#but a girl can DREAM a girl can FANTASIZE a girl can DELUDE herself

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vague one piece 1096 spoilers

[allaboutmoviesuniverse]

Review: American Beauty (1999)

“American Beauty”, written by Alan Ball and directed by Sam Mendes, at first glance seems like an odd drama, since the story revolves around a middle aged dad, played by Kevin Spacey, who falls for his daughter’s friend, played by Mena Suvari. But soon we find out, what else is going on in the suburbs of America. Also starring Annette Bening, Thora Birch, Wes Bentley, Chris Cooper and Peter Gallagher.

The movie begins with a self-filmed videotape of Lester’s daughter Jane, proclaiming that her father is a creep and should be dead. The boy behind the camera suggests to kill him for her, to which she agrees.

Cut to the real beginning of the film, Lester (Spacey) is narrating for us. Showing us his boring neighborhood where every house looks the same, his gay neighbors, his wife Carolyn (Bening) and her red roses, and his teenage daughter (Torch). He is being very honest with us and describing how he and his wife aren’t happy anymore and we get the sense that Lester is in a midlife-crisis.

The family have a terrible dinner together, Lester is complaining about his job, Jane is bored of her father and the two start arguing about how they no longer talk. At the same time they’re being filmed by a boy, who is creepily watching them outside the window. We then see Carolyn the next day trying to sell a house, since that’s her job, but failing and having a breakdown. The color red is very prominent throughout the film. It’s almost everywhere, in form of the roses, in clothing, or in the background.

Jane’s parents drive to her school to watch a basketball game, she and her friends are cheerleaders. There Lester can’t believe his eyes. Next to Jane is this pretty young girl, who he instantly falls for and starts to fantasize about. In his deluded dream sequence, she’s seducing him with her dance and then red roses burst out of her chest. The whole scene makes you a little uncomfortable. Lester asks Jane to bring Angela for dinner and acts all nervous like a teenager himself, who is trying to ask out his crush. Jane is visibly embarrassed, while Angela thinks her dad is cute.

Angela is talking to Jane and explaining her philosophies, one of them is that there is nothing worse in life than being ordinary. Outside the house we meet the creeper again, he just moved in next door and seems to have taken an interest in Jane, who is somewhat flattered. Lester on the other hand is trying to call Angela the next day, he finds her number in Jane’s red notebook, seemingly losing control over his rational thinking.

We get to know the creep’s family. The military dad (Chris Cooper) is a typical old fashioned conservative, hating everything that is liberal, hating his gay neighbors, and probably hating himself, drawing a parallel to Lester and his family. He demands respect from his wife (Allison Janney), who is obviously going through some mental issues herself, and his son, who calls him Sir. Turns out the creepy guy goes to Jane’s school, he introduces himself as Ricky. Angela knows him and thinks he’s insane. Ricky ignores Angela for the most part, something she’s not used to.

At a party, Ricky meets Lester and his wife. Lester smokes some pot with Ricky and acts like a teenager again. Jane and Angela are at home, when the parents come back. Angela starts flirting with him and Lester takes the bait, his Lolita complex kicks, we witness his delusional fantasies, Jane gets embarrassed. Rinse and repeat. We get an interesting picture though, Lester likes the hypersexual teen straight out of a picture-book, a dream girl for every regular American that makes him feel young again, while Ricky likes the troubled Jane. Ricky himself is often hiding behind his camera, observing everyone around him, but is not capable of being honest with his dad at all, who is abusing him and his mother.

Lester eventually feels empowered by this new life energy Angela and Ricky give him, he quits his job, works out, finds out his wife is cheating on him and eventually starts to get with Angela. Once he actually gets her into bed, he quickly realizes that Angela is a virgin. She’s not this vixen he was fantasizing about, but a little insecure girl, just like his daughter. Once the image of her, the American beauty, shatters, he finally backs off. Ricky on the other hand starts dating Jane, they have an innocent young love, which Lester is very happy about, since all he wants is for Jane to be happy. Ricky’s father however has been suspecting that Ricky is having an affair with Lester, since they’ve been spending so much time together and he filmed Lester naked, that opens a whole new can of worms.

You know how sometimes it only takes a minute to know by heart, whether you’re going to like a movie? “American Beauty” is one of those movies for me. No matter how many times I re-watch the film, I never find myself bored or unmoved by the story. I guess it’s because the characters still ring true even in today's society. The closet homophobes, the unhappy couple that has been married for too long, teenagers thinking they’re all grown up even though there is still so much to learn about life etc. “American Beauty” has a great script, great acting, and some very memorable scenes, which make it a classic worth watching. It won best picture, script, director, cinematography and actor at the Oscars, not many movies have achieved an all kill like that, but in this case it’s well deserved.

[schreibfeather]

Dreams of Today 12

Characters: Haley Potter (femHarry), Draco Malfoy, Luna Lovegood, Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, Ron Weasley, Rating: T Genre: Friendship/Romance, Angst, Fluff, Slow Burn Summary: Number one: Malfoy was a git. Nothing new there. Number two: He was an arrogant, annoying, little ferret. Number three: He used every chance he got to humiliate her and – and… that wasn’t right. Last year… at the Yule Ball… he had been acting surprisingly nice toward her. To be fair, Malfoy had also spent a big part of that night annoying the hell out of her… but… he’d also been… really sweet.. … Sequel to Songs of Yesterday. Haley Potter still has nightmares about that night at the graveyard. But is the nightmare really over? Luckily she has her friends to keep her from worrying too much. Her friends and… a certain Slytherin that is really bad at pretending he hates her.

Chapter 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | (link to masterlist)

12 – Under Stars

HALEY

The night air was cold. But the quiet surrounding the astronomy tower was peaceful. Haley pulled her warm cloak tighter around her. She was glad she had thought of bringing it.

"Are you cold?" The voice of Draco Malfoy asked lowly from her right. She had almost forgotten he was there. They had been sitting there on the edge of the Astronomy tower, looking out across the school grounds below them for a while. It seemed surreal that she could sit there next to the Slytherin and appreciate the silence of the peaceful night.

"No," she whispered almost soundlessly. His gaze lingered on her thick cloak for a moment before he looked away again. The silky robes he was wearing didn't look too warm.

"Why did we have to meet out here in the cold again?" He muttered, frowning slightly.

"You were the one who said it was suspicious if we kept meeting at the same spot. Besides, you wanted to check something on your moon chart, remember?" She reminded him.

Malfoy scoffed. "But it's December! Surely, we could have found a different place? Something indoors? Where it's warm?" He argued, completely ignoring her second statement.

Haley rolled her eyes. "It's not that cold. At least it isn't snowing yet."

He eyed her cloak once more. Almost making a show of it. She knew it was petty but somehow she couldn't just offer her cloak to him. She wanted him to ask. She wondered how long it would take until he asked.

"Maybe we can find an empty classroom next time," she added as an afterthought.

"Next time?" He echoed. His voice sounded surprisingly interested now. She saw him looking at her from the corners of her eyes. "You know… it's not long until Christmas break now."

He was right. Christmas was only three weeks away. It was already December. The last weeks had gone by so fast, it seemed like time had begun to pass twice as fast. Still, it wasn't all that surprising with all the school work the fifth years had to do. On top of that there was Quidditch and the secret DA meetings, which hadn't really given Haley much time to pause and revel at how many weeks had passed by. The little time she did have was mostly spent doing homework or going to see Hagrid or spending time with her friends. Malfoy, she had seen only in class, in the Great Hall or occasionally on the school grounds. It hadn't bothered her too much, since she still wasn't sure how she felt about him. But when Luna had slipped her a note from the boy, saying he wanted to meet up it had filled her with nervous excitement and she had agreed to come. Which is how the two of them ended up sitting on the edge of the astronomy tower on a cold winter night.

...

DRACO

Draco waited. But Potter didn't seem to get the hint. She was just staring out into the night as if there was something extraordinary about it. Why wasn't she looking at him like that? Well, it was no use. He needed to know. What are your plans for Christmas? Should he ask it like that? It was simple enough and she could just give him an answer without him having to reveal anything first. Like how he planned to stay at Hogwarts, too, in case she wasn't leaving. And how much time he had spent fantasizing about all the things they could do when the castle was almost empty and they weren't busy with school and homework all the time. He really hoped she would stay.

"So, um… are you going to stay at Hogwarts over the holidays?" Draco asked in a casual tone. He hadn't meant to ask that directly but perhaps it was for the best. There was no room for misunderstandings at least.

Potter turned to look at him. Finally. Surprise was written all over her face.

"I don't know." She seemed to think about it. "Probably not."

"Oh." He tried not to show how disappointed he was. "Well, I probably won't be here either," he replied almost petulantly. Was she going to stay with the Weasel? Or was she going to stay somewhere else? He was a tad curious but if she wasn't going to offer up the information herself, he wasn't going to ask. She would probably think he asked to spy on her or something like that.

...

HALEY

He wasn't asking where she was going to spend Christmas. To be honest, she didn't even know herself yet. But it would be nice if she could spend it with Sirius and everyone else. Malfoy seemed to be nervous about something. His fingers were tapping against his leg restlessly and he kept glancing over at her like… he was waiting for something? But what could he be waiting for? Was he going to steal her cloak? Well, she had to admit that it wasn't all that cold any more, now that the wind had receded.

"So..." Malfoy started to say eventually, "What's on your Christmas list?"

"Hm?" She hadn't expected something that trivial.

"You know… that list you make so everyone else knows what to get you for Christmas," he explained to her in a tone that made her feel really stupid.

"I know what a Christmas list is," she bit back with a glare. Malfoy simply raised his eyebrows at her mockingly and smirked in that way that used to make her blood boil. Now, she found it only mildly annoying.

"I'm impressed," Malfoy, the git he was, replied sounding unbearably amused.

"You're such a-" Haley stopped herself before she said something she might regret later. She watched him closely while looking for the right words. The smirk looked slightly forced and it seemed almost like something else was hiding behind the amusement in his eyes. She noticed his fingers that were playing around with the seams of his robes now. Those were definitely signs of nervousness. This was interesting. The expression on Malfoy's face and the movements of his hands seemed to completely contradict each other. Haley filed that information away for later. Now, she wanted to find out what the boy was anxious about.

"Why were you asking in the first place?" She asked, curiously.

"I don't know. For what possible reason might I have asked such a question?" He asked in return. He wasn't looking at her, but she could practically hear him roll his eyes.

"Were you planning… on getting me something for Christmas?" She asked, straight to the point. She didn't have the patience tonight for beating around the bush.

"I-I" He spluttered, turning to look at her with a start. He probably hadn't expected her to get straight to it.

"I wasn't – well, I-I…" Where was the cocky smirk now? The blush that was starting to colour his cheeks made Haley grin. She could barely stop herself from snorting loudly. She liked that she could turn the Slytherin into this bumbling, blushing boy. It felt exhilarating. And she didn't even have to do much.

Malfoy took a deep breath and seemed to get a grip on his composure again.

"I was merely asking out of politeness. You know, hypothetically speaking. If I wanted to get you a present…" He looked up into the night sky, pensively. "What would you like?"

It was really sweet the way he was trying to pretend this didn't matter to him when it was obvious how much thought he had put into it.

"I don't know," she replied with a shrug. "I never really got many presents so…"

"There's nothing that you want?" He asked incredulously, like she had just told him she hated Quidditch or something equally upsetting. He pulled up his leg, which had been dangling from the edge, and turned his body halfway toward her.

Well, it wasn't completely true. There was something she wanted. But she doubted he could clear her godfather's name or get rid of Umbridge for her.

So she shrugged again. "Not really," she mumbled softly.

Malfoy's eyebrows were knit together so closely they seemed like one white blond line.

"Fine," he replied with a sigh. He ran his hand through his hair that was free of gel once more. He had worn it like that a few times over the past weeks.

"What about you?" Malfoy asked after a moment.

"What about me?"

Malfoy rolled his eyes. "Aren't you curious about my list?"

"Wait, you seriously have a Christmas list? How old are you, four?" Haley teased him. She couldn't help it. It was a reflex almost.

"Very funny, Potter," Malfoy growled, squinting his eyes at her. "How else am I supposed to let people know what to get me?"

"I don't know… You could let them surprise you," she suggested.

The Slytherin frowned. "But what if I get something I don't like?" He asked, sounding honestly confused. That boy really was ridiculous.

"You're right! What a tragedy that would be!" She remarked sarcastically. It was so easy to make fun of him in this playful way. It seemed almost natural. Effortless. And she liked it much better than the hurtful insults and jabs that had been their form of communication before. Malfoy on the other hand didn't seem to share her amusement if the dark look he was shooting her was any indication. It hadn't been too much, had it?

...

DRACO

If anyone one else had talked to him in that manner, Draco would have hexed them without hesitating even for a second. But for some deluded reason that was beyond him the girl's remarks amused him. He felt all warm and fuzzy inside at the thought that she was comfortable enough with him to tease him like that. Not maliciously but somehow… in such a familiar and friendly way.

It didn't mean he had to show her that though. Instead he scowled at her and narrowed his eyes.

"You're awfully bold today," he drawled, lifting an eyebrow. "You're not planning on throwing me off the tower and getting rid of me, are you?" He stared into her eyes intensely, unconsciously leaning closer until he could even count the lashes that framed her green irises.

Haley shook her head, slowly. Seemingly taken aback at the sudden proximity. Draco noticed her licking her lips and it took all of his self-control not to grab her face and press his own against them. He leaned backwards, creating a safe distance between them again. He had a point to make here. He couldn't let himself get distracted. There was a flicker of surprise flashing across the girl's face. Or perhaps it was disappointment. Draco told himself it was disappointment. Back to the point, Draco!

"So..." he began, studying his fingernails absently. His fingers were paler than usual. They were as cold as icicles. He really should have worn something warmer. "you don't want to know what's on my list?"

Potter snorted. "Not necessarily. I mean, it's not all that hard to guess, really."

Draco shot her a sceptical look. She shrugged. She did that a lot, he noticed.

"It's either something incredibly expensive or… a really dark and evil artefact that can only be found at Nocturne Alley."

He glared at her in annoyance. She was really pushing it today.

"Careful Potter, you don't-"

"Oh! I know." She interrupted him, something was glinting in her eyes. Was that mirth?

"What now, Potter?" He wasn't whining. Absolutely not.

"I know what you want." She replied excitedly.

What? Where in Merlin's name was she going with this?

He waited for an answer but the girl wasn't answering. She simply kept grinning at him. Then she opened the clasp that was holding her cloak together and removed it from her shoulders. Draco froze. His heart beat sped up considerably. Why was she undressing herself? Did she-? Did she want to-? Did she think this was what he wanted? Right here on top of the astronomy tower? His cheeks felt uncomfortably hot all of a sudden.

Then the world went dark. And his face was covered by something heavy and soft. He reached for the cloth that was covering his face and pulled it off him. It was Haley's cloak. Draco wouldn't complain if the earth decided to swallow him up right this moment.

...

HALEY

She had come to the conclusion that he wasn't going to ask on his own. Maybe he thought that she was cold and that's why he didn't ask. But as much as she enjoyed teasing the Slytherin, she didn't want him to actually freeze to death. So she offered him her thick woolen cloak. Well… she threw her cloak at him more than offering it. But the result was the same. After pulling the cloth off him Malfoy blinked at her, seemingly confused and shocked and also… embarassed? But why? Because she had thrown her cloak at him?

"Well, put it on," she prompted him, after a moment of silence.

"Why would I want your cloak, Potter?" He mumbled without looking at her. Haley rolled her eyes.

"Because you're obviously freezing," she explained, before adding, "And in case you freeze to death I don't want people to think I was the one who killed you."

Malfoy snorted at that. "Oh please, like you could as much as hurt a fly."

"Fine. Give it back then," She replied holding out her hand.

Malfoy hesitated. "I'm not cold," he said but while he was saying the words a visible shiver went through him.

"Knew it," the Gryffindor commented, lifting one eyebrow. The boy still didn't move. What was he waiting for, now? Was he embarrassed that she caught him lying?

In a quick move, Haley snatched her cloak from the boy's fingers and sloppily draped it over his shoulders. She blamed the late hour for her lack of patience.

...

DRACO

All of a sudden he was surrounded by pleasant comfortable warmth and a foreign smell. Well, not that foreign. He had smelled the fragrance before… Unconsciously, he took a deep breath. He smelled the soap the house elves used to clean the laundry with. But also… something else. Something flowery and also… something that reminded him of owl treats. It shouldn't have smelled as good as it did. It was her. Haley. It was her fragrance. He pulled the cloth tighter around his shoulders absently. Then he noticed that he was being watched. His fingers froze where they were holding onto the fabric. Looking up, he realised it was just Potter. Well, not just Potter. The Gryffindor was never just anything. The look on her face was positively gleeful or… no she looked definitely smug.

He scowled. He didn't like people looking at him like that. But apparently Potter wasn't done taunting him.

"See, this is why sensible people wear warm clothes when it's cold outside," she mocked him. Ah. That was a jab at his silk robes. Draco had to admit that they weren't exactly warm but they were really soft. And he looked handsome in them. Potter herself was wearing a pair of loose muggle pants and a dark green wool jumper that looked like it was selfmade. And also oddly similar to those tasteless jumpers that her Weasley friends always wore.

"Funny, for a second I thought you sounded like my mother," Draco replied dryly. Why was the thought of his mother entering his head now? He didn't want to think about his mother when he was on a date. And really, this wasn't something his mother would have said in the first place.

"Do sensible people also give away their clothes when it's cold?" He added in a bored tone. What he really wanted to ask was whether she was cold now that she didn't have her cloak any more. But of course, he couldn't ask her in such a direct manner.

"Don't worry," Potter replied. "My jumper might not be made of silk but at least it's really warm." And scratchy, he imagined. Had his question been really that obvious? Or was she simply able to see right through his mask of indifference?

"Who said I was worried?" He questioned, trying not to show his relief. "And besides there's nothing wrong with wearing silk robes. I wouldn't expect you to understand that." Draco remarked, while he pulled the cloak tighter around him, nestling into it. It was really warm. And it smelled so nice.

The only thing that was slightly irking him was the smug grin that had reappeared on Potter's lips. At least she didn't seem to be freezing. That was good. She could have given the cloak to him sooner, really. Wait…why hadn't she given it to him sooner? He squinted his eyes at her, suddenly suspicious. "So, you knew I was cold the whole time and you happily watched me suffer?"

The girl had the audacity to shrug. "Well, I wouldn't say happily but… old habits die hard, I guess."

He was scandalised. Well, well, well. Who would have thought the golden girl was holding grudges?

"Is this some kind of belated payback?" He scoffed. "Are you sure you're not actually a Slytherin?"

Potter rolled her eyes. She opened her mouth like she wanted to say something but ended up biting her lips instead. It almost seemed like she was hiding something she wasn't sure whether to tell him. Well, he had enough of her mocking. To some extent it was enjoyable. Not the mocking part but… the banter. It seemed almost friendly. But… would it kill the girl to actually give him the impression that she only slightly liked spending time with him? If that was the case. Which Draco had not an inkling on. She was almost better at hiding her emotions than him! Or perhaps it was because she wasn't feeling anything? He sighed, placing his hands on the ground next to him and looking up into the night sky.

Then he felt a surprisingly warm touch on his hand. He didn't have to check to know what it was. His skin seemed to remember the feeling of Haley's small but warm hand and his fingers curled up to greet it almost reflexively. She chuckled in a way that made him think she found his reaction amusing. He had to admit that it was a tad pathetic. But that didn't bother him enough for him to pull his hand away and go without her touch. Not when it made his skin tingle as if a thousand little ants were crawling up and down his arm.

...

HALEY

Honestly, she felt a bit bad about letting Malfoy suffer in the cold. And then also telling him she had done it intentionally. Maybe she had crossed a line there. There was a frown around his mouth as he looked up into the sky. But what could she say to make it disappear? Did she even want it to disappear? Before she could try to come up with an answer to either of these questions her hand had reached out toward him almost on its own accord. The boy seemed slightly startled by her touch but even so, he didn't hesitate to turn his hand over and take hold of her own. His eagerness made Haley chuckle softly. It was kind of cute how he seemed to refuse to look at her.

"You know… your hands are really cold," she found herself whispering after a moment of silence.

That made Malfoy finally turn to her. "Obviously," he scoffed. "It's December, isn't it?"

"I've noticed it before, though." She replied sheepishly. She was aware of how her words drew attention to the fact that she had held Draco Malfoy's hand often enough to know about his usual skin temperature.

The Slytherin squinted his eyes at her. "So?" He asked in a rather bored tone.

"Well… I've read about… some… people with cold skin," She answered hesitantly. It was a good thing she hadn't said creatures instead of people.

"People?"

She nodded. "People and… you know… well... vampires." She didn't know why she had said it. Of course, she didn't actually think Malfoy was a vampire. She had just wanted to lighten up the mood or… something. But she certainly hadn't expected him to react like this. Apart from the crease between his eyebrows the expression on his face seemed frozen. What was he thinking? Haley was just about to ask him exactly that when the boy seemed to come back to life. He chuckled once. Then he smirked at her in a way that could only be described as roguish. "So, you've finally discovered my dark secret, haven't you?"

What?

The Slytherin pulled up his other leg as well and knelt down next to her, leaning into her personal space. "I actually lured you here to suck all the blood from you and cast your dead body off the astronomy tower."

He was kidding… right?

"Come on, do you really think I'd believe this rubbish?"

"I don't know… you tell me," he drawled lazily, while he lifted her hand and slowly ran his fingers across her skin, following the path of her artery. If this was a joke Haley really didn't find it funny at all. Now he was even raising her wrist to his lips… like he wanted to bite her...

"Stop that," she muttered in annoyance and tried to pull her hand free. He didn't let her.

"Let go!" She pulled once more, this time so forcefully that she fell onto her back, pulling the Slytherin right along with her.

He blinked down at her in surprise, his elbows resting left and right from her face. Then the smirk was back again.

"Are you scared?" He asked, while pushing dark locks out of her eyes. She shook her head violently. There was no reason to be scared. He was just messing with her. There was no way she wouldn't have noticed that Malfoy was a vampire. Haley ignored her heart that was madly beating in her chest. Did Malfoy actually feel it?

"You're not actually a vampire, right? You were just kidding?" She bit her tongue but it was too late. The words were already out. Malfoy stared at her for a long moment that seemed to span several minutes. Then, finally, he broke out into loud, roaring laughter. A wave of relief washed over her. Of course, it had been a stupid joke. She was such a fool. He rolled off her and lay down on his back next to her. She wanted to scowl at him but his laughter sounded so carefree and light that she smiled softly instead.

"I think you'd have noticed if I was a vampire," the boy mumbled, still chuckling slightly. "Honestly Potter, just because my hands are a little cold? Did you pay attention during Defence Against the Dark Arts at all?"

Haley pouted. Defence Against the Dark Arts was her best subject!

"It wasn't just that! Your… your skin is also incredibly pale."

"So?" He asked, sounding awfully smug. "Did you ever actually see me suck someone's blood?"

"Well.. no but… you could have done it in secret," she replied stubbornly, rolling onto her side to face him. He didn't say anything in reply. Surprisingly. He simply watched her. The smug grin on his face was changing into something softer. His grey eyes were glimmering, all warmth and playfulness. She liked him that way. It made her almost forget that he had just made a major fool out of her. Almost. Quickly, Haley lifted her left hand and placed her fingers on Malfoy's chin. Then she pulled open his mouth and pushed his upper lip upwards. His canines were a bit pointy but they seemed like regular teeth.

"What are you doing, Potter?" The Slytherin drawled, sounding slightly disconcerted. He bit his teeth together, almost chopping her fingers off.

"Just confirming," she answered innocently. The boy took hold of her hand that was just hovering there in front of his face. His eyebrows were pulled together. Like he wasn't quite sure what to make of her. Then he snorted, shaking his head. "You're ridiculous," he mumbled softly. His words were far from flattering but his voice sounded so affectionate and sweet that he might as well have told her she was adorable or something along those lines. She didn't think she could ever get used to this side of him. How was she supposed to react to that?

...

DRACO

The girl really was ridiculous. Him? A vampire? Was she completely daft? He had to admit that it was a tiny bit cute, though. Completely ridiculous but endearingly so. He lifted her hand to his mouth and pressed a soft kiss to the back of it. It was just a hand. Nothing special. But even so, this small hand holding his filled him with undescribable joy. Because it was Haley's hand. And she was letting him hold it. He closed his eyes for a moment, basking in the overwhelming feelings that were welling up inside him. When he opened them again and saw Haley right there he was hit with the overpowering desire to kiss her. He noticed her eyes widening slightly as he scooted closer to her.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to bite you," he muttered, while he tried not to let her reaction discourage him. Haley rolled her eyes at his words. But she was definitely grinning. And then he felt a light pressure on his hand that made his doubts disappear all at once. He grinned back and leant in the last few inches that separated his lips from hers. Getting to finally kiss her again was like gulping down a cold glass of water after not drinking anything for weeks. His hand crawled over her jumper toward her back and pulled her closer to him. Her hand had found its way into his hair and the way she was gently running her fingers through his silky strands made pleasant tingles spread all across his skin, starting from his scalp. There was not an inch between them but still he needed to be closer. Rolling the girl onto her back, he loomed above her. He pulled away for a second, catching his breath. Looking down at Haley's flushed cheeks, her kiss-swollen lips and her sparkling eyes, he suddenly felt like he was suffocating. His heart felt like someone was squeezing it. She was so… lovely? Amazing? Precious? Wonderful? But he couldn't think of a word that would adequately describe her. She was so much more than any words could express. Was this love? He didn't know. He cupped her face in his hand and stroked her cheek tenderly. She leaned into his touch with a soft smile.

"I…" He started to say but he didn't know how to continue. "I… you – I…"

He gulped, taking a deep breath to try and calm his pounding heart. What was he doing? Perhaps he should just keep his mouth shout. Perhaps it was better to wait. But what was he waiting for?

Clang. Draco froze. What was that noise? Haley seemed alarmed as well.

"You heard that, too, right?" She whispered worriedly. Before he could answer she pushed him off her, firmly but not ungently, and got to her feet.

"Wait, where are you-?"

"Stay here," she instructed and ran after the noise in true Gryffindor fashion.

...

HALEY

Hearing a suspicious noise really should have worried Haley. And it did worry her but at the same time she felt relieved for the distraction it provided. She liked kissing Malfoy. As crazy as that sounded she could admit that. And she had already admitted it to herself. But… from the looks of it the boy had been about to tell her something… something that she wasn't ready to deal with yet. So she had been glad at the chance to escape his intense eyes for a moment. It was eerily quiet in the hall that opened toward the observation deck and the moonlight didn't provide much light. Where had the noise come from? She had almost reached the stairs when she spotted something shiny lying in front of one of the windows. Carefully she approached the thing and knelt down in front of it. It was a telescope. Nothing more, nothing less. She sighed in relief. Someone had probably forgotten it on the window sill during one of the Astronomy lessons and the wind had caused it to fall down. Right? That seemed logical enough. From the corner of her eyes she registered a sudden movement. What was-?

Tiny orange velvet paws came into her view then. Haley sighed again. It was just a cat. Light-footedly, it jumped onto the window sill and rubbed its head against the dark stone wall. Maybe the cat had caused the telescope to fall down in the first place. She got up and watched the animal thoughtfully. There was something caught between its teeth. A mouse? No. It was… a toffee? The cat dropped the toffee and meowed at her in a way that seemed almost disappointed. Then it hopped down again and vanished into the darkness. Haley picked up the candy and held it in front of her eyes. It wasn't a brand she had seen before. She shrugged, putting it back on the window sill again. It was just candy.

She turned around and made her way back toward the observation deck. Malfoy was already waiting for her. There was a frown on his face and his arms were crossed in front of his chest.

"It was just a cat," she informed him, her voice a soft whisper.

"A cat?" He echoed.

She nodded.

"It wasn't Filch's cat, was it?"

She shook her head. Malfoy sighed, running his hand across his face. He was probably relieved as well.

"I told you that you're annoyingly reckless before?" He asked tiredly.

"Once or twice," Haley offered with a grin. Malfoy snorted but the corners of his mouth were definitely twitching. She wondered if he was disappointed that the noise had interrupted them earlier. If he was he didn't show it.

"Maybe it's better if we head back. Just in case, you know?" Haley suggested. She hadn't brought her watch but she was sure that it was already close to midnight. Maybe even later.

"Oh," he said, seemingly surprised. "Well, you're probably right." Despite their words neither of them made a move to go.

"Um… so, about Christmas," Malfoy began, shuffling his feet.

"Yes?"

"You know… will… will we see each other before?"

"Of course. We see each other every day, don't we? In class, in the Great Hall, on the grounds..."

Malfoy scowled, squinting his eyes at her. "Don't push it, Potter."

She chuckled. Where was his sense of humour?

"Okay, okay," she relented. "When do you want to meet?"

"I was thinking, the day before the holidays begin."

"That should work. Are you going to give me my present then?"

"Your present? What makes you think I would give you a present after the way you were making fun of me?"

"Fine. No presents then." Haley replied with a grin. "That way I don't have to feel bad for not giving you anything either."

"Brilliant," Malfoy grumbled. There was a pout on his face that made Haley think he had not understood the real meaning behind her words after all. But only a second later, he took one step toward her, leaned into her personal space and softly whispered into her ear, "I'm looking forward to it."

When he leaned back there was a real smile on his face. It was beautiful. And for some reason it made her want to do something stupid like kiss him.

"Night Potter," he whispered before leaning in to quickly press his lips against her cheek. The soft touch seemed so innocent and sweet that she only stared at the boy for a second as if she had forgotten he was capable of doing something like this.

The next thing she registered was a heavy cloth being thrown at her. Oh. Her cloak.

"I believe this is yours," Malfoy drawled lazily, his smile turning into an amused smirk. Then he turned around and left the observation deck. He hadn't even thanked her, she realised. Of course he hadn't. Malfoys didn't thank people. She rolled her eyes. On her way back toward Gryffindor tower she wondered what in Merlin's name she was going to get the boy for Christmas. Maybe she could ask Luna if she had an idea.

…