I stared at it for a while, my mouth slightly open in surprise, not moving an inch. What lay before me was breath-takingly beautiful. It was a necklace, similer in style to the ring. It was an ornate silver heart, tied to a simple black ribbon, with the same pattern of flowers and stars, all swirling round another, slightly bigger, tear shaped blue jewel. I didn't know what to say, what to do, so i just stared at it, barely breathing. I'd almost forgotten Draco was there, until his voice shocked me back to life with a jolt.
'Well?' he asked, 'what do you think of it?' There was something in his voice i'd never heard before. I blinked then turned to look at his face. Was this a sign of weakness from a Malfoy?Was a Malfoy, nervous? He had his arms folded in a casual sort of way, but i noticed his fingers kept playing with the material of his dressing gown, twisting it this way and that. It was so sweet, he seemed genuinely worried about my opinion. I couldn't help smiling.
'It's beautiful Draco, really. I can't thank you enough,' i said, and tried to compose myself, because Draco's accidental show of feelings made what i was about to say even harder . 'But i can't accept this. It must have cost you so much, and i don't want you throwing money away for me.' I put the lid back on the box, and tied the ribbon at the top, all the while being watched by a confused Draco. I stood up, pushing the box into his hands, and walked towards the staircase. I turned as i reached the bottom step. 'I'm telling you this now, because you ought to know. I cannot be bought with presents. I am not a prize to be won, although i don't know who would want me. I am a human being and i am my own person.' The look of shock on his face was priceless, as i continued up the stairs and went to bed.
As i woke the next morning, i felt somehow...lighter, like i'd taken a weight off of my mind. It seemed that standing up to Draco last night, standing up to the Prince, had in some way eased the intensity of my feelings for him. They hadn't gone away, oh no, it would take a lot more than that to make these emotions go away, but i felt better about the whole situation now, i suppose it was telling him my terms. I was glad he knew i wasn't going to be won round that way, or that easily. I sat up, feeling as if i could do anything, and smiled as Belinda snorted awake in the bed next to mine in the circular room. Most of the other girls, who were already awake, were crowded around the bottom of my bed, giggling and whispering about something. Intriged, i knelt up higher, trying to see what it was they were looking at.
'What's that then?' i asked the crowd, 'Has Alastair been trying to slip Lucinda a love potion again?' At the sound of my voice, the girls all jumped, a few of them squealing in shock. They all spun around, and i could see that Daisy, a dumpy brunette who was stood at the foot of the bed, was clutching something behind her back. My eyebrows knitted together in confusion, when i realised. Of course, it had to be something of mine as they would normally willingly share. I rolled my eyes.
'Give it here then,' i sighed, 'i don't care that you've seen it, i'd just quite like my property back, please.' Belinda sat up in bed, and rubbed her tired eyes, before coming over the investigate. The girls giggled once more, before someone gave Daisy an almighty push in the back, causing her to fall flat on her face at the end of my bed, her arms now flung out in front of her. I frowned, as she slowly crawled away and stood up, angrily whispering to someone behind her. The silver box, tied up with ribbon, (well, untied now in their attempts to be nosey Slytherins) lay on my duvet, along with an unopened letter. How had he managed to get them in here? I thought for a second, before remembering, magic obviously. Even the Prince didn't dare come into the girls dormitory. I was glad to see that none of them had gone so far as to open the letter. I reached down and picked up the addition, then leaned back into my pillows. It was sealed, making it surprisingly easy to open. I pulled out the parchment, and read the single sentence:
I gave it to you to please you, not to win you. See you at breakfast?
I read it carefully, not quite believing what it said. It couldn't be true that he actually cared about me, could it? Could it? I couldn't be certain, he was a Malfoy, devious and charming by nature. I sighed, but i wasn't going to let him spoil my mood. Who knows, if i kept this up, maybe i'd even be able to talk to him without shaking. Many of the girls still crowded my bed, looking hopeful. I knew they wanted to read it too, like i said, they were nosy. As soon as i folded the note back up and slipped it back inside the envelope, the started jabbering at me, asking who it was from, what did the note say, could they read it? I simply shook my head, stuffing the envelope into my pillow case. They all groaned, and shuffled back to their own beds. As they turned, i quickly slipped the letter into my drawer. I knew they'd look for it later. I quickly got dressed, wanting to get away from the whispers that echo'd thoughout the room. It was saturday, my favourite day of the week, so i got into my comfy jeans, plain v-neck top and knitted black polo neck, shoved on my loved, chocolate brown boots, before i stopped and stared down at the necklace. It was beautiful. I hooked it out of its padding, and fastened it around my neck. I looked in my mirror. It worked quite well with the outfit, shimmering softly in the light from the window. My hair was a mess, exploding everywhere, so i quickly brushed it into almost submission, and tied it safely into a loose ponytail. Then i strolled out of the dormitory, past all the other girls, still trying to wake up properly. I felt fantastic, completely fresh and bright eyed. It felt as if i'd shoved my face in the snow for a few minutes. I paused just before the door out of the common room, as i heard Belinda stumble down the stairs, calling my name. Her voice was somehow muffled though, and as i turned, i saw she was still trying to pull her jumper over her head. I felt cruel, but i was just going with the flow this morning, as i slipped out of the door before she'd pulled it past her eyes. Nothing, not even Belinda's annoying babbling, was going to ruin my perfect day.