𝐸𝑉𝐸𝑅𝐺𝑅𝐸𝐸𝑁 𝑀𝐼𝑆𝑇 || 𝐷.𝑀.

ten

Juniper and Draco had one thing in common that night: they both barely slept at all. Juniper's mind was preoccupied with the consistent dread that she wouldn't get over her feelings for Draco. Draco's mind was preoccupied with consistent worry that Juniper was so upset, but all he could hope for was that she'd show to potions class where he could attempt to speak with her. She didn't show though. Juniper had made the decision to stay in bed that morning, not going to breakfast nor to her classes. The thought of having to face Draco Malfoy made her feel sick even though all she wanted was to have him staring at her with his soft blue eyes, giving her that usual cheeky and cocky smile he always had. Juniper eventually got up and went to the Prefect's bathroom, trying to shower as quickly as possible because the memories of what happened in that very room were overwhelming her.
Draco was in potions when he realized that Juniper wasn't going to show. The empty seat next to him was a constant reminder of how completely upset she was, making him decide that after class he'd go talk to her because it's the right thing to do. She had to know it wasn't meaningless to him. He wanted so badly to make her feel better.
"Are you aware of your classmate's whereabouts, Mr. Malfoy?" Snape asked quietly to Draco as he was taking notes from the textbook for class. Draco looked up at Snape and thought for a moment.
"She mentioned last night that she was feeling a bit ill, professor." Draco lied. This drew Blair's attention, making her look over to Draco with a confused look. Snape only nodded his head.
"Make sure your fellow prefect gets today's notes." Snape gave the demand. Draco nodded, quite happy that Snape asked him these questions and gave him that demand so he'd have a true excuse to talk to Juniper. After class he had finally had a discussion with Blair Williams for the first time.
"What did you mean that Juniper was feeling ill?" Blair asked immediately as Draco walked down the hallway. He thought it was rather funny that she didn't say hello or anything else to him but that one question about her friend.
"I lied, I don't know why she wasn't in class." Draco told Blair honestly.
"God, what'd you do to her? She was fine before you." Blair groaned at him. He tried not to be too hurt by her words, knowing that she was most likely just concerned for her friend.
"I didn't do anything to her." Draco hissed quietly.
"Please, I know you shagged her in the prefect's bathroom." Blair rolled her eyes. Juniper had told her, this was slightly interesting to him.
"Juniper is convinced that what happened between us was meaningless. Last night during rounds she...sort of lost it. She yelled at me and then stormed off to God knows where and she was crying." Draco admitted.
"And you didn't go after her? You didn't stop her?" He could tell that Blair wasn't too happy with him.
"I didn't know what to say! She was so...upset and crying. I don't know how to deal with people in those situations." Draco shrugged, trying to defend himself. He knew he should've gone after her. "I'll go talk to her, Snape asked me to bring the work from today to her anyway." He said as they both got to the Slytherin common room.
"You better bloody fix this or I'll permanently turn you into a fucking ferret, Malfoy." Blair threatened him. He honestly wanted to laugh at her threat and he could see the slight smile on Blair's face as she wanted to laugh too.
"Alright, alright," Draco nodded as he began to walk toward Juniper's dormitory, "for the record, Williams, what happened with her wasn't meaningless. I do like her, I swear it." Draco tried to convince Juniper's friend.
"It's not me that you've got to convince." Blair said to him as she sat on the couch. Draco walked slowly to Juniper's door, suddenly feeling quite nervous to knock on it. His hand was raised to knock, but nothing happened for nearly thirty seconds, and then he finally gained the courage to knock. He waited another thirty seconds for an answer, but Juniper said nothing. He opened the door when he heard her shift in her bed, shaking his head as he opened it and saw her lying there, staring out the window.
"Go away, Blair, I still want to be alone." Juniper said quietly.
"It's not Blair." Draco said slowly, expecting her to be enraged and demand he leaves her room immediately. He prepared himself for the yelling, but it didn't come. She still laid there, not moving as she continued to stare at the window.
"Oh," is all he heard Juniper say softly, her voice in a near whisper, "I don't want to talk, Draco." She said. Draco didn't listen to her, of course, coming over to the side of the bed she was facing and crouched down to be at her level.
"It smells like evergreen trees in here." Draco remarked, trying to make her laugh a bit.
"It's my candle, it's called Evergreen Mist." Juniper mumbled. Draco chuckled as he looked at the small candle burning on her desk.
"I like it." Draco nodded.
"Yeah, it's one of my favorite scents." Juniper nodded, she avoided eye contact with him the entire time.
"Tell me what's going through your head." Draco said softly as he watched her face. She kept a blank expression, but met his eyes.
"You know exactly what's going through my head." Juniper said as she scrunched her nose slightly. Draco sighed and nodded his head, knowing she was completely correct, he did know.
    "Juniper, I can't change what happened between us." Draco said softly, his eyes were soft. "However, I can swear to you that it wasn't meaningless. I promise you it wasn't." She noticed how Draco's eyes seemed to be pleading for her to believe him and part of her did believe him. "Stop thinking that what happened in that bathroom was a product of me just wanting one thing from you because it truly wasn't." Draco said as he placed a hand on her cheek. His hands were cold today and Juniper enjoyed how they felt against her cheek. He brushed a piece of her curled hair behind her ear, trying to give her a bit of a smile.
    "Why do you act like it is then? You walk around the castle like nothing phases you, it's quite annoying." Juniper said sitting up, swinging her legs over the bed so now Draco was sitting before her.
    "Because I know if I tell you that it meant something to me and I pursued you, you'd just end up getting hurt." Draco sighed as he laid his head in her lap. Juniper brought her hands to his hair, slowly running the platinum strands through her fingers.
    "But what if I didn't end up hurt?" She asked. Draco sat up again, looking up at her face and staring right into her green eyes. He wished he could freeze time to stare into her green eyes for hours, they looked so bright with the sunlight softly hitting her face. He sighed again and shook his head. He knew he couldn't risk it, he couldn't risk her happiness even if it meant he'd be losing her.
    "I can't, Junebug." Draco whispered as he reached up to put his hand on her cheek as he stood up so she was looking up at him now.
    "Yes you can." She tried to convince him. "Just let yourself be happy." Juniper said. Draco thought for a moment. He thought about the possibility of them becoming more, of how he could have her always laying against him, always holding her soft little hands, and the constant green of her eyes in his vision. He thought about the possibility of him being able to love her, but knew the likelihood of them ending terribly was too great to risk.
    "I won't risk your happiness. I can't, I'm so sorry." Draco said as he rested his forehead against hers. He swore he wanted to cry, something he'd never done over a girl before, but for this woman in front of him, he'd be willing to let himself indulge in emotion. He felt Juniper nod against him, her eyes shut and he could feel a tear on her cheek, hitting his thumb where his hand rested. Draco decided now would be a good opportunity to kiss her again, knowing it would possibly be the last time.
    "It's okay, Draco." Juniper sighed, her eyes were still closed as she could've bring herself to look into his eyes, knowing the soft blue would consume her and make her completely and utterly weak. She kept them closed as Draco brushed away the tear on her cheek and then felt his lips lightly press against hers. She had missed the feeling of his lips against hers, the soft and easy and effortless kiss that consumed her whole body into him. She wished she could freeze time to keep them in this moment, but there was no magic for that. After the kiss, Draco looked at her with this look in his eyes that said he was regretting his choices to not pursue her, but he still placed a kiss against her forehead and then left the room.
    Draco wasn't able to say anything to her before leaving, knowing that if he did he'd most likely break in front of her. He didn't want her to see him like that, like a weak boy who couldn't do any right. Draco went to his room, shutting the door quietly and locking it, leaning against it as he let himself cry finally. He knew that in the room down the hall, Juniper Hartley was doing the same thing in her own dormitory, which only hurt him more.