»»———— R U MINE? ————««
They danced around, until the orchestra stopped and a live band began playing. It was like their parties, but much more traditional and without any alcohol. It was fun, but not as much fun as they were going to have later. Flitwick crowdserved over them all, the professors having as good of a time as the students.
Cedric found her for one last slow dance as everyone was clearing out. He just held her close as they swayed back and forth, listening to the music. "I've been meaning to tell you, thanks for the tip on the egg."
"Did you figure it out?" She looked up at him. He nodded.
"Prefects bathroom on the fifth floor. You open it underwater, and it sings a riddle. It took me ages to figure it out, but I think I finally got it."
"Good." She smiled. "I'm glad I could help."
"I know, I don't know what I'd do without you." He chuckled, and he noticed how her smile fell. He could tell there was just something between her and Draco that he just couldn't touch. He was just holding on for the time being, until she came to her senses and decided to be with him. No matter what happened between them, he would treasure their time together. He had learned a lot from her and had a wonderful time. "I intend to tip Harry off about it. He's the one who tipped me off about the dragons, after all."
"You're very kind." She acknowledged.
"I try to be." He nodded. "Anyways, we should get going. The Gryffindor party starts in a little bit."
They walked out of the Great Hall and headed straight to the Gryffindor Common Room. It was her first time seeing it, though it was hard to tell exactly what was going on as the red neon lights lit up the room. The walls were an ancient looking print in red, with stone brick everywhere. Enchanted paintings adorned the walls. There was a large fireplace in the middle, similarly to their Common Room. Red velvet pincushion sofas sat around the room. There were chess tables and bookshelves scattered about. All the furniture was constructed of an oak wood. Golden chandeliers hung throughout the room. The windows were shut with red velvet curtains to match the sofas. It was lovely, but not as nice as the Slytherin Common Room, in her opinion. She supposed the red dress was fitting, though.
"The ones that hate me the most look just me, you tell me what that means. Make a slick comment and see what that brings. I seen it go down, we can reenact things."
As they walked in, the Head Boy and Head Girl handed them drinks. She sniffed it, and it smelt fruity. She took a sip of it, and it tasted like some delicious juice but it was alcoholic. They should do this at their parties. Gryffindor was obviously trying to compete with them. Someone began yelling, then. "Ced!"
"Hey!" He grinned at them. Lolita walked over to Val, somehow already drunk.
"Did you have a great time at the Yule Ball?!" She asked excitedly.
"Yes, did you?" She asked, taking another few sips of her drink.
"Well, for the time I was there, yes. Theodore and I snuck off and may have... Well, you get the picture." She giggled, and Val smiled at her. "Did you dance with Draco?"
Val hurriedly looked back at Cedric to see if he was listening, but he was busy talking to his friends. "Yes."
"Was it amazing?"
"...Yes." She admitted, and Lolita clapped excitedly.
"Tonight's the night! Your night with Draco! Take it!" She exclaimed. "Come on!"
She looked back at Cedric to give him an apologetic look for leaving him as she dragged him away. He just gave her a smile and waved her off. They walked over to where the others had gathered. Pansy looked really nice, and she felt threatened. There was no reason for her to, though. Draco perked up when he saw her walking over. He stood up straight and smiled. The others noticed how he reacted when he saw her. He really did like her.
"Alright, guys, the gangs all here!" Lolita yelled, and they all clapped. "Who's ready for some Veritaserum or dare?"
"Can we invite Cedric?" Val asked, and Hermione shook her head.
"Would love to, but there's already too many people playing. Maybe next round." She suggested. Val just nodded. They headed up to Ron and Harry's dormitory, gathering around in a circle like usual. Blaise already had the many viles of Veritaserum ready to go.
"Let's spin to see who goes first." Ginny decided, spinning Harry's empty beer bottle on the floor. It landed on Lolita. She grinned.
"Val, truth or dare?" She asked.
"Truth." She decided, just as Lolita hoped. Unbeknownst to her, they had all been conspiring for this. Draco and Val were clueless as to what was about to happen. Val took the Veritaserum, then awaited her question.
"Is it true you have feelings for Draco?" She smirked at her. Val's eyes widened as she swallowed hard. She opened her mouth with the intention to say no, but all that came out was...
"Yes." She said, and they all clapped excitedly. Draco just sat back against the bed behind him with his arms crossed over his chest comfortably. He was wearing a smirk, and they could hardly tell if there was a blush on his cheeks or not. As for Val, her face was extremely red. "I hate you, 'Lita."
"I'm only doing this because I love you." She chuckled. "Your turn."
"Uh..." She looked around. "Fred, truth or dare?"
"Dare." He answered, knowing her truths were ruthless.
"I dare you finish the rest of your drink then shotgun another." She decided. He shook his head at her with an amused smile.
"You silly little git, you." He turned his beer up, chugging it. Seamus handed him a can ready to go, and he shotgunned it quickly. It got all over his white suit jacket, but he did it. He let out a sigh when he finished, followed with a loud burp. They all laughed at that. "Harry, truth or dare?"
"Truth." He drank the serum.
"Is it true you didn't put your own name in the Goblet of Fire?" He asked, and they all eyed him curiously.
He rolled his eyes at them. "Yes."
"I wonder who did, then." Hermione shook her head.
"Let's not worry about that right now, babe." Ron told her, and she grinned at him upon hearing him call her that.
"Draco, truth or dare?" Harry asked him.
"Truth."
"Is it true you have genuine feelings for Val with good intentions behind them?" He drew it out, just as Lolita had told them to. Val shook her head at them all, realizing this was planned now. She couldn't wipe the smile off her face.
Draco just looked smug as he sat there. He caught on, too, and now he was going to love his friends forever for this. "Yeah."
"And there you have it, Snape. The boy likes you!" George exclaimed! They all looked over as Pansy jumped up and ran out of the room. They were silent for a moment.
"Well, on that note..." Lolita began. "Who wants to play Captain Wizard?"
They sat a can in the middle of a bunch of spread out, face down cards. "Alright, here's the rules. No more explaining after this. Ace is waterfall, two is you, three is me, four is floor, five is guys, six is chicks, seven is heaven, eight is date, nine is rhyme, ten is categories, Jack is everyone, Queen is questions, and King is King Wizard."
"I'll go first since I'm the oldest." George declared. Val didn't really understand the rules, but she figured she'd learn from playing. He drew a card and instantly slapped his hand to the floor. Everyone else followed along, and when Val caught on, she was the last one.
"Drink!" Luna exclaimed. Val took a gulp of her drink. He stuck his card under the tab of the drink, but it hardly moved.
"Whoever the tab pops on has to chug it." Draco informed her, seeing her confused face. He was always watching her. She just smiled and nodded.
Neville went next, drawing a card. "Chicks." All the girls took a drink.
"Rhyme." Seamus said. "Octopus."
"Chorus."
"Focus"
"Bonus."
"Suspicious."
"Tenacious."
When it got to be Val's turn, she just stuttered. "Drink!" Luna said again.
"Poor girl is going to be drunk." Lolita shook her head. "I'm not carrying her back to our dorm."
"I'll do it." Draco shrugged. He was still giving her that look, and he made her feel some type of way as he did. He was just smug knowing that she really did have feelings for him, and she knew he was serious, too.
After what felt like such a long game of Captain Wizard, they finally decided to stop playing. They must've been in there for hours, but they'd all lost track. She was pretty drunk at this point, more drunk than she had ever been before. It only got worse when she stood. Before she lost her balance, Draco grabbed her to steady her. He slipped his arm firmly around her waist. She looked up at him and grinned. "Hi,"
"You're very drunk." He shook his head with an amused smile.
"I'm fine." She dismissed him, pulling away from him and walking on her own. All she could think was how good of a thing it was that her heels were enchanted.
"Aren't you going to go talk to her after all that?" Fred put his hand on his shoulder.
"I suppose I should." Draco nodded.
"Bitch sit on my face I attack that. Choose up, lil' junt, I'm finna pack him. When it comes to my bitch, I'm straight active. Dirt ball in the coupe smokin' cat piss."
Val was searching for Cedric. She felt bad for leaving him for so long. She never meant to. As she walked around, she spotted some of his friends he usually hung out with. "Hey, have you seen Cedric?"
"He told us to tell you that he felt a little tired and just wanted to go to sleep for the night." They told her. She nodded slowly. "He's not mad."
"Okay, thank you. Have a nice time!" She waved to them as she walked off. She headed straight to the drink table, and as she did, she bumped into Draco literally.
"Whoa, now, little dove. Watch where you're going next time." He smirked at her. She looked up at him, their eyes meeting. "Had a little bit too much to drink already, don't you think?"
"Am I acting stupid?" She asked, and he quickly shook his head.
"Where's Cedric?" He changed the subject.
"He went back to his dormitory." She replied.
"Shame he left his girlfriend."
"I'm not his girlfriend."
"No, you're mine." He said in all seriousness, and she gave him an amused look. She went to walk past him, her mind still on the drink table. He grabbed her arm to stop her. She really didn't need to drink anymore. "Why don't we dance?"
"To this song?" She furrowed her eyebrows together at him. Right on cue, it changed.
"I'm a puppet on a string. Tracy Island, time-traveling. Diamond cutter-shaped heartaches. Come to find you four in some velvet morning."
He grabbed her hand and pulled her out onto the dance floor. He began to sing along with the song, it fitting their situation perfectly in a way. He was a pretty good singer, in her opinion. He danced around, doing an air guitar and pretending to play the drums. She couldn't help but laugh at him. "Well, are you mine? Are you mine? Are you mine? Alright!" He grabbed her hand and spun her around as she began to give in and dance with him. "I guess what I'm trying to say is I need the deep end, keeping imagining meeting, wished away, entire lifetimes. Unfair we're not somewhere misbehaving for days, great escape, lost track of time and space." He pointed to her. "She's a silverlining climbing on my desire." He did the drum fills in air. "And I go crazy 'cause here isn't where I wanna be. And satisfaction feels like a distant memory. And I can't help myself, all I wanna hear her say is are you mine? Well, are you mine?"
"Are you mine tomorrow?" She grinned at him as he pulled her close to him.
"Are you mine?" He acted almost if he was really asking her that.
"Or just mine tonight?"
"Are you mine?"
"Are you mine, mine?"
"And the thrill of the chase moves in mysterious ways. So, in case I'm mistaken, I just wanna hear you say you got me, baby, are you mine?" He sang dramatically, then acted out the guitar solo and nodded his head to the drum beats. "She's a silver lining, lone ranger riding through an open space in my mind when she's not right there beside me. I go crazy 'cause here isn't where I wanna be! And satisfaction feels like a distant memory! And I can't help myself all I wanna hear you say is are you mine? Well, are you mine?"
"Are you mine tomorrow?"
"Are you mine?"
"Or just mine tonight?"
"Are you mine?"
"Are you mine tomorrow? Or just mine tonight?" She finished, and he took his imaginary drum sticks and hit the last four beats. When the song ended, they were inches apart. Before she could even think, he'd leaned in, closing the space between them. He hovered his lips over hers, wondering if he should do it.
"I don't want you to go. I need more of you in my life. Nobody should be alone. Please, let me take you home tonight."
Finally, he connected their lips after what felt like forever. It was like nothing they ever felt. Of course it didn't feel like kissing the others. It felt amazing. Their hearts beat out of their chest as they stood there, sharing a passionate kiss. It was long overdue, as they both had been longing for such a sensation all their lives. It was like they fit together perfectly, as imaginary sparks flew. The sparks may not have really been there, but they could feel them just fine. There was an electricity between them, an electric love. Their veins burned with a fire from such a heated kiss. After a moment, he pulled away and rested his forehead on hers. They both inhaled sharply, catching their breaths. "I bet that didn't compare to that kiss you shared with Zabini."
"You're insufferable." She muttered.
"But you like me." He smirked at her.
"The music is beginning to hurt my ears." She rubbed her head.
"Come on, then. Let's take a walk." He grabbed her hand and pulled her along. They walked along the corridors of the castle quietly.
"Where are we going?" She asked.
"Shh!" He put his finger to his mouth, an amused look on his face at her inability to be quiet right now considering her intoxicated state. "Stop walking so loudly."
"Well, I can't help it!" She gestured down to her shoes. She really couldn't. He didn't even know how she was able to walk straight right now.
"Val!" He exclaimed, both of them chuckling because they couldn't be quiet. He grabbed her, swooping her up into his arms to carry her the rest of the way. She giggled as he did.
"How are you carrying me right now?"
"Well, you're not that particularly heavy." He rolled his eyes at her playfully. "Do you think I'm weak?"
"What, no—"
"Liar."
"I can see your muscles clearly, Draco."
"So you were staring at them?"
"I hate you."
"No, you don't." He shook his head at her, and she just smiled. This was happiness.
He carried her up into the Astronomy Tower, one of his favorite places to sit and think. He put her down, and she walked over as she leaned onto the railing and looked out at the castle grounds. It was covered in a blanket of snow, with the shine of the moon illuminating it. It was beautiful, although she hated the cold. Draco started to realize how this might've been a bad idea considering the very revealing dress she was wearing. She couldn't possibly be warm as he saw the clouds of breath leave her lips. They were both pretty warm after that kiss, but the wind was nippy, nonetheless. He took off his suit jacket and placed it around her shoulders. She pulled it around her tighter, feeling it's warmth. "Can we sit down?"
"Of course." He sat down on the cold stone and leaned against the wall. She sat down next to him carefully, then leaned her head onto his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and held her there. He finally felt so... at peace. He felt so content with the world now that she was by his side. He never knew one person could give him such a feeling. And after all this time, it felt so good that she was finally his.
After a while of sitting there in a comfortable silence, Val brought herself out of her thoughts. "I'm sorry about before."
"Don't be." He shook his head, though she couldn't really see considering the position they were sitting in.
"No, I feel like I owe you an explanation." She began, and he looked down at her. "The way I am, it's... It's not fun. It's a lot to deal with, and you should know that before we go any further."
"Okay." He nodded, knowing nothing she could say would change his feelings about her but only enhance them. He had it bad for her.
"My mother, she—"
He immediately stopped her as he felt her tense up. "You don't have to talk about this. Not right now."
"No, I should." She decided. "It'll make me feel better, I think, and I want to tell you. I want you to understand why I've treated everyone the way I have, done the things I've done." She paused, letting out a shaky breath. He began to rub circles into her back comfortingly. "I never met my mother. After having me, she just up and left. I never heard from her once. I don't even know what she looks like, or where she's at. She could be dead, for all I know. All I know of her is just a name— Lyda Evergreen. She left because Dad was in love with another woman so much so that he couldn't even attempt to pretend his affections for her. I never blamed him, but I really can't now because I've been doing the same thing with Cedric. The heart wants what it wants, I guess. Still, I don't see how she could just leave me like that when she didn't even stay long enough to get to know me. She didn't even try to be a part of my life... I've struggled with that a lot. It never made sense to me how someone could just... leave their child. It left me wondering what was wrong with me, it left me feeling so... unlovable. Because of that, I developed a lot of issues. I was too ignorant to acknowledge it at first, but my father brought to my attention that I have abandonment issues, trust issues, the lot. I was afraid to get to know anyone because I just assumed they were going to leave me like she did. She was the one person in the world who was supposed to love me, and she didn't. She just... Left me. So, what's that to say for other people? I didn't want to go through that heartbreak again. I was scared to even trust anyone, because there's bad people out there. They could be lying. I just... I didn't want to let myself get attached to you because I assumed you were going to leave. I assumed you would realize there were better things, better people out there. And one day, you were going to find that you don't actually have any interest in me. And then, I would be left with that feeling again. That emptiness. I don't want to feel like that ever again. I was sick for so long. I could hardly keep down my food. I struggled with my body image, I struggled to find anything good inside myself. Anything that is worth keeping someone around. I was so sad all the time. I just don't want to feel like that ever again."
Draco took in everything that she said. He never imagined it was that bad. He felt awful for her. She didn't deserve to feel like that. Everything made sense to him now. The way she acted, why she refused to give into him for so long. After hearing her reasoning, he couldn't blame her. And he understood a lot of what she was saying, feeling unlovable and unworthy of anything. Maybe he felt that way for different reasons, but it was still the same feelings. "I'm so sorry, Val. That's... awful. All I can say is that... Well, you didn't deserve that. There's nothing wrong with you, nothing at all. You're an amazing witch and one day she's going to regret leaving you. She probably already does. And you shouldn't let one person dictate your life. Not everyone is her. Not everyone is going to leave you. Your new friends? They're good people. Especially Granger, Weasley, and Potter. No matter how much they get on my nerves, I know they're good people. They care deeply and would do anything to help a friend. So, you don't have to worry about that. Not anymore. That part of your life is in the past. You can move onto bigger and better things now."
He looked down when she began to sniff, clearly crying. She quickly wiped her eyes. "Thank you for saying that. It really means a lot."
"I meant every word." He began to comb his fingers through her hair. "I'm not going to leave you, either. You know that, right?"
"It's hard to be sure." She shook her head. He could understand her hesitancy.
"I'm telling you, you're all I need. I promise you, you're all I see. I'll never leave. You could drag me through hell if it meant I could hold your hand. I will follow you, because I'm under your spell. You could throw me to the flames, I'll still follow you." He told her. She looked up at him, a smile on her lips.
"You mean that?"
"With every ounce of my being." He nodded. She leaned over and connected their lips herself this time. He rested his hand on the back of her neck as they kissed. They rested their foreheads against each other for a moment. "Thank you for telling me that."
"Thank you for listening."
"I'll always be there to listen." He nodded. She smiled and leaned back against the wall. "Are you tired?"
"Yeah." She nodded. He stood up and dusted himself off before offering her his hand. She tiredly took it and he pulled her gently to her feet. He wrapped his arm around her waist as he led her down the stairs. They walked all the way down to the dungeons to their house, just enjoying being in each other's company. He made sure she got to her dormitory, seeing that Lolita wasn't inside. He was sure it was extremely late into the morning. He figured she was probably in Theodore's room. He sat her down on her bed and helped her take her shoes off. He took his jacket from her and sat it down. She turned so that he could undo her dress. He looked away respectfully as she changed into something more comfortable.
"Settled?"
"Yeah." She said, her voice gentle and soft. He turned back around to face her after grabbing his jacket and laying it over his shoulder as he held it there. He smiled at her as she looked up at him. She was wearing a sweater and fluffy pants. They didn't really match, so she looked kind of silly. It was adorable.
"Promise you'll still feel the same way about me in the morning when you're sober?" He asked.
"Cross my heart and hope to die." She ran her fingers over her chest. He chuckled at her, leaning down to place a kiss to her head. "What am I going to tell Cedric?"
"I can handle that if you'd like." He grinned mischeviously.
"No, definitely not." She shook her head. "Seriously, what should I say?"
"Tell him the truth." He said. "Tell him you're really sorry, but you just have feelings for someone else. But you still want to be friends."
"Yeah, that's good. It's just hard. I don't want to hurt him." She sighed.
"Something tells me he'll be alright." He assured her. "Goodnight, little dove."
"Do you like calling me that?"
"I do."
"Well, I like it, too." She smiled. "Goodnight, Draco."
She watched as he walked over to the door. He put his finger on the doorknob, then paused. He gave her a wink before walking out and shutting the door softly after him. She laid back onto her bed all at once, letting out a content sigh. She was happy. Hades jumped onto the bed and walked over to her, climbing onto her lap. She pet him as she stared at the ceiling, just thinking about how wondrous tonight was. She'd never felt better.
Draco had done the same, entering his dorm and seeing Blaise nowhere. He assumed he was with some girl he'd found that was desperate enough to fuck him. He collapsed onto his bed, throwing his jacket to the side. He just laid there smiling like an idiot to no one but himself as he stared up at the ceiling.