Disclaimer: I've no claims of Harry Potter or it's characters which is why I'm disclaiming it. Sorry.
A/N: So I'm hilariously glad you guys like this story. My heart goes all aflutter whenever I get a review from you guys. Thanks so much. P.S. Spoilers in this again, HP six. P.S.S., there's a bit of fluff. Well, i don't call it fluff, but you might. Enjoy.
I stood staring into the fireplace, feeling slightly nauseas. Tonight was the night. I'd already contacted the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters and I'd . . . I'd have to . . . kill
I pressed my head onto the cold mantle, my breath catching in my throat. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to do this. Sure I was confident before but . . . but now that I realized what I actually had to do and after the failed attempts. . . . How could I be sure that after I failed the last two times, that I wouldn't fail this time?
"Don't do it." I turned to see Cree standing in front of the stairs to her dormitory. It took me a moment to realize how distressed she was. She twisted her long hair in her hands and tears dripped down her face. "Don't go through with this."
"You know I can't just say no, Cree," I said, trying to not sound angry. "He'll kill me."
"Than – than ask Dumbledore for help, Draco," she said, coming towards me.
"Yeah, I'll do that right after I kill him."
"I'm serious Draco. You know he'll help you. You know he'll keep Voldemort from coming after you and your family. It's just – this whole thing is so insane! You either fail miserably, get caught, and it up in Azkaban or you actually manage to kill Dumbledore –"
"Well you keep your voice down?" I said, grabbing her arm.
"—and then you feel miserable for the rest of your life," she finished in a harsh whisper. "Do you actually think you'll actually be able to kill Dumbledore?"
"I have to try, Cree!" I whispered. I held onto her by her shoulders, tears threatening to fall through my own eyes. I wasn't about to cry, not again, not in front of her. "I have to try or He'll kill me for giving up! And I just can't – I can't –"
"I'm scared, Draco! I'm scared that you're going to die no matter what you do and I – I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you."
She looked away, wiping the tears away off her face. I hesitated slightly before my heads lifted to cup her face. I ran my thumbs underneath her eyes, wiping away the tears that were still coming. "I'll be fine, Shadow. And – and it's not like we won't see each other again. You'll be at the 'camp' soon enough, you know."
She looked up at me, her eyes still bright with tears. I kissed her lightly on the forehead. My eyes dropped down to her lips, which were trembling slightly and then I kissed her.
Wow. I didn't even know what else to think. My mind went rather blank when I felt her lips against mine, her fingers splayed out against my chest. . . . She tasted like strawberries. Sweet, wonderful strawberries. My hands slid from her face to behind her neck, my fingers tangled gently in her hair. I don't think I'd ever had a kiss like this before. I was in a state of euphoria.
It was the sound of footsteps on the staircase that broke us apart. Cree moved slightly away from me while I settled myself back near the fireplace. Some second year walked quickly through the common room sending me and Cree a glance. I kept my eyes on Cree though, the way her lips were slightly swollen from our kiss, the way her cheeks were flushed, and how she seemed short of breath. I felt exactly the same way.
When the second year had gone, Cree approached me again, placing a light kiss on my lips. I was about to grab her and kiss her again but she moved away, still looking sad. "Just be careful, Draco," she said.
She dragged her fingers through her hair once before walking back down to her room. I stared after her for a moment before I grabbed my cloak and headed for the dungeons.
Cree was feeling restless today. I found her in the kitchen with Binky and Twinkles, pulling out ingredients and things to make cookies. Binky and Twinkles looked positively nervous when I stepped into the kitchen, watching Cree apprehensively as she read through the instructions.
"Miss, are you sure we can't be of assistance to you, miss?" Binky said.
"No, I think I've got it, Binky," Cree said, waving her hand in dismissal. "It'll be lovely if you could show me how to turn on the oven."
Twinkles reached over and turned the knob that turned on the stone. "Miss, are you sure –?"
"Why don't you and Binky take a break?" I said to the confused house-elves. "I'm sure Miss Cranton and I can handle ourselves in here."
Cree looked at me confused while the house-elves bowed, leaving the kitchen. I shook my head. "What on earth are you doing Cree?"
"I'm baking cookies obviously," she said, turning back to the instructions. " 'Three-fourths cup flour'. Well, that's silly. Why waste time measuring?"
"Cree, what are you –? No, Cree, wait!"
A half an hour later, two dozen cookies sat in the oven baking while Cree sat on the counter and I stood across from her, both of us covered in flour.
But Cree looked positively happy. "I've never made anything before. Hermione tried to teach me once but, as you can see," she said, indicating the white powder in her black hair, "I'm not at all patient."
The use of Granger's name brought up a slightly awkward air. Cree looked away from me, choosing to stare at the oven instead, but I continued to stare at her. "When did you decide to – you know –?" I asked.
She looked at me, a sad look in her dark orbs. She sighed. "It was the summer before fifth year, I think. Some time after your . . . mission. . . . Mother was fixing my hair for a party, saying how grown up I was and how she believed I would make a fine Death Eater. She kept going on about how she'd rather me be a Death Eater than a Death Eater's house wife, though she had big plans for you and me."
I bit back the smirk that threaten to come to my face. "Go on."
"Well, after she'd left the room, I sat there for a while thinking. I realized I was only fifteen and there was so much more time before me and yet . . . everyone else was planning my life out. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized I didn't want either of the paths my mum had laid out for me. . . . Well, the marrying you part might not have been so bad." She smirked at me and I couldn't help but smirk back slightly.
"Then what happened?" I asked.
"Well, seeing as how you were gone from Hogwarts and how I'd always been dubbed your 'Shadow', they made me the 'Slytherin Princess'. Of course, Pansy never did like how many thought I'd run off like you did and we'd meet and be the most fantastic Death Eater couple the wizarding world has ever know and to tell the truth, neither did I, once again, except for the couple part."
"I have a feeling you're trying to tell me something."
"I might be."
"What happened after that?"
"Seriously? It just sort of happened," she said, her eyes never once straying from mine. "Me switching sides i mean. I woke up one morning and I realized that everything we did, the torture, the killing, was wrong. And so, I asked Harry for help."
"You betrayed us," I said.
She nodded. "I did. But, Draco, I'll admit to you that there wasn't a moment in which I thought about what I was doing. I was so conflicted at one point that I got horribly sick and couldn't eat for almost three days. I came out of that sickness as the same person I'd always been, but I understood things. I understood why Voldemort had to go down."
She looked away, that same sad look in her eyes. "I always thought about you a lot too. I wondered how my switching sides would affect you or if maybe I could get you to see right from wrong. . . . I wondered if you would hate me afterwards. I suppose the later was right."
I pushed myself off the counter, taking a step towards her. "I don't hate you, Cree."
Her eyes snapped towards mine, watching me approach. "What?"
"Yeah, I was angry. Hell, I was damn right pissed off. Seriously? I was hurt." I was standing in front of her now, my hands placed on either side of the counter, my eyes on her eyes. "I think it was because we'd always used to be able to tell each other everything, but you kept this from me and . . . I don't know. I thought for a moment that I hated you, especially while I was in Azkaban and when I saw you in the Diagon Alley a couple of months ago. But I don't. I really don't hate you."
"I didn't tell you because I was afraid how you'd react to the whole situation."
"Were you afraid that I'd give you up to Voldemort or something?"
"Of course not. I know you'd never do that."
We were incredibly close now, me standing in between her legs while she leaned slightly forward. My gaze slid down to her lips before moving back up to her eyes. "Are you afraid now?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
"No, not really," she said, though I just barely heard her.
"Good." I captured her lips with mine. I felt as if I were back in my sixth year, except this time she tasted like cookie dough. My arms wrapped around her waist, my hands clutching the back of her shirt while her hands slid across my face and into my hair, tugging on it lightly. My lungs begged for the breath I hadn't taken but I ignored it, favoring this kiss over oxygen.
It was the over buzzer that broke us apart this time. Cree pushed me away lightly, sliding off the counter. I grabbed her arm. "Let them burn," I said, eyeing her lips again.
She rolled her eyes. "If I let them burn, so does your house."
I leaned against the counter, watching her, not quite sure what I was feeling. I wasn't used to this kind of thing. It was absurd.
But I suppose most referred to it as the 'L' word.
A/N: So, that's that chapter. Seriously, I really hope you all know what the 'L' word is.