Between Fear and Trust
Chapter 15: Between Fear and Trust
The group returned to the Slytherin dormitory with mixed emotions.
The conversation with Snape hadn’t ended as badly as they had feared—but it had left its mark.
They now knew they couldn’t avoid the topic forever.
Harry had to talk to Snape.
But when they entered the dormitory, he wasn’t there.
Draco frowned. “Where’s Potter?”
Zabini glanced around the room. “Maybe in the common room?”
“Or the bathroom?” Pansy suggested.
But after a quick search, it became clear—Harry was nowhere to be seen.
A bad feeling spread through Draco.
“Potter?” he called out, but there was no answer.
They searched the room again, this time more thoroughly.
And then—
“Here,” Nott said quietly.
The others turned toward him.
He was crouching next to Draco’s bed, peering underneath.
Draco stepped closer, crouched down as well—and his stomach clenched.
_________________________________________
Harry was there.
Curled up in his wolf form, trembling, his ears flattened, his body pressed deep into the shadows.
His green eyes glowed faintly in the darkness.
Draco took a deep breath.
“Potter?”
No answer.
“Come out.”
Harry didn’t move.
Draco slowly reached out a hand—but as soon as he got closer, Harry flinched back.
He pressed himself even further into the darkness, his entire body tensed.
Draco withdrew his hand to avoid scaring him further.
Pansy knelt beside him.
“What’s wrong with him?” she asked quietly.
Draco slowly shook his head.
“I don’t know.”
Nott looked thoughtful. “Maybe he heard us when we came back from Snape’s office. Maybe he realized something was wrong.”
Zabini sighed. “Of course he did. He’s a damn wolf. His instincts are too sharp not to notice.”
Draco closed his eyes briefly, collected himself, then tried again.
“Potter… we need to talk.”
No response.
“We spoke with Snape. He knows something’s going on.”
The wolf twitched slightly but still didn’t move.
Draco changed tactics.
“You have to talk to him, Potter. Otherwise… he’ll put the pieces together himself.”
Still no movement.
Draco suppressed a frustrated sigh.
He knew he couldn’t just pull Harry out.
So he did the only thing that might calm him.
He sat down on the floor.
Leaned back against the bed.
“Fine,” he said calmly. “Then I’ll just stay here.”
The others gave him questioning looks, but Draco ignored them.
He knew they couldn’t force Harry.
But maybe they could give him time.
And when he was ready…
He would come out on his own.
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Draco sat on the floor, his arms resting loosely on his knees, waiting patiently.
The small white wolf beneath his bed remained still.
His green eyes shimmered faintly in the shadows, his ears still flattened, his body trembling slightly.
Draco didn’t know exactly what had happened, but one thing was clear—Harry was scared.
Not of them.
But of something.
The others had silently gathered around.
Zabini leaned against a wardrobe with his arms crossed, Pansy crouched beside Draco, and Nott stood slightly apart, his expression thoughtful.
“You know you can’t sit there all night, right?” Zabini finally asked quietly.
Draco rolled his eyes without taking his gaze off the shadows beneath his bed.
“Then I’ll sleep here.”
Pansy shook her head. “Merlin, Malfoy. You’re worse than he is.”
“Yeah?” Draco raised an eyebrow. “Then why don’t you get him out?”
Pansy remained silent.
Because she knew just as well as everyone else—it wouldn’t work.
Harry had to decide for himself.
And they had to make him feel safe enough to do so.
Draco took a deep breath.
“Potter,” he finally said, his voice calm. “I don’t know what happened. But you have to believe me when I say that you can trust us.”
Silence.
“I know you heard us. That you know we talked to Snape.”
The wolf twitched slightly.
Draco took it as confirmation.
“He doesn’t have any plans. Not yet. But if you keep hiding, he’ll get suspicious. And I guarantee—that’s the last thing you want.”
Still no response.
Draco sighed and leaned his head back against the bed.
“You’re so damn stubborn,” he muttered. “But you know what? So am I.”
He remained seated.
Minutes passed.
Slowly.
But eventually, it happened.
A small movement beneath the bed.
A cautious shift forward.
Then—a white shadow sliding out of the darkness.
The wolf slowly stretched his snout forward, staying low to the ground as if ready to retreat at any moment.
His green eyes met Draco’s.
“There we go,” Draco murmured, a faint smile on his lips.
He didn’t move.
He just waited.
And then—very cautiously—the wolf crept out from his hiding place.
Not entirely.
Not fully.
But enough to curl up beside Draco.
Draco snorted softly.
“Thought so.”
Slowly, he lifted a hand and ran it over Harry’s soft, white fur.
“You’re a damn mystery, Potter.”
The wolf let out a quiet, contented hum.
Zabini shook his head with a smirk.
“I wonder if you’re taming him… or if he’s taming you.”
Draco didn’t respond.
He wasn’t sure himself.
But one thing was certain—
Harry Potter was no longer alone.