We'll always have the memories

It hurt. Without him she was nothing. Without him, she was alone. Without him she was not his. That hurt. A lot more then it should.

She used to be independent, she used to be able to cope. She was the know it all bookworm. She could do anything. Nothing was beyond her reach. Then he came and ruined it all.

He challenged her.

He showed her his other side.

He pushed her, taught her things she never knew. He showed her a new way of living. He laughed with her, he joked with her. He let her hide away from the world. He insulted her in front of the rest of the school but when they were alone he held her. He hated the double life but it was necessary.

Before her, he was cold, he was a monster. He was lost and she found him. He was cold and she warmed him. He was alone and she took that way. He was hurt and she healed him. She saw him as a human, not as a monster. Her brown always lit up his greyness.

What started as a companionship became a friendship.

They confided in one another. No one had seen the other the way they did. No one knew them better then each other. No one cared as much. No one felt as much.

A friendship that was forbidden was the best of both their lives. Laughs, tears, even angry rants were a part of it. They went days without meeting, without talking until one apologized first. He gave in first. She was more stubborn. Secret owls, secret notes, secret rooms, it was all a well kept secret. For one year, the seventh year, was full of secrets.

Then that friendship turned to love. Love. An eternal concept that should be celebrated yet these two lovers had to hide it. No one could know.

It was wrong.

It was forbidden.

It was unacceptable, they would say.

So how can something so wrong feel so right? How can something so forbidden taste so good? How can something so unacceptable feel so...right? Who really cared what they would say? Who really cared what the world saw?

They were to meet in the forest, in classrooms, in hallways, in cupboards, in hospital wings, just to talk, just to hold the other's hand.

They craved each other's warmth.

They desired each other's hearts.

They needed each other.

Yet neither would openly admit it. Depending on the other was not part of the plan.

Love was not part of the plan but it happened, nothing could be done about it. They tried to avoid it. They tried to ignore each other. But one look across a crowded hallway set their hearts alight. Nothing could stop them meeting. Nothing could stop them loving each other. Nothing.

They hid behind each other, they dared not show who they really were in front of everyone else. They were true to themselves for a few hours everyday. Love made everyone a fool. Not these two. They acted in the 'normal' way during the day, but the nights were always there.

To love and to hold…….

They spent the holidays in the castle, just the two of them. It was an addiction. If they didn't see each other, they couldn't sleep. If they didn't hold each other, they would not wake the next morning.

An addiction is hard to kick, but they had to.

He was to marry Astoria Greengrass. She was to marry Ron Weasley. Neither were their equals. They were not as smart. Not as good looking. Not as kind. Not compatible. Yet destiny was destiny. They were too afraid to challenge it.

"I'll miss you," she whispered on their last night. Her head on his chest.

"This never has to stop," he replied staring at the stars, memorizing the feeling of her body on his.

"Yes it does," she admitted sadly, not that she wanted it to end but they had no choice, this was life.

"Why?" he demanded. He knew the answer, he knew it but he did not want to accept it. He was a Malfoy, he always got what he wanted, why could he not have this? Why was the one thing he desperately needed, beyond his reach?

"You are to marry Greengrass and I am to become a Weasley," she whispered so he could barely hear. She hated the words as much as he did. Maybe even more. Who knew really?

He shuddered at the thought. He knew she was right. Neither were strong enough to challenge the convectional lives they lived. She would become one of the millions of Weasleys' and he would marry a pureblood, like society had planned for him. He would have a son and he would ruin his son's life, like his father did, he thought bitterly. There was a plan and he hated it.

"I love you," he said slowing standing, helping her up. She was a perfect height for him. Everything about her was perfect for him. Except her blood. Why was he destined to be a Romeo, why was he to lose his Juliet? Why was the world so against this?

"And I love you," she replied as he kissed her gently. She would never forget the kiss. It was slow and warm but it was passionate, it was a kiss that one could take with them forever. It was everything he had felt and everything she had felt. This was definitely the end and she knew it. Tears slowly fell down her cheek.

"I'll never forget," he whispered stroking her cheek, rubbing away the salty water. He hated to see those on her face. He had once spent an evening holding her crying because of something stupid potty and weasel did. He never wanted to see her cry again.

"We'll always have the memories," she whispered, remembering every moment in her head.

"Always have the memories," he replied, seeing the same images she did. Their first meeting in the forest. She had thrown a twig at him, he had laughed. Yet he had returned the next day. Then eventually she accepted him, she sat with him for a while, watching the stars. They had talked after a week. It had rained, they had gone to the library, he watched her work, she watched him falling asleep. Then he had kissed her in the Astronomy tower. The first, gentle kiss. He wished he could go back and relive this. But sadly he could not.

It was time. The inevitable time. He walked away slowly. She walked in the opposite direction. It was over. The end of an era. The end of love. The end of them. The end.

A/N: For my regular readers who have read the note on my profile, you'll understand why I needed to just type something. anything. and this is what i came up with.

Thanks for the PMs you've sent me. I'll update Curse of Love when I can.

I hope you enjoyed this one shot. Sorry for the mistakes, no beta.