The next day, I told the trio, Ginny, Neville, and Luna that I was dating Draco. They were all very hesitant to my decision. Luna, in her dreamy voice, had said,
"Princesses fall for princes and live happily ever after. But how does fate treat the princess who falls for the monstrous dragon? In the end, the dragon will burn her down."
I disagreed and told her that Draco had always been a friend to me for years. To all of them, I said they should just give him a chance. That didn't make them change their decision, but they told me that if he ever hurt me, they would be by my side.
. . .
"You're so bloody gorgeous, darling. Honestly, you could tone it down a bit. You're making me look bad."
I blushed as I looked over at Draco. We were sat by the Black Lake working on our Potions essays while eating some chips (A/N: french fries. Ik they would never say it, so I'm putting it in as an author's note) we stole from the kitchens.
"Draco..."
"No, I'm not joking. You are so smart and beautiful, and I don't understand why you're mi—"
I shut him up with a small kiss on the lips, leaving our foreheads touching. He smiled causing a smile to stretch across my face before he grabbed my face and began kissing me harder. When we finally came up for air, we separated only centimeters apart. Draco's hand which had been gently placed on my cheek moved down to my chin. Using his thumb, he ran his finger over my bottom lip and tugged it down before reattaching our lips, causing our bodies to fall back into the grass.
I ripped away and my voice came out hoarse. "No, we shouldn't."
But Draco ignored me and pulled me back down, causing me to moan a little into his lips as he brought me closer to his body. Slowly, his hand began to make its way up and into my hair, gently tugging.
We pulled away again and I gently rested my head on his chest. HIs hand absentmindedly twisted my hair through his fingers.
"I'm sorry, Love. I'm just trying to make up for lost time," he said looking up at the sky.
I sat up on my elbow. "Can you imagine what it would be like if one thing in our lives didn't happen and everything would be different?"
I admired the way Draco's face held so much age, yet so much youth at the same time. His bone structure was godly, and I could understand why the girls wanted him.
"I'm glad nothing like that ever did happen because then I wouldn't have you," he replied, meeting my eyes.
"Yes, but what if something happened where someone persuaded me to confess my feelings for you during the end of our second year? I was already thirteen, and you were turning it soon. Do you think we would have lasted?"
Draco closed his eyes for a moment, breathing in deeply then releasing a sigh.
"Probably not Hazel. We were both so dumb—well actually not you—me. I would have been such a terrible boyfriend to you then. Part of the reason we are here together is because we've matured into who we are today. Our experiences make our relationship stronger."
I took in his words for a second and looked down at my body. I was wearing his Slytherin sweater, much to his protest but we both knew he thought it was adorable. I loved the sweater. It was slightly too big and smelled of him and his cologne.
Turning over slightly, Draco grabbed my body and pulled me down again, so he could lay his head in my chest. I wrapped him in my arms and kissed the top of his gently rubbing his back to remind him that I will always be there. No matter what.
. . .
Draco had made it his ultimate destiny to never let me out of his sight once we had gotten together. It soon became clear to all the boys in the school, if they dared to look at me in any way that wasn't platonic, they would be hexed mercilessly.
But he had also made it his destiny to make me as distracted as possible in between classes. He would always find a way, and a place, to snog me in the time it took for me to travel from one side of the castle to the other. This would end causing me to be late and dash to my next class.
But once, our classes had ended, he took the opportunity to push me into a broom cupboard and pin me against it, pressing some of his weight on me. His eyes stared down at my lips for the longest time.
I croaked, "kiss me" then licked my lips, "please".
That was all it took for Draco's lips to come crashing down onto mine, devouring every piece of me. Gently, he began to nibble on my bottom lip, causing an automatic moan to come out of my body.
When we had finally finished our make-out session, Draco and I made our way down to the Great Hall for dinner.
I kept the PDA to a minimum, but Draco had another idea. I felt a tug on my hair. I dismissed it, thinking Draco was just being annoying. But when the tugging persisted, I turned to him,
"Draco, what—what are you doing?" I asked.
"Shh. Stop fussing. I'm braiding your hair," he replied. I gave him an incredulous look and turned back to my food.
When I looked back up, I saw Pansy nearly falling over dead at the fact that Draco was giving me more attention than her. I smirked inwardly. Hell yeah.
. . .
I walked into the Great Hall the next morning, and suddenly, all eyes were on me. I furrowed my eyebrows and continued walking to the Slytherin table when a first year's copy of the Daily Prophet caught my eye. I snatched the copy from their grip and read it.
On the front was a moving picture of me from over the summer when I was spotted out in public. The picture next to me was a moving picture of Draco walking next to his mother, probably also from over the summer. The title read:
Wizarding Heroine Dating Ex-Death Eater?
The article was written by none other than Rita Skeeter. It had to be Pansy; she threatened to tell Rita Skeeter when I was dating Cedric Diggory. I continued to read:
Sources tell us that Hazel Rosewood, known for dating the late Cedric Diggory and saving the Wizarding World, is in a relationship with none other than ex-Death Eater, Draco Malfoy. Rosewood is notoriously known for having a taste for famous wizards including, Cedric Diggory, a competitor in the Triwizard Tournament, and Harry Potter, the Chosen One. But why would she decide to go after a boy who fought for the side of Voldemort? Was it to gain even more popularity? No word yet on her motives.
Draco, who had walked in, noticed my shocked face as I read the article and walked to me, looking over my shoulder. Once he read the headline, he grabbed the paper and threw it to the floor, taking out his wand.
He pointed it at the paper, "Incendio!"
The paper went up in flames. People gasped, including me.
"Draco! Augamenti!" I exclaimed, putting out the fire. Once it was out, Draco grabbed my hand and pulled me to the library. Nobody was there, as everyone was at breakfast but he pulled me to restricted section.
A soft thud echoed as Draco pushed me against one of the shelves. Our lips moved against each other's as my hands tangled in his hair, his resting on my hips, keeping a firm grip. I felt his tongue brush against my lips and I parted them, allowing him entrance. A soft noise escaped Draco's throat as he pressed his body against mine. I was frantic with heat, running my hands down his chest, trying to be as close to him as possible.
His hand began to trail up the side of my thigh and under my skirt. I grabbed his hand.
"Not here Draco," I whispered still relishing in the feeling of him.
"Says who?" he questions, snaking a hand up my blouse to my covered breast.
"We could get caught,' I answered lifting my head up as he began to leave marks there.
"Fine," he huffed, practically yanking himself away from me, "but we're not done."
. . .
Later that night, Draco had laid his head on my lap on the couch in the Head's Room. I had been reading from my book out loud to him while running my fingers through his soft hair.
I had gotten slightly distracted letting my fingers play with Draco's hair. He had just taken a shower, so there was no product in his hair to make it feel any less natural.
"Your hair is really soft after you wash it," I told him.
He let out a noise of contentment. "You smell really nice."
I giggled, and we fell into comfortable silence again. I was the one to break it.
"If you could change one thing in your past, what would it be?"
"Nothing," he announced after a moment of silence. His eyes remained closed on my lap. His answer was unexpected, and for a moment I tried to comprehend how someone could have not a single regret.
"Nothing?" I repeated. "Why?"
"Because... a change in the past can change the present too," he replied, "... and I fear that too much."
He rose from his position on the sofa and grabbed my hands bringing me up with him. But then, he knelt down on one knee. My eyes widened as he pulled out a small case.
"And because I fear it too much, I want us to have a secure future. Hazel, you are my light in the darkness, and I know that neither of us wants to be married right now, but I do want to marry you one day. So, without any pressure, would you take this promise ring so one day I can change it into an engagement one?"
Draco opened the case revealing a gorgeous emerald ring surrounded with diamonds. I gasped and nodded, displaying my left hand. Draco slowly slid the ring up my ring finger. He stood up again, and I placed my hand on either side of his face, kissing him deeply. Finally, I could be with the person who was always there from the start.