Secrets and Snakes - A Draco Malfoy Story

Again and Again

Draco had been afraid very few times in his life. He had never really had a reason to be afraid. His home was already incredibly safe, especially after the Dark Lord perished. His parents took great care to make sure that he was well-equipped to face any dangers in life. And though Potter was a pest in school, he left him alone. In fact, everyone knew not to touch Draco Malfoy. He was far too skilled and far too connected to the board at Hogwarts for anyone to even want to try to mess with him. No, Draco could only name a handful of times he was frightened at all and even those were weak memories.

But when he watched Astoria fall to the ground, hundreds of meters in the sky, he was terrified. His heart stopped beating immediately and his blood ran cold. All he could hear was her screams, all he could see was her black hair whipping around her while she got closer and closer to the ground.

But mostly, all he could think was: I love her. I love her and I've killed her. She is going to die because of me, because I thought more about the feeling of her cheek in my hand than her safety. She is going to die and I've never told her that I love her.

And then a voice that firmly replied, No, she is not. Fly Draco.

So he did. Draco took off like a rocket toward the ground, mist stinging his eyes as he flew faster and faster. No one, not even Viktor Krum, had ever flown as quickly as Draco did in that moment. He clenched his jaw as he watched her eyes scatter around in fear, not registering the grey-eyed boy swiftly coming to save her. As she fell, her hands moved desperately trying to find her wand.

Astoria was moving fast toward the ground, too fast. Tears flew rapidly down her cheeks, ones that Draco was beginning to mirror. He prayed to whatever god might be listening. Save her. Save her, please. I will do anything. I will love her until I die as long as you keep her here with me. He reached out desperately, trying to grasp her but she was too far. The green of the ground was approaching rapidly and he felt helpless to stop it.

As Draco got closer, he noticed the way her glossy lips trembled. "Please!" She cried out. "Draco!"

Suddenly, Draco felt a second wind. His name on her lips was all he needed to get the final jolt of energy. Astoria trusted him to save her. She trusted him to protect her. And he knew in that moment that he always would.

Draco dove under her, just barely above the ground. His arms reached out and grabbed Astoria out of the air. He didn't care that she sent the broom tumbling toward the ground, the grass staining his bright blonde hair as he shielded her in any way that he could. He didn't care that he was panting, breathing heavily from the fastest flight any wizard had ever taken. He didn't care that he rolled around on the ground in an effort to curb their momentum, eventually landing on top of her when they came to a stop. He didn't care about any of those things. All he cared about was the fact that she was there. In his arms. Safe. Alive.

Her green eyes were wide and glistening with tears that freely flowed down her face. "D-draco," she stuttered through a sob, her voice breathless and tight. "Draco, I was so scared. I-I thought—"

"Shh," he cooed, brushing her hair away from her face so he could look into her eyes. He loved the way it felt against his fingers, like silk. "I caught you. And I will again and again. I will always catch you, my love. Always."

She looked up at him with those big grassy eyes, her strawberry-colored lips trembling like a beacon against the fog. He stared back at her, admiring how soft and warm she felt underneath him.

And he didn't know who moved first. He didn't know whether he moved his head down to meet hers in some primal instinct that came out around Astoria, his own pathetic attempt to prove to himself that she was safe. Or perhaps she brought him to her with the hand that she strung through his hair. He didn't know which it was. All he knew was that their lips met there on the grass of the Quidditch pitch and his life was changed forever.