A/N: Okay, so it might be a day late. Or not. Oh well. It's here now, isn't it?

Megan shifted restlessly on her bench. She risked a quick glance up, and noticed that Draco was talking to a boy with light brown hair. It was one of the boys who had been with him on that day when he had... apologized. She still had trouble connecting the two images in her mind. Draco apologizing was not a normal occurrence at all. Megan could still clearly visualize the hurt in his eyes whenever she closed her own. The image was there, stamped permanently on the forefront of her brain. She hated herself for it. Why had she been so harsh? There had been no need for that. He was just trying to be considerate, and she had completely ruined the moment. Megan stabbed angrily at her food, mutilating it till it was practically beyond recognition. She finally managed to pick up a tiny piece of chicken and shoved it furiously in her mouth.

"Megan!" Annie said, her voice raised. Megan whirled her head around, finally noticing that her friend had been poking her for the last ten minutes. "Are you even listening to me?" the blond girl asked.

"Er... yes?" Megan lied. Annie shook her head, then went on with her story.

"So, as I was saying..." Megan tuned her friend out for a while. Then, just when she thought she couldn't take it anymore, she made up an excuse and ducked out of the Great Hall, much to the irate Annie's dismay. Megan wandered around the halls a bit, then decided to go outside. She found a tree, sat down, and leaned against it, hiding her face in her knees.

"What's wrong?" asked a familiar voice that was laced with uncharacteristic concern. Draco stepped out from behind the tree and sat down next to her.

"Nothing," Megan sniped, then immediately regretted it as Draco's face fell a bit. She wondered why he was even talking to her. She had really upset him a few days ago. Why on earth would he still be talking to her?

"Sorry," she said quickly, running a frustrated hand through her hair. "But... why do you ask?"

"I'm curious," Draco said simply, lying back on the grass and staring up at the sunlight filtering through the leaves of the tree.

"Are you feeling alright?" Megan asked quickly, bringing her hand up to 'check his temperature.' Or at least, that's what she told herself.

"Why do you ask?" Draco shot back, not making any moves to remove her hand from his forehead like normally would have done.

"Well, since when do you care about my well-being?" she asked softly.

"Since when do you care about mine?" Draco returned, sitting up to face her.

"Er... I don't..." she stammered, playing with a strand of her hair.

"Don't what?" he asked, leaning closer. Didn't he know that he was killing her? What was wrong with him?

"I have to go," she exclaimed, jumping up.

"Megan!" Draco said quietly, standing up to face her once again.

"No," she whispered, turning her face away from him.

"You're so jumpy," he said, chuckling. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine!" She said loudly, trying to convince herself and him.

"No, you're not," he said, putting a gentle hand on her arm. "Please, tell me what's wrong."

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I can't." Then, before she could tell him how worried she was about him, she stretched up on her tiptoes, kissed him on the cheek, turned, and sprinted toward the castle.

-o-O-o-

Megan woke up the next morning and found herself still in her robes from the day before. She wrinkled her nose, grabbed clean robes, and headed off for the shower. She showered, brushed through her wet hair, and headed off to breakfast, having completely forgotten what had happened the day before.

"You look happy this morning," Annie commented sleepily. Megan shrugged.

"I'm just in a good mood this morning. Is that bad?"

"No," Annie conceded, then proceeded to ladle herself a bowlful of hot, steaming oatmeal. Breakfast ended about twenty minutes later. Megan nearly had to drag her best friend away from breakfast to Herbology.

"Megan!" Annie whined shrilly.

"Did you want to be late?" Megan asked sternly, reminding herself of her mother.

"No," Annie admitted reluctantly.

"I didn't think so," Megan said, smiling at her friend and hurrying into Potions. Classes went by quickly, and before they knew it, lunchtime had rolled around.

"I can't believe Snape assigned us three rolls of parchment!" Annie griped as she and Megan walked to lunch.

"I know. He didn't even give the Slytherins homework," Ron agreed, sitting down next to her.

"He did too, Ronald," Hermione informed him. As the two of them bickered, Megan ate quickly and hurried off to the library. She sat down at her usual table in the back and began to research the twenty-seven magical properties of a phoenix tear.

"Hey," Draco said, sitting down across from her.

"Hi," Megan greeted him cordially, not even looking up. She didn't dare face him. What if he hated her after yesterday?

"I wanted to... er... ask you... er... ask you something."

"Okay. What is it?" she asked. He had her full attention now. She was looking straight at him, ignoring the homework that lay in front of her. Draco, on the other hand, was looking down, his ears a delicate shade of pink.

"Well, I wanted to know... if you'd... do you..."

"Draco, just ask the bloody question," Megan snapped impatiently.

"Fine," he retorted, his head snapping up. "Megan, will-" Draco was interrupted by the bell.

"I have to get to class," Megan told him apologetically. "Maybe after dinner." He nodded mechanically as she swung her bag over her shoulder and headed to class. Once she got there, she tried her best to focus, but her thoughts kept coming back around to the same question: What did Draco want from her? Probably answers to the Potions homework, she thought ruefully.

"Megan?" Annie asked on their way to Charms. "Are you feeling alright?

"Yeah," Megan answered slowly. "Just tired."

"What's on your mind?" her friend asked, unwilling to let the subject drop that quickly.

"Nothing," Megan told her quietly. "Now hush."

"Is it Malfoy?" the question was spoken in a low tone, but it rang through Megan's head like an obnoxious bell.

"No. Now shut it." Megan could feel herself blushing, and hoped that Annie didn't notice. Unfortunately, her friend noticed. She noticed very clearly. And she was determined to find out why Malfoy was on Megan's mind.

After what seemed like ages, the girls were allowed to go to dinner. Megan was very anxious to find out what Draco had on his mind. She glanced over to where he was sitting in his usual spot at the Slytherin table. Draco noticed Megan looking at him and nodded toward the Entrance Hall. She smiled and slipped through the doors.

"So, what were you going to ask me?" she demanded the minute he had exited the Great Hall.

"Oh..." Draco stuttered. It was clear he was stalling.

"What?"

"I... um... wanted to... um... ask-" the Slytherin boy was interrupted by everyone's favorite Weasley twin, Fred. And note the sarcasm.

"Megan, we've got Quidditch practice now," he told her, a puzzled look on his face when he noticed Draco.

"I'm coming," she assured him. Fred nodded and continued on his way to the Quidditch Pitch.

"Meet me after practice by the boulders," Draco hissed. Megan nodded, then dashed to catch up with Fred. All though practice, she couldn't stop thinking of Draco. He was just about to ask her (again) and Fred had to come and ruin it. After about an hour of practicing, it grew dark and Wood decided to call it a night. Megan changed in the changing room, and then slipped away to meet Draco.

"Megan," he said quietly when she reached the boulders.

"Yeah?"

"I just wanted to say..."

"Yeah?"

"Why did you kiss me?" Megan froze. No. No, no, no. He wasn't supposed to remember that. She turned tail and fled back to the castle without even giving him a decent answer.

-o-O-o-

Two weeks passed, and she didn't speak to anyone.

-o-O-o-

November came and went.

-o-O-o-

"Megan Abbott!" Annie screamed Megan's name at the top of her lungs.

"Yeah?"

"She's alive!" Hermione sounded triumphant. Megan could hear the sounds of giggling.

"Yes, I'm alive," she said grumpily, yanking the covers off of her head. Annie dashed over and pounced on Megan's bed, making it rock with the added weight. "I'm up!" Megan said quickly, leaping up. She slipped on a pair of slippers and glanced over at the calendar. December 16th.

"It's almost Christmas," Annie told her, coming over to stand next to her.

"I can see that,"" Megan said, smiling. She turned away from the calendar and went to look out of the window. "Annie! Guys!" she shrieked excitedly. The other girls turned to look at her.

"What?" Becca asked confusedly.

"It's snowing!" The other four girls rushed over to the window, causing Megan to step back. Annie soon drifted over to join her.

"Care to tell me why you were acting to weird for the past month?" she asked quietly, amidst squeals of excitement coming from the other girls.

"Yeah," Megan told her.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"Why did you act weird?" Megan looked wildly around, then spotted her bed. She made a run for it, leaped, and then hid under the covers. Annie came over and prodded her. "Tell me!" Megan felt the blankets being ripped away from her head, and knew she'd have to tell her friend. Taking a deep breath, she poked her head out from under her pillow and blurted out,

"I kissed Draco Malfoy."