Draco 2
Draco noticed Harry had been off lately, and their interaction the other day had confirmed it. He was confused by Harrys behavior recently. He was way less insufferable than normal. He was trying to figure out why when he noticed he could not hear the annoying tone of his voice from across the classroom. Harry potter really could not speak.
Draco is sitting in class minding his business until he overhears Ron and Hermione talking and at the mention of Harry's name he starts to eavesdrop. He only sits a few tables down from them and they normally talk about uninteresting things, but since they do not share this class with Harry they occasionally gossip about him.
Hermione's voice is expressive, “it's been two weeks, Ron, this is not normal, not even for Harry.”
Ron nods in agreement, “maybe he is mad at us? I mean we have all been different since.. You know…”
Hermione then shakes her head, “this is not right Ron, I am worried for him, we can't push this off anymore, we have to talk to him tonight.”
Hermione seems to catch onto Draco looking over at him and they begin to talk in whispers. Draco becomes increasingly curious. He wonders if this is about Harry's problem, his uncharacteristic silence, which can't even be true because Harry had talked to him the day before. The topic of Harry fades in their conversation and Draco focuses back on the assignment in class. He makes note of the expected conversation and continues on with his day like normal.
If Draco’s night walk was intentionally near the Gryffindor common rooms, he would never admit it, but deep down he wanted to find where Potter and friends are having this intervention.
Draco then hears Hermione's voice in the distance. At first it is muffled but it becomes more clear.
“-to trust us Harry, we have to communicate with each other, and I thought we were close enough to have that!”
Draco is intrigued, now this is interesting.
Ron is speaking now, sounding upset, “Harry, come on mate, just say something already!”
A formidable silence plays between the trio. Draco waits patiently for Potter to respond, but instead hears Ron.
“I am disappointed, I expected more from you, we tried giving you space and now you are ignoring us? Fine then, you're just so desperate for attention aren't you? You're not the only one going through things after the war!”
Draco is surprised by Ron’s confrontation. After a moment he thankfully watches as Ron and Hermione walk the other way with upset looks on their faces. He takes this as his chance to peek over at Harry, he is not concerned or anything, just curious. His back is facing Draco so he decides to walk closer to get a look at his face.
“Why so quiet, Potter?”
Harry flinches slightly startled by his voice, then turns to face Draco. He looks frustrated and hurt, maybe even embarrassed.
“Maybe you are desperate for attention, Boy Who Lived.”
Harry then looks more annoyed, like his usual self, and he looks as if he is going to say something before stopping again. He looked sad. His green eyes lacking their usual fierceness, instead completely dull.
“Are you gonna say anything?”
He studies Harry's face and then watches as he begins to tear up. Is he really crying? His chest moves unevenly, his breath sounding short as he grabs his robe in his hands. Is he having a panic attack?
He steps closer, unsure of what to do. The thought of walking away crosses his mind, but he has never seen Harry so vulnerable. This is good. He can use this against him for months to come, Potter having a panic attack, hilarious. Though when he looks back and watches as Harry is quietly crying in front of him he feels guilty. He wants to say something to instigate and get him out of his head at least.
“So you're just not going to talk?”
Harry shakes his head and wipes at his tears.
“I- I couldn’t say anything-” he says between sobs.
“Well why are you telling me? I will just tell your friends you have no trouble talking to-”
Harry interrupts Draco this time, “-no, they can’t know.”
Draco feels devious, “and why is that?”
“They will be mad because I am only able to talk to you,” he says softly, but more steady as his crying calms down.
Draco laughs, “and why should I care?”
Harry then seems to beg, “please Malfoy, it's none of your business anyway.”
“So why can you talk to me?” Draco asks.
Harry shrugs, unsure of what to say. Draco studies his face trying to get an answer through some sort of body cue, but he is unreadable.
“Am I special, Potter?”
“No, you just annoy me enough to give me something to say.”
He scoffs, “fine I’ll leave it alone for now, but don’t think I will forget about it.”
Unsure of what to do he watches as Harry begins to calm down and decides it is best to walk away, leaving Harry back in the corridor standing alone. He can’t help but wonder if it is really just him that Harry can talk to? It makes him feel happy to know it's him and not anyone else that Harry speaks to. Surprised by this realization, he suppresses any other thoughts about Potter and his drama as far away into his brain as he can.
He enters his room and does some light reading before finally going to bed. He is not in the mood for talking, but tomorrow he wants to settle this situation with Potter once and for all so he can move on from this annoying space he is taking up in his brain.