Black Blood

Chapter 11
Deathly Wishes

Harry walked into the Gryffindor common room and collapsed on the couch. But as soon as he had his eyes closed, someone started banging on the portrait door. Harry was too upset to think about who it might be. Instead he just walked up and opened the portrait door. In front of him, he saw a sobbing girl. As soon as he opened the door, Paris grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the Gryffindor common room.
Paris dragged him to a broom closet. Her hand clasped over his mouth so he couldn't speak. When she had the door closed, she moved her hand. They were silent.
Harry couldn't take it. He stepped closer to Paris and lifted her face in his hand. Her eyes were watery and rimmed with tears. He moved his lips down to hers and lightly kissed her, the taste of tears on his lips.
Finally, Paris thought, kissing him back so soft she barely felt it. But she felt it and loved it. She prayed for him to never stop so she could enjoy the warmth of him.
"I'm sorry," Paris whispered as soon as Harry slowly moved away from her. "I thought you weren't going to come, so I found Dra- Malfoy. But I didn't kiss him. He kissed me. It wasn't my fault. Well, it was kind of, but things with you and I have been so weird, that I needed someone. And Malfoy was the only other guy that I'd known for a while." Tears fell from Paris's cheeks.
"You've only known him for a week," Harry said, wondering if that was real. If she would be honest with him, then maybe it could work. But if she wasn't true...well...Harry didn't know.
"I know," Paris said quickly, making Harry want to shake her and demand the truth. "I know. But he's the only guy I've talked to in the Slytherin house. I've only known you a week too, Harry. And look at where we are. In a broom closet, at eleven o' clock at night. And we were just kissing."
"Yeah," Harry said, suddenly angry. Not at Paris, though. At himself. "But I've never kissed you the way you were kissing Malfoy."
"We only kissed like that because I was trying to make us relive my life two years ago! You don't know what happened when I was ten! I wouldn't even be here if it weren't for Malfoy! He actually let me live with him for four years until I was fourteen! You don't know the Draco Malfoy I know, Harry! And I was only trying to find him again!" Paris took a step back from Harry and cried.
"I know your mother left when you were six and your father left four years later, Paris. If you needed someone to talk to, you could've talked to me, not Malfoy. The Malfoy you knew never existed! Do you ever wonder why he let you live with him?"
"Because he saw that I was in desperate need for a hom-."
"Don't even say that," Harry said, a disgusted smirk on his lips. He shook his head a bit. "If, say, Ron came crying that his family left him, do you think Malfoy would've let him live with him? And he's a pureblood, just like you. But do you think he'd let him?"
"No because Ron didn't even gave Draco a chanc-."
"No. Malfoy wouldn't let anyone live with him. Lucius Malfoy would never allow somebody to live with him. But because you have a pretty face, he let you. And Malfoy never gave Ron a chance. Malfoy probably would've just laughed in Ron's fa-."
"Don't say that! Draco would never do that! He is really sweet! If I was ugly, he still would've let me live hi-."
"No he wouldn't, Paris!" Harry yelled, thinking that he could never get anything through this girls' head. She was stuck back in her childhood, where she believed anything that she was told. Even if a lie was being thrown in her face. She probably still believed that Malfoy loved her. And that she was in love with a boy who lived inside the cruel demon. But Harry wouldn't let her fool herself into getting hurt. "If you were ugly, he would've told you to get lost! He's nothing but greedy! He never loved you and he never will!"
"That's not true!" Paris yelled, praying Harry was wrong. "It's not true! That not true!" But somehow, a part of her made her think that Harry was actually telling the truth. "That's not true, Harry! Draco would never do that!" Paris ran out of the broom closet crying.
It's not true, she thought. What Harry said isn't true. Draco would never do that to me. He loves me. He loves me. He loves me...

~*~

Harry and Paris didn't speak to each other at all the next day, which seemed to please Malfoy quite a bit. But Harry did see Paris and Malfoy together every chance he saw her. Whenever he saw Paris, Malfoy was always with her, or would walk up to her. Or vise versa. But the worst scene met his eyes a little past ten o' clock pm...

~*~

Harry walked down the halls toward the Room of Requirement, thinking that maybe not all hope was lost. That Paris would be there so they can talk like the always did at night. So when he got there, he was prepared for what to say, but not see. As he opened the door, he said, "Paris, I'm sor-."
He froze, looking at the couch for the second time in mild horror. He was freezing, like ice had frozen over his entire body. He was shaking, thoughts flooding through his head. Crushed. That's what he was. That's how he felt. He just stood there in the doorway watching Paris kissing Malfoy.
As soon as Harry shut the door, Paris and Malfoy broke part. Malfoy's face cracked into a sneer while Paris turned away from Harry as soon as she saw him.
"How does it feel to see Paris kissing me again for the third time, Pothead?" Malfoy sneered.
Harry dropped his cloak and said, "You know what, Malfoy? I couldn't care less about whom you are kissing. I just can't believe any girl would want to kiss and ugly bouncing ferret like you. She might get rabies."
Malfoy glared at Harry, and Harry returned the glare. "But," Malfoy said, pulling Paris close to him. "At least I can get girls. Unlike you who loses all of his girls to me."
"Draco," Paris whispered. "Stop."
"See." Harry said. "Your girl is arguing against you. How does that feel?"
"Oh, my God," Paris said looking at Harry like she was seeing someone else. "I cannot believe I even trusted you, Harry. All you'll ever do is try to hurt people, rain on their parade. Just because they have things you don't."
"And you blame me, Paris?!" Harry yelled, suddenly forgetting how much he had missed her earlier. Paris froze when she saw the seriousness and anger in his voice. He looked and sounded like he was about to murder someone. "He has parents! That's all I want! I want my parents! And..." Harry's voice stopped like he was afraid to say another word.
"And what?" Paris asked in a soft voice. She heard the hurt in his voice and knew what he was about say.
"And...he has you. Do you know how much it hurts to see your worst enemy with the girl you like? Do you know how much I want to be the one holding you? Can you imagine the pain I felt when I saw you kissing him? Three times, Paris."
Paris was practically frozen. She couldn't bear looking at Harry anymore so she just looked down.
"Uh," she said, sniffing and biting her lower lip. "I-I b-better b-be going n-now. B-bye." With that, Paris stood and started running for the door. As she ran to the door, her shoulder hit Harry's and she paused for a second. But the started running again.
"Well, I hope you're happy, Potter," Malfoy said, crinkling his nose in disgust. "Not only did you ruin your chances with Paris, but you also made her cry. Way to go."
"If you would stop and start to care about people," Harry started, "you would see that I wasn't the one to make Paris cry. It was you. And you wouldn't be telling me it was me to make her cry if you truly loved her. You'd be running after her to see if she was all right. Since you won't get over yourself, I will be the one to go see if she's okay."
Harry turned and ran out of the door, slamming it when he was out. He didn't see Paris anywhere until he turned a corner and saw her sitting against the wall with her head in he arms on her knees. Muffled sounds coming from the mess of hair draping over the sides of her face. Harry thought she'd be in the girls' bathroom or Slytherin dormitories. Now he would have a better chance of talking to her.
"Paris?" Harry asked. "Are you okay?" He knew she wasn't but he didn't know what else to say.
"Go away," Paris said. She hiccupped and then started crying again.
Harry walked over and sat down on the floor next to her and pushed the hair out of her face and behind her ear.
"I'm sorry," Paris whispered lifting her head up and looking at Harry through puffy red eyes.
"It's not your fault, Paris," Harry sighed and laced his fingers through Paris's. "It's mine. I had no right to blow up at you like that. You're not my girlfriend. You have a right to kiss anybody you want to."
Paris leaned over and kissed Harry. The only sound around them was their heavy breathing and the pulling apart and going back together of their lips. By the time Paris pulled away, Harry was exhausted, but excited. He stared at Paris, she had her eyes closed and her head rested on his chest.
"Harry?" Paris whispered. Her voice was raspy and sounded weak.
"Hmm?" Harry asked in a whisper. He was tired and wanted to sleep.
"Do you love me?"
"Yes." The word just came out. Harry didn't know what he had said. It was like a reflex, like when you get hurt, you say "Ow!" or something. He wasn't surprised at all.
"I love you, too." Paris whispered.

~*~

The next week, things went by perfectly for the next week,

for Harry, though. He couldn't be any happier than he was. But Paris, she had a secret that could perfectly well crush the heart of Harry Potter.
~*~

As Harry walked to the Room of Requirement, his heart pounded like thunder. He saw the door coming into view and he thought of the place that he and paris visited at night. When he was there, his hand slid around the knob and he opened the door. But once he was inside the room, he stared at the couch.
Finally, for what seemed like hours, Paris looked up, saw Harry, and pushed Malfoy off her. Paris reached over and grabbed her shirt. She put it on and said, "Har-. No! Wait!"
But Harry was already out of the room, leaving the shirless Malfoy and unfaithful girlfriend to their owm selfish needs.
Harry felt nothing as he leaned against the wall a few halls away, like he was numb. This is a dream, Harry thought. Please, God, Harry pleaded in his mind, let this all be a dream.
It was silly to think it was a dream. Paris had done this three times already. But this time it was different. She was Harry's girlfriend when she did it, and it had gone even further this time. It made Harry wonder if it would've gone even further if Harry hadn't shown up.
What did she think she was doing? She knew Harry would come, he always did. What made her think tonight would be any different?
"Harry!" came the now annoying voice of Paris. It was like the dark, hating it, but having to hear it every day.
Harry sighed and stormed away from the wall, ignoring Paris's cry for him to come back. He knew she would come running after him, but it wouldn't do any good. He wouldn't allow her to suck up to him anymore, no matter how cute or vulnerable she looked as she cried, begging him to forgive her.
"It's not my fault!" she would cry. "He kissed me and I couldn't stop him!"
He'd heard it before. And he wouldn't hear it again.
"Harry wait!" came Paris's voice from down the hall. Harry didn't turn back, but Paris grabbed his arm and turned him around. She brought her head up to his and kissed him. Harry wanted to kiss her, he wanted to be able to forgive Paris, he want to make everything he just saw erase from his memory. But he wouldn't do it. Instead, he pushed her off him and took a step back, spitting on the floor. "It's not my fault!" she cried as predicted. "He kis-."
"I don't want to hear it!" Harry yelled. "I don't want to hear any of your pathetic lies anymore! You lying! Don't even try to deny it! I see it all over your dirty face!" Harry's face was red and sweat was running down his face.
"But Harry!" Paris yelled, crying even more. "It's tru-!"
"NO!" Harry yelled. "DON'T YOU GET IT, PARIS?! I LOVED YOU! I STILL DO! BUT I CAN'T! I DON'T WANT TO! TRELAWNY WAS RIGHT! EVERY ONE I LOVED AND CARED ABOUT WIL EITHER LIE, BETRAY, OR HURT ME! AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID!"
"Harry! Please! Don't do this!" Paris broke down to her knees, her hands over her eyes.
"DO WHAT?! SCREAM AT THE ONLY GIRL I'D EVER LOVED?! WELL YOU KNOW WHAT, PARIS?! I QUIT! I QUIT EVERYTHING!" Harry yelled, feeling the tears swell in his eyes. "I QUIT! I SHOULD'VE NEVER GOTTEN INVOLVED WITH SOMEONE LIKE YOU AFTER THE THIRD TIME IT HAPPENED, PARIS! YOU OBVIOUSLY LIKE MALFOY BETTER THAN ME SO GO CRY TO HIM! AND YOU KNOW WHAT, PARIS?! I WISH VOLDEMORT HAD KILLED ME WHEN I WAS A BABY! I WISH I'D NEVER MET YOU!" The tears fell.