He's Just a Phase, Right? (A Draco Malfoy Story)

He's Just a Phase, Right? [The Jacket]

You woke up at 7 p.m and looked around to find the dormitory empty. You got up from Harry's bed and walked out to the common room. It was empty, too. Must be dinner time, you thought. You walked to your own dormatory and opened you trunk. You pulled out a pair of jeans and a white sweater. As you unfolded them, a small white book fell to the floor. You picked it up and hugged it to your chest. It was your favorite book. You loved the dog-eared pages and crumpled look it got from all the times you read it. You loved the story and how it helped you feel like love existed. You finished getting dressed and noticed that your jeans felt a little tight. With that, you decided to skip dinner. You picked the book up and made your way out to the lake.

The night was clear and all the stars visible. The light from the moon made the lake look like it was sparkling. It was too dark to read, but you just liked having the book, holding it. You read it countless times whenever your family was having problems, so it comforted you. It made the world feel less complicated. You wanted so much to live, and to be happy. To have that love that the heroine, Madalena, and her prince had. A tear slowly slid down your cheek, glistening in the moonlight. You wiped it away, but that didn't stop more from coming. You tried to swallow but a lump had formed in your throat. You cried softly in the night, still clutching the book to your heart. Just then, a twig snapped. You looked up to see Draco's icy blue eyes watching. You turned away quickly, wiping your eyes.

"How long have you been there?" you choked out quietly.

"Around the time you started crying," he said, sitting down next to you. You pulled your knees up and hugged them close to your body.

"You should be at dinner," you said.

"I needed some air," he said, scooting closer to you. You didn't know what to do. From out of nowhere a new batch of tears pressed at your eyes, waiting to be let out. You held your breath, then let out a gasp and buried your head into Draco's chest. He wrapped his arms around you and held you. After your eyes seemed to run out, you just sat with him, breathing in his scent. He was so caring. Kind. So different from the person you thought he was all this time. And he understood. You pulled away from him. You didn't say a thing, but it was one of those moments where you didn't have to. You pulled your sweater closed and rested your head on your knees, looking out at the lake.

"What's this?" Draco asked. You turned to see him looking at the cover of your book.

"Oh, it's nothing," you said, reaching to take it. He pulled it out of your reach.

"Candescence by James Kole? I've never heard of it," he said, flipping open to the prologue.

"You wouldn't like it," you said, taking it away.

"Try me," he said softly. You hesitated.

"It's a love story. It's the most beautiful story I've ever read. My--" you stopped.

"Your…?" he asked, putting an arm around you. You were grateful for this, after feeling the hairs on your arms prickle up from the breeze that just blew by.

"My mom gave it to me," you whispered.

"What happened to her?" he asked.

"She died. Two years ago. Then my dad married, like, 3 months afterward. To a woman that he was 'just friends' with for the past 3 years. I never mourned. I just kept going. That's when I stopped," you said.

"Stopped what?" he asked, his eyes swimming with concern and sympathy.

"Feeling," you said. You kept your eyes on the lake, the cold air dancing on your face. After a while, Draco stood up, pulling you up with him. He took off his jacket and draped it over your shoulders.

"You look like your freezing," he said. He wasn't wrong. Then, he took your book from your grip and pocketed it.

"What are you doing?" you asked.

"I'm going to read it," he said, matter-of-factly.

"You won't like it," you said again.

"I'll be the judge of that. It means a lot to you, so I want to read it," he said, looking down at you. He leaned down and gave you a soft kiss on the top of your head. Then, as though he hadn't shown any intimacy whatsoever, he turned on his heel and walked back up the sloping grass to the castle. You stood there, shocked.

Then, something hit you. Something that terrified you.

You were feeling something.

You were feeling again.

You pulled Draco's jacket closed and slowly headed back up to the castle.

You entered the common room and a wave of warmth hit you. You saw Harry and Ron sitting on the couch in front of the fire.

"Where's Hermione?" you asked.

"In her room, catching up on some reading. Like she needs to!" Ron said, looking up from a stack of Famous Witches and Wizards Cards.

"Oh. Well, I'm tired," you said, turning toward the staircase leading to the girl's dormitories.

"Hang on!" Harry threw down his own cards and walked over to you. "Why didn't you come down for dinner?" he asked, concern on his face.

"Oh, just not hungry. Went for a walk," you said, stepping on the staircase. Harry looked you up and down for a second, but you continued up the stairs. You made it up three steps before...

"Who's jacket is that?" Harry asked, leaning forward but being careful not to step on the stairs to prevent them turning into a slide and knocking her off her feet.

"Huh?" you asked stupidly.

"The jacket? Whose is it?" he asked again.

"Oh! It's mine," you said quickly.

"It looks like a guys jacket. And it's a little big for you," he pointed out.

"Thanks for the astute observations. What does it matter?" you asked. You knew why of course, but still. He seemed a bit taken aback.

"Er... it doesn't. It's just that..." he stumbled through these words, trying to think of a good reason besides the fact that he liked you. You decided to help him out.

"Look, Harry, I'm tired. We'll talk later, okay?" Without another word, you climbed up the rest of the stairs and walked into the girls dormitory. You flopped on your bed as Hermione looked up from her book.

"Where have you been?" she asked suspiciously. You noticed the other Gryffindor girls quiet down.

"I took a walk," you said, completely annoyed now by your friends' nosiness. You looked up in time to see her eyeing the jacket as well. You ignored it, putting on your pajama pants and crawling under the covers. You left the jacket on, just in case Hermione got curious while you were sleeping. You closed your eyes, smiling inside as you smelled Draco on the jacket. You drifted off that night without the help of medication, and swam in dreams of you and Draco in the roles of Madalena and her prince.