Trust is Hard to Come By

By: Nekkyoo Ema

"There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it." - Alfred Hitchcock

*****

"Riley?" Draco asked to get her attention.

"I –" the Chinese sayings were floating in her head again. Then she heard her aunt's young, youthful voice from the magical recording of Lily's graduation.

...And as a last bit of wisdom: never walk away from a possible relationship because you are friends or scared that you'll get hurt. The best type of relationship is formed from being friends first, and you always have to let the bad in with the good.

Riley heard Draco sigh and then the warmth his body had provided was gone. She wanted to yell "wait!" but she just could not find her voice. And when she finally did, she heard the castle doors shutting again.

"Yes..." she whispered before pulling her robes closer to her and curling her legs up to her chest. She was oblivious to the snow that was falling slowly, but heavily. She was oblivious to her tears freezing on her face as they fell. But most of all, she was oblivious to the cold.

The next morning Hermione walked down to breakfast alone. Riley's bed hangings were opened a sure sign that the girl was already down in the Great Hall.

"Hey, Hermione." Ron said through a mouthful of cereal.

Hermione looked around. "Where's Riley?"

Ron shrugged.

"I thought she was going to come down with you." Harry said.

"No... She wasn't in bed." Hermione replied. She was worried. Riley always, always left notes to tell her where she would be. She got up from her seat and went over to the Slytherin table.

"D'you know where Riley is?" she asked Draco.

Draco turned around. "What are you talking about, Granger?"

Well, it's better than mudblood. Hermione thought. "Riley. You saw her last and no one has seen her since."

"She didn't come in last night?" Draco asked, now sounding worried.

Hermione shook her head and replied; "no, she would have woken me up when she came in."

If possible, Draco's face got even paler. "We didn't come in at the same time. She stayed outside when I came in."

"Oh, god." Hermione said, thinking the worst. "Go look for her. I'll get Harry and Ron then meet you outside."

Hermione ran back to the Gryffindor table while Draco ran out the doors. "Draco doesn't know where Riley is either. Harry, Ron, you two go check around for her inside. I'll check outdoors."

The three teenagers ran out the Great Hall doors and split up. Hermione ran outside towards the lake. Almost a foot of snow had fallen during the night.

"Where were you sitting?" Hermione asked Draco.

All he could do was stutter.

Hermione lifted her hand and closed her eyes as she slapped Draco Malfoy in the face for the second time in her life.

"Get a hold of yourself! Now where were you sitting?"

Draco looked shocked, but he was thinking clearly. "Over by that tree."

They both rushed over there and started digging through the snow.

"Riley!" Hermione screamed five minutes later.

Riley's lips were blue; she was as white as the snow, not to mention she was freezing.

"We have to get her to Madam Pomfrey," she said as Draco lifted Riley. They ran for the castle as fast as they could.

"What on earth happened to her?" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed when she saw Riley. "Get her into a bed. You," she pointed at Hermione. "Get here out of those clothes and into this gown." Then she tossed a hospital gown at Hermione.

"What should I do?" Draco asked.

"Go find Harry and Ron," Hermione said as she watched Pomfrey cook up a potion to warm Riley up. By the time she was done and was giving Riley the potion, Draco had arrived to announce he didn't find them.

After the last of the potion went down Riley's throat, the color returned to her face, her lips went from blue to pale red, and her body warmed up.

Riley's hazel eyes flickered open long enough to see everyone, then they closed again.

"It's alright. She's just gone to sleep." Madam Pomfrey reassured the teens. "Now, out. Both of you! She needs her rest."

"I'll get a hold of Riley's Grandmother..." Hermione said as she left.

Hermione had just sent off an owl to Marie Evans when Harry and Ron walked into the common room.

"She's at the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey gave her a potion to get rid of her hypothermia. She's asleep." She told them in a tired voice.

"She's okay now, though, right?" Harry asked.

"Yes." Hermione replied. Maybe all right in her head... but not in her heart.

"Please? She's like a sister to me, Madam Pomfrey!" Hermione begged.

Madam Pomfrey sighed. "Fine. But don't be too long."

Hermione smiled, then went into the ward to pay Riley a visit.

"Riley?"

"Hi, Hermione." Riley replied.

Hermione pulled aside the curtain so she could see her friend. "What happened?"

Riley sat up and launched into a blow-by-blow recap of the night three nights ago. "And when he asked me if I did like him more than a friend... it was like my brain had shut down. I couldn't do anything but stutter. Last think I remember is he got up and walked back into the castle and I stayed outside crying."

Hermione didn't think it was best if she said what she knew she would say at some point, so she did. "What was your answer going to be?"

Riley looked at her friend. "Yes... but now it doesn't matter. He hates me. It's not like we could be together anyway..."

"Why not!" Hermione asked in a confused and shocked voice.

"Before you came in I had been talking with my Grandmum. I've decided to accept the title as Crown Princess Anastasia Camilla Riley Daines Evans." Riley replied. "Not to mention that Lucius Malfoy would kill Draco if he found out his son was dating a mudblood – not to mention his own son is one too."

Hermione looked furious. "Riley Evans – I cannot believe you would give up on something so quickly! What you and Draco have is something a lot of people wish they could. You have a friend that you grew up with and then when you were split you never forgot about him. When you found him again – you went back to the way things were when you were little.

"Things may not be exactly like they were when you were younger but that's okay. Because all it means is that you both have matured and you both have realized that what you have may be something more than a friendship."

Riley looked away from Hermione. "You're right. I know you're right. But things are different now..."

"They –" Hermione sighed. "I'll see you when you get out..." And then she got up and walked back out of the ward. She was heading for the Gryffindor common room when she bumped into Draco.

"Watch it," he said.

"Wait." Hermione replied, grabbing his arm before he could pass. "I don't know if you want to hear this from me but ... Riley has accepted the title. She'll be gone from your life forever after graduation if you don't do something about it."

"And why should I?" Draco spat back.

"Because I know how you feel about her. And I know how she feels about you." Hermione paused. "Draco, the only reason you never got your answer is because Riley doesn't want to get hurt again. Don't you think she's had enough pain in one lifetime?"

"Granger, if you don't have a point, then let me go." Draco sneered.

"My point is that you should go talk to her. See what she has to say. If you don't ... someday you'll be sitting on your ass at home, alone and miserable, and you'll see her and she'll be happy – because I know her. She takes things heart, but she knows how to heal. I know that if you give up your friendship right here and now that you will goddamn regret it later; and maybe she will too. But I also know that she will be able to get over it." Then she turned and walked away.

Draco stared after her. Had nice little Hermione Granger just swore at him? He thought about what she had said as he walked slowly to the Hospital Wing.

He pushed aside the curtains that hung around Riley's bed. "How you feeling?"

"Fine..." Riley said still not looking at him. She was afraid that if she did, she would forgive him.

"Hermione caught me in the corridor and let me have it, you know." Draco said.

Riley's lips twitched. Leave it to Hermione to "let someone have it."

"What did she tell you?"

"In short, that I'm a goddamned idiot who's only going to feel sorry for himself when he sees you happy with your life." Draco replied.

Riley laughed dryly, "I would have said pompous ass, but I think goddamned idiot works just as well."

"Look, if you don't want me here, I can go." Draco said in just as dry of a voice.

"No. I'm sorry, that was uncalled for." Riley said. "God, I'm starting to sound like my Grandmum..." she muttered.

"As you should," Draco replied.

Riley turned to look at him. "Why?"

"Hermione told me that you accepted."

Her eyes diverted to look at her hands. "Yeah. I figured that the chances of me ever having a relationship you – or anyone for that matter – would be slim to nil even if I didn't accept the crown. I highly doubt my Grandmum would like anyone I did. She's very choosy sometimes."

"Riley... why didn't you answer me?" Draco asked out of the blue.

"I –" Riley paused. Just answer him, stupid. Riley sighed, "I don't want to get hurt."

Draco remained silent. Then he spoke, "a wise person said that you have to let the bad in with the good. Do you know who that was?"

"Not who said it originally – but I've heard my aunt say it." Riley replied.

"So it's a saying that goes around and sticks in peoples heads. I've known you since we were little... I know all your little quirks. I also know that Hermione is right when she said that you take everything to heart. Why you can't get hurt is beyond me."

"You wouldn't understand." Riley said as she turned over on her side, back facing Draco.

"Try me." Draco said in an oddly comforting voice.

"I've been hurt my whole life, Draco. I lost my will to trust until my Grandfather told me that the only way I would get along in life was to trust – to be happy. I was depressed for a long time... I was depressed until I saw you again. You always knew how to make me laugh. I put up my wall again so I couldn't get hurt again. I didn't want to lose you like I did the first time."

"That's not possible." Draco replied. "We've been friends since we were six – do you really think that we can just go our separate ways and forget about each other?"

"Why does everyone have to be right today!" Riley exclaimed with a smile.

Riley smiled as she watched Dumbledore step up onto the podium. "In true Hogwarts fashion, we will now have our Leaving Speech. This year, it is given by Riley Evans."

She walked up to the podium and took a deep breath. "And so ends another year. Yet this year does not end like any of your previous ones. This time you won't be coming back to the familiar hallways of Hogwarts School. These walls have seen seven years of this classes trials and with those trials comes the tribulation that shines when someone has overcome something.

"You all are different – that's what makes each of you special and unique. We have our brains," she looked to Hermione and Draco with a smile. "We have our class clowns," Riley looked to Ron and Harry. "We have our heroes, and our villains. But most of all, we have our friends. You all have people whom you have seen everyday for seven long years except during summers and you have grown on each other.

"To quote my aunt: "you always have to let the bad in with the good." And to quote my Grandfather: "don't judge people by their relatives." You may not understand right away what they mean, but in all due time you will. So, I, Riley Evans, now grant you your freedom into the magical world. And one last bit of help: never forget your roots. They hold you fast and will come back at you hard if you try to give them up."

Riley stepped off the podium and walked back to her seat next to Draco and Hermione.

"Nice speech, Ri." Hermione said as she slapped palms with Riley.

"Ha, ha, Riley. That was hilarious." Draco said in an amused voice.

"Well, I had to find some way to publicly humiliate you before I took the crown." Riley replied.

Dumbledore walked back up to the podium and smiled with a twinkle in his eye. "Use your magic well," was all he said.

~~

Author's note: Well that concludes this story. Bet you're wondering if Draco and Riley got together aren't you? I think I'll leave that up to you.

Thanks for the reviews:

Ariana Lupin – Yeah, I thought it was kinda sweet myself (which is why I put it in there. ;) )

Sportbabe – Woo! Green Rider is a really great book. :D Also, trust me, I thought about the Riley-Dudley thing and I decided ... to hell with it. 'Cause, you know, the story doesn't really focus around the Dursleys. But, good job in noticing that! I didn't really think anyone would.

Taracollowen – Cliffies by other people are cruel, aren't they! Thanks for saying this was amazing. :)