The days dragged on longer than she had hoped. Everywhere she went, she saw Draco either all alone or with Crabbe and Goyle to keep him company-she had Blaise with her all the time so they were basically even. It wasn't much comfort being distanced from Draco and guarded by Blaise when Parkinson was basically up her neck and whispering loudly to her friends whenever Jo was nearby. Oh what'd she'd give just to give that pug-faced menace a taste of her own medicine.

Jo knew she needed to act quicker if she wanted to salvage any possible remaining friendship between her and Draco because, frankly and unfortunately, she was starting to get used to not having him around and she found herself quite okay with it. You see, the trouble with Jovanni Kepler is that she has trouble letting go of things she should-Draco Malfoy is one very concrete example. She wasn't too sure if it was because she's a muggle-born and wants to experience all the magic she can and never stop, or if it was just her plain old personality trait that made her struggle to let go (it could really be both, if she wanted to be brutally honest with herself).

There wasn't really much occasion at Hogwarts for one to give gifts to their friends. In fact, it wasn't very common for Hogwarts students to just give gifts to their friends whenever they felt like it (or even though an occasion had just passed), although Jo believed that that should be a new type of culture in their school. This meant that she had to pick the perfect time to give Draco this little gift she had prepared for him because she didn't want to catch him at an awkward time, nor did she want to give it to him where there would be a lot of other students around. It was her Christmas gift for him and she planned to give it to him the moment they got back to surprise him. She carried the gift in her bag wherever she went, just in case she'd find the right opportunity to approach Draco. It wasn't that she barely saw him-he was literally everywhere she went-but it was more of really having to get him at the perfect moment.

Jo was at the library one day, hoping to find her favorite spot empty, which almost often was. It was one of her favorite spots in Hogwarts because the sun always came in through the windows just right. It was also one of the aisles by the wall and near the end of the library which was why it was bound to be empty and very quiet, leaving it to be her little safe space. She even remembers being there with Draco sometimes whenever she went to the library. They sat in her safe space during that day they were texting each other despite sitting side by side. In fact, they did that quite often just to preserve the silence in the atmosphere.

Lo and behold, the perfect moment did come. To her surprise, her library safe space was already preoccupied by none other than the man himself: Draco Malfoy. Jo felt her feet glue themselves to the floor and her heart drop to her stomach. Her hand quickly landed on top of her bag which held her gift for him within it; a gift which had been itching to be given already. It wasn't long before Draco noticed her presence and quickly started to gather his belongings as if he was in the restricted section of the library and was caught by a teacher. But Jo guessed he was in a rush mostly because he didn't want to be anywhere in the vicinity of her.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to- You can stay." Jo mumbled.

"No, I'm leaving. Take the spot." Draco replied, not looking her in the eyes.

Jo didn't expect him to say anything, neither did she expect that if they'd talk again that those would be the words they'd exchange. This was the perfect time for them to finally talk and Jo knew that if she didn't speak up, she might just lose her chance. Just as Draco finally gathered all his things, Jo finally let the words slip right off her lips.

"We need to talk."

She hated those words and she even feared hearing them. Truth be told, she was afraid of confrontation, but she knew well enough that if didn't stand her ground now then she might as well bid goodbye to Draco Malfoy forever and let him walk out of her life.

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