Great Love

Hogsmeade was a quiet place at three o'clock in the morning. Nearly every one was asleep; the small houses were dark and quiet. Except for one.

In that house were two people. All lights were on; windows were open. The cool breeze sauntered in, but the sounds of it were not what one would be concentrating on. In fact, the woman who stood on a king-sized bed was the source of the only noise that the town would hear at that particular night.

Feeling the adrenaline of unconfined love, Cho Chang felt

Wild

and spontaneous. And she showed it.

Singing a song by The Weird Sisters at the top of her lungs, Cho occasionally turned to Draco Malfoy, who sat watching her, and flashed him a smile. As soon as she had reached the part of the song where the words were out of her comprehension, she let herself fall back into a sitting position on the bed. Grinning, she edged toward the side of the bed, letting her feet hang off. They were nearly touching Draco.

Draco leaned forward, a

Passionate

glimmer in his eyes. Cho's grin subsided, and her face turned impassive.

"You are tone deaf," Draco whispered teasingly. Before Cho could react, Draco pulled her into a rough kiss. Getting up out of his chair, he pushed her back onto the bed, so that the two of them ended up lying down. The whole while, his lips never left hers.

Cho was just pondering on the fact that Draco was a better kisser than anyone she had ever kissed (the numbers of which were great indeed) when he suddenly pulled away, standing up and wincing.

Cho turned horrified eyes on him. Draco responded with, "It burns." He rolled up the sleeve of his robes to reveal a black Dark Mark. Cho frowned deeply.

"Don't go."

"I have to."

"I hate it that you're part of his ranks."

"Do you hate me for what I do?"

"I don't hate you. I hate that it's

Dangerous

and that one day you might not come back. Or that you'll drop me for another Death Eater so that you could have someone to relate to."

Draco smirked. "The Death Eaters are all hideously ugly. And as long as I obey the Dark Lord, I'll come back safe."

Cho stood up. "Come back as soon as you can then," she said, with a final kiss. Draco disapparated before Cho could mutter a final "I love you".

Among his fellow Death Eaters, Draco stood, being slightly invisible against the tall, wide figures of Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. However, his eyes turned immediately to Voldemort, who glared at them all with satisfied malice. The burning on Draco's arm intensified, although he noticed that every Death Eater was present.

The words that Voldemort spoke during this meeting were distorted in Draco's mind, which was elsewhere at the moment. At first, he recalled, he had dated Cho only to cause jealousy to spring between him and Harry Potter. However, after all jealousy had subsided, Draco found himself not wanting to leave Cho. And here he was, with a passion for her that

Burned

more painfully than the Dark Mark on his forearm. And like the Dark Mark, he didn't want it removed.

Draco felt eyes bore into his own. He focused his mind and glanced at the red pupils for only a moment before casting his head down in respect.

"I have no mercy for daydreamers, Malfoy."

Draco nodded, and wondered if he would end up keeping his promise to Cho. Voldemort seemed to sense this thought, because he hissed, "You're one of the best in my ranks. I'm not going to kill you that quickly."

Draco muttered, "Thank you my Lord."

While Draco was at the meeting, Cho was sitting on the bed, playing idly with a pillow. No thoughts were crossing her mind; her head was an empty recess at the moment. She found herself empty without Draco, though in truth, she had more life and more vigor than he did. She sighed, coming to terms with the fact that Draco

Consumed

her. She turned over, pulled the blanket over her body, and tried her best to drift into sleep. Draco had complete control over her, she realized. She had allowed herself to succumb to the fire of love, and now she was rendered helpless and unarmed. Just as her eyes began to close, Cho thought absently, Great love is wild and passionate and dangerous. It burns and consumes.