Draco Malfoy
Draco wanted to behead himself. Maybe if he stayed under the open window it would put an end to his misery. Would guillotine him. At this point, he didn't care that it would hurt like a bitch and probably won't be as murderous as he wanted it to be. Actually, if Diogenes waked him up one more time by smashing himself on his bedroom door, he would first end the bird then end himself. Seriously, who would have thought that pet eagles could be so stupid ?
Draco slept with his window open, whether it was summer or winter - he had a fireplace in his room for the specific purpose of warming him if he was cold, and he was using it like so. Draco slept with his window open every. single. day, just so his stupid bird could come in when he had any urgent letter to give his master. Other stuff like birthday presents from other courts was dealt with by the palace's birds, then by his private butler, Severus Snape.
No. The whole point of even having Diogenes was so that Draco could communicate with his friends from the Academy of Hogwarts. Draco was a Prince, not one of his mother's goddamn Advisors. He didn't care for things such as politics. Of course he didn't show it, especially when this horrible Dumbledore man was around, but he still didn't care.
But obviously, his friends from the Academy never sent back a letter with Diogenes. Always sent him back empty handed for the sole purpose of annoying Draco. If they wanted to write to him, they sent their own birds, which were just as annoying as their owners. Which meant that not only did Diogenes come rushing through the window so fast he couldn't stop himself in time and therefore kept crashing on the opposite wall (or rather, his door), but he was always without an answer.
Oh and also, the stupid bird seemed to have decided that sunrise was the optimal time to bring news of the world to Draco.
And in instances like that, Draco really, really wanted to die.
However, Draco knew if he did die, his father would probably come haunt him in the afterlife or something. King Lucius Malfoy really wasn't the kind of guy to mess with. So, Draco stepped away from the window and decided to make the most of his day.
He had a servant help him bath and dress him, then Snape brought him breakfast - Draco rarely ate breakfast with his parents, he got that from his mother - and finally, after most of the tiredness had faded from his face, he headed for the stables.
***
Another thing that made Draco perpetually want to die was school. He was savouring his last days of summer freedom, galloping around the Palace's grounds and a hundred percent ignoring the fact he had to soon go back to the Academy. It knew it would be his last year, that after this he would be expected to dive head first in his duties to the country et cetera, et cetera.
But at this moment, nothing could have made him want to go back. Nothing.
Except maybe...
"Your Highness !"
Well, most definitely not that, but it wasn't like he had much of a choice anyway. Draco turned his horse around and faced the poor lad who was running after him, a letter in hand.
"Your Highness...". The poor guy took a second to breathe. "Your Highness, a letter arrived from Princess Pansy Parkingson."
The guy ran back to the palace as soon as the paper hit Draco's hand.
Slightly annoyed that Pansy's letter had interrupted his riding, he teared it open with a tidbit less grace he normally would. But it's not like anybody was here to see that anyway.
Draco read through the letter once, twice, and then again and again until a mischievous grin spread on his face. He never smiled like that in public, which meant it was probably good he was alone because that woman never ceased to astonish him with her idiocy. Not that she was idiotic, but she always had the right words to humour him.
Now this, this could definitely make him go back to the Academy for his final year. Not because Pansy was his fiancée (which she actually was) but because she was his friend. The first one after Theo. And Merlin did he miss her. Every day he thanked the Heavens that she was the one his parents had chosen to marry him to and not some boring serious girl. Lord no. He would marry Pansy as her friend, and laugh his arse of while they would be conceiving their heir, and spend the rest of his life hiding in a corner with a good bottle of mead, Pansy, Theodore and Blaise while their respective children ruled the world.
He may never know love but he will have known good friendships, and it was more than most kings could ask for.
Oh it was going to be great.