You can't start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading the last one -- Fall 1996

I could not believe what Addison was doing!  Rumor was... she and Malfoy had a bit of a thing.  And I had seen them sort of talking in the corridors, too.  I had to ask her waht was going on.  "Addie," I said, plopping down next to her.  "Dish.  What are you doing?"

I was in the middle of reading an excerpt that we needed to reference in our transfiguration homework and nhad not realized that Ellie had come to ask me questions, so her plopping down and being loud startled me.  "Ellie, I'm working on homework..." I said, though I knew that was not what she meant.  I had to try to figure out what I was doing myself.  I mean... it was Draco Malfoy or Dean Black... very different people.  But Dean had changed completely and I needed something different to help me through the loss and the hole I felt in my heart.

I raised my eyebrows at her.  "Right, that's totally what I meant," I said, rolling my eyes.  "You know what I mean.  Are you really doing things with Malfoy?" I had to get right into it as she was going to try to avoid the subject matter.

I looked at Ellie and  could not help but smile.  "Yeah, I am," I said to her, unable to keep it from Ellie.  "Is that bad?  I mean, it's not a big deal...  It's only Draco Malfoy."  Even though I knew that meant quite a lot actually.

I raised my eyebrows and could not believe what I was hearing.  "I mean... it's Malfoy.  It kinda is bad," I said to her, giggling.  "but it's kinda bloody awesome at hte same time."

I was so happy that Ellie was not freaking out on me for being with a Slytherin -- especially Malfoy.   "Draco is a lot softer than he appears," I said to her.  I bit my lip.  "And... well, I kind of wanted something completely different from Dean.  I want to know what all is out there and clearly Draco is as opposite as I can get.  Besides, it helps me with dealing with everything."

I resisted laughing a bit and tried to see it from Addie's point of view.  "How does he even help with everything?  I mean... it's not like he's got that many problems... he's got the perfect life basically," I said slowly.  At least that was what it seemed.

I looked away and chuckled slightly, putting hair behind my ear.  "Ellie, no one has the perfect life," I assured her.  "And it's just gotten more and more obvious with the time that I spend with Draco of how true that is."