Without You

Reeta Skeeters

Autumn swore that after that night, she never wanted to see him again.

She was lying in her bed, eyes glued to the ceiling. Right now, everyone was still in the ballroom, dancing. The thought of Draco's father seeing their kiss just came back into her mind, causing her to shuffle uncomfortably in her bed. He might have been their long enough to get a picture of her face. Pulling up the quilt to her chin, she sighed.

"Maybe tonight was a bad idea."

All of a sudden, the door swung open and a sobbing Hermione came in. She sighed at the sight of Autumn, dropping herself onto her own bed.

"Hermione.... Are you alright?" Autumn asked, sitting up in bed.

Hermione shook her head, wiping away her tears. "I can't believe Ronㅡ he ruined everything for me tonight!" she yelled in frustration, "If he didn't want me to go with Viktor Krum, why couldn't he just ask me instead of choosing me as his last resort?"

Autumn sighed, walking to Hermione and wrapping her arms around her, "Boys can be confusing. You should've seen the look on his face when he found out you went with Viktor Krum."

Hermione giggled. "Yeah. I'll probably never understand him. How was it with Draco Malfoy, by the way?"

Autumn couldn't find the right words to explain anything. "It's was fine."

"Fine? Autumn, don't be vague. Tell me all about it!"

Autumn shook her head, "Ron and Harry were right... I should have never gone to the Yule Ball with Draco Malfoy." She fell onto her bed, feeling the tears welling up in her eyes.

"Everyone's been saying you should've gone with Thomas Davies." Hermione added, taking off her earrings, "Well, thank god I didn't go with Ron."

Autumn imagined what it would have been like if she went with someone different. If she went with Cedric. Or Thomas. Would she still be in the ballroom, having the time of her life? She didn't like thinking about it. Switching off her lamp, she let out an exasperated sigh. Tonight was a disaster.

* * *

It had been at least a week since Autumn and Draco ever spoke to each other. Whenever Draco tried to speak with her, she'd always ignore him and cut him short. Most of the times, she'd just avoid him.

"Autumn, we need to talk."

They were walking in the hallways, Autumn picking up her pace.

"There's nothing we need to talk about."

Ron would push Draco back, telling him to back off. "She doesn't want to talk to you, Malfoy."

It was like that for another week, until Draco gave in. He was sure she hated him and would do anything in the world to avoid him, even if it meant sitting next to Neville Longbottom in class. It wasn't such a bad thing, but Neville was definitely someone she wouldn't usually sit with during a class.

The day of the first task for the Triwizard Tournament finally came. Everyone was dressed proudly to support their school, especially the students of Hogwarts. Many held banners and wore scarves that had Cedric and Harry's names written all over it. Of course, there were more for Cedricㅡ the whole school loved him.

Autumn was sitting with Hermione and Ron, sitting nervously, waiting for Harry's turn. As expected, Cedric made another impressive performance, followed by Fleur and Viktor. In the middle of Fleur's battle with her dragon, Autumn decided she needed to go to the bathroom quickly. Ron and Hermione nodded, as she rushed down the steps. She couldn't miss watching Harryㅡ the three of them promised they'd be there to support him the whole time.

Just as Autumn reached the ground, someone had grabbed her by the wrist with a strong grip. It was a middle-aged lady with short curly blonde hair who gave her a cheesy smile. Autumn recognised this lady as Rita Skeeter, who they call the Queen of Quills. She writes for Daily Prophet, and is often on a lookout for more stories.

"Harry's friend, are you not? Tell me ...his secrets. Something interesting about him, something that'll ...spark and never leave a reader's mind."

Autumn furrowed a brow, shaking her head in refusal, "Sorry, I'm afraid there's nothing I can tell you. I'm in no place to tell you about Harry without his consent."

Autumn was aware of how crazy Rita Skeeter could be about writing the Daily Prophet. Hermione had warned her before. Skeeter grabbed onto Autumn's sleeve, tugging at it.

"Oh, come on. Tell me, does Harry Potter have a deep secret?"

Autumn looked at her unwillingly, "I'm sorry. I have to goㅡ"

Autumn tried to escape from the lady's grip, but she just wouldn't let go. How desperate was she to get a story? All of a sudden, another hand grabbed onto Rita Skeeter's, removing it from Autumn's wrist. Autumn looked up in surprise to see that it had been Draco. After chiding with Rita Skeeter, he turned to Autumn.

"What are you even doing here? Slytherin is on the other side." she said in an unfriendly tone, "And if you've come to talk, I'm afraid there won't be any talking between us, Malfoy."

The fact that she was addressing him by his surname hit him hard. Had they drifted so much since the Yule Ball? He grabbed bother her hands, looking into her eyes as he spoke to her.

"Autumn, you've never left my mind. Everyday I just... it's you. And it's always been you... Don't do this to me, Autumn. You can't pretend nothing happened between us. We need to talk about this. What happened that nightㅡ"

When a camera light flashed, Autumn looked up in shock. Neither of them had realised Rita Skeeters was still there. She looked up at them, grinning from ear to ear.

"Now that'll be a story!"

Draco released his grip on Autumn's hands, still not looking away from her. "Please, Autumn, please."

"Fine. We can talk later. After the task, let's talk in the bathroom."

Although it was strange to meet in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, Autumn had chosen this place for a reason. No one really came to the bathrooms, which meant they were able to get all the privacy they need. Both of them were aware of the rumours spreading about them, but Draco was the one who seemed unaffected. Autumn, on the other hand, couldn't let go of seeing the face of Draco's father that evening.

Autumn believed that her feelings could only bring Draco danger.

Autumn reached the top of the stairs, taking her seat beside Hermione again. Both Ron and Hermione were sitting in their seats, palms sweating due to their nerves. They were both so worried about Harry, who was struggling to tame his dragon. He hid behind rocks, using it as shields. The flame of the dragon had just missed Harry by an inch, the crowds gasping.

"Your wand, Harry!" Hermione called out. Harry pulled his wand out, as if an idea just came into his head. He called his broomstick, quickly jumping onto it. To the crowd's surprise, the dragon broke free from its chain, following closely behind Harry fiercely. With their fingers crossed, they could only hope that Harry wasn't going to be roasted by a dragon that day.

* * *

As expected, Harry's dragon taming ended in success. The Gryffindor House was so proud, they all started throwing him up into the air. Autumn watched Harry's face glow up, somehow making her feel better than she did. It was rare to see Harry smile these days, she was glad to witness it now.

Remembering her plan to meet with Draco, Autumn left the room after congratulating Harry. Making sure no one was following her, she made a swift turn into the girls' bathroom, where Draco had already been waiting. His arms were crossed, leaning against the sink. He looked up when she had walked into the room, walking towards her.

"Autumn, tell me what's bothering you," he started, his eyes looking to meet with her's, "You need to tell me how you feel."

Autumn continued to avoid eye-contact, her eyes fixed on nothing in particular. Meeting his eyes would cause her to break into tears. Her voice was shaky, her body trembling slightly. Draco wanted to hold her, but she looked like she was about to snap at him any minute. She definitely looked upset, and his arms around her wouldn't heal anything. Not now, at least.

"Draco..." she looked down, "It all feels so wrong. Everything... Going to the Yule Ball with you, that kiss... Seeing you like this and having those feelingㅡ"

There were so many questions running in Autumn's head. What if she didn't go to the ball with Draco? What if she went with Cedric, instead? What if they never kissed? What if she never had those feelings?

All those questions left her mind as she felt his lips press up against her's. Autumn felt a tingling sensation on her lips as she returned the kiss, closing her eyes.

Draco's Point of View

We were kissing again, as if it were making up for the time we spent apart. Now, I know how she felt about me, and how I felt towards her. I liked her a lot, and there was nothing I could do to change that. I knew that now. I wasn't going to let go of her.

After breaking the kiss, we stared into each other's eyes once again before she embraced me. It felt good to be in her arms again. I missed her, and grew tired of seeing her with Potter and Weasley.

I knew she was worried about what happened that night she saw my father. She wasn't there to witness the time he slapped me and yelled at me, but it's all over now. He didn't have to know I was seeing Autumn. No one had to know.