Emotions Run Amok
Melissa tied her cloak firmly around her shoulders and picked up her purse. This was to be their last Hogsmeade visit. A recent revolt by the school governors had forced Fudge to stop all visits for the safety of the students. Though Fudge believed that Sirius� capture had insured the safety of the students, he didn�t dare go against the governors� orders.
Some Minister of Magic he turned out to be, Melissa thought darkly, checking to make sure she didn�t forget anything. This was an important day and she didn�t want anything to go wrong.
For this also marked the last day she would see Draco for a while. Several students would be going home for the Easter Holidays that night and Draco, for reasons unknown, would be one of them.
Melissa sighed as she checked her appearance in the mirror. She hadn�t talked to Draco in a month. Since the last Hogsmeade visit, she had only seen him twice.
The first had been an arranged meeting in the Astronomy Tower. Contrary to what she joked about with Ron, they never did much more than talk. But this time had been different.
*one month earlier; the Astronomy Tower*
She immediately knew something was wrong. She could see it in his eyes, a lost, defeated expression that was so unlike him.
He didn�t say a word. He just walked forward, seeming to glide across the room, until he had closed the space between them. Now that he was so close, Melissa could detect another emotion. In those icy gray eyes, so greatly changed from the expressionless eyes he�d had when they�d met, there was fear, an emotion that looked out of place in him.
Draco didn�t seem to notice her hesitation. He pushed her back a few feet so that her back was against the wall, never lessening the space between them. He then leaned forward and kissed her.
Melissa gasped softly. He�d kissed her before, but never like this. He had her pinned against the wall, his fingers grasping her arms painfully hard. She was vaguely aware of something, probably a loose nail, digging into her back.
But it was the kiss itself that was most surprising. Always before, his kisses were gentle and always done in a situation where Melissa could pull away if she wanted. But this kiss had a desperate air to it, like it was to be their last. It was so deep that Melissa could feel her lips bruising under Draco�s. Even if she�d wanted to stop him, she wouldn�t have been able to.
But she didn�t want to pull away. She hadn�t seen him in such a long time and he seemed to be very upset over something. She didn�t want to hurt him anymore, or he might be pushed over the edge. She�d never forgive herself if something happened to him.
Suddenly, he broke off and backed up, letting go of her arms. He was staring down at his hands with a look of horror on his face, like a murderer just realizing what he�s done.
He seemed to collect himself and started forward again. This time he stopped about a foot away. He reached up a hand and gently stroked her cheek.
Melissa shivered involuntarily. His skin was like ice, causing a burning sensation wherever he touched her. He lifted his hand slightly and moved it across her mouth, his fingertips barely touching her lips, still stinging from the kiss.
�You should go to Madam Pomfrey,� he whispered, taking his hand away and turning around. He started toward the door. When Melissa tried to stop him, he whirled around, almost knocking Melissa over.
�Please don�t,� he said, his voice a mixture of fear and panic. �Don�t make this any harder than it has to be.� He turned back around and ran from the room.
Once he was gone, Melissa broke down, collapsing onto the floor and bursting into tears. She didn�t notice the other person in the room until they spoke.
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�Ron?�
�What do�� Ron stopped, seeing the worried look on Sheila�s face. �What�s wrong?�
�It�s Melissa,� she said, sitting down next to him. �She went to see Draco tonight and I just have a really bad feeling about it. It�s probably nothing. Sorry I bothered you.� She got up and walked away.
Ron, however, didn�t dismiss this. Since he�d met Melissa and Sheila, whenever they had a bad feeling, it usually meant something would happen.
Ron threw down his quill. It wouldn�t hurt to go check up on Melissa, just in case. Besides, what she didn�t know couldn�t hurt her.
Ron went upstairs to the boys� dormitory. Checking to make sure no one else was there, he opened Harry�s trunk and pulled out the item he needed: the invisibility cloak.
Draping the cloak over his shoulders, Ron closed the trunk. He�d put the cloak back later. Harry would never know it was gone.
The halls were empty, all of the students already in their common rooms or�otherwise occupied. The eerie silence made Ron walk slower than was necessary, careful not to make any noise.
Luckily he had a good idea of where to go. Everyone knew that if a couple wanted to be alone, they went to the Astronomy Tower. The many observation rooms, used in class to keep students from cheating on their star charts, provided necessary privacy.
Ron was relieved when he got there to see that all of the doors were open. The one flaw of the invisibility cloak was that it didn�t allow the wearer to pass through walls. This way he could get in and out without Melissa knowing, and he wouldn�t accidentally walk in on the wrong couple.
Ron finally found the right room and slipped in. Melissa was alone, obviously waiting for Malfoy. She was sitting in a chair, her eyes fixed on the door. Ron tiptoed into a corner.
He considered leaving. He really shouldn�t be spying on Melissa and, besides, he might see something that he really didn�t want to see. But, remembering Sheila�s words, he stayed put.
Malfoy finally arrived, closing the door behind him. Now the only source of light came from the skylight above their heads, showing the night sky. Moonlight reflected all around, giving everything in the room an eerie glow.
Malfoy started walking toward Melissa. When he got to the point that he had closed all distance between them, Ron considered looking away, but he didn�t trust Malfoy.
Suddenly, he was glad that he hadn�t looked away. Malfoy grabbed Melissa�s shoulders and pushed her roughly against the wall. Then, he kissed her. Her eyes widened for a brief moment, showing surprise and fear, before closing. From where he stood, Ron could see Malfoy�s fingers digging into Melissa�s arms.
Ron froze. Everything he�d ever been taught about what to do in such a situation seemed to have been forgotten in that moment. He didn�t know what to do.
He felt several emotions at once. He was mad at Malfoy for doing this, afraid for Melissa, but, mostly, he was angry with himself for not knowing what to do.
Malfoy suddenly backed away from Melissa, staring down at his hands. Ron couldn�t see his face, and therefore, couldn�t determine what he would do next.
Ron didn�t have to wait long. He was gripped with fear as Malfoy once again advanced on Melissa. He stopped about a foot away from her this time. He reached up and ran a hand over her cheek and lips, whispering something to her.
He then started walking towards the door. Melissa reached out to him and he turned on her, yelling words that Ron didn�t quite catch. Malfoy then left and Melissa didn�t try to stop him again.
Melissa collapsed on to the floor and started crying, sending a wave of guilt through Ron. He�d known something like this would happen. He�d known it would only be a matter of time before Malfoy went back to being his old evil self. He�d known, but he�d done nothing to keep Melissa from getting hurt.
But there was one thing he was sure of. He couldn�t just leave Melissa here, not after all she�d been through. He took off the invisibility cloak and walked over to Melissa. She didn�t seem to notice him until he spoke.
�What�d he do to you?� Ron asked, kneeling next to Melissa. She looked up at him, her eyes red and swollen from crying. Her lips were bruised and slowly turning a bluish-black color.
�Nothing,� Melissa said quickly. �I don�t know what you�re talking about.�
�I know that�s not true,� Ron said gently, brushing Melissa�s hair out of her eyes. �I saw what he did. You have to tell someone, one of the teachers.�
�I can�t,� Melissa whispered. �I don�t wanna get Draco in trouble.�
�But he deserves it!� Ron said, hardly believing what he was hearing. �He has no right to treat you like this.�
�Ron, I saw his eyes,� she said pleadingly. �He didn�t mean to hurt me. Just promise me you won�t tell anyone.�
�But��
�Just promise me!� Melissa interrupted, and Ron knew he�d lost the argument.
�I promise,� he whispered, nodding.
�Thank you,� Melissa said, hugging Ron. �You don�t know how much this means to me.�
�As long as you promise something to me,� Ron added, pulling back and holding Melissa at arm�s length. �Promise that if this happens again you�ll go straight to McGonagall.�
�I promise,� Melissa said. �Will you walk me to the hospital wing?�
Ron nodded and, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, led her out. But he was still troubled by what had happened. He worried that, if this did happen again, Melissa might not be around to keep her promise.
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�Madam Pomfrey!�
�What is�oh my!� Madam Pomfrey gasped as she watched Ronald Weasley leading Melissa Wilson in, looking like she�d been through hell and back. �Bring her over here!� She gestured toward a chair.
Ron helped Melissa over to the chair and Madam Pomfrey could now see that she was limping slightly. Her eyes were really red and puffy, as though she had been crying, and a bruise was forming on her mouth.
�You may go, Mr. Weasley,� Madam Pomfrey said, pulling out her wand. �I�ll handle it from here.�
Ron hesitated, looking down at Melissa. Madam Pomfrey saw her nod slightly and Ron left.
Madam Pomfrey was glad he didn�t argue. She wanted to talk to Melissa. She was pretty sure she knew what had happened. And if she was right, she was sure the girl wouldn�t want to talk about it with too many people.
�What happened?� she asked, knowing it was best not to start with accusations. Meanwhile, she set to work healing Melissa�s bruise and clearing up her eyes.
�I�I fell down the stairs,� she said, looking up at Madam Pomfrey hopefully. Though she didn�t believe this for one minute, Madam Pomfrey didn�t speak as she moved on to Melissa�s ankle, which was twisted much the same way it had been the last time she�d hurt it.
�Ok, that�s finished,� she said, standing up. �Is there anything else?�
Melissa hesitated for a moment. She then lifted her sleeves, confirming what Madam Pomfrey had suspected.
There were identical bruises on each shoulder, obviously made by someone�s fingers digging into her arm. When she had finished with these, Madam Pomfrey sat in a chair next to Melissa and started to speak.
�You can tell me anything,� she said gently, trying to coax Melissa into telling the truth. �I promise it�ll just be between us. Is Mr. Malfoy hurting you?�
�No,� Melissa said, crossing her arms.
�You don�t have to protect him,� Madam Pomfrey persisted. �If he did this, he should be punished.�
�I�m not,� Melissa said, raising her voice. �Draco would never hurt me.� And Madam Pomfrey knew she couldn�t be swayed.
�Okay, you may go then,� Madam Pomfrey said. Melissa said her thanks and left.
Madam Pomfrey put her wand away and went to her office. If Melissa wouldn�t talk to her, maybe there was someone she could talk to. Madam Pomfrey grabbed a bag of powder off of her desk and threw some into the fireplace, causing the flames to double and turn emerald green.
�Minerva!� she called into the fire. �Minerva, I need your help!�
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*one month later; girls� dormitories*
Melissa sighed as memories of that day came back to her. That had been the last time she�d spoken to Draco, but not the last time she�d seen him.
It had been just a few weeks earlier. She�d been walking down a crowded hallway on her way to class when she saw him, walking in the opposite direction. He seemed to be in a hurry and didn�t notice her.
As he came to the point that he was right beside her, time seemed to stop. Melissa lost all sense of the people around her. All she knew was a great longing from deep within herself. She reached out to him, grabbing his arm, and he looked up at her, his eyes reflecting her own feelings.
But these were soon masked over with fear. He pulled away and time suddenly returned to normal. A crowd of people from behind Melissa pushed her down the hallway. She looked back over her shoulder only to find that Draco was already gone.
Melissa tried to clear these thoughts from her mind. She needed to speak to Draco before he left. She finished getting ready and left, heading straight for the Slytherin Dungeons.
There was no one there when she arrived. She decided to wait outside the portrait to see if he�d come out. When Blaise Zabini came out, Melissa stopped her, as she was the only Slytherin who supported Melissa and Draco�s relationship.
�Is Draco in there?� Melissa asked.
�Oh, I�m so sorry,� Blaise said, her expression showing that she truly was. �He already left. I think he�s gone to Hogsmeade. I�d hurry if I were you, the train leaves in a few hours.�
�Thanks anyway,� Melissa called over her shoulder as she turned and ran down the hallway.
�Good luck!� came Blaise�s voice drifting after her.
Melissa ran as fast as she could. Even as she ran past the dementors guarding the doors, she never slowed, the blood pounding in her ears blocking out all bad memories that otherwise would have clouded her mind.
As her breathing became more labored and her muscles screamed, still she didn�t stop to rest. She couldn�t stop. She had to get to Draco before it was too late.
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�Hey Ron, over here!�
�Where�s Melissa?� Ron asked, as he came forward to stand with Sheila, Harry following not to far behind. They were in the hallway right inside the front door.
�She�s spending the evening with Draco,� Sheila said.
Ron didn�t say anything to this. Even after a month had gone by, he still worried about what Malfoy�d done. But he�d made a promise, and he intended to keep it.
�Well, then I guess we should go,� he said, and they left for Hogsmeade.
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Harry stood with Sheila and Ron. He heard their conversation, but the words didn�t quite reach him, as though the part of his brain that normally interpreted them had been switched off. When it was time to leave, Sheila wrapped an arm around his shoulders and led him out like a small child.
As he walked past the dementors, the sudden rush of memories brought forth caused him to pitch forward, drawing screams from many students around him. Sheila, acting quickly, caught him before he hit the ground and helped him back up. They hurried away until they were out of the dementors� range.
�I hate those things!� Sheila growled, her face ghostly white and livid.
�Me too,� Ron agreed. Then, turning to Harry, he asked, �Are you all right?�
Even if Harry�d wanted to answer, he wouldn�t have been able to. The truth was that he wasn�t sure. Now whenever he passed the dementors, he not only heard, but also saw everything that happened, mostly images of his parents.
�We�d better hurry,� Ron said. �We only have a couple hours until we have to be back.� They walked the rest of the way to Hogsmeade without incident.
Once in Hogsmeade, Harry wished he hadn�t come. Nothing good ever came out of this town. In fact, he couldn�t think of a single visit that hadn�t been ruined by something or another.
�Not fair!� Ron said, pointing at a clothing store. �You said 25% off was a good deal!�
A sign above the door announced a 50% discount on all swimwear. On their last visit, before meeting with Sirius, Melissa and Sheila had somehow convinced them all to buy swimsuits, Harry included. In fact, Malfoy had been the one to put up the most fight.
�I�m a bargain hunter, not a psychic,� Sheila said in mock anger. �Come on, let�s go get some butterbeer!�
And so they walked to the Three Broomsticks, fighting through the crowd. When they finally got there, they went up to the counter to buy their butterbeer.
When Harry got up to the counter, he bought three cases, drawing stares from many in the room. He had no real intention of drinking it all. He planned to bring it back to Hogwarts for the nights when the dementors patrolled outside Gryffindor Tower.
After paying for his butterbeer, Harry joined Sheila and Ron at a table in the corner.
�Jeesh Harry, you trying to put this place outta business or something?� Sheila asked, spying his purchases.
Harry ignored her comment and pulled out a bottle of butterbeer. Upon the first sip, a great feeling of warmth spread through him, along with a sudden happiness, an emotion he hadn�t felt for such a long time.
These feelings, however, would not last long. They were instantly extinguished, like a flame drowned by a stream of icy water. Harry started drinking the butterbeer again, trying to somehow hold on to this feeling. But every time he stopped, it would fade away, leaving him feeling worse than before.
And so he kept on drinking. When he finished one bottle, he would grab another. He soon finished off one case and started on the next.
Harry would never be exactly sure of how many butterbeers he drank. He was aware of his vision slowly blurring, resulting in an interesting effect when combined with the multicolored lights strung all around the room. He was vaguely aware of Sheila and Ron talking to him, but they might as well have been talking in a foreign language.
And so Harry continued, his vision now blurred so badly that he couldn�t ever tell if his glasses were on. Not that it mattered, since he couldn�t really remember what glasses were at this point.
And, as Harry slowly slipped into darkness, he regretted what he�d done. This wasn�t the happiness he�d wanted. This was an empty emotion, easily destroyed and equally destructive.
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Draco leaned back in his seat and shut his eyes. He hadn�t been sleeping well lately, ever since he got the letter from his mother. His encounter with Melissa soon after hadn�t helped.
He�d arranged the meeting himself, in an attempt to tell her that their relationship had to end. But when he�d gotten there, he�d realized he�d underestimated himself. He�d been struck suddenly with a desperate longing. He�d missed her. It had been torture being away from her. The thought of never seeing her again was unbearable.
He didn�t know why he did what he did. It was as if the good part of him, which had struggled so much to express itself, was preoccupied by its own confusion, allowing the bad part to take control. It was in that instant that Draco had pushed Melissa roughly against the wall and kissed her.
He�d instantly known this was wrong. He�d known he should be doing this.
But he was ashamed to admit that he hadn�t stopped. Even though it was against Melissa�s will, the kiss had seemed special. Most likely, this was because he�d known it would surely be their last.
Draco�d been brought crashing back to reality when Melissa flinched suddenly, and he�d realized he�d been digging his fingers into her arms. He�d broken off the kiss and let her go. He�d started backing away, staring at his hands in horror. He�d called Melissa here to try to keep her from getting hurt and instead he had become the cause of pain.
He�d looked at her face, which was bruised slightly around her mouth, and saw the pain he�d caused her. He�d known he had to do something to make sure she knew that he didn�t mean to hurt her. He�d brushed his hand over her cheek and lips, careful not to come to close to her. He�d told her to go to the hospital wing before turning around and starting for the door.
When she�d tried to stop him, he�d turned on her in a last ditch effort to save her from more pain. He�d yelled at her, saying not to make this any harder than it had to be. The hurt in her eyes had burned into his soul as he had broken away and left, running out of the room.
Once outside, he couldn�t quite remember where he was. He had wandered around for a while, his mind processing what had happened. When the full weight of it all had finally hit him, he�d stumbled and slumped against a wall, sliding down to sit on the floor.
�Real men don�t cry,� he�d whispered to himself, reciting something his father had told him when he was a small child. �Real Malfoy�s don�t cry. Tears are for Mudbloods, not for Purebloods.�
And though Draco had learned since that purebloods were not truly superior, he�d still said it. His father had a big influence on his life, whether he liked it or not. Besides, it had been the only thing he could do to keep from breaking down.
And so he sat, whispering these dreadful words until exhaustion had overcome him and he�d drifted into an uneasy sleep. He�d been found several hours later by Blaise, who had led him back to the Slytherin common room.
After that day, he saw Melissa in the hallway quite a few times, but he never spoke to her. She�d only seen him one time, reaching out to him in the middle of a crowded hallway. He�d looked up at her, his eyes connecting with hers, and time ceased to exist, those few moments seeming to last forever.
But when his mind had processed this, he�d pulled away, afraid of what he might do otherwise. She didn�t say a word, for which he�d been grateful. He didn�t know if he would have been able to keep silent if she had.
Now he was heading home for Easter Holidays. He�d succeeded in avoiding Melissa. By the time she thought to look for him on the train, it would be too late.
But as the train filled with students and started to pull away, Draco couldn�t help but wonder if he�d made a terrible mistake.
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Melissa ran through the streets of Hogsmeade. She couldn�t find Draco anywhere. She�d checked every store and asked every shop owner, but no one had seen him.
She looked at her watch. The train was leaving in ten minutes. Maybe if she hurried, she could catch him before he left. If nothing else, she wanted to say goodbye.
She started for the station, running as fast as her feet would carry her. But even as she ran, she knew she would never make it. She only had a couple minutes.
By some miracle, the train was still there. As she neared the platform, though, it started to pull away. By the time she made it up to the platform, the train was already gone, disappearing into the distance.
Melissa sighed. She hadn�t made it in time. Draco was gone. And, from the way he had talked about his father, she knew she�d probably never see the good side of him again.
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Harry slowly came back to consciousness, the beginnings of a headache forming in his skull. He opened his eyes and immediately closed them, the light serving to worsen the pain in his head.
�Ow, my head!� Harry groaned, further shielding his eyes by covering them with his hand.
�I�m sorry, Mr. Potter, but there�s nothing I can do to treat hangovers. School policy. It�s meant to help discourage students from this type of behavior.�
Harry moved his hand and cautiously opened his eyes, squinting upwards. He still had his glasses on, so he could see Madam Pomfrey, Sheila, and Ron standing over him. He was in the hospital wing.
Harry sat up and immediately regretted it. He felt like someone had tried to split his head with an axe, failed, and then just left the axe in his forehead.
�How many did he have?� Madam Pomfrey asked Sheila.
�I don�t know,� she said, shaking her head. �I lost count after about ten.�
�Tsk tsk tsk,� Madam Pomfrey clicked her tongue. �You should know better than that, Mr. Potter. Butterbeer is relatively weak, but alcoholic nonetheless. Five or six are enough to render you legally drunk. You�re lucky to be alive.�
Harry scoffed. Lucky. She had the nerve to say he was lucky. What was lucky about putting the ones you care about in danger with the mere fact of your existence?
�Anyway,� Madam Pomfrey continued, �you seem to be fine now. You may leave whenever you like.�
Harry stood and headed for the door. He could feel their eyes watching him as he left. He wanted to talk to them, to tell them everything.
But he couldn�t. It would only worry them more. All he could do was to stay away, fight his battles alone, and hope they would eventually understand.
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Professor McGonagall slumped down in her chair. She�d been so busy grading papers, she was glad Easter Holidays were starting. But she had no time to rest. She had more business to attend to.
Madam Pomfrey had informed her about Melissa Potter�s current situation and she had agreed to speak to the girl. She�d been putting it off though. It would involve telling a story that she�d only ever told to Albus Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey.
Professor McGonagall reached over the stack of paperwork on her desk and picked up the picture. The picture of a carefree little girl who would never know the truth. A truth that now had to be retold and relived in the professor�s mind.
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Author's note: *ducks as Draco/Melissa shippers chuck heavy objects at her head* Before ya'lls gang up and kill me, I'd like to make a final plea for pity. Draco would never intentionally hurt Melissa. In fact, if you read above, he's completelly horrified by what he's done. If any of you wish to talk about this further, send an e-mail.
Ok, now for the rest. Not many questions answered, just more raised. Does Draco's father really know as much as Draco fears? If so, what will he do? What is McGonagall going to tell Melissa? These particular questions will almost certainly be answered in chapter 32. A question that will remain unanswered for a quite sometimewhile is: What will happen to Harry? I'm happy to announce that on Microsoft Word, my story has passed the 100 page mark. Next chapter, McGonagall tells a story, possible Hermione point of view, and Draco comes back from Easter Holidays.
And please tell me if there are any spelling errors.
Additional note: Melissa hurt her ankle falling down the stairs in this chapter. I didn't put in an explaination 'cause I didn't think it was important. It's really just so that what she said to Madam Pomfrey about how she got hurt wasn't a complete lie.
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