foxfire [draco malfoy]

eighteen

here we go again

Foxfire and Kat had been back to Hogwarts for a few days now. Surprisingly, Kat has taken the rejection pretty well, even if her insides were crushed. Her best friend now knew her deepest secret, but on the bright side, their friendship wasn't broken, only her heart. Which sucked, none the less, but she knew it would be best to just forget the whole incident for now and focus on her friendship with Foxfire. Even if that meant letting her go a little bit.

Foxfire, on the other hand, was pretty preoccupied trying to come up with a way to talk to Draco again, something about him made her feel desperate for more. She craved seeing him, and she couldn't figure out why she was so into him.

As classes had begun, she knew she'd see him eventually, but he seemed to not be there the first few days, causing a slight disappointed feeling every time she looked over at his empty chair.

Two days in a row, and there was no sign of him yet. A feeling of anxiety rushed through her as she walked down the corridors from the Hufflepuff commons and conjured up the room of requirement. He wasn't in classes, so why would he be here? She knew he had been up to something for a while now, so there was a slight chance he was doing whatever it is Draco does back here.

She walked in, looking around the dark, empty room, only to find no sign of the boy, causing her her heart to fall into the pit of her stomach. She just wanted to tell him how she felt, but maybe she ruined it now. After that kiss, and she pushed him away, there was a chance he decided to leave her alone for good and she ruined it all. So she sighed, walked back to her room and going straight to bed.

         The following day, she sat in the library, studying for her Defense Against The Dark Arts class, as she had been doing poorly again. The library was dim lit, with only two or so other students scattered around, focused. She tapped her quill against the table rapidly, as she continued reading, when someone sat directly across from her. "There's plenty of other tables in this library, my guy." She commented, not looking up, wanting to just study in peace.

"But you don't seem to be at them." The familiar voice responded as she slowly looked up from behind her hair, seeing Draco with his hands on the table in front of her.

"Draco, hey?" She greeted, closing her book and sitting up, pushing her hair behind her ear. "Where've you been?" She continued to whisper, leaning closer.

"I just arrived back today from break." He informed her, not wanting to think of what all went down during the holidays. She nodded, feeling relieved that he wasn't just avoiding her. "I was actually wondering if we could talk?" He whispered, looking around the library.

"Yeah, yeah that's fine." She responded, standing up.

"Meet me in the room of requirement in an hour, alright?" He said to her, as she nodded and he walked off and out of sight. Foxfire packed up all her stuff into her bag, and pushed her chair in before leaving as well, heading back to her room. Kat sat on the bed, writing a letter home to her mom. She usually didn't write her mom often, as her mom never wrote back, but she just wanted to, as she was missing her. Suddenly, Foxfire bursted through the door, and threw her bag down in a hurry.

"What's up?" Kat asked, setting her quill down.

"Oh, nothing. I uh, am meeting up with Fred for a bit. Just to catch up." Foxfire lied, as Kat seemed to believe her. "Shouldn't be out too late."

"Tell him I said hey." She responded, returning to her writings.

"Yep. Will do." Foxfire lied, again, as she threw on a new shirt and brushed through her hair once more, before hanging her robe up in the wardrobe, and leaving again. She walked down the hall, feeling anxious, as usual. She wondered if Draco had wanted to talk to her about what she was wanting to talk to him about. Or maybe he was going to cut off all ties with her. Whatever it was, her mind was working a mile a minute, thinking of the worst possible outcome compared to the best.

She reached an empty hall, finding herself staring at the large door before her. She let herself in, seeing the back of Draco's head as he sat on the sofa, staring at the lit fire in the fireplace. She approached him, as he stood to his feet, both were nervous, but great at hiding it. "Hey." She said to him, awkwardly, with her heart racing.

"Hey." He responded. This definitely was an awkward approach to the situation.

"So, you wanted to talk?" She asked, knowing full well she wanted to talk too, but would rather hear what he has to say first before spilling her guts out only to get turned down.

"Yeah, actually. I thought a lot about you over break. And for starters I'd like to apologize for leaving you confused and for overstepping with that kiss." He looked down, slightly ashamed. She really brought the soft side of him out, which was a rare sight.

"It's okay." She assured him. "I actually was looking to apologize to you as well." She told him, feeling bad for yelling at him.

"No apologies necessary, Foxfire." He told her. His heart was now beating fast, and he could practically hear the blood pumping through his veins, in his ears. "I like you, Foxfire. A lot." He blurted out before continuing, "But there are things I have to do soon, that could make you hate me forever, understandably." He finally confided in her. She cocked her head to the side, confused at his statement.

"I don't understand?" She questioned. Tears began to fill his eyes, as he looked away. Foxfire lifted her hand up, pulling his face to hers. "Whatever it is, I'm here for you." She finally admitted, but she remembered the conversation from the train ride here at the beginning of the year. What Harry had implied.

"You don't get it." He shook his head, looking down, ashamed once again.

"That's okay." She said to him.

"It's not." His voice grew powerful, as he contemplated spilling all his secrets to her of his mission and his life, and the destructiveness that was going to follow once he finishes his assignment.

"Draco, I care about you." She told him, sincerely. And without hesitation, he stepped back from her, moving her hand away from his face. She looked to him, puzzled by his mystery.

"You shouldn't care about me. You don't know what I am. What I have to do." He said through clenched teeth, as he stared back over at the fire.

"Then tell me!" She insisted, in defeat. "Whatever it is, it can't be that bad." She stepped forward, as he scoffed at her ignorance. "I just don't understand you. One moment you're kissing me, the next you're acting like this." She finally muttered, shaking her head. Finally, he aggressively lifted up his sleeve in a quick motion, extending his forearm in her view, where a very clear and distinct tattoo covered his skin. The dark mark. She looked at it, then to him, as tears fell down his cheeks. She was in too deep at this point, but she could tell that he was just a scared boy, who had to do this, whether he wanted to or not. Without fully processing this revelation, she pulled him to her, jumping up slightly, taking his face in her hands, and pressing her lips against his, feeling the sweet taste of peppermint enter her mouth. His hands reached behind her back, as he let himself relax, realizing that she did truly care for him.

But this knowledge could get her killed, and he wouldn't be able to live with himself if that were to happen. He knew in this moment he had to protect her at all costs, because she mattered most to him now, and he couldn't quite figure out why. But a huge part of him didn't want to let her go.