Chapter 5
The map had been opened and closed at least twelve times in the hours leading up to when he was supposed to meet Malfoy. The blonde had disappeared between dinner and curfew, reappearing just moments before eleven.
The bathroom was secluded, as it always was. Students and teachers avoided it like the plague due to Myrtle’s usual presence. However, she was nowhere to be seen or heard, which put Harry slightly on edge as he entered.
“I was beginning to think you weren’t going to come.” Malfoy had a look of distress plastered on his face, his usually gelled hair was falling out of place and his uniform was a mess.
“It’s not my fault you disappeared until just now.” Harry rolled his eyes as the other boy paled slightly.
“Did you see anything?” Whatever had happened that night hadn’t evoked enough emotion within Voldemort to cause a vision. It sickened him that events such as killing muggles still brought the dark lord so much joy to result in one.
“I didn’t.” Harry stepped closer. “This means he hasn’t killed her yet right? We can still save her.” Malfoy took a step back, shaking his head.
“Even if she was alive, which she very much isn’t, there would be no ‘us’ saving her.” He ran a hand through his hair, it seemed to be quite soft.
“She has to be alive. What I saw can't have happened yet!”
“Harry, where do you think I went.”
Silence passed between them as Harry’s mind raced.
“Then why arrange this for when it’s too late? To rub it in? To laugh at the failings of the supposed saviour? No need for that Malfoy, I do enough of it myself.” He scoffed and began to walk towards the door.
“Merlin! You’re as insufferable as ever. I told you not to save her. I told you it would be a trap, and I was right. His snake killed her as soon as she was in front of us all, then we sat there waiting. Just waiting. For you. He gave you that vision Potter, he planned for you to let your hero complex lead you and your friends straight into his deadly arms. He had actually expected you to be there for when he killed her." Draco sighed, leaning forwards.
“You’ve saved the entire wizarding world already when you were a baby. Not to mention, the countless amount of individuals that are still alive because of your acts whilst you’ve been at Hogwarts.”
“You’re ignoring the fact that I couldn’t save Quirrell, Lockheart, Cedric, Dudley, Burbage or-“ Harry cut himself off, he couldn’t say his name. Not now, not ever.
“He had a monster attached to his head; he doesn’t count. He was as thick as anything, so you’re really not the one to blame.” Malfoy smiled slightly at the thought of Lockheart shuffling around his room in St Mungo’s, entirely unaware of the world around him. He came back to the present when he heard a scoff from the other boy.
“You didn’t know that the cup was a portkey, you didn’t know where it was going to take you, you didn’t know that he sent dementors out for you and your family, you didn’t know where your cousin was, you didn’t know that the vision wasn’t real.”
“Each time I could have known, I could have prevented it. I-“
“You’re a child!” Malfoy was close to yelling. “You are a child. It is not your responsibility, nor should it ever be, to save others lives from an all-powerful dark wizard. It’s insane that you’ve been taught to believe that it is your job. Harry, all you should need to worry about are bad grades, strict professors and friendship issues. You shouldn’t be fearing for your life each time you walk into a DADA class, nor should you be planning how to survive a battle that you’re being forced to face by adults that have clearly failed you. This isn't the life you should be living.” He was out of breath by the time he was done. Harry was staring wide-eyed at the blonde, his mind completely blank.
A long time had passed before either of them spoke. They stood in silence, simply staring at each other. It gave them both a strange sort of comfort, one neither of them had with their friends.
It was Harry who spoke first.
“I don’t have anything else to go on. I don’t have parents who will be disappointed in my bad grades or to take responsibilities off of me, I don’t have friends encouraging me to enjoy life, I don’t have teachers who expect me to pass their classes. I have a constant target on my back, that I can't hide from no matter where I go. Malfoy, you’re telling me to live a completely different life, and I don’t know how to do that. I don’t know if I can do that.”
“I don’t expect you to eradicate this life and start over, as nice as I’m sure that would be. I just want you to know that the people around you aren’t operating with your best interests at heart. If they were, if Dumbledore was, he would never have come back. Or if he did, it would have been a lot later than it was. So many people would still be alive.”
Harry shut his eyes tightly, perhaps he was trying to stop any tears from falling, or maybe he was attempting to block out the reality of his situation.
Either way, it didn’t work. His cheeks soon became wet as reality came crashing down onto him.
“Harry, none of what has happened is your fault. None of it.” Draco’s voice was soothing, the words even more so. Countless nights had been spent having reoccurring nightmares, waking up screaming at not being able to save those he loves and even people who are not known to him. Many days had been filled with abhorrent thoughts about himself, that he could not escape from. Those words had never been said to him before, causing Harry to believe everyone thought it was indeed his fault. Which wasn’t actually far off from the truth.
“I didn’t want to meet just to tell you about Burbage and give you a pep talk.” Malfoy’s air of pretentiousness came back slightly once Harry had straightened himself up again.
“Oh? I thought your speciality was going to be making me feel terrible then throwing in a good word or two to cheer me up.” He chuckled at Malfoy’s unimpressed look.
“What I wanted was to offer a truce, both in public and private. We do not have to be friends, just friendly enough.”
“Why? People won’t be happy.”
“Precisely, Potter. This is a purely selfish request. If Slytherins see me as trying to become your ally, they will leave me alone. They are likely to assume that it put me up to the task of befriending you to torture out information. They will be extremely unlikely to question the choices of their dear Dark Lord, even if they'll be pissed at not being 'chosen'. Those from the other houses will see me as under your protection, so perhaps the attacks will stop on both me and my friends.” Malfoy unconsciously picked at one of the scabbing lines on his face.
“Done. As long as this whole thing isn’t actually a ploy to get information out of me, right?” Malfoy smirked evilly.
“Oh yes Harry, it is. I plan to tell the dark Lord how much self-doubt and hatred you have, as well as the overwhelming sadness you constantly feel.” They both rolled their eyes, a true smile playing on their lips.
“I’m sure he’d be delighted to hear your findings Malfoy.”
“Indeed he would.”