Disclaimer: I'm not J.K Rowling; therefore, Harry Potter isn't mine…
A/N: Alright! This is just a note...the letterings in italic is the past alright? in case you all got confused...there's italic and italic+bold so watch out alright? thx...
Memories
February 14th 2005
Draco Malfoy
It was Valentine's Day at last. Not like I looked forwarded to it, but I hoped it ended quickly. I was forced to go back to the Malfoy Mansion to attend the Valentine's Ball. My mother had said it was a chance for me to socialize but I knew better. It was for me to meet the 'candidates' for my future bride. It's pretty obvious, the fact that mother keeps reminding me to look nice and listing names of eligible women. I finally ended up getting a life-sized teddy bear for Hazel and a silk scarf for my mother. I secretly sent a box of Swiss Mint Chocolates to Hermione. Mint was her favourite flavor and Swiss Chocolates are the finest chocolates in the world.
I remembered celebrating a Valentine's Day with Hermione. It was raining that day. We'd gone on a picnic when halfway through, rain began to pour. I quickly conjured a shed while Hermione immediately ran out and danced in the rain.
"Come on Draco! It's fun!" Hermione said through her giggles.
I was amazed how a girl like her couldn't care less about getting soaked in the rain. She wasn't bothering to keep the rain off her at all. She spread her arms and let the rain pour onto her. She was laughing and dancing in the rain. I thought she was out of her mind.
"Draco! Come out and feel the rain!"
"No I don't want to get soaked!"
"Oh come on!"
"No I really don't want to."
"¯Let the rain fall down, and wipe my dreams, let it wash away my sanity, coz I wanna feel the thunder, I wanna scream, I'm coming clean¯"
I stood there in horror as she started singing. How could she not care? She was having the time of her life in the rain. She's one of a kind. I couldn't help but grin. At last, I came out of the shed. I was soaked the moment I stepped out. But it didn't really matter. The feeling of the rain on my skin, it was so refreshing. I felt myself purified. Hermione saw me and moved closer to me. She held my cheeks and pressed her lips against mine. She told me later that it was her first kiss.
"I don't know what I'm going to do without you. I'm so lost without you," she whispered in my ear.
I could feel her breath. Even in the pouring rain, I felt warm at her touch.
"Happy Valentine's Day," I whispered back to her.
We stood there, arms twined round each other and watched as the rain began to subside. It was the one Valentine's Day I would never forget.
I thought back and realized, I only remember this one Valentine's Day in all my 20 years of living. Other memories were simply fragments, pieces here and there of growing up. None of them evoked any feelings of love. There was a tap on the window, and I saw at once my eagle owl, Storm. I crossed the room and realized that it was raining out, just like my Valentine's Day with Hermione had. I opened the window and allowed Storm to fly in. He swept gently by and landed on my study table. I retrieved the note from his leg and Storm flew out, heading to his favourite tree. I opened the note and read:
Thinking of you on a raining day,
Memories flooded back to me,
I thought of what you'd say,
If you remembered what you took from me,
On a raining Valentine's Day,
I placed the telling note on my desk carefully, making sure it didn't tear. Though it didn't say who the sender was, I knew just as well. I took a piece of parchment and a quill, and then I wrote a reply:
Never was I struck before that hour,
With love so sudden and so sweet,
Your face bloomed like a sweet flower,
It stole my heart away complete,
Our souls are one if you must know,
And never shall they be apart,
With a splendid smile, your face aglow,
I reached for you and found my heart,
I sealed the parchment and went over to the still open window. I called for Shadow, the family's owl. After a while, I spotted Shadow as he flew silently up and landed on the window's frame. I tied the note to him and said, "To Hermione Granger."
Shadow clicked his beak, indicating he understood and took off. I watched him for a while. Shadow was rather pump, seeing as he hadn't had a letter to carry in months yet he was still fed. Unlike Storm, Shadow looked rather old. Storm greatly resembled Shadow, except that Storm was more handsome. I had liked Storm a lot. Storm was the only one at Hogwarts I could talk to casually. Sometimes I thought Storm was the only friend I could talk to without feeling like I had to uphold the image of a Malfoy.
As I shut the window, I had the sudden feeling I was being watched. I turned to see Hazel looking at me with a smile on her face.
"Thanks for the bear," Hazel said immediately.
"Not a problem,"
"You sure it isn't fake? I highly suspect there's an Engorgement Charm involved,"
"Not really," I replied.
"Where did you get it?" Hazel asked again.
"Some muggle store," I shrugged.
"You got me a muggle gift?"
"I can take it back if you like, but I'm not getting you another gift."
"You wish! I like Hazeline a lot," Hazel said, still smiling.
"Hazeline?"
"The teddy bear,"
I raised my eyebrow but decided that I didn't care enough to question it. Hazel continued to talk.
"Draco, want to take a walk?"
"With you?" I asked.
"Is it very hard to believe I'm being nice to you?"
"Not really, but it's weird. We Malfoys don't waste much time being nice to each other. We're supposed to hate each other, or at the very least, be indifferent to each other."
"I'm different."
"I can see why."
"Let's go," Hazel urged and took my hands.
Hazel dragged me to the garden outside. I soon realized that Hazel was feeling rather talkative. In fact, we talked a lot. She told me about Jason and how they met, and then she told me about how she had planted some roses in the garden. She told me that she wanted to make a rose garden with fountain and swings. I snorted at that idea. Hazel asked me a number of questions. We were doing fine, until she asked a question I didn't want to answer.
"Have you fallen in love, Draco?" Hazel asked me quietly.
"I have, but what difference does it make?" I said sadly.
"I don't quite understand."
I inhaled sharply and spoke, "Yes, I've fallen in love. But do I get to spend the rest of my life with her? No. Do I get to be with her? No. If I can't spend my life with someone I love dearly, does it really matter if we were in love? No."
"You can't be with her? Why not?" Hazel whispered.
"Not as a Malfoy, I can't be with her," I said bitterly.
"Why not? So what if you're a bloody Malfoy?"
"A lot of reasons,"
"Like what?" Hazel pushed harder.
"Don't you get it!" I shouted.
Hazel remained silent.
"There are many reasons we can't be together! I've hurt her badly. She's moved on! I'm a Malfoy and just with that one word, I can't be with her! Want to know why? Because with the Malfoys, all that matters is blood! Not love! God damn it! I know you're in love, I know! I know that you get to be with the person you love, but I don't! It's different for me! I can't be with her and I accept that! If I can accept that, why can't you?" I shouted angrily.
"Are you saying you've fallen for a Mudblood?" Hazel asked slowly.
"See! Do you see? That's exactly what I'm talking about! Blood! That's all that matters, am I right?" I spat and left Hazel standing there, dumbstruck.
The ball was terrible that night. Mother kept introducing women to me. I wasn't interested at all. I simply nodded lazily and watched as my mother talked about me and my life. About how I was just the perfect son, how I am the heir of the Malfoy fortune and so on. At last, the ball ended with a tired Narcissa and a very disapproving Hazel, along with a silent Jason. Hazel was with me most of the time to make sure I didn't slip out of the crowd and hide somewhere like I usually do. She also saw how I acted when women of all types were introduced to me. I could see how desperate my mother and sister were when they introduced to me a woman who'd been divorced three times. If the craziness doesn't stop soon, I'll go crazy! Sitting by the fireplace with Jason and Narcissa while Hazel said her goodbyes to her friends, I sighed.
"Mom, tell me this is the last time you'll ever plan a ball!" I said tiredly.
"Oh Draco, have you found a suitable woman?" Narcissa asked, fanning herself with her palm.
"No, didn't I say that you were to decide?"
"Your sister wanted you to choose. She wanted to make sure you at least had the privilege to choose, even if you don't particularly like any of them," Narcissa explained.
I glared at Hazel who'd just entered the room.
"Well, Mother, I think you should choose for me. If I were to choose, you wouldn't be too happy with my choices," I said, still glaring at Hazel.
"I think I'll give you one year to bring back a decent woman. If you still fail to do so, I'll have another ball and choose," Narcissa said tiredly.
"Well, if you'll excuse me, I have a flight to catch," I retreated.
"Draco?" Narcissa called.
I turned and stared at her.
"Catch another flight, I want you to stay here tonight," Narcissa said as she stood up and left the room.
I shot Hazel a nasty glare and retreated to my room, wondering if I'll ever beallowed to really decide anything at all! After some time, I reached my room. I flicked the lights on furiously and slammed my hand on the cold wall. Damn it! I thought. Is there really nothing in my life worth living for?
"Draco?" a voice called.
"What!"
"Draco, what's wrong with you?" a voice that turned out to be Hazel asked.
"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you?"
"Draco! Stop it!"
"Stop what Hazel!" I yelled angrily.
Hazel shut her mouth for a moment. She was rather taken aback by my attitude. I continued talking.
"I'm a screw up! I know! So what!"
"Draco, what are you talking about?" Hazel asked.
"You know what I'm talking about! I'm always the disobedient child! Always the bad one! And you're always the center attraction! You're always getting more attention! And me? I'm the one thrown aside until they decide to pick me back up!" I shouted.
I walked past Hazel, brushing her shoulder, and reached for the door. Before I had the chance to open the door, Hazel spoke again.
"What are you doing? Draco, I can't help it if you choose to act like that!" Hazel called after me.
"Treat me like a screw up and I act like a screw up!" I shouted.
"Where're you going?"
"To mix with my own kind!" I hissed as I reached for the door.
"Draco, do not slam the d -"
I slammed the door without a second thought. I walked around to the back of the house. As I reached the backyard, my spirits lifted a bit. I was standing in front of a Quidditch pitch. Almost without thinking, I reached into the broom shed and grabbed my Firebolt. I mounted the broom and took off. Feeling the chill wind stinging my face, I focused and made a perfect Wronski Feint. I'd practiced it throughout the whole 4th year. I've always felt so calm when I'm flying. Even when I was in a match against Potter, I couldn't help but feel alive. I'm alive again now…