Belong (D.M)

Part thirtyone

She wore the necklace every day, only taking it off for her showers and baths. New year's eve passed, and at midnight when 1996 turned into 1997 she held the silver heart in the middle of her palm, carrying him with her into the new year. She beamed at the colourful fireworks dancing across the dark night sky, and all she could think of was him. And right as he entered her mind, flooding it with memories of them together, a deep green firework exploded in front of her, in the exact colour of his Hogwarts house.

January came and it was once more time to bid her goodbyes to her family and head onto the train for another few months at Hogwarts. It was as heartfelt as ever, and Rebecka promised her sniffling mother that she would write every week.

"Goodbye my dears"

"Goodbye mother, goodbye father, we will be home soon"

They waved to them as the Hogwarts express began moving, leaving platform nine and three quarters on King's Cross Station behind them. The train soon left London behind them, and rolling hills next to deep lakes came into view once more. Her sister had ran off to see her friends, and she sat down next to Hermione, Harry and Ron in a empty compartment.

The compartment was quiet, Hermione was reading once again and Harry was just sat staring out of the window. Ron was eating a sandwich, he always gets a few from his mother. She was looking around the compartment for a moment, wanting to say something to Harry who looked deep in thought, but she didn't know what. So instead she reached for her book bag and got one of the expensive healing books that Draco had given her last Christmas out and began to read. She had read all of them at least two times, they were so incredible good and well detailed, she could probably read them a million times more in her lifetime.

Outside of the window it was getting darker and darker by the minute, the daylight slowly slipping away and turning into a starlit evening. Ron and Harry talked about Quidditch for a while, and her and Hermione discussed something that she read in her book as the train came to a halt at Hogsmeade station. The four of them got off the train, and the chilly evening air hit their cheeks.

Hogwarts laid before them, as glowing and warm as ever. Their second home.

....

On a Tuesday afternoon she bumped into Draco in the seventh floor corridor, however he was not alone as usual. By his side were two girls wearing big Slytherin robes. She did not recognize them, but she hardly recognized any Slytherin students besides him and his friends and the boy who's friends with her little sister.

She met his eyes, and she saw him shake his head ever so slightly as to tell her to not speak a word. So she didn't, she instead ducked her head down to look at her shoes as she passed the three Slytherin students. 

Later in potions class he slipped her a note, one written with his usual black ink, a perfectly neat handwriting covering the small piece of parchment.

Ellie, 
I'm sorry about earlier, but you are my secret.
I miss you dearly, and I wish to talk to you.
Meet me in the astronomy tower at midnight.
D.M

She folded the note and put it in the pocket of her black and red robes before she looked up. He was gazing at her, awaiting an answer. She nodded her head discretely in his direction, as to tell him that she would be there at midnight awaiting him. He gave her a quick smile before he turned his focus back to professor Slughorn and whatever he was scribbling on the black board in front of them.

The hours passed slowly, but once the Gryffindor student home was quiet she sneaked out of bed. She got dressed and passed the dying fire in the fireplace, sneaking out without the fat lady noticing. All the paintings were sleeping as she quietly tip toed through the cold stone corridors, careful to avoid mr Filch and his angry cat. 

She met Draco at the top of the astronomy tower and they sat next to each other on the cold stone floor, gazing at the stars and the moon that adorned the dark night sky. 

"Thank you for your Christmas gift" he said after a moment of silence "I've slept with that blanket every night"

"Well I figured that sleeping in the dungeons could get rather cold" she shrugged, looking over at the pale boy "so what's more fitting than a warm blanket?"

"Did you make it?" he asked, reaching over to hold her hand.

"Yes" she nodded "I knitted it"

"Well thank you, I love it" he smiled, intertwining their fingers "it has kept me safe from quite few nightmares"

"I'm glad to hear" she hummed as she gazed up at the moon once again "and thank you for your gift, I love it too"

"The necklace?" he asked, peering at her neck "I'm glad you like it"

"I've worn it everyday since Christmas day" she told him as she reached her hand underneath the collar of her shirt to show him.

And as she held the small silver pendant in her hand, showing it to him with a overjoyed smile upon her lips, he looked at her like she was the most captivating thing in the whole universe surrounding them. He knew that he was caught right in between two worlds, the cold and dark gloom that was his life and the sweet, warm glorious epiphany that was her. He had made his mind up a thousand times, to let her be in order to keep her safe, but his selfish heart always craved more, and he could not seem to stay away from her. Wherever he went in this castle, she always showed up. And no matter how hard he tried to push her away, she kept coming back with more understanding for him. 

And now he was stuck, unable not to love her, for his heart beat for her.