Resurrection

"We are here to honor the death of a wonderful, young man named Draco Malfoy..."

Paige Simmons didn't want to be here to listen to Dumbledore drone on and on about this. It was bad enough that her best friend was dead. Did he have to rub it in?

"Why did that bastard choose to be a Death Eater?" she muttered to herself.

~~Flashback~~

"Well, everyone knows that you're the son of Lucius Malfoy," said Paige.

"So?" questioned Draco with a raised eyebrow.

"So that makes you the obvious heir to the Malfoy throne and death eater-ship," said Paige. "Who would want to miss such an opportunity as that?" She laughed.

"That's where you're wrong Paige," said Draco softly.

"Hmm?" Paige said as she looked at him skeptically. "Am I now, Draco?"

"Indeed you are. Just because I'm the son of Lucius Almighty, it does mean I am the obvious heir to the throne and death eater-ship.

But, It doesn't mean that I don't want to skip such providence."

"Uh huh," Paige said sardonically.

"I'm serious, Paige. My father's just a cold-hearted git who's just - just - "

"Just what?"

"Doesn't know how to be a true father or husband! All that matters to him is his money, reputation, and serving Lord Voldemort!"

There's nothing else he cares about. Nothing!"

Silence filled the Slytherin common room except for the flickering flames of the fireplace.

Until Paige whispered, "Wow. I - I never knew you felt that way. I've always thought you were pleased to hold such a reputation, being the heir and everything."

She placed her hand on his shoulder and looked into his blazing gray eyes that faded to an angelic tone. That was the power of her calming effect.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So why did he do it? Why did he choose to have the mark of the skull and the slithering snake burned into his arm? What in Hades name was he thinking?

She watched as the Dumbledore signaled the witches and wizards to levitate Draco's coffin into his grave. Tears started to well up in her crystal blue eyes as she stared at the coffin that carried her best friend.

He shouldn't have risked his life to be a Death Eater. Why was she so stupid to have known that that this would have been his fate?

~~Flashback~~

She had transferred here during her fourth year from Beauxbatons. Everyone seemed intimidating to her - no one seemed to want to associate with her. She felt so alone and isolated among the Hogwarts students.

But, as she sat onto the stool with the old Sorting Hat on her head, she noticed a boy with sleek, white-blonde hair at the Slytherin table. Somehow the boy's pale complexion didn't scare her, although she felt it should have; she was actually intrigued by him. As he was whispering to the other students at his table, she noticed that he looked so sinister. The boy turned to look at her and their eyes locked with each other. At that instance, the malicious expression disappeared and was replaced by a genuinely intrigued gaze.

She instantly became lost in this boy's eyes. His enchanting gray orbs complemented his pale features so well. "What an angelic face he has," Paige thought.

For some reason, when she looked into his eyes, she felt as if all the answers to her life were in his eyes. She no longer felt lonely. It was as if she had found her companion in this boy's eyes.

"Ah.. I see that you're attracted to this boy," she heard the Sorting Hat say into her mind.

"What? I'm not attracted! I just think he looks - nice!" Paige thought angrily to the hat as she looked down at her feet.

The Sorting hat gave a hollow laugh. "Well, you do have the cunning mind of a Slytherin, having a rather aggressive characteristic, and you're attracted to this boy. I think this choice is perfect," said the Sorting Hat into her mind.

Before Paige could say anything else to the sorting hat, it shouted, "SLYTHERIN!"

Everyone at the Slytherin table cheered as she took the hat off and walked over. She sat down next to a tall brown-hair boy with a face that looked so much like a troll's.

"I'm Marcus Flint. But, just call me Flint," said the boy. They shook hands.

"I'm Pansy Parkinson," said a pug-faced girl with a smug expression as she examined her with her cold eyes. "You seem decent enough to be a Slytherin."

Paige just smiled, even though she wasn't sure how to take the comment.

"Attention students, you will now be led to your dormitories by your Prefects," said Professor Dumbledore. "Good night!"

As Paige followed the other Slytherins down the halls and stairs, she realized that she was walking behind the boy that she had made eye contact with earlier.

She didn't know whether she should tap him on the shoulder or just continue to silently walk behind him.

It was as if the boy was thinking the same thing for he had turned around and came face to face with her.

She was stunned; this boy looked so charming yet malevolent. His expression seemed so serious, as if he was about to yell at her.

Instead he smirked at her and said, "So you're the new Slytherin."

"I am," answered Paige, somewhat nervously.

The boy slowed down to walk with her and said to the two tall, wide, bulky boys ahead, "Crabbe. Goyle. Go on without me!"

The two other boys looked at each other, grunting in confusion. But, they shrugged their shoulders and walked on.

He, then, turned to Paige and introduced himself; "I'm Malfoy. Draco Malfoy."

She smiled and mocked him; "I'm Simmons. Paige Simmons."

"Paige huh? That's a pretty name," said Draco quietly, ignoring her ridicule.

"Thanks. Draco's a nice name, too," said Paige.

"Malfoy! Stop flirting with the new girl! Just because you're desperate for a girlfriend, doesn't mean you've got to go flirt with every girl you see!"

They turned around to see Flint with his group of friends sniggering at the sight of Draco and Paige together. Paige noticed that Draco's face had turned malicious again like earlier in the Great Hall; his fists were clenched.

Paige placed her hand on Draco's arm and quietly said, "Ignore them."

His grip loosened and his gray eyes sparkled with serenity again. She linked her arm with his and he led her away from Flint and his group, ignoring the jeers and insults thrown at them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now that Paige thought about it, she realizes that she had spent a lot of time with Draco during her years at Hogwarts. She also noticed that he was always so warm and kind to her, while he would be act so tough and obnoxious around the other students. Paige didn't know why, but she felt as if her presence had some sort of power to calm him down and help him think rationally.

But if she really did have the power to do that before, why did he choose the path of being a Death Eater? There had to be a reason.

Watching this scene as the witches and wizards began to levitate soil over the hole was not helping the pain at all. Suddenly it hit her, the reason of her acute pain. It was all because she was in love with Draco Malfoy.

She remembered how he had confessed his feelings to her that night when they were in the Slytherin common room cramming for McGonagall's test the next day. Paige had told him that she didn't feel for him that way back then. Eventually, Draco gave up on her and started going out with other girls. But, none of his affairs and relationships had last. Soon, he just gave up on girls and started isolating himself from everyone, including Paige. She should have known that he was planning on becoming a Death Eater.

Another thing that Paige didn't understand about him was how he had died. No one wanted to tell her what had happened. All the Daily Prophet had said was that it involved the downfall of Voldemort. It was such a big enigma.

These feelings that she felt for Draco, why hadn't she realized her love for him sooner? If she had discovered sooner, would it have saved him from this terrible fate? She thought to herself, "Oh, if only he was alive, there was so much I need to ask and tell him."

The breezy afternoon grew into evening, Paige held herself tight keeping herself warm in her thin robe. As soon as the ceremony ended, Paige walked quickly out of the cemetery so no one would see her tear stained face. She walked so quickly, she accidentally ran into a stranger in a black cloak.

"Sorry," she muttered, not bothering to look up at the stranger.

She apparated back to her flat after bumping into the stranger. Paige realized that she was holding something hard in her arms and looked down. In her arms was a large, leathered-cover spell book.