What is my mother's name?"

I rolled my eyes as he turned sheepish.

"You know my dragon. Not me..."

"I want to know all those things, Allie. I want to get to know who you are without the dragon."

I quirked my brow at him and he stepped closer, taking both my hands in his.

"I know you got spooked and so did I... we took things to a level we shouldn't have before knowing who each other is. But I wanna know you Allie. Dark secrets aside."

I bit my lip, looking down at our hands.

Did he really mean that?

My chest ached in longing- longing that someone might finally see me as me. Know and like me for the witch I am...

"I wanna know you too Draco. I like you... but I don't know exactly how I feel about that right now. I want to know who you are."

He smiled, running his thumb over my knuckles soothingly.

"Grey."

I furrowed my brows in confusion at him and he laughed.

"My favourite colour is grey." He smiled, letting go of one of my hands to start walking hand in hand with me back to the castle.

"Mines green."

"Makes sense." He laughed, looking down at me, giving my hand a squeeze.

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A/N: a short but developmental chapter I think? I dunno... if you got this far from chapter one then please let me know!

Why are you sticking around?

What parts of this story are drawing you in to keep reading?

Please please please let me know! :3

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