Alyssa stepped out of the shower and squeezed the remaining water from her hair out. The room was filled with steam and as she reached the mirror she cleared it off with her hand. As she looked at her reflection she was glad to see that everything now looked normal. No cuts, no bruises; and the stitches were removed so all that was left was a thin scar that was two inches long.
She towel dried her hair after combing it out, and got dressed into some sweats to lounge in for the day. It had been an extremely tough week. She'd been doing nothing but makeup work for the past three weeks and with that combined with studying for the exams, she thought her brain might explode. She walked back into the bedroom and smiled softly at the sight she was greeted with. Draco was sleeping peacefully – finally – in his bed. He was curled up to his pillow with his blanket slung around his hips. Alyssa crept as quietly as she could over to the bed and tried hard to make no noise as she got back on it and rested next to him. She observed him as he slept on. He was lying on his stomach; his back rose and fell with every deep, even breath he took and his light eyelashes rested on his soft cheeks. Reluctantly, for she really didn't want to wake him, she brought her hand up to brush the hair off his forehead… yet alas; the slightest touch caused him to stir.
Draco's eyes slowly slid open until he started blinking a few times. His body tensed as he began to stretch and he sighed deeply closing his eyes again.
"What time is it?" He finally asked quietly.
Alyssa looked over her shoulder and to the clock, "A little bit after noon."
Suddenly he opened his eyes smiling and pulled her to his chest. "It's late." He said.
She gave him a kiss and said, "You were finally sleeping; I didn't have the heart to wake you." He rolled over until he was on his back, bringing her along so she was on top of him. She rested her head on his chest, feeling the warmth radiating from him. She let her fingers trace patterns over his skin, and they ran over the new scar trailing down the side of his arm.
"Thank you," He said softly, and after a few moments added "Alyssa, I'm -"
"Don't say it." She interrupted closing her eyes.
"You didn't even know what I was going to say." His voice croaked with the tiredness in his voice.
"I knew exactly what you were going to say." She reasoned, "And I don't want to hear it." She immediately heard him begin to protest and raised her head to look at him. "I'm serious, Draco. You need to stop feeling guilty or else we'll never get past this."
"It's just… the things I did to you. I can't forgive myself; I don't know how you can."
She pressed a hand to his face and spoke so quietly that even if everyone in the world was listening in, he'd be the only one who could hear her. "I could never, ever stay mad at you even if I tried… I love you too much. And what you did is the bravest thing I can think of. You risked your life for an entire year; you could've easily been killed. You should be celebrating just as much as the rest of the world, if not more; not feeling guilty for yourself."
Draco looked unsure and as if he wanted to say something more, but he closed his eyes and nodded. She gave him another kiss and rested her head back down on his chest.
It had been a month since she'd woken up from her coma, and things were starting to return to normal. That past night was one of the only nights Draco slept since then. He was either unable to fall asleep at all, or would be troubled with nightmares from what happened – most nights from the death of his father. Alyssa stayed with him every night trying to make him comfortable enough so that he'd fall asleep but even then, an hour would pass and he'd wake up startled in a cold sweat. This was only worsened by the fact that he had been trying for that past month to apologize to Alyssa at any open moment for what had happened. He was having such a huge problem with getting through his guilt and Alyssa had been worried about him. But it seemed that now things were starting to perk up.
Alyssa was now learning even more about the war; she was amazed by how out of the loop she was. Although Voldemort was dead, there was still a battle to fight. And she finally got the answer to where Dumbledore was repeatedly disappearing off to when things would suddenly take a turn for the worse. There had been a second line of defense incase something went wrong at Malfoy Manor. The people in the Manor were mainly the Weasley's, Draco, Lupin, Brad, Neville, Ron, Hermione, Snape, and about a dozen Aurors. The second line was busy protecting Hogwarts incase Alyssa was overpowered and Voldemort eventually went after the school. That consisted of the teachers, most of the students, more Aurors, Hagrid and Dumbledore. Dumbledore had to let the events unfold as they were planned or else it wouldn't have worked out as it did and it was a possibility that Voldemort would still be roaming the earth.
On the other hand, there was also a second line of the Dark side. That was leaded by people like Bellatrix Lestrange and Fenrir Greyback and also consisted of creatures like the Dementors, Inferi and Trolls. All in all, there was still ways to go until the war would finally be over. Yet Voldemort was gone, and if that wasn't something to celebrate, what was?
"So what shall we do today?" Alyssa asked a little while later. They still hadn't gotten out of bed.
"Nothing," Draco murmured.
"Nothing?"
"Nothing."
"But -"
"Nothing."
"You just want to stay in bed?" Alyssa asked with a smile. Draco nodded. "We'll need food," She suggested.
"Someone will eventually come to disturb us like they usually do, and then we can make them get us something."
"Hm… What about potty breaks?"
"We'll manage." He said simply.
Alyssa sat up so she could see his face. "That sounds good to me; as long as I'm with you." As she watched him she thought of when she stayed with him as he slept in the hospital wing after the Quidditch match. She had thought that when all of this was over, she could just be with him. And now that could finally happen. Alyssa didn't know what to expect for her future, but as long as he was in it everything would be okay.
The next day Alyssa and Draco were walking together through the halls; they had fulfilled their plans the previous day and stayed in bed literally all day. The halls were empty so they were to themselves. Most of the other students were in their rooms doing extra cram sessions for the exams.
"Are you nervous about the exams?" She asked him. She looked over to see him give a little shrug and shake his head. "I knew you wouldn't be; you're already brilliant." He simply rolled his eyes.
"What about you?"
Alyssa shrugged as well, "I dunno; part of me thinks 'these are the most important exams I'll ever take' and then another part thinks 'well, I'll be working with dragons with my brother eventually so they're not that important'. It's hard deciding which part is winning."
"It's understandable." Draco said.
"How's your mom?" She asked after a moment.
He sighed and raised his eyebrows, "She finally left the Manor; for good I think, this time. She bought a place in Scotland that she'll probably want to stay at for a while."
"She's not just gonna stay and fix it up?"
Draco shook his head straight away, "Too many bad memories." Alyssa squeezed his hand in hers and turned at the sound of someone calling her name. Brad was walking down the hallway at a speedy pace and looked somewhat stressed out.
"What's up?" She asked as he approached her. He nodded at Draco before addressing her.
"I need to talk to you."
Alyssa didn't say anything and only waited expectantly for him to say something. Yet he said nothing.
"Ah," Draco said nodding, "I think he means privately." Alyssa rolled her eyes as Draco bent down to kiss her cheek and continued on walking down the hallway.
"Yes, Brad?" Alyssa asked again, impatiently.
Brad rolled his eyes and looked around the hall to make sure they were alone. Yet even still, he pulled her more to the side instead of the middle of the way.
"You have to go to the Ministry; Kingsley Shacklebolt wants to talk to you -"
"Wait, what?" Alyssa stuttered trying to take in one thing at a time. "The Ministry? And who wants to talk to me?"
Brad sighed, "Kingsley Shacklebolt; he's an Auror."
"And why would he want to talk to me?" Alyssa said slowly. Brad shrugged and frowned at her. "When do I have to go?"
"You have an appointment tomorrow morning."
Alyssa immediately shook her head, "No, Brad – I can't. I have classes tomorrow and I've already missed more than I can afford to. I -"
"There's nothing I can do; and I'm sure you'll find that this is a bit more important."
She paused, her brows furrowed in thought, "But I thought you said you didn't know what it was about." He had no response.
The next morning, Alyssa woke up at eight in the morning to get ready for her ten o'clock appointment. She was rather annoyed that they had made the appointment for Monday – when she had classes. They were already cracking down on the students, and she had missed about a months worth of work that she was working her ass off to make up. It really had better been important, like Brad had said; otherwise she'd really be pissed. She got dressed into a black skirt and blouse and matching shoes, deciding that she should probably look nice. Draco was already up and ready for classes and was waiting until she left.
"And you have no idea what this is about?" He asked curiously as she finished getting ready.
"Nope; Brad wouldn't tell me." She replied, he made a sound as he thought, "What?" She asked. "You think it's something serious?"
He shrugged slightly, "I don't know; it's interesting though." They were silent as she finished putting on her shoes and stood up, ready to go. "I probably won't be here when you get back." Draco said, "I have to go to the Manor."
Alyssa paused, realizing she hadn't really thought of the Manor since getting back to school; even when she had practically tore it to bits. "What's up at the Manor?"
"Fixing it up, really." He said with another shrug. "With my mother gone I'm the one who's in charge of the renovations and such. The place is basically mine."
"What are you gonna do with it?" Alyssa asked.
"I don't really know," He said after a moment, "I hadn't really thought of it."
"Oh," she said softly, "Well, have fun." She added with a grin and walked towards him for a hug. He wrapped his arms tight around her shoulders and rested his chin on her head. She sighed into his chest; her heart racing at his mere touch. Alyssa had cherished these moments.
"You too, and I want to hear about it when I see you later." He said seriously. She nodded and kissed his cheek before walking to the door. She twisted the knob and pulled it opened as he added, "I love you."
She turned and looked over her shoulder at him, not surprised to see his look of anticipation. Draco had recently made it his goal for her to know about his feelings for her.
"I know." She said, smiling brightly. He nodded and looked away, smiling bashfully.
Alyssa had never been to the Ministry of Magic, and as she went through the hidden telephone entrance with her brother she realized it was quite intimidating. She had spent the night tossing and turning wondering why they wanted to see her; especially now as she was getting back on track with her life. She looked up at the high ceiling as they passed the fountain, and up at the many offices that aligned the walls.
"Watch out." Brad muttered pulling her aside. Hundreds and hundreds of Witches and Wizards were walking to and fro the Ministry, and it was hard to miss them. Alyssa looked up at Brad as she swerved around someone; he had been on edge all morning and she was thinking it might've had to do with what this meeting would entail. They stepped into an elevator and the jolt threw them to the front of it as it lurched backwards, and again as it went to the side and straight up. A bell rang as the doors slid opened and Brad grabbed her hand and led her out. They walked briskly through the busy hallways; Alyssa had no clue where they were going and only held on tight and followed Brad.
They eventually stopped at an office door and it opened seconds after Brad knocked on it. Alyssa was greeted by who she could only assume was Kingsley Shacklebolt; he looked familiar from maybe a picture in the paper, but otherwise she couldn't tell.
"Alyssa Bennington; a pleasure to meet you." He shook her hand at once and motioned for her to come in.
She froze before taking a seat, "Mom," Alyssa was very surprised to see her mom sitting in the corner of the room. Her mom smiled at her and got up to give her a hug.
"It's nice to see you up and running," She said.
"Yeah; now that you mentioned it, thanks for visiting me." Alyssa drawled sarcastically. She barely returned the hug and sat down in front of the desk, Brad sat down next to her.
"Alyssa, you know I -" Alyssa looked over at Shacklebolt apologetically and raised her hand, "Could we just get this over with? I still have classes I need to get to."
Kingsley nodded and smiled as he walked over to his desk and sat down, "Yes, I'm well aware of the exams coming up; I'll make this as quick and painless as possible." Alyssa crossed her legs in her seat and waited patiently. "Have you had any thought as to what your plans would be after the school year ends?"
Alyssa sighed, "Well, with the war going on I figured I'd stay here -"
"To fight, you mean." Her mom interjected. Alyssa glared at her raising her eyebrows and nodded slowly, "And then decide what to do after its over." She shrugged as if it were clearly obvious. Kingsley opened his mouth to say something before Brad interrupted.
"Why not just cut to the chase, Kingsley. I'm sure she'd appreciate it much better." He drawled. Alyssa looked over at him, her brows furrowed and he tightened his lips offering a smile at her.
"Very well." He said stiffly. "The reason I called you in today is because the Ministry has been having some serious precautions in going into this war. And one of their main concerns has been you."
Alyssa paused, "Me? Why me?"
"With what happened at the Manor, people have been wondering whether you would be an aid or a danger to us. They don't want to risk another incident where you become possessed again and cause… for lack of a better word – destruction."
She waited a second before saying, "But there's not another powerful Wizard out there who would even be able to do that. Voldemort -"
"If I'm not mistaken, it's to my knowledge that Draco Malfoy performed the ritual."
Alyssa's jaw dropped, "I'm sorry, do you even know what happened?" Out of the corner of her eye she could see Brad's lip quirk up, trying not to smile. Her mom, on the other hand, scoffed and waved her hand.
"Don't be fresh, Alyssa."
She rolled her eyes, "So you don't want me to fight just because you think I won't be able to control myself?"
Brad nodded and sat up in his chair, "Seriously, Kingsley, I don't think they understand what she's capable of – the kind of weapon we could gain that would help us -"
"And that's just not a risk most people are willing to take." Kingsley said softly.
"Personally I don't even want you fighting in this in the first place," Her mom started, "You're way too young to be thinking about his – you're seventeen."
"Excuse me; I'm pretty sure you're the last person who should have an opinion on how I live my life, especially since you've found no time to even take part in it." Alyssa snapped at her. She turned back to look at Kingsley, "And what if I don't listen to you? What if I decide to fight anyway?"
"You have no choice in the matter." Her mom argued.
"We've already made arrangements for you." He added. Alyssa looked over at Brad to see he was rubbing at his eyes. "In two weeks you'll be leaving to be with your brother," He waved his hand towards Brad, "In Romania."
"Wait – what?" Alyssa said, her stomach dropping completely, "Two weeks? That's… that's before exams!" Though exams were the very least on her mind.
"We are well aware of that, but given the circumstances…"
"You agreed to this?" Alyssa suddenly demanded of Brad.
He looked at her apologetically, "Of course I didn't, but I have no choice here either."
"So you're just going to ship me off to Romania?"
"That would be the plan, yes." Her mom drawled. Alyssa dropped her hands into her lap and slumped in her chair, she was completely speechless. In only fourteen days, she would be leaving the one place she had seriously called home since she was a little kid. But more importantly… she'd be leaving the one man who, at that very moment, she was willing to drop anything and spend the rest of her life with. The rest of the meeting meant nothing; Alyssa couldn't tell a soul what the other three were talking about. She felt numb and suddenly turned deaf to what anyone had to say. Who knew that in such a short period of time, her life could've changed so dramatically? She met her best friends, found a new home, fell in love, and nearly died in less than a year.
The entire trip back to Hogwarts was a silent one. Alyssa was still trying to register what she had learned, and Brad already knew she was upset so didn't bother saying anything. It wasn't until they were walking through the entrance hall that she decided to speak.
"So I'll be living with you, yeah?" She said quietly, her voice sounded strained as if she had already been crying for hours.
"If that's not a problem." He replied.
She practically snapped her neck as she turned to look at him, "Is that a joke?"
Brad didn't smile but she knew it was. As she turned away a tear slid down her cheek and she cursed as she wiped it away.
"What is it?"
"I can't look like I've cried; otherwise he'll know something's wrong." Alyssa said. She pulled on the sleeves of her blouse and dabbed her eyes.
"Are you going to tell him?" He asked curiously as they neared her common room.
They stopped in front of the door and she sighed before answering. "He'd want me to… But he's already got so much on his mind. And I feel like if I did tell him, we'd be acting like we had no time left, and I want to spend what time I have to the fullest."
Brad nodded, "Funny, how it sounds like you're dying but you're really just moving."
Alyssa rolled her eyes, "Hilarious." She finally opened the door and was extremely surprised to see dozens of people crowding the common room. Food and drinks were spread everywhere throughout the room as people sat on the couches and in front of the fire. "What is going on?" Alyssa asked to the room. Ron looked up and waved a hand.
"Oy, grab a drink and sit down," He called. Hermione and Ginny who were sitting across from him waved her over as well. Alyssa turned to Brad who politely excused himself and she grabbed a beer. She walked over to the fireplace where people were grouped and sat down on the stone in front of it. "What's going on?" She asked again.
Hermione shrugged, "I don't know; I told Ginny to come by so she obviously brought Blaise. Then Harry and Ron eventually showed up and then Neville, Seamus and Dean came as well. And then… the rest just showed up." She ended with another shrug.
"How was the meeting?" Ginny asked.
Alyssa rolled her eyes while sipping her beer, "I'll tell you about it later." She glanced around the room, "Is Draco back yet?" Ginny shook her head, and it was an hour and three beers later that he returned. He walked into the room looking just as surprised as Alyssa to see the amounts of people there. Since Alyssa had arrived, even more people had decided to show up. She spotted him instantly and kicked her heels out of the way before standing up and rushing to him. He was still wearing his Hogwarts uniform though it loosened up a bit. His shirt was untucked and his tie was draping around his neck where the first few buttons of his shirt were undone. He looked extremely handsome.
Draco greeted her with a kiss on the cheek, "How was the meeting?"
Alyssa spoke evenly, having planned what she was going to say. "It wasn't as serious as I thought. My mom was there; they just wanted to talk about living arrangements and such." It wasn't a complete lie – it was just missing a huge chunk of the story. He quirked his lips but she moved on wanting to change the subject. "What about you? How was the Manor?"
He raised his eyebrows briefly, "I must say, you tore the place up." She rolled her eyes and he chuckled softly taking off his cloak. "But it's fine; it might just take a while to get done with the war still going on." Alyssa nodded knowing he was planning on fighting. "So what exactly is going on here?" He asked looking around the room.
Alyssa put down her drink, "I'm not sure, it was pretty much like this when I got here." She watched him as he surveyed the room and tugged on his sleeve. When he turned to look at her she reached up on the tips of her toes and kissed him.
"I love you," she said, "So much." She pressed her lips to his again, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. Someone in the room cooed with a loud 'Ooh!' and Draco pulled away smiling.
"Is something wrong?" He asked her quietly.
Alyssa shook her head, "Do you want to go to your room?" She asked.
Draco opened his eyes and rested his forehead against hers. "Okay," He said slowly. He held her hand and they made a discrete getaway. Alyssa shut his bedroom door behind her. She grabbed the arm of his retreating figure and pulled him towards her, crushing her lips onto his and immediately opened her mouth against him, but he pulled away sharply.
"Seriously… is something wrong?" He asked again. He had the ability to read her like a book but she refused to tell him everything and shook her head.
"I need you," She said. "Just… have me."
Her breath hitched in her throat as he kissed her with more force than she could've ever anticipated, but she recovered and kissed him back with just as much ferocity. Draco pushed her backwards and her back hit his door. She gasped loudly into his mouth and her hands moved to hold tightly onto his shoulders. What happened earlier that day was completely erased from her mind as his hands gripped onto her hips and pulled her against him, while at the same time continuing to press forward. He pressed harder and harder until she was lifted from the floor, and her skirt rose up completely as she fastened her legs around his waist.
Alyssa's heart raced; he had hardly ever been so aggressive with her. It was as if he was taking all of his emotion and pouring it out as he did whatever he wanted to her; he pulled and grabbed and kissed and bit practically every spot he could find, and only paused briefly to lock the door. She could hardly comprehend what was going on and it only registered slightly as he bit hard onto her neck. She moaned loudly and her hips bucked involuntarily into his causing him to moan as well. She let her hands roam over his upper body; the muscles over his back flexed rhythmically and she pulled his shirt from his pants, allowing her hands to move underneath it and feel the heat radiating from his skin.
Draco cupped her face with his hand and began kissing her again, while the other hand ran up her thigh and under her skirt. His fingers hooked around the edge of her panties and she dropped her legs so he could pull them off of her. Alyssa kicked them aside and moved her hands to his belt where she unbuckled it and ripped it right out of the loops. She undid his pants and they draped loosely around his hips but stayed in place as she pulled him hard against her. They resumed their position and Alyssa found herself again raised from the floor, Draco pinning her against the door while kissing her; she could feel how hard he was and saw stars.
He dropped his hands quickly and pushed his pants down, and after adjusting her legs around his waist and tilting his hips, he was inside her.
"Draco," She moaned his name loudly and her head fell back, connecting with the door. Her hands gripped his biceps as he rocked against her and she was suddenly feeling it was rather hard to breathe. Her temperature was rising uncontrollably and a sheet of sweat covered her forehead. Her eyes snapped opened as cool air brushed her chest, Draco yanked her blouse opened and the buttons landed on the floor. He ran his lips over her, raising a hand to grip her chest and she gasped again; she felt as if she was about to explode.
Suddenly, Draco pulled her away from the wall and carried her to the bed where they landed heavily. It was an odd circumstance really; his pants and boxers were down to his knees, and his shirt was shoved all the way up to under his arms. Her blouse was ripped open, her bra still intact and her skirt pushed around her waist.
Their rhythm was rapidly becoming frantic, their kisses now nothing but their harsh breathing in each other's mouths as they both neared their climax. Alyssa couldn't tell if it was them or the loud activity from the common room, but it felt as if Draco's room was vibrating and she wondered if he felt it too. She opened her eyes only to see his dark, steely eyes staring back at her; there was nothing more that she could possibly focus on. He growled slightly and pushed himself up to pull the rest of his shirt off and threw it to the floor. She could see the sweat on his body reflected from the moonlight but he quickly pulled her up against him. Her hands flew to his head, where her fingers weaved themselves into his hair. Now, each thrust was faster, harder, and deeper. And what had started out grunts, were now loud moans coming from Draco's mouth. They pressed back into the pillows, Alyssa's head falling to the side as ripples coursed through her body. It was like every time he was inside her, she felt so full; but then when he wasn't she felt empty and she needed him back desperately.
She came hard – moaning loudly and clenching her muscles around him causing him to follow suit. Draco collapsed heavily on top of her, moaning her name once more while panting loudly. They lay smothered against each other, their bodies slick with sweat. He rested his forehead onto hers and observed her as she tried to regain her breath.
He brought his hand up to caress her face and his lips grazed hers as he spoke softly, "Was I too hard on you? I feel like I lost myself."
Alyssa shook her head at once, "No – I wanted you to." She swallowed hard and sighed, draping her arms over his shoulders.
Draco grunted and turned himself over, breaking them apart, so that he was lying on his back. Alyssa took the rest of her clothes off, throwing them carelessly to the floor and followed by taking off the rest of Draco's clothes as well. She leaned her back against the headboard and pulled on him with all the strength she could muster until he was lying back in her lap, his head tucked into the nape of her neck.
She ran her fingers through his hair while rubbing her hand across the bicep of his left arm and watched his chest rise and fall with each deep even breath he took.
"You're so beautiful." She whispered, and she wasn't really sure if he heard it or not. But he raised his left hand up to weave through her hair and grip the back of her neck. He shifted so he was higher up and their cheeks were touching.
"It'd be nice to just stay here like this." He said softly.
She nodded in agreement but she felt a sudden sadness prick at her stomach. "It would be…" He turned his head to look at her and she did the same, their lips meeting in a soft kiss.
There were three days left and Alyssa was starting to pack. Although she was leaving she wanted to make it look like nothing had changed, so she was attending classes every day and studying for the exams just like every other student. She was now packing her trunk back up in her room while Ginny and Hermione flipped through Witch Weekly on her bed.
"Don't you think Draco's going to be a bit suspicious with you packing?" Ginny asked curiously. Alyssa had told her closer friends that she was leaving, besides Draco, obviously. Harry, Ginny, Hermione, Ron and Blaise all knew what the plans were and had all promised to keep Draco out of it.
"The end of the year is coming anyway, I'm sure I'm not the only one packing." Alyssa replied quietly. She looked sadly at her green dress from the Christmas Ball and zipped it in its package before putting it in her trunk.
Hermione nodded in agreement, "Plus I'm starting to pack just so it looks like we're cleaning up in here. Draco's hardly in here anyway so I don't think it'll be a problem."
"This is ridiculous," Ginny scoffed a few minutes later, "They can't just order you around like you're four years old. We need you in this." Alyssa shrugged as she threw her boots in the trunk as well. She turned back and looked at the few clothes left in her closet and her stomach dropped. She lifted her hand to her face and covered her eyes as she winced.
"Are you okay?" Hermione asked.
"I'll be fine." She answered. "Hand me that shirt right there?" She asked Ginny pointing out a t-shirt hanging off the bed. Ginny tossed it to her and she put it in the trunk. "I don't know how I got all these clothes into this thing," She said tapping the trunk with a sigh.
"So what are you going to say to him?" Ginny asked.
"You know what?" Alyssa said, "Let's not talk about Draco, okay? I don't… I don't know what I'm going to say. I'm having a hard enough time already without thinking about it."
"Fine, fine," Ginny said heavily, "But I know you're losing it in that head of yours." Alyssa only glared at her and silently wished Ginny didn't know her so well.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door and they all looked at each other unexpectedly. "Er – who is it?" Hermione asked.
"Harry." He said through the door. They let out a small breath of relief and Alyssa walked away from her trunk to open the door.
"Hey," She greeted, forcing a bright smile.
"How're you doin'?" He mumbled lightly stepping into the room. He took a look at the opened trunk and the clothes spread around the room, "Packing, I see?"
"Getting down to it," She replied.
"What's up, Harry?" Hermione asked.
He shook his head and sat down on the little spot left on Alyssa's bed. "Just wanted to see what you all were up to. Ron's in the library." He added seeing Hermione's questioning glance. She nodded once and quietly excused herself from the room.
"I should probably go with," Ginny said getting up, "I need to get some studying done."
The room was quite as Harry and Alyssa were by themselves. The only sound that could be heard was as Alyssa folded her clothes and placed them into the trunk.
"Why don't you take a break from that?" Harry asked and he patted the seat next to him. She climbed onto the bed and rested her back against the headboard where he comfortingly wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Are you going to be okay?" He asked softly.
Alyssa closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder. "I guess so…" she replied, "Hopefully." She added, sending him a smile.
"Everything will be fine in Romania. And after all of this is over, you'll always be welcome here."
"That's not what I'm worried about, though." She argued shaking her head. "What if something happens? What if someone gets hurt?"
Harry looked at her seriously, her violet eyes filled with worry and doubt. "Draco won't get hurt; he's a better fighter than most of us, you don't need to worry about him."
"You and I both know that I will always worry about him. And he's not the only one I'm worried about." She said giving him a meaningful look.
He turned around so his entire body was facing her. "The way you're feeling won't get you anywhere but feeling anxious. What you need to do is just feel confident that we're gonna beat them to a bloody pulp, and that this'll be over before you know it. Just believe in us." He placed his hand underneath her chin and offered a small smile, "Can you do that?"
Alyssa rolled her eyes and heaved a sigh, but with all the reluctance she felt, she nodded.
"Good." He said smiling and patting her on the cheek. "I think you might want to continue packing; you don't want these falling into the wrong hands." He laughed as he raised his hand to show that he was holding a bright pink thong.
"Harry!" Alyssa dove forward and snatched the underwear from his hand.
The last night was definitely one of; if not the, most trouble she had trying to sleep. She tossed and turned with Draco at her side, barely finding any sleep. And if she found any she'd only wake up within the hour. She had flashes of dreams where she was falling through the clouds above the Quidditch pitch, or fighting a fire-breathing dragon, or graduating from Hogwarts. None of them made sense, and the only time she felt truly relaxed was when Draco woke up next to her turning body and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close.
The next day, Alyssa spent the majority of her morning up in Gryffindor tower. She had planned on skipping classes since she'd be leaving after lunch and was surprised to say that everyone who knew she was leaving decided to skive off as well. Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione and even Blaise stayed with her in the Gryffindor common room, trying to get by as if the clock wasn't running out of time. Yet instead of going by the saying 'Time flies by when you're having fun,' time flew, but Alyssa wasn't having any fun dreading having to say goodbye. Soon enough, it was that time, and Alyssa found herself giving them all hugs and trying not to cry through her last moments with them.
It was as if she was going down the line, first was Ron, then Blaise, and then Hermione.
"I'm really going to miss you," Hermione said as she pulled Alyssa into a bone crushing hug. Hermione had meant what she said when she told Alyssa she didn't think they'd get on well. But Hermione found that Alyssa was unlike anyone she'd ever met, and was truly crushed when she found out Alyssa had to leave.
"I'll miss you too; but I know we'll see each other again… sometime soon I hope." Alyssa replied giving her a small smile.
"You can let her go now, 'Mione." Ron drawled.
"And I'm certainly going to miss you, Ron." She said smiling at him. She turned to look at Ginny, whose eyes were already filled with tears. "Ugh, don't even start it, Ginny." Alyssa whined, "I haven't even gotten to the hardest part!"
Ginny pouted and hugged her tightly around the waist. "I can't help it. You've been a sister to me since the first week of school and I'll always remember it."
Alyssa heaved a sigh and squeezed her eyes shut trying to stop the tears from coming on. "I love you, Gin'. And once this shit clears up you better write me, I'll be wasting away in Romania." She said forcing a laugh.
"I love you, too." Ginny said tightening her hold on her. They pulled away slightly till they were arm lengths away and Alyssa kissed her on the forehead.
"Goodbye," Alyssa said and gave her a wink; Ginny smiled in return.
She looked over at Harry, who, noticing her glance said, "Ready?" Alyssa nodded; Harry had previously asked to walk her out of the school where she'd be meeting Brad at the carriage. He grabbed her hand and they laced their fingers together before leaving the common room.
"It's going to be weird, you not being here and everything." Harry said to her.
Alyssa nodded in agreement, "I know, this has really become my home. I'm definitely gonna miss it here." She looked over at Harry and smiled before they stepped out of the doors of the Entrance Halls. One carriage was parked in the front, a Thestral patiently leading it. Brad was standing next to it along with Dumbledore, Snape, and professor McGonagall. "Look, it's like a party." She said sarcastically. She looked off towards the lake and could see Draco's silhouette in the distance.
"Well, this is it." Harry said quietly.
She turned her body towards him and hesitated, wondering what to say. She bit her lip thinking of what kind of words could come out of her mouth that would sum up how much Harry meant to her.
"I really do love you, Harry. You know that, right?" She looked up at him to see he looked somewhat startled but he didn't say anything. "You've truly saved my life. And I don't mean the whole catching me and what happened with Voldemort. But you've kept me sane this whole year; I was purely confident in knowing that you'd be there for me whenever I needed and I'm not sure if you know how much that means to me… but I hope you do. Fuck." She cursed as her eyes filled with tears but forced herself to look at him. "You're my savior, Harry, and I honestly don't know what I'd do without you."
"Thank you." He said quietly. She quickly closed the distance between them and pressed her lips to his briefly before wrapping her arms around his shoulders. She felt as if she gave him quite a shock but he responded and hugged her tightly around her waist. And even though he didn't say it, she knew he loved her, too. Alyssa gave him another squeeze before pulling away and cupping his face in her hands.
"Goodbye, Harry."
"Goodbye, Alyssa." He said softly. He reluctantly pulled his arms away and watched her as she walked down the front steps to the carriage.
"Well, that was quite a depressing departure." Brad said sarcastically.
"Shut up," Alyssa muttered.
Dumbledore took a step forward and tipped his hat towards her, "I must say, Ms. Bennington, it has been quite the pleasure having you in my school this year." He said, his eyes twinkling.
"Thank you, it's been amazing." Alyssa said smiling. "Even with the strange turn of events."
"Yes, I'll have to try to warn prospective students about that." He replied.
"It's a shame you won't be taking the exams," McGonagall said suddenly, "I'm sure you would've gotten top ranks." She said confidently; Alyssa smiled brightly at her.
Alyssa looked over at Snape and said, "It's been a pleasure being in your class, professor Snape." And she wasn't surprised to see his startled yet smug look. "I hope the next time I come here you'll still be teaching."
Snape smirked at her, "The pleasure has been mine, Ms. Bennington." He drawled.
"Are you ready to go?" Brad asked. She looked over at the lake and said, "Just give me a minute." Alyssa walked towards the lake, and with each step, her heart beating faster. This was the moment she was dreading for the past two weeks. Alyssa didn't know what to expect; she had no idea how badly he might take the news or whatever else kind of reaction he would have. She could've planned what to say to him, to make it go by quick and easy, but she knew that once she would look into those silver eyes, any sort of comprehension would be thrown out the window.
Draco turned to look at her before she even made it to her. "Hey," She greeted. He opened his mouth to say something but before he could she pressed her lips against his into a hard kiss. She placed her hands on his broad shoulders, memorizing that last feeling of them when they flexed as he gripped his arms around her. She opened her mouth and their tongues brushed against each other's. Alyssa weaved her hands through his soft hair, willing her fingers to never forget what it felt like.
And when they pulled apart, her eyes roamed over his face, taking a mental picture of his swollen lips, squinted eyes and messy air as he gathered his breath back.
"What was that for?" He asked lightly, a smirk falling onto his features.
"I just wanted to," She answered. She wanted to continue on and make a normal conversation but she knew that she had to get right to the point.
"So what's the occasion for this meeting?" He then asked.
Alyssa pulled away from him slightly and took a deep breath to prepare herself. "I guess I'll get right to it." She watched his face register confusion and continued on nervously. "Draco… I lied when I got back from the Ministry."
She looked up to see if he was going to say anything but when he said nothing, she continued. "We did discuss living arrangements… but I left out a major detail."
"…Which was?"
"The Ministry doesn't want me fighting in the war. They think I'm too much of a risk, and that I won't be able to control myself like the last time."
"But Voldemort's the only one who -"
"I know." Alyssa interrupted. "That's what I told them. But you know how easy it is to manipulate them. So instead of letting me fight… they're shipping me off to Romania." Alyssa closed her eyes waiting for some sort of reaction, but once again, when nothing happened, she opened them back up. The look on his face was devastating. His silver eyes turned dark and solid, the little color he had left dissolved from his face, and she could tell he was trying hard not to lose it.
"When?" Draco asked stiffly.
Alyssa hesitated again. "Now… the carriage is waiting." His hard eyes left hers momentarily to see the lone carriage in front of the school and she could see his fists clench.
"Why didn't you tell me about this?" He asked. His voice didn't sound angry. In fact, it sounded like it was trembling as he spoke, as if it was weaker.
"Because I didn't want us to act like we only had a little time left. I wanted us to be together as if everything were perfect." Her eyes filled with tears but she mentally scolded herself saying that this definitely was not the time. "Hasn't everything just been so… good between us?"
She relaxed a bit when he nodded and she nodded as well. "It has… And maybe it was a selfish thing to act like nothing was wrong just so I could be happy with you, but I didn't want to have it any other way. That's all I want – to be with you."
Draco let out a choked breath and took a step away from her. He opened his mouth and closed it multiple times as if not having a clue of what to say. Yet she couldn't blame him. Draco was in an extremely vulnerable position with her; all of his feelings had been clear with her. And now she felt as if she was taking advantage of him. It seemed as if she was right about her assumptions, though.
He ran a hand over his face and shook his head. "I can't believe this." Alyssa waited for him to continue and suddenly he turned back to her, his face close to hers. "You're the one person I've ever opened up to – the only person I've ever been close to… and now you're leaving me.
"I'm so sorry." Alyssa said shaking her head, "Believe me, Draco, if this was a choice I'd stay here. You must know that."
"And when will I see you again?" He asked roughly.
Alyssa swallowed hard, she honestly wasn't sure. Everyone had failed to mention that. "I don't… I don't know."
"Alyssa!" Brad shouted from the school.
She whipped around and shouted back at him, "In a minute!" She scoffed saying to herself how he had no sympathy. Alyssa turned back around to look at Draco who looked as if he was slowly breaking down, as if this were too much to handle. He moved an inch closer to her and cupped her face in his hands.
"You can't leave… I need you here." He said quietly. He was afraid to let any more emotion out to make him feel even more vulnerable.
"I can't stay… I'm sorry. I just…" She could see the look in his eyes getting angry, and could feel the familiar vibrations in his chest as a low growl coursed through him. "Draco, please don't. This isn't the easiest thing for me to do. Just hug me, and kiss me, and tell me you love me... and after all of this is over I will find you and we can be together. Please." She pressed her head to his chest and closed her eyes, causing the tears started to cascade down her cheeks.
Draco kissed her forehead and said slowly, "You know I do… you don't need reassurance."
Alyssa whimpered and looked up at him, her eyes glimmering. She stood on the tips of her toes and kissed him on the corner of his mouth. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and whispered into his ear.
"I will always love you. Always."
She pulled away without looking back at him, for if she did she would never leave. She stepped out of his grasp and began walking back to the carriage, turning her back on the life she never wanted to leave, turning her back on the one person who she truly wanted nothing else but to spend her life with.
THE END
A:N/ Well that is the end! i know it took really long to get it out but it was reallyyyyy hard to write. I really hope you enjoyed the story and thanks soooo much for all the reviews! As you may have known already I have a sequal planned out, it'll be called 'Draco Malfoy and that Girl from America' (don't you just love these titles? theyre so self explanitory) so look for that in the very near future for i have already started to write it.
But thanks again so much! reviews are much appreciated especially since i worked pretty hard for this last one, and the sequal will really be out soon.. i'm pretty much done with the first chapter i just want to get some other stuff in so i'll see you there!
much love.