Don't Ever Forget

VIII.

Draco walks down a random alleyway and I glance down and see nothing but him standing there at a dead end.

"Following me now, Y/N?" He asks, loud enough to hear. I feel a pang of fear and start stepping backward. This was a mistake. I start to turn around but he steps in my direction.

"Wait! Don't go," he says, sounding a bit desperate. That desperation in his voice convinces me to stay but I look back to see if the others are looking for me yet. I stand in the dead-end alleyway and wait for him to continue speaking.

"I'm sorry about... today," he says in a way that sounds like he struggled to get it out. I stay silent, not sure what to say.

"I was cruel to you but I shouldn't have been. I just noticed something about you and wanted to test it. I'm sorry." he apologizes again.

"It's okay, Draco," I say and his eyes soften. I'm not sure why I forgave him so easily after I was convinced that I was angry with him and would stay away from him. There's just something about the way that he contradicts himself that makes him irresistable in a way. I can't stay mad because I'm so intriguied at how he can go from cruel to apologetic, from cold to soft. I find the courage to step closer and closer to him until I'm standing beside him.

"Let's get away from here, just for a short while." He suggests looking towards the brick wall.

"There's nowhere to go." I say, worried that turning back will definitely end up with me and Draco being discovered by Harry and the others.

"Yes there is." he replies and holds out his hand to me. Without thinking, I take it and we walk into and through the brick wall together.

On the other side of the wall is a small park. A square plot of land in the middle of the city. The grass is unbelievably green with a large oak tree right in the middle. A variety of flowers are scattered across the field and there's even a small pond to the side. It's like someone cut out a pretty scene from a picturebook and placed it here, where it doesn't seem to belong.

"I never knew about this place." I say, looking at everything in awe.

"No one does, and those who do don't really care about this place." He lifted his hand out a bit to let a butterfly dance around his finger before flying back up into the clear blue sky.

"It's beautiful." Is all I can say. He walks over to the tree and sits at the base of it, watching me explore the small area. I walk over to the pond and look in to find little fish and frogs living within it. I crouch to inspect all the flowers, but not daring to pick them. It's a small, peaceful, paradise. Draco watches me with a light expression as a I walk towards him and sit beside him under the tree.

"I knew you'd like it." he says gently.

"Why did you bring me here, exactly?" I ask, curious. He sighs and looks down at his hands for a moment.

"I come here when I feel like I need space from everyone." he replies. I nod then stare up at the sky, thinking.

"I also knew you didn't want to be seen with me while you were out with Potter and the rest of your friends," he adds dryly. The way he says that makes me a bit nervous so I turn to look at his expression. He doesn't look angry but he looks upset in a way. I feel some guilt about how obvious it is that I can't openly talk to him.

"You hurt them, Draco. You hurt them so much, and for a long time." was all I could say before turning away again.

"I know," he says, "that's just who I am."

"Is that who you are or who you were?"I ask suddenly. I feel bad for asking such a personal and forward question and begin to think that maybe I struck a nerve.

"It's who I am." is all he says and I decide not to pry any further. We sit in a comfortable silence for a while. I close my eyes and breathe in the unusually fresh air and feel the sun warming my skin. Draco starts to hum a quiet tune and I feel myself drifting to sleep.

When I open my eyes, it's darker. It takes me a moment to realize where I am and I look around, expecting him to be waiting for me when I wake up. But he's gone. For some reason I feel sad but I realize that I've been gone from the group for a few hours. I wonder if they're worried about me. I get up and head to the same wall we came through and walked through it. Diagon Alley is quieter now, with less people walking about. I walk in the direction of the shop but see that it's closed. Where can they be? I walk down the alley until I go back to where we came, The Leaky Cauldron.

"Y/N! Where have you been?" I heard and turn to see George sitting at the bar.

"I'm sorry, George. I just felt like... I needed to be alone for a while." I say, feeling guilty about lying. Of course, he immediately believes me and doesn't question me further.

"I get the feeling." he says and takes a gulp of his drink.

"Are you here with someone?" I ask, noticing the extra drink next to him.

"Oh...no I'm not. I just make sure to drink one for Fred." he smiles sadly and I sit beside him.

"Mind if I drink one for him, too?" I ask and he smiles. Before I know it, a drink is placed in front of me and I'm drinking with George and Fred.

After a drink or two, I say goodbye to George and head back to my home. The drinks made me a bit happier but I was also still feeling giddy about the short time I spent with Draco. Although, I was still confused, I felt closer to him somehow. I was concerned about what he said but I think he trusts me, just a little bit at least.

After getting ready for bed, I stare up at the ceiling. I take out my wand and point it up.

"Expecto Patronum." I whisper and my Siberian cat forms from the tip of my wand and frollics around my room again, curling up beside me in bed. It doesn't fade until my hand reaches through it this time.

I thought of Draco sitting under that big tree. The sun radiating off his hair and skin. His eyes brighter than I've ever seen them. All signs of worry or stress absent from his face. And the butterflies and birds that all danced around him.