Draco’s POV
Her eyes, her baby blue eyes, brighten up the world. Well, they brighten up mine. I couldn’t help but gaze into them when our eyes met. I had been having a pretty bad week, but every time I saw her, I couldn’t help but feel better. Her smile stops my whole world. I couldn’t imagine not being around her. There was something different about Courtney Flint. She’s definitely not like any of the other girls I’ve ever been with. Not only was she real, but she’s the only girl that has ever been on mind for longer than a week. Actually, she has always been on the back of my mind. I always wondered how things would’ve gone if she had gotten into Slytherin, just like we had always dreamed of.
It was December first, which meant that the Hogsmeade trip was happening. I pulled on my coat and my scarf and put on a hat before walking up to the Entrance Hall. I was feeling a little nervous. I had asked Courtney to meet me at the three broomsticks. I told her it was just to farther our work on our paper, but those weren’t my intentions. I wanted to tell her everything, but I wasn’t sure how to go about it. I also had another matter that I had to attend to, which I held under my arm. It was wrapped in brown paper and was addressed to Dumbledore, but I couldn’t be the one to take it to him, too risky. I had to find someone who was willing to.
“Hey, mate,” I wanted to ask Blaise something before he took off with Kamrynn, but he asked me instead.
“How do you know you’re in love?”
Darn it. How was I supposed to know since I was going to ask him the same bloody question? He can’t already be thinking he was in love with Kamrynn. It would be too soon, entirely too soon. A thought went through my head. Was I being hypocritical? Was it too soon for me to be thinking that I was in love with Courtney?
I shrugged. “I dunno, but,” I didn’t know where I was going with it, but I just went, “I think it’s when you can’t get her off your mind, when you’re whole world stops when she smiles at you. I think it’s when she looks you in the eyes for longer than a second. Most of all, I think you know you’re in love when everything you do revolves around her.”
At that moment, my eyes found her. Courtney had just walked in with Kammrynn right behind her. She looked beautiful with her blonde hair down and her blue eyes shimmering. She waved excitedly over at me and flipped her hair when she turned to look at her friend. Weasel then came up to them. I sighed. What I wouldn’t give to be right next to her.
“You sound like you’re talking from experience,” Blaise smirked as I looked back over at my best mate. “Who are you in love with, mate? I mean, I’ve never seen you fall for just any girl. This girl would have to be damn special.”
I shrugged. “Why are you asking? Are you thinking you’re in love?”
He nodded. “I think I might be in love with Kamrynn.”
“A Gryffindor?” I asked, surprised but not in a way. I was basically just playing the part.
“I know it’s crazy, but there’s something about her,” he looked over in their direction. “I catch my breath every moment that I’m with her.”
I nodded. I knew that feeling. I remember the first time that I saw Courtney. She and her family had just moved in the manor next door. She was wearing a bright pink skirt. I was only eight, but I knew that I wanted to be friends with her even before we officially met. I walked right up to her and asked if she wanted to be friends. After that, we were pretty much inseparable. I found myself liking her more and more. She was amazing. I hadn’t felt that way about a girl before, and I didn’t want the butterflies to stop. When we were ten, she told me that she kind of liked a boy that her mum had introduced her to. She didn’t know how she felt, but it was enough that she wanted to tell me about her feelings. I got angry and scared her. She fell out of the tree house right after that because when I scared her, she backed up too far and tripped into the hole. I felt really bad.
“Draco Malfoy,” Pansy said, stepping in front of me so that my vision of Courtney was blocked. “You are keeping a secret, and I intend on finding it out. Don’t deny that you have one. You’ve been sneaking off quite a bit.”
“Whatever, Pansy. What I do is none of your business,” I shrugged and turned to Blaise, who rolled his eyes. “Besides, you and I will never be together, so don’t think we’re going to be closer if you do find out my secret.”
She wasn’t wrong. I had a secret, actually tons of them. If she found out about any of them, I would kill her. No one needs to know any of my secrets. I might look like such an interesting person, but the thing is, I’m the worst. You shouldn’t want to be with me or get close to me for that matter. I have a terrible past. The only good thing about it was Courtney. I then remembered the reason why I couldn’t continue a real relationship with Courtney. It was too risky. No one could find out about my feelings, absolutely no one. If so, she could be in danger. And no, I’m not talking about the other Slytherins. It’s some darker, much more sinister that she could never get mixed up in.
“You’ve got a secret, mate?” Blaise asked sarcastically. He knew all about the one that I was currently keeping. It was the worst one that I could keep if you asked me.
I shrugged. “I dunno. What do you think?”
We both laughed as we walked into the Three Broomsticks. I sighed as we went our separate directions. He went to save a table for him and his date. I, on the other hand, looked around for someone that was willing to take a package to Dumbledore without mentioning that it was from me. That’s when I saw Katie Bell walking towards the woman’s loo. I sighed and went in. It was tough, but I was able to get her to do it with a little persuasion, and not the kind I would want to use. I emerged from the woman’s loo without being caught. I then saw Courtney sitting alone, waiting for me.
“Hey,” I smiled.
She smiled. Gosh, I had to catch my breath. “Glad to see you. Only, Draco,” she said, really looking at me. “Are you alright? You don’t look so well. Have you been getting enough sleep?”
I nodded. “Plenty. So, how about we start?”
“Okay,” she sighed and pulled our things out of her bag. “We’re halfway through it. We could take a break you know. There’s three weeks before we need to turn this in. Please, I really need a break. I’ve been doing Divination and Arithmacy homework all day. I need some fun.”
She made those puppy dog eyes at me like when we were little and she wanted something from me. The problem with it was that it always worked. She used to have me wrapped around her little finger. I was sixteen and looking into those eyes, I couldn’t help but say yes. Looks like she still had me wrapped around her finger. She took me by the hand and led me out after putting our things away. Instead of going down into town, she pulled me into the woods on the outskirts. I didn’t know what was on her mind, but I got a pretty good idea when she turned to me and wrapped her arms around my neck.
“Draco,” she sighed. “We need to talk-“
I didn’t even let her finish because I had no control over my lips, which wanted to be on hers. I had never wanted to kiss someone so bad in all of my life. It was like I had to satisfy a craving that never went away. I kissed her so feverishly that I didn’t think that I would ever stop. I pushed her up against a tree and her legs instantly wrapped themselves around my waist. Looks like I hadn’t been the only one who was craving it. She was too.
“Draco,” she whispered as my kissing trailed down her cheek to her neck. “We really need to talk-“
“What is there to talk about?” I asked, pulling away and looking her in the eyes. “We like each other. That’s all there is to it. There’s no shame in us kissing, Courtney. If it’s what we both really want, then we shouldn’t hold ourselves back. It’s bad for the emotions,” I smirked down at her.
She shook her head. “That’s not what I meant. I agree with you, Draco. I really do. I just think we should-“ I didn’t let her finish because my lips craved hers once more.
I decided that I was done with snogging and pushed away from her. I know it was the motions that I had down last time before asking her to leave. I still felt just plan awful about pushing her like that. She looked a little disappointed until I threw a snowball at her. Her face then broke out into a smile – God help me – and started chucking some as well. We continued like this all the way down into town, where I grabbed her hand and intertwined my fingers in hers. It was something that I had wanted to do the whole day long. We then saw Kamrynn standing outside Zonko’s by herself.
“Hey,” she said as we approached her. “What’s going on?” she eyed the way we were holding hands. “I can see that Courtney has gotten herself a sexy man, no?”
Courtney shook her head and dropped my hand. “We were just goofing around. You know, like old times,” she threw a smile my way.
“No, I don’t know,” Kamrynn smirked, “but I’d sure like to know.”
I nodded. “It was nothing. I’ll see you later, Court,” I ran off down the street and ran into Blaise and Pansy. “Why aren’t you with Kamrynn?” I asked Blasie right away.
He shrugged and was about to answer when Pansy stuck her large nose into my business. “What were you doing with Courtney Flint? I saw you two holding hands. Is she your secret?”
I rolled my eyes. “If she was my secret, then why would I be walking around town holding her hand? You are so think sometimes, Parkinson.”
“Besides,” Blaise butted in, “she’s his partner in History of Magic. They have to meet every once in a while.”
Pansy made a face. “But holding her hand? Next thing you know, you’re going to be snogging her and then sleeping with her. Who wants to sleep with a Gryffindor like her? I know for a fact that she’s rather be doing homework than boys. She’s second in our year, and she has pimples on her back, which is totally gross.”
“Wait. How do you know she has pimples on her back?” Blaise sounded just as curious as I was.
She rolled her eyes. “Communal bathrooms. Hello,” she huffed. “Besides, she hangs out with the Weasleys and that Diggory. Can someone say gross?”
I snorted. “Yeah, don’t want to go mixing blood with someone who used to be part of our group. A girl who is more Slytherin than you’ll ever be, but was sorted wrong.” I felt a tug at my heart as I thought of how she asked to be in Gryffindor. How she asked to be separated from me. “You’re just a bitch, Pans. So, get over yourself.”
With that said, she stomped away. I was glad about that too. I know that she and other Slytherins didn’t see Courtney the way I did. I saw her as this beautiful girl who had stolen my heart. No one would ever see her as that, especially Pansy. No one will ever understand that she is the one I adore. No one will ever love her like I do.