"I've barely seen you around since the Yule Ball, where've you been hiding, man?"

Draco couldn't help the smile that twitched at his lips as he thought of Aurora. His Aurora.

His eyes flicked automatically over to the Hufflepuff table, and he felt the familiar tug in his stomach at the mere sight of the beautiful dark haired girl he got to kiss and hold and call his own.

Blaise followed his gaze and chuckled in understanding. "So you finally told her how you feel, huh? I'm guessing by the glint in your eye along with the mysterious absences, that she digs the Malfoy moves?"

"We've just been getting to know one another, that's all." Draco muttered, as he furiously buttered a slice of toast.

It was the first day back to lessons after the Christmas holidays, and Draco couldn't help but feel rather despondent at the prospect of sitting through Care of Magical Creatures taught by that great big stupid oaf and having to stare at Potter's smarmy face all morning.

He would much rather spend the day with Aurora.

"I hear Pansy's been giving you the cold shoulder since you ditched her at the Yule Ball," Blaise chortled, taking a sip of pumpkin juice.

Draco really couldn't say that he had noticed. He had never tried to approach her himself, his thoughts only being on Aurora. Now Draco came to think of it, Pansy hadn't attempted to sit by him during mealtimes lately. And as far as he was concerned, this was a good thing.

"I didn't exactly 'ditch' her," he muttered, shrugging his shoulders, "but whatever."

"Does Diggory have anything to say about you getting up close and personal with his baby sister?" Blaise queried, as they both watched Cedric placing a protective arm around Aurora's shoulders, while a couple of Durmstrang boys approached their table.

"He doesn't know," Draco murmured, frowning at the Durmstrang boys who both seemed to be looking at Aurora with interest. He felt something fierce stir in his stomach.

"We're keeping things quiet." Draco continued. "Everyone else seems to have an opinion whenever we are seen just talking to one another, so we've decided it's nobody else's business."

"Fair enough, dude," Blaise shrugged, twirling his fork in the air, "just, she's a very pretty girl, and it hasn't gone unnoticed by those wildly, good looking Durmstrang fellows over there."

Draco immediately leapt to his feet as the burliest one of the Durmstrang boys took the empty seat next to Aurora.

A hand went to his arm, pulling him back down. "Hold your unicorns, Drac. She's not going to appreciate you storming in with your size nines. And besides, it's not as if Diggory's going to let them crack on to his little sister whilst he's sat right there."

Draco grunted, knowing Blaise was right. But he still refused to tear his eyes away, glaring furiously at the back of the burly Durmstrang student's head, watching as he kept turning his face to look down hungrily at his girl.

"Who was that boy and why was he sitting next to you?" Draco demanded, his voice coming out a lot harsher than he had intended, as he leapt out at Aurora in the Entrance Hall.

She jumped slightly, looking up at him startled.

"Draco, you scared me!" she gasped, placing a hand on her heaving chest as her dark eyes widened up at him.

Draco felt immediately bad, driving an exasperated hand through his hair.

"I'm sorry," he murmured quickly. "I just want to know who that guy was? What was he doing wanting to sit with you?"

As the words left his mouth Draco tried not to cringe, hearing how utterly pathetic he sounded.

"He was just asking about Fleur, actually," she shrugged. "If you must know, she had snuck off with him after the Yule Ball and has been avoiding him since. He wanted to know why."

Draco felt momentarily nonplussed. "But- but he was looking at you as though- as though he wanted to... you know..."

"Draco, he wasn't looking at me in any way. Look, I've got to go or else I'm going to be late for Madame Maxime," she said apologetically, turning to continue on her way.

Draco felt panicked, and caught her arm, holding her back.

"I didn't like the way he was looking at you," he blurted out, "because I didn't like the way it made me feel."

She looked up at him in complete bafflement. "Draco, what are you going on about?"

"I like you, Aurora," he said, desperately. "I mean, I really like you."

He felt his cheeks flame, and silently cursed himself. He was aware at how bad he was at this.

But rather than run for the hills in embarrassment for him, Aurora paused, a smile creasing her features, making her eyes twinkle up at him.

"I like you, too," she whispered, quickly glancing around before reaching up on her tiptoes, and planting a chaste kiss upon his lips. "A lot."

Draco's heart swelled as she stepped back, smiling at him before turning around and disappearing out of the door.

Who was he kidding? He more than liked her.

Draco Malfoy was falling hard.

...

I was completely crazy head over heels for the white-blond haired Slytherin.

We tried to keep our romance under wraps, meeting up in secret whenever we could.

But sometimes I just wanted to shout it from the roof tops. However, I didn't want to risk ruining my relationship with my brother.

"You see," Cedric seethed, throwing a copy of the Daily Prophet at the table in front of me one breakfast. "Nothing but a nasty, snivelling, little ferret."

I looked down to see a picture of the Hogwarts gamekeeper: a friendly oversized man called Hagrid. I didn't know him well, but in the few occasions in which I had encountered him, he had seemed so warm and gentle. Underneath the photo was an article accusing him of being a dangerous half-breed, complete with damaging (and clearly untruthful) quotes from Draco.

"Oh, come on - it was just a joke!" Draco scoffed when I confronted him about it later that day as we stood in the empty classroom.

"But you could have cost an innocent man his job!" I cried incredulously at his blasé attitude.

"Innocent! Ha! He's nothing but a filthy half-breed!"

I stepped away from him, upset. His face fell, full of alarming realisation at what he had just said.

"Aurora- I didn't mean-"

"Don't." I snapped, backing away from his outstretched hand. "I know why I don't want to flaunt whatever this is, but why don't you, Draco? Are you ashamed of me? Are you ashamed to be seen with someone whose mother had been regarded of as a creature?!"

"No!" He cried, "It's not like that! It's just that I'm a Malfoy and I have a reputation to up-"

I didn't hear the rest of his sentence as I stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind me.

Striding angrily down the corridor outside, I eventually paused, taking a few deep breaths. I realised immediately that I wasn't being fair. I had wanted to hide this as much as he had.

I turned around, about to go back towards the classroom to go and tell him so, but instead something unseen hit me from behind.

And then everything went black.