Bianca's Point of View.

---

I glanced across the room, towards the table where Malfoy sat. I couldn't keep him out of my mind for some odd reason - and I wasn't too happy about that.

I remembered the day, the very moment, when Jordan told me a secret I couldn't ever tell Malfoy. Maybe one day I would have - but considering the way our friendship sloped, it didn't seem too likely.

"Bianca, can I talk to you for a second?"

I was sitting on the floor, drawing a picture of a dragon. I'd been listening to my dad's tales of dragons at Triwizard Tournaments so many years ago, and I'd been fascinated with dragons ever since.

"Yeah, Jordan," I said, barely audible, as I swept my art supplies into a pile.

He sat down next to me on the ground. We were at home alone - my parents had gone to Diagon Alley to pick up school supplies for Jordan.

"I need to talk to you about Draco."

"Mmkay," I mumbled, nodding. I looked up at him, directing all of my attention to his words.

"You and Draco are really good friends, right?"

I nodded. "Best friends."

"Do you tell each other everything?"

I bit my lip. "I think so. I tell him. . .mostly everything." I shrugged. "There's some personal stuff we don't discuss, really."

"Like. . . .?"

I exhaled. "Okay, don't tell him this. Promise?"

"Promise."

"I think he's kinda cute." I blushed. "But don't tell him! He can't know I'm crushing on him - that'd be totally awkward."

"No, it wouldn't," Jordan disagreed.

I raised an eyebrow curiously. "Why do you say that?"

"Not if he had a crush on you, too."

I laughed. "Maybe then it wouldn't, but I kind of have to be realistic here, Jordan."

"What - you're saying Draco liking you more than a friend wouldn't be realistic?"

"I wouldn't think so."

"Well, then you thought wrong."

"What are you saying?" I couldn't make sense of the noise coming from Jordan at all.

"I'm saying that Draco has a huge crush on you, Bianca. He told me." He said it defiantly, almost triumphantly.

I was silent. Dead silent.

"You okay?" He nudged my shoulder.

I nodded. "Just. . .thinking."

"Do you trust me?"

"I think so. I need to ask him for myself, though--"

"Wait!" Jordan said loudly. "Don't tell him I told you that! It's a secret!"

I rolled my eyes. "Not anymore." I laughed bleakly, pushing myself up from the ground.

---

"Hi - is Draco home?" I asked, swaying slightly on the tips of my toes.

His mother had answered the door. She was pale with long, white-blonde hair. Once you got past the ghostliness of her, she was actually quite pretty. "Oh, yes - Draco! You have a visitor."

I heard loud footsteps trample down the stairs, and then a face that resembled the pale shade of Mrs. Malfoy's appeared at the doorstep. "Oh, hi Bianca." I noticed his frown as Mrs. Malfoy walked away from us.

"Are you okay?" I asked him, my voice thick with concern.

"Yeah. Sure. I guess so." He shrugged. "Um. . .listen. I need to talk to you, Bianca. Can we talk. . .outside?"

"Okay." I gripped the ends of my sleeves nervously. I didn't know how to ask him about what Jordan had told me.

We sat on the steps of his porch. Normally, we'd sit so close I couldn't breathe. Our hands would only be about an inch apart, but it was never awkward. I was used to being close to him.

But not now. Now everything felt. . .stiff. Maybe that's how people in the movies felt. They'd get all twitchy and nervous around their crushes, just like I was getting now.

"Before I start talking, can I have a hug?"

I laughed. "Yeah, sure." I smiled. "For old time's sake."

"You say that like we haven't hugged in ages."

"I just like that saying," I said goofily as he wrapped his arms around me. I squeezed him tight, never wanting to let him go. His hands tugged playfully on the ends of my hair.

"Why do you always do that?" I asked curiously. "Pull at the ends of my hair. I don't mind, I was just wondering."

"Two reasons. One - it used to bug the heck out of you. Two - it calms us both down." He shrugged. "I don't know how to say what I'm about to say."

"Is it bad?" My lips curved into a frown.

"Kind of. . .well, actually, yes. It's really bad." He shook his head. "Maybe I'll tell you some other time."

"Okay," I agreed. "I'm fine with that."

We both smiled at each other.

"Draco Malfoy, you are the most amazing person I know."

"That doesn't necessarily mean much, does it? We're not too old. We don't really know too many people."

"Oh well." The awkwardness faded, and we just leaned into each other. My hands folded around his arm, and I tilted my head onto his shoulder.

Draco was my best friend. I couldn't ask for more than that.

---

He said he had something to tell me. So there I was, ringing his doorbell again.

"Bianca?" Mrs. Malfoy answered the door. "Oh, I wasn't expecting you to be around for a while."

"I'm sorry?" I tilted my head in confusion. "I came here to talk to Draco - he had something to tell me?"

"Oh." Her mouth formed a perfect little round "o" and then she nodded. "I guess . . . okay. I'll call him. Draco! Bianca's here!"

He was down in a second. He came out with me on the porch again, except this time we didn't sit on the steps and look up at the sky. He just stood at the door, his eyes tracing the patterns on the wood floor.

"Draco?" I said quietly. "Um. . .is something wrong?"

He barely nodded.

I walked over to him, and placed my hand gently under his chin to lift it up. He gave a slight flinch, and looked up at me. I dropped my hands.

His eyes were red and puffy from what looked like crying. "B-b-Bianca," he choked out his words. "I have to tell you something." He wiped his eyes, which were starting to tear up again.

"Okay. Go ahead." I gulped, preparing myself for the worst. Of course, if Draco had gone to the point of crying, whatever this was. . .it couldn't be good.

"We can't be friends anymore."

His words cut straight across the surface - sharp and deep. It was like every part of me was suddenly aflame.

"What?" I managed to say. "I--what?" Maybe that was all I could say. "What? Why? Draco--"

"I'm sorry." He continued to look at the ground.

The silence in the air only lasted for a second before he took one last glance up at me. His eyes were full of tears.

"I don't understand," I said quietly. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it'd break free from my chest and slap Draco in the face.

"I'm sorry," he repeated, barely audible, before walking back inside.

I stood there for a minute, just staring at the door. My eyes were dry to tears, but I wasn't oblivious to the pain of all of this.

"What did I do?" I asked no one in particular. I glanced back towards the door. My eyes traced over it in a sudden anger. No explanation, nothing.

I ran home, and stomped into the house, all the way to my room. Stupid Draco Malfoy. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid . . .

I sat on my bed, letting my anger cool off. The steam faded, and when it had, I wasn't angry. I was miserably depressed. I looked out my window, focusing on Draco's house.

And the tears started to fall. They burned my cheeks, and fell to my lap. I pulled at the ends of my hair, thinking it'd calm me, and it did. But barely. I buried my head in my pillow, tear-staining it.