Secrets, Kisses and Mudbloods

Chapter 10

            Draco left the Huflepuff party in the room of requirement and quickly followed Aris. He saw her just as she turned a corner. Where was she going? She wasn't headed to the Gryffindor common room. He followed her from a good distance away as she made her way up to the Astronomy tower.

            Aris went to the edge of the balcony, letting the cold wind that blew refresh her and her troubled mind. She didn't know why she bothered with Malfoy, all he ever did was make her angry, hurt her feelings or make her feel strange things when he touched her. She wiped away a couple of tears. For some reason she felt close to him and she didn't know why. Maybe it was because she knew what it was like to feel all alone. She'd grown up basically by herself, except for the little bit of time she got to spend with her Uncle Tiberius. Her parents were never home and when they were all they did was criticize her, and she was truly afraid of her father. She couldn't put her finger on it but there was something evil about him. They both hated she was a Gryffindor and let her know how ashamed they were of it. That was why when she was old enough she had started staying with her uncle in the summer and on holidays. Her parents could care less because they didn't like her anymore than they did Uncle Tiberius. But the last 2 summers her uncle had been too busy with his job as an auror for the Ministry of Magic so she'd had to stay home, that had been torture. Both her parents had been Slytherin, and here she was having feelings for a Slytherin herself. Maybe because she knew what loneliness was and Draco Malfoy was going through the same that she was attracted to him. But there was something else to. Despite his attempts to play the bad guy, she knew he had some good in him, he just didn't want others to see it because he might have to open up to someone. She didn't want to give up on him. It made her upset thinking about it, but it was looking hopeless.

            Aris leaned out over the balcony looking at the grounds of Hogwarts. Suddenly she felt hands on her shoulders that scared her so bad she jumped and nearly lost her balance. But the same hands quickly pulled her away and into his arms. She knew right away it was her Slytherin prince before she even saw him. She knew the feel of his arms and the wonderful smell of the cologne he always wore. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, her face in his chest and she couldn't stop the tears that were coming. He smoothed her hair with one hand, the other still holding her.

            “Shush, don't cry angel,” he whispered against her hair, trying to comfort her, “I'm sorry about what I said, and I honestly didn't mean it Aris. You look very beautiful tonight and I have never danced with a more beautiful girl.”

            Aris was in shock. He had called her angel and by her first name, instead of calling her Donavon like he usually did. Aris looked up at him, her bright green eyes looking into his silver-blue, “Draco, I know you’re a Slytherin and I'm a Gryffindor but I don't care. I don't know why but I can't get you out of my mind,” she said bringing her hands up to his face, “I want to know you, everything about you, but most of all I love feeling your arms around me, they make me feel safe, and when your lips are on mine it's like the best feeling in the world.”

            Draco was in shock with what she was saying. It was the same way he felt about her. He thought of her always and when she had her arms around him he felt protected and needed and didn't want to leave her. He felt as though he could forget about everything else, all his troubles with his father, his responsibilities to his family, and most of all the terrible things he was supposed to do. He knew he shouldn't give in to his feelings for her but he felt like she might be the only thing keeping him sane right now.

            Slowly he brought his lips down to hers and they shared a soft kiss. “Aris,” he pulled away, “I think we need to keep what's going on between us to ourselves. I don't think either of our houses would understand, so let's keep it private for now.”

            She understood where he was coming from. She could only imagine the hard time she was going to have explaining to her friends why she danced with him.

            “I agree,” she whispered leaning up and kissing him. Their kiss deepened, and it was so powerful that Aris felt her knees getting weak. She felt him pick her up, their lips still together as he carried her deeper into the astronomy classroom to an area where the wind wasn't so bad. He sat down with both of them against the wall with her in his lap, her arms wrapped around his neck, both of them still kissing. They finally stopped both of them breathless. Draco started running his hands along her sides and brought his lips to her neck. Aris moaned and pressed herself against him as he ran his tongue along her neck, sucking on it here and there. Draco then took his coat off putting it around her shoulders since she had no sleeves and Aris started unbuttoning his shirt her lips following her hands as she caressed his muscular chest. He was so beautiful, like chiseled marble, his skin light but beautiful.

He pulled her back up against him and they kissed some more but that was as far as it went with them. They stayed up in the tower until almost daybreak talking and kissing now and then. Aris was getting a little sleepy and let out a huge yawn.

            “Come on angel,” he said standing them both up and then helping her put her heels back on that she had slipped off and then taking her hand, “it's time for your beauty sleep.” he was so sweet to her walking her all the way to the hall leading to the Gryffindor common room. He told her goodnight and started walking away, not wanting anyone to see them.

            Aris didn't care, “Draco,” she said somewhat loudly, and he turned from where he was walking away and she ran to him, putting her arms up around his neck and bringing his lips down to hers, “Goodnight sweet prince,” she whispered against his lips and gave him a deep mind-blowing kiss and then turned and walked away down the hall, leaving Draco just standing there in awe his fingers touching his lips. His Gryffindor angel was definitely not afraid of anything or anyone, and not at all worried about what people might think if they saw them together. He could see now why she might have been put in the Gryffindor house.

            The next day at breakfast Aris could feel all the looks coming her way, but no one said anything. Until her friend Lanie showed up, she sat down beside her.

            “Is there something you'd like to tell me,” her friend prodded in a hushed voice.

            “Like what?”

            “Like why I saw you and Draco Malfoy on the dance floor together and then you both left at about the same time. You seemed upset,” Lanie said.

            “Oh that. It was just a dance and I left because I was tired, that's all,” Aris replied, taking a quick bite of her muffin.

            “I wasn't born yesterday,” Lanie whispered, picking up a blueberry scone, “I hope eventually you'll trust me enough to tell me the truth.”

            “I'm sorry Lanie, but really there was nothing to it,” Aris said hating to lie to her friend, “with me and Malfoy it's complicated. Hey, I saw you and Eric together dancing. How did that go?” she asked, changing the subject.

            Lanie beamed a bright smile at her, “It was great, and guess what? We are going to Hogsmead together today. You’re invited to go to of course.”

            Just then she saw Draco coming into the dining hall, headed towards the Slytherin table. She quickly looked away, “Thanks but I believe I will work on studying my potions homework, besides I think you and Eric need to be alone without me tagging along.”

            “You know you are welcome to come with us if you change your mind.”

            Aris finished her breakfast, told Lanie bye and headed for her common room. As she was walking a hand suddenly reached out and grabbed her pulling her into a dark corridor.

            “I know it has only been a few hours but I miss you already,” Draco said, pulling her into his arms and holding her, “you’re not going to Hogsmead are you?”

            She hugged him tight, “No. my friends asked but I was hoping to stay here at Hogwarts with you since everyone will be gone.”

            “Great, I was going to ask you to spend the day with me,” he said looking down at her and then gently kissing her. She could get use to this. They both decided to meet in the Astronomy tower after everyone else left.

            They both continued to meet each other for the next few weeks. Aris hated having to keep their relationship a secret, especially from her friend Lanie, who constantly asked her what she was up to and why she never went to Hogsmead on the weekends. And Aris was pretty sure Lanie was figuring it out when she made the comment that Draco Malfoy was never at Hogsmead either, but her friend didn't say anything.

            Aris loved being with Draco. He was himself when he was with her. He was funny, smart and he actually liked to listen to her. She was opening up to him, telling him about her life growing up and her terrible relationship with her parents. She also told him about her Uncle Tiberius. He would tell her about his own childhood. He told her how hard it was living up to Lucius Malfoys expectations. She knew what that was like. He told her how his family was all about pureblood. They even got into their first fight over it since they'd become a couple. Aris had experience with pureblood mania because her parents were the same. It had been her Uncle Tiberius who had taught her kindness and to respect others whether they were pureblood or not. Draco also mentioned how his mother had known her parents as Slytherins from school.

            “Don't you think it's strange that you, a pureblood from two Slytherin parents ended up in Gryffindor?” he asked her one day as they sat in their secluded spot by the lake.

            “At first I did, but then I've never been like them. And of course my mother's brother, Uncle Tiberius, was a Gryffindor, so I guess that's why,” she answered thoughtfully as she leaned back against him in his lap, “What about you? Did you want to go to Slytherin?”

            “Of course,” he said with disdain, “my family has been pureblood as far back as anyone can remember, besides everyone knows that anyone who doesn't like mudbloods goes to Slytherin. The wizarding world needs to stay pure, that's the way it should be.”

            “Do you honestly believe that rubbish?” Aris asked angrily, sitting up.

            “Yes I do.”

            “You know a lot of my friends are not purebloods,” she replied.

            “Unfortunately I do,” he said.

            She jumped up from his lap onto her knees in front of him, “What is that supposed to mean?” Aris asked in a low harsh voice.

            “It means it's unfortunate that your friends are muggleborn or mudbloods, you should start sticking to your own kind, purebloods,” he said raising his voice.

            “You are unreal Malfoy,” she said standing up, back to calling him by his last name, “I thought you were smarter than that and didn't go along with Daddy just because that is what he thinks. I figured your pureblood rants were just for show but I see I was wrong.” She headed back towards Hogwarts.

            “Aris, where are you going?” Draco called out.

            “I need to think about things,” she shouted back angrily. She wanted to hit him, maybe knock some since into him. He had been raised the same way her parents had tried to raise her, and she knew it would be hard for him to change his attitude, but he would have to accept how she was and who her friends were.