Never • The Lost Daughter | A Draco Malfoy Love Story

Chapter 23 - The Kiss

The night was cold up there. There were no clouds, though, and I could see the blue-black night sky. The moon had the color of Draco's hair and the calm and clear lake reflected the stars, as if flaws drawn upon a perfect canvas. The cool air was playing with my hair and sweater and made my pale skin ache with the pleasurable feeling of freshness. This peaceful night couldn't be more perfect.

Even though I came here to think, I couldn't, in that kind of environment. I let my mind open and clear, all the thoughts and the fears were lost.

Something else was hovering inside my head, something that I was afraid I was not going to stop thinking until I could let some silent tears wet my face. Today was the 1st of September. Three years ago my parents died. I had missed them more than I could admit and I was thinking about them more times than I allowed myself. All these thoughts that I had forced to get out of my head, had returned. The thought that I had no home to go back to for holidays. No father and mother to welcome you home for Christmas. I wasn't alone in the world, I had my godfather, but was that enough? I knew there was something missing. Something that Albus couldn't replace. And although I had already accepted the fact that they are not coming back, I couldn't help myself from remembering the last time I saw them at Platform 9 and 3/4. My mother saying to me that she was so proud of me, my father saying that he loved me. I remembered the last time I waved them goodbye while the train was leaving. Who would imagine that a few minutes later they would be dead inside the remains of our burning car?

"I knew you would be here..." Draco's voice broke the silence and I rushed to wipe the warm tears and clear my sour voice. He got closer and stood beside me, examining my face and my red and swollen eyes. "Were you crying?" Too late, he already knew the truth.

"No, why would I?" My voice was weak and trembling.

"I know what day it is," he said and gave me a look of true and rare sympathy.

"How did you know about this day?" I asked, half-suspicious, half-surprised.

"If anything stuck to me from our first two years here, was that that mudblood Ravenclaw is always up here crying over her parents," he said. It might have sounded affectionate in his twisted head but it only came out in the form of an insult.

I frowned. "And how did you know I was here?" I said after a moment hardly forgetting that his answer was not enough for me.

"I just knew... I had to drop some sleeping potion in Filtch's drink, though... It seems that my only gift is in Potions; he fell asleep at once. I had to be sure that no one will distract or interrupt us this time," he said giving an obvious hint about today on the train and Luna's efforts on interrupting us. "Are you feeling any better?" he asked with no delay.

"Should I?"

"I never got the chance to tell you that I'm really sorry about your loss," he said and I nodded with a smile.

"Yeah, you preferred bullying me for being an orphan, thanks for reminding me that," I said. In another time I would have been dead serious but this time I decided to laugh about it, not caring if it was the truth any longer.

"Here we go again!" he laughed with me. "How come you're not in Slytherin? You're as sarcastic as we are!"

"It's called wits and it's a perk," I said.

Things got serious after that. We stopped laughing and looked at the serious side of our past.

"Seriously though... I was such an ass. You had just lost your parents," he said when silence took over us.

"Would you be saying this right now, if you still thought I was a mudblood. 'Not much of a loss'. I'm quoting you."

Draco didn't make a sound. He didn't apologize - I would die before I would hear the three little words 'I am sorry' coming out of his mouth; I knew that very well. However, his aura was one of remorse. I knew what hate he held inside him for anything muggle. At least now, I could sense he also felt some guilt for this hate.