Everything Is Not What It Seems

“Psst.” Someone poked my shoulder. I rolled on to my side and snuggled deeper under my covers. Today’s a really cold day and there wasn’t one thing that was going to make me wake the fuck up. Umbridge can charge up here and I’ll just Avada Kedavra her and fall back asleep. I had been out so late with Draco that it’s not funny. I got back to my bed at around 5:30 AM.

“What time is it?” I asked groggily.

“7:15. Now get up before we miss out on breakfast. I’m sure Malfoy is just dying to see you.” Hermione said and started shaking me. I cracked an eye open and my hand twitched for my want that was tucked safely under my pillow. The very mention of seeing Draco was enough motivation to get me out of bed.

“I hate you.” I grumbled and fixed myself up before dragging my sleep-deprived body out of the room with Hermione. I grabbed hold of the stair’s railing and sat down on the top step before sliding down the steps one by one with my eyes closed. Hermione stood me upright and half-dragged my body to the Great Hall.

“What time did you get back, anyway?” Hermione asked as I scrambled to walk beside her; much to my dismay. My brain was sleeping.

“5:30. We lost track of time again.” I said and yawned aloud. We rounded the corner and my eyes spotted the handsome person leaning against the wall. My brain instantly woke up like it munched on extra strong coffee beans.

“Draco!” I whisper/yelled and lunged at him. He wrapped his arms around my waist and smiled down at me before pressing his lips to mine. I ran my fingers through his hair and he chuckled before pulling away.

“I’m sorry if you’re so sleep-deprived, love.” He whispered and pecked my lips.

“You’re going to pay dearly, Draco. I’m nothing without my beauty sleep.” I answered and he chuckled before kissing the tip of my nose.

“You look so gorgeous. With or without your beauty sleep. Sleepless Beauty.” He complimented and I blushed madly before giggling and shoving him lightly. He laughed quietly and wrapped his arms tighter around me before kissing my forehead for a few seconds.

“Charming, Draco. Charming.” I said and he buried his nose in my hair before kissing my forehead again.

“Someone’s coming.” Hermione whispered. Draco and I broke off and gave each other a nasty glare as the heavy footsteps neared us.

“No way, Ron. I’m not giving you my chocolate frog.” Harry’s really familiar voice ran out as he and Ron appeared. They stopped beside Hermione and I looked at them before looking back at Draco with closed eyes. He gave a slight nod as if to signaling me to tell him a snide remark. I bit my lips hesitantly but obeyed him anyway.

“Oh c’mon, Malfoy. You’re already ruining my morning.” I said in the snottiest voice I can muster. I bit my lip and winced as I refrained from letting Harry and Ron see my expression.

“I guess I’ll just ‘sod off’ like usual, Di Angelo.” Draco said and walked off to the Great Hall. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

“Draco, wait!” I said and grabbed his hand. Our hands fit perfectly and he looked at me with a hint of a smile on his face. I looked behind me and saw Hermione smiling widely. Harry and Ron had shocked looks on their faces. I walked towards Draco and looped my arm through his before re-lacing our fingers together.

“Cass?” Harry asked me with furrowed eyebrows.

“Before you hex me or anything… let me just say this. I love Draco and he makes me feel very special.” I said firmly and Ron glared at Draco. That threw the ‘don’t-fight-them-because-they’re-your-best-friends’ rule out the window. If he can’t accept Draco as my boyfriend, then he’s not really my best friend. Harry also glared at Draco. I glared at them in the most menacing way possible. They looked taken aback.

“If you can’t accept Draco like Hermione, then maybe you’re not really my best friends.” I said and felt Draco tugging me along to the Great Hall.

“Are you really sure about this? Some people are going to judge.” Draco whispered as we stood by the main entrance to the Great Hall. I looked up at him and stood on my toes before pressing my lips to his.

“I’m a hundred percent sure about everything revolving around you.” I answered and he leaned down to press his lips to mine before we looked at each other and nodded.

We walked through the Great Hall and all the chattering ceased. Eyes fell upon us and some scrutinized us while others just stared for the heck of it. I held my head up high and so did Draco. I tilted my head up to look at him and he smiled my smile before returning his lips back to their menacing smirk. He lead me to the Gryffindor table and helped me sit down on the bench before kissing my lips lightly and walking to the Slytherin table and taking a seat adjacent from me. I smiled at him and he smiled back at me before we started eating our breakfasts.

“They feel guilty.” Hermione said and plopped down beside me. I looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

“Who? Oh. Them.” I answered and drank some pumpkin juice before looking at Draco and waving shyly. He waved back and we both turned back to our peers.

“I think they’ll apologize later.” Hermione said as she began reading her book. I nodded once and continued picking at my breakfast.

After breakfast, Draco came over to the Gryffindor table and we laced our hands together before walking off to our first lesson after bidding goodbye to Hermione.

“So, what did you fellow Slytherins say?” I asked.

“The girls were mostly disappointed. Some boys… let’s just say I wanted to beat the daylights out of them for ‘over complimenting’ you. Some were just ignorant about it. What did your fellow Gryffindors say?” He asked as we made our way to Defense Against the Dark Arts with Umbridge. Everyone hates that pink toad.

“They were just gossiping about it. Nothing serious. Some of them, I overheard, said that they knew we were going to end up together. Do we still have to sneak out at night now that everyone knows?” I asked as I yawned. Draco chuckled and kissed the back of my hand.

“Not anymore. Unless you want to.” He said and grinned.

“Well, occasionally, yeah. But, what worries me is what your parents would say if they ever found out that you’re dating a girl from Gryffindor.” I muttered as we ascended the stairs to the DADA room.

“They wouldn’t like that at all. But, you’re different. For one, you’re a pureblood. Your father was in Slytherin. He and my father are good friends. Your mother… she really belonged in Slytherin but she was placed in Gryffindor just like a few people from your mother’s side of the family.” Draco said as we continued walking. How come I never realized that our fathers were good friends? I guess I just didn’t care back then. He’s right about my mum, though. She really belonged in Slytherin just like her younger sister and a few select members of her side of the family. They just had the evil entities locked up in their minds. They had control over good and evil.

Okay, it’s time to admit something to all of you. Some of my uncles from both sides of my family are Death Eaters like Draco’s dad. The ones that used to be in Slytherin, anyway. The ones that were placed in Gryffindor stayed out of the war. Like Switzerland. But, they were secretly routing for the Dark Lord. My dad’s not a Death eater, though. I don’t know why.

And, here’s another confession. I really belong in Slytherin. The sorting hat told me something about all the evil things in my mind; locked up in a huge corner of my mind. He would’ve put me in Slytherin but I desperately begged and threatened to shred him to pieces just to be put in Gryffindor because I didn’t want to be evil. I didn’t want to end up like my uncles. I didn’t want to be a Death Eater.

“Love, you zoned out there. Are you okay?” Draco said softly and helped me sit down on the chair. I thanked him quietly and took out my quill and parchment.

“If we’re going to have this relationship… we need to be honest with each other. No secrets, okay? I’ll tell you everything later.” I whispered and turned to the pink toad herself.

***

Draco hasn’t left my side all day. Well, except for those classes that we didn’t have together. But, you get the point. Right now, we’re sitting under the tree we sat under a night ago. I was wrapped up in his arms with my head on his shoulder. Everything felt right in the world… all but one thing. The thing I was going to tell him.

“Dray? I need to tell you something. Don’t be mad, okay?” I said quietly and sat up straight and faced him fully. He nodded once and I took a deep breath.

“I really belong in Slytherin. I threatened the sorting hat so he would put me in Gryffindor. He said something about all the evil things being locked up in a huge corner of my mind. I was afraid that I was going to be evil if I ended up in Slytherin. I didn’t want to end up like… like my uncles. I don’t want to be evil.” I whispered and instead of feeling Draco’s wrath I felt his arms wrap themselves around me as his manly scent engulfed me.

“How can I be angry at you? I completely understand. You will never be evil. You are the kindest, most beautiful witch I know and love. You will never end up like them. I won’t let that happen. I won’t let you change.” He murmured and I buried my face in his neck as I hugged him closer.

“Thank you, Draco. And…” I whispered and kissed his neck lightly.

“Yes, love?” He asked quietly as his arms tightened around me; making me feel even more safe.

“I love you.” I admitted with a blush on my cheeks. He was silent for a while and I began panicking inside my head. But, all of that panic ceased when he answered:

“I love you, too. More that you could ever know. I love you a lot.”