As time wore on, the DA meetings became riskier and riskier. Umbridge and her Inquisitorial Squad roved the school, looking for people who violated her impossible-to-follow Educational Decrees. Plus, she was hell-bent on finding the DA in the act, which only added to my stress and anxiety. To top it off, all of Umbridge's measures made mine and Draco's little meetings more dangerous, especially after she established a new curfew. We kept seeing each like this despite the struggles, stealing moments in between empty shelves and deserted broom cupboards, but it was always either by chance or planned.
As the weeks passed, I became more and more anxious for Draco to test out the necklace for real. I didn't have to wait much longer, though. After another DA meeting, Harry, Ron, Hermione and I were sat in the nearly empty Common Room. Hermione was reading and pointedly ignoring Ron's pleas for help, and the rest of us were scribbling down our Potions essays.
I threw my quill down triumphantly, smiling at my work. "Done!"
Harry and Ron stared at me incredulously. "How are you already done?" Ron said, staring at my pile of parchment. "It's easy!" I said, moving over to Ron's side of the table. "Look, all you have to do is explain the methods used in medieval potion making, and how they're still used today," I stated, eyeing Ron's essay. "Ron, did you even listen in class today?" Ron sighed, thunking his head down onto the table. I patted him on the back reassuringly. "You can do it, Ron. You're very smart." He smiled weakly at me. "Thanks, Isa." I nodded, then went over to join Hermione on the couch.
"You're still mad at him?" I said in a quiet voice.
Hermione sighed, but never looked up from her book. "No, of course not. But I'm not going to give that git the satisfaction of me giving in to him."
"Mione, you two are best friends." I said simply. "You can't stay mad at each other forever."
I felt the tiny star on my necklace grow warmer, and my eyes widened; he wanted to meet now? Even with the new curfews in place? "Oh bloody hell, I left my book in the library! I'll be right back, you guys." I said, hurrying through the portrait hole and ignoring their confused shouts.
The quiet was almost numbing. It pressed in on me from all sides, nearly suffocating me. As I passed a corridor, a pair of strong hands grabbed my waist and yanked me out of the main hallway. The person covered my mouth, muffling my shriek, and whispered in my ear. "Out after hours, Potter? I might have to report you."
I smiled at the words and placed my hand over the one that my attacker had gripping my hip. "You don't want to do that. Turn over a sweet thing like me to that evil witch, Umbridge?" My attacker chuckled and kissed my cheek. "Never. She will never touch you as long as I'm here." I turned around and looked up into Draco's eyes. The hand that he had on my cheek moved to the back of my neck, cradling my head gently. He pressed his lips to mine softly, but urgently. I sighed, wrapping my arms around his neck and letting his kiss melt me.
"We don't have a lot of time." Draco said when we broke apart. I looked down at his Inquisitorial Squad badge, its glinting surface almost mocking me. "We never have enough time," I said quietly. Draco wrapped his arms around me, holding me close. "I want you to come and see me this summer." He said firmly. I looked up at him, my eyes wide. "Are you serious? What about your family?" I said in a nervous voice. Draco shook his head, smiling at me. "I don't care. All I care about is you, Isa. I love you."
I grinned and kissed him enthusiastically, making us fall back against the wall. Draco clutched me to him, nipping at my bottom lip. I tugged on his hair, and he growled dangerously. "Isa..." He said, kissing and biting my neck. I groaned and he turned us around, picking me up and pinning me between him and the wall. I gasped when I felt him pressing into my core. Draco groaned and began grinding into me, making me moan and claw at the front of his robes. "Draco..." I whined, throwing my head back against the wall. Draco tore my shirt open, nipping and kissing my newly exposed skin.
"Are you going to take me out here, where anyone could see us? If someone walks by, all they would see is you pressing me against the wall, making me scream your name..." I said in a low, breathy voice. Draco growled and shoved my skirt up, practically ripping my knickers off of me and undoing his belt and zipper. I quickly cast a Contraception Charm, nearly shaking in anticipation.
When he pushed into me, I had to bite back a moan. Draco filled and stretched me in the most delicious way. He started to thrust in and out of me slowly, and I whined in protest; I didn't want slow and sweet. Tonight, I wanted fast and furious.
"C'mon, Draco. I know you can do better than that." I moaned in his ear.
Draco groaned and grabbed my ass with one hand, bracing himself against the wall with the other, and began thrusting in and out of me in the most unforgiving way. "Oh, gods! Draco, yes!" I whimpered, closing my eyes. "Is this what you wanted? Is this how you like it, Isabelle?" Draco said and I nodded, curses and praises falling out of my mouth left and right. Draco growled and set an unforgiving pace, making my words turn into incomprehensible blabber. "Oh, I'm gonna - oh yes, Draco!" I moaned, desperately trying to stay quiet as I got closer and closer to my end, teetering right on the brink. "C'mon Isabelle, come for me." His words sent me tumbling over the edge, and stars flashed in front of my eyes. Draco kissed me deeply, quieting my screams. I felt him coat my insides and I moaned, sucking on his lower lip.
When we were both finished, we slid to the floor in a heap, breathing hard. I opened my eyes and smiled lazily at him. "Hi," I whispered. Draco chuckled and brushed my hair out of my face. "Hi, beautiful." I kissed him softly, sighing. "I love you, Draco." He leaned his forehead against mine, his grey eyes soft. "More than you'll ever know, Isabelle." I hugged him tightly, not wanting to ever let go. "We need to go," Draco whispered in my ear, but he didn't let go of me. I looked at him, and sadness welled up in me. I knew I would see him tomorrow, but I would have to pretend again. He wouldn't be my boyfriend; he would be my sworn enemy and the boy that my brother and friends hate deeply. He would be a Slytherin named Malfoy, and I would be a Gryffindor named Potter.
We untangled ourselves from each other, but the second we were both standing, he pulled me against his chest, holding me tightly. "I love you, Isa. I love you so much." I kissed his cheek, burying my face in the crook of his neck. "I love you too, Draco. I'll see you tomorrow." Draco smiled at me and kissed me one last time before walking away.
"Draco!" I called out quietly. He turned and I smirked at him. "Check your pocket." He looked at me, confused, and his eyes widened when he felt something. I giggled at his expression when he pulled my destroyed knickers out of his pocket, but when he looked up to say something, all he saw was my hips swaying as I hurried back to my dorm.
-----
During Potions the next day, Hermione poked me in my side. "Isa, there's something on your neck." I could see Draco smirking out of the corner of my eye as he walked past us, and I knew that he had heard Hermione. "It's probably just a mark from sleeping funny," I said, brushing her off and turning back to my potion.
There were yells and an unsettling bubbling noise from the other side of the room, and everyone whipped around to look. Laughs rang out when people realized that it was Draco; he had mixed his ingredients incorrectly, and now there was bright red sludge oozing out of his cauldron onto his desk. Dad walked over and vanished the potion with a wave of his wand, giving Draco a cold look. "Mr. Malfoy, perhaps your potion would have been successful if you had spent more time working instead of staring at Ms. Potter."
I flushed red and stared down at my cauldron to avoid the other students' eyes. When I looked up, Draco was giving me a dirty look. I raised my eyebrows and bit my lip. He glared at me and I giggled, turning my gaze away from him and back to my work. "Isabelle, are those teeth marks?" Hermione asked, staring at my neck in shock. Dad looked over at us suspiciously, and I laughed at her. "Hermione, you're seeing things. Come on, we need to work."
When the bell rang releasing us from class, Dad spoke up from the front of the room. "Ms. Potter, I need to speak with you for a moment," I told Hermione to head off without me and walked up to Dad's desk. "Yes, sir?" I said politely. Dad put down his quill and looked me dead in the eyes. "Stay away from Draco. He is trouble in ways you cannot even comprehend."
I groaned and rolled my eyes, smiling. "Dad, I'm not even interested in Malfoy! He's just a stupid boy. Harry and practically the rest of Gryffindor hate him, so why would I ever think about getting involved with him?" Dad looked at me sternly, and my facade crumbled. "Please don't say anything, Daddy," I said in a small voice. Dad glared at me. "Draco! Get in here!" I heard someone stumble outside, and I sighed. Draco had been listening, waiting for me.
Draco stepped into the room, straightening his robes. "Yes, sir? Are you done speaking with Potter?" Dad raised his eyebrows, a scowl on his face. "What were you doing outside, Mr. Malfoy?" Draco glanced at me briefly, and it didn't go unnoticed by Dad. If anything, it ruined any chance of Draco successfully lying to him. "I needed to talk to you about the homework. See, I don't quite understand question five and" I held up my hand, cutting him off. "Draco, he knows." Draco looked at Dad, then moved next to me and wrapped his arm around me. "We're in love."
Dad glowered at Draco and stepped forward. "Let go of my daughter. Whatever you two have going on is over."
"Dad!" I said in protest, my mouth falling open. "Draco, I'll say it again; let go of her." Draco gave Dad a scathing look and turned to me, holding my waist tightly. "I love you." He said, kissing my forehead before stalking out of the room. I looked at my dad with tearful eyes. "You can't keep us apart, Dad," I said defiantly. Dad stood in front of me, and his towering stance made me shrink a little. "You might be a student here, but you are still my daughter. I forbid you from seeing him, and that is final." He said in a cold voice.
The tears finally started to spill over and I let out a sob, dashing from the room. I ignored the questioning looks from other students, not caring who saw me crying. I knew exactly where he would be - the Astronomy Tower. More than one night, we would sneak up there to watch the stars, but I would always catch him watching me instead. As I climbed the stairs, I saw the Draco hadn't even made it through the door. He was sitting on the steps, his head in his hands. I sniffed and touched his shoulder, still crying quietly. Draco looked up, and when he saw my tear-soaked face, he pulled me into his lap and wrapped his arms around me, whispering to me soothingly.
"I don't care what he says. I love you. No one can change that, not even...Snape." I said bitterly.
Referring to him as Snape instead of Dad when I wasn't talking about him as a professor felt so odd; so foreign. I'd known for so long now that he wasn't my biological father, but he had stopped acting like a father. James, my real Dad, would have loved Draco simply because I did. I knew he would have. Draco looked down at me and pressed his lips to mine gently. He didn't slip his tongue past my lips or let his hands wander. He simply held me against him, moving his lips on mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck, kissing him back.
"There has to be somewhere. Somewhere we can go where no one cares who we are or questions why we love each other. I know there's somewhere." I said when we broke apart, my lower lip quivering. Draco kissed my forehead and looked me in the eye. "We'll find it one day. For now, knowing that we love each other makes this place bearable."
-----
I joined in with the other students' cheering as one of the DA's younger members successfully vanished a dummy Death Eater. We were all quickly becoming confident in our dueling abilities, the younger students especially so. I was so proud of Harry - seeing him take charge made me really believe that we could do this. We could be as brave as our parents before us, and no one could intimidate us - not even Umbridge and her Ministry of Idiots.
These meetings were so much more than just dueling practice or a way to rally against injustice - the members of the DA had become like another family to me. Snape had flat out refused to speak to me outside of class and went out of his way to avoid calling on me in Potions. It hurt so bad knowing that the man who had raised me for practically my entire life no longer wanted to acknowledge my existence, but this wasn't something I was willing to compromise or concede on. I was in love with Draco, and if my father wasn't going to support us, then I didn't want him in my life.
Harry began to give his closing remarks for this evening's meeting when he was interrupted by a mysterious cracking noise from behind him. We all looked at the giant mirrored wall, getting closer for a better look at the rapidly appearing cracks. Suddenly, there was a small bang, and a tiny hole appeared. Harry was the closest, and he only looked at the hole for a second before he ran away, yelling for everyone to get down. Only a split second later, the wall exploded, and everyone was screaming and covering their heads and faces.
When the dust cleared, we looked at the now destroyed entrance to the Room of Requirement, and horror filled me up. Umbridge and her Inquisitorial Squad were standing there, Draco at the front of the pack. Our eyes met, and he could see the question burning in mine - "Did you give us up?" He answered me silently when he pulled someone into our line of sight, and there was an audible gasp from everyone. Draco was gripping the shoulders of an extremely guilty-looking Cho Chang. Even though I was glad Draco hadn't given away our secret, rage coursed through me at the realization that the girl who had romanced my brother was the one who had destroyed everything we had worked so hard to build. "Get them!" Umbridge said in a shrill, strained voice.
-----
The DA detention was horrible. I refused to let that old hag see me cry, so I had bit down on my lip until I could taste blood, just so I wouldn't cry from the pain radiating through my cursed hand. It was even worse than Harry had described. After you wrote the phrase "I WILL NOT BREAK RULES" once and it was carved into the back of your hand, it simply burned like fire every time you had to re-write it.
I looked around and saw that the pain had turned most of my friends into weeping wrecks, or they were trying their damnedest to choke back their sobs. Hermione was a mess, and I could see Ron unsuccessfully fighting back tears. Even Fred and George were starting to shake. And at the front of the Great Hall, sat Umbridge, sipping her tea and watching all of this unfold with silent glee. At the end of the night, Umbridge released us, her sickly sweet smile a clear warning that she wouldn't hesitate to do this to us again if we dared to cross her. The members of the DA filed out of the hall silently, most of us shaking and fighting back the urge to cry out in pain.
We could all see Cho standing on the stairs, obviously waiting for us to come out so she could redeem herself. Of course, no one listened to her. Some people physically shoved her out of the way. Cho hurried over to Harry, trying to explain but he brushed her off instantly, trudging towards Gryffindor Tower.
When Cho spotted me, she came over, her face desperate. "Isabelle, please, I didn't do this. You have to believe me. Please, talk to Harry for me. Please?" She said, and I glared at her, cradling my still bleeding hand. "Not on your life, Chang," I said, my voice full of venom. I left her standing there on the stairs, heading towards Gryffindor Tower when I saw my necklace begin to glow. I looked down at my hand and sighed, giving in to the magnetic pull of the star - I was already exhausted and bleeding, what more could the woman do to me now? What was one more broken rule?
Surprisingly, I was led to a corridor directly beside the final staircase to the tower, but I still slipped behind the tapestry covering it. I saw Draco standing in a patch of moonlight, a small bag in his hand. "Hey." He said when he saw me, his face pained.
I gave him a half smile, walking over slowly. "This isn't your fault," I said when I reached him, knowing what he was thinking. "You had to do it, you didn't have a choice. And you didn't give us away, that bitch Cho Chang did." I said bitterly, grimacing as my hand stung. Draco noticed this and took my hand gently, cursing when he saw it. "Merlin, she's sick." He said in a low, disgusted voice. "Put this salve on your cuts and keep it bandaged for a few days," Draco said, handing me the bag he had been holding.
I looked at it curiously, glancing up at Draco. "Where did you get this?" I asked, and Draco smirked. "Snape's storeroom." My mouth dropped open a little and I grinned, tucking the bag under my robes. "You're a dangerous man." Draco chuckled, his hands settling on my hips. "A little danger every now and then is healthy. Exciting, even." He was quiet for a second before leaning down to kiss my forehead. "Be careful, Isabelle. Please. Umbridge is unhinged." He said, and I nodded. "I know. I'm going to be okay, Draco, I promise. I love you." I said, standing on tiptoe to kiss him softly, smiling at him before slipping back through the tapestry to the staircase, hurrying back to the Tower. I didn't know what the fate of the DA would be, but I knew that we would be more determined than ever to not back down from Umbridge's twisted, controlling regime. We weren't going to submit.
(A/n: One word: RESIST. ANYWAY, thank you SO much for reading, my lovelies! I hope you loved this chapter, and if you did, make sure you add Our Little Secret to your reading list/library so you can get notified every time I update - Mondays and Thursdays! Also, feel free to check out my other works, all listed on my profile! Love y'all! H xx )