- Rating:
- G
- House:
- Astronomy Tower
- Genres:
- Romance General
- Era:
- Multiple Eras
- Stats:
-
Published: 05/20/2004Updated: 05/20/2004Words: 1,042Chapters: 1Hits: 1,067
Letters to You
Aelan Saidi
- Story Summary:
- Alone and lonely, Draco composes a long thought-upon letter. Unbeknownst to him, a certain special someone is doing the exact same thing.
- Posted:
- 05/20/2004
- Hits:
- 1,067
- Author's Note:
- This is just a one-shot. Please review and give me your opinions!
My Dearest Virginia,
The fair-haired Slytherin seventh year sat at a lonely table in his cavernous common room, his head bent over a single scrap of parchment, scrawling out a letter in his neat, curling handwriting. A nearby candle flickered sporadically, making the polished glass bottle of emerald ink next to him shimmer brilliantly. Pursing his lips in concentration, he didn't notice when a lock of his silver-blonde hair fell over his left eye, but merely continued to write, the gentle scritch-scratch of his quill the only noise in the empty room.
You don't know how long it's taken for me to work up the courage to write you this letter...
He paused a moment, unable to decide what his next words should be. Inking his eagle feather quill, he tapped it against his nose thoughtfully and sighed. After masking his true colors for so long, he was unsure of how to REALLY express what he was feeling.
I know...
What did he know? He knew....he was in love....but how could he tell her that? Could he just break their long feud, erase all the insults; marrible things he'd said and done...see past all that? No. It wasn't that simple; nothing was. But, he had to try.
I know I haven't been kind. What I have been is nowhere in the vicinity of what could be considered kind, and I'm ashamed of that...
That was no lie. From his very first day at Hogwarts - before that, even - he'd had his eye on the Weasleys. They came from a long line of purebloods, yes, but their muggle-loving father had tainted the proud wizard heritage; it was only natural that Draco should hate them, having been brought up by a Death Eater. Natural, yes, but he may not have singled them out so diligently, had Potter not chosen Weasley over him. A Malfoy scorned...while a Weasley was befriended? No.
True, it was a pathetic excuse for such a rivalry as they shared, but it had deeply injured his pride. In any case, he had no reason to come so down on the youngest Weasley, Ginny, as hard as he had. But...
He'd seen her eyes when she looked at Potter; such love and trust. It made him ache somewhere deep within his soul, long for something he'd never experienced. But, why would Ginny ever love him...when she had Potter? Jealousy raged inside him; roiling, toxic, black jealousy that couldn't be hidden or pushed away. He would've given anything to take Potter's place and have Ginny look at him with those eyes.
I realize that I'm probably the last person you'd ever want to speak to - let alone be seen with - but I need to tell you this...
Biting his lip, he re-inked his quill, his hand hovering nervously over the parchment. This was going against all the instincts that had been pounded into him as a child.
I love you...He felt a sort of release when he penned the words, like he'd dropped a heavy burden, and could finally breathe again.
I've loved you since the first day I saw you, and I can't hide it any longer. I don't want to hide it...
What could he say now? Was there anything else to say?
I'm sorry for all the hurt I may have caused you, before...
There. Now to end it.
With all my heart...
He made a face. Cliché and cheesy; it didn't seem right.
Forever yours...
Scratch that.
Yours for the taking...
It made sense. He wanted nothing more than to take Ginny up into his arms, and... No. Draco had the sudden vivid image of her standing up on a stage - like a muggle 'comedian' - reciting the closing like a punch line. "Take Draco Malfoy...PLEASE!"
No...that wouldn't do...he needed something else...
Draco went through ten or twelve more closings, all sappy and generally unworthy of being on such an important letter...until he finally hit upon one he half-liked.
Truly yours,
He quickly scrawled his signature - the final touch - and grinned, holding up the parchment in the candlelight and admiring the still- glistening words of the finished letter; the letter he'd composed so many times in his mind, but never thought he'd write. Snatching up a thick, yellow envelope and his sealin things would change. Maybe he'd have a second chance to become the sort of person he'd LIKE to be; he didn't like what he was......he wasn't - or didn't WANT to be - his father's son. He didn't enjoy being this....this monster of a human being, and perhaps, by showing what he truly felt, he could change-
A small seed of doubt crept into the back of his mind, freezing his fingers as he began to fold the letter. Staring at the neat creases, he imagined the look of horror and misery that would surely appear on Ginny Weasley's face when she read the letter. He could see her face turning as red as her hair as she was handing the letter to Potter, and could hear his nemesis's mocking laughter. Bright spots of color arose on his pale cheeks as he imagined the abject humiliation he would suffer because of this simple piece of parchment.
"The ferret and the weasel!" "A Malfoy is dating a Weasley? Now I've seen everything!" "Going slumming, eh, Draco?"
Nothing would change....except for the worst.
Crumpling the letter in frustration, Draco buried his face in his arms, fighting back the angry tears that threatened his usually emotionless gray eyes. It was no use. The truth was lost to him; there was no hope.
<*>
At that same moment, in a very different part of the castle, a smallish-looking girl sat a solitary table in the Gryffindor common room, toying with a strand of flaming red hair and gazing thoughtfully at a blank piece of parchment. A picture of her older brother, Ron, frowned at her from the tabletop. Grimacing at it in return, she flipped it face-down and sting a curtain around her finely-featured face as she bent her head in concentration.
My Dear, Dear Draco,
I've been trying to write this letter for the longest time, but could never find the courage.....
Until now.....