Science Class
Draco didn't want to wake up that morning, but his body forced him to. He was up at six in the morning, probably being more active than somebody who had just lost his father. School started that morning, and he didn't want to have any detentions alone with his thoughts, so Draco got into his uniform as usual.
He had to wear a white button up, green tie (according to his house), and normal grey slacks. He didn't do the top button up as per the school regulations, he left his shirt untucked and his hair a mess. Draco sighed at his reflection in the mirror, dark eye bags and pale skin staring back at him. He looked like a zombie.
Worst of all, Potter had seen him crouched over his father's body, sobbing. Everybody probably knew by now, and it wasn't a secret. Suddenly, a knock at the bathroom door startled Draco, and he groaned. Blaise woke up early, but he would never disturb Draco.
"Go away, Theo." Draco shouted.
"It's not Theo." A feminine, Irish voice responded. How would his cousin of gotten into the dorm room? Nonetheless, Draco immediately unlocked the door, and Luna dove in for a tight hug immediately, having to go on her tip toes in order to reach Draco's neck.
"How did you get in?" Draco questioned, breaking away from the hug yet still holding onto Luna.
"Pansy gave me the password and your dorm number," She grinned sadly, "Is it true that uncle Lucius is," She swallowed her words. Draco nodded solemnly and Luna immediately burst into tears, burying her face into Draco's shoulder. He looked up to see Blaise and Theo stood uncomfortably, watching the two cousins.
Luna stepped back, wiping her tears, and leaving the dormitory wordlessly. Draco's friends didn't stay anything, they just stared, so Draco left closely behind Luna.
He wasn't planning on going to the Great Hall, at least, not straight away. Draco wandered the familiar corridors of Hogwarts, his steps heavy with the weight of grief. The loss of his father consumed him, gnawing at his insides like a relentless beast.
Any normal person would feel this way at the death of a close family member, but for Draco it was much worse. It felt like his heart was splitting in two, or maybe it was never fully whole. His petty selfishness had directly lead to the death of his beloved father, and worst of all, everybody felt bad for him. If only Luna knew what a monster he was.
Suddenly, the loud chime of the school bell could be heard echoing throughout the hallways, and Draco hurried towards his first lesson, eager to finally escape his thoughts for a while.
The moment he stepped into that science lab, he felt eyes burning into the back of his head, the hairs on his neck stood on end and goosebumps emerged all over his body. As he swivelled around quickly, the world seemed to slow down significantly, it was weird. Draco looked at his hands, wriggling his fingers, which were still moving at a normal pace.
There was a balled up piece of paper flying towards his face now that he had turned around, so Draco merely stepped to the side, out of its way, and the world continued at its normal pace.
"How did you move so quick?" An irrelevant Gryffindor with hair shaved closely to his head, paired with a thick, Irish accent asked. Draco shrugged in response and took his favourite seat in the back corner, resting his head on the desk and closing his eyes immediately. When he lifted his head up again, the classroom was almost filled up completely, except for six seats.
Moments later, three idiots stumbled in, two of them a giggling mess.
Firstly, there was Granger, her face was stern and serious, and she paid her respects to the teacher immediately upon entrance. She was excused, and took a seat far away from Draco. Good. He didn't want to be near her anyway.
Secondly, Weasley, still laughing, apologised half-heartedly for his tardiness. He was placed in the seat next to Granger, although now that desk was full. Draco sunk in his chair as he realised where the last individual would probably be placed.
As expected, Potter's smile disappeared promptly as he was assigned to sit next to Draco. There were a few shouts of protest, but they were overruled by the old, greasy professor.
Potter stomped towards Draco, hands in his pockets and posture slouching lazily. Draco moved his seat closer to the wall so that he and Potter weren't to close. If this was any other subject, such as English or maths, maybe Draco could've ignored him. But it wasn't. Science is mainly group work and practicals, so it was almost guaranteed that they'd have to interact.
“Let’s begin by writing the date and title.” Professor Snape declared in his nasal voice.
Draco and Potter both began writing in their new books, not bothering to spare each other a glance. Suddenly, Draco heard the quiet sound of something exploding, nothing serious, just a pen. That definitely wasn’t a normal thing to be able to hear in such detail. He turned his head to see Potters hands coated in black ink. Draco scoffed and passed him a spare pen before it became a fuss, and they both continued their work in silence.
Around ten minutes before the lesson ended, Draco felt a hand tap his arm, so he lifted his head from the desk and turned to face Potter, who’s attention was towards the front of the room, where Snape was teaching. Harry’s emerald green eyes were hidden behind nerdy, rounded frame glasses. His black, fluffy hair stood up at the back, and it looked so stupid. Even worse, was his geeky grin. A smile which had more power and brightness than a billion suns.
Draco was his polar opposite, his icy grey eyes, sleek, blonde hair and even worse, his smouldering gaze. It was no wonder that the two were infamously enemies.
Although Potter was looking elsewhere, he had his hand held out towards Draco, a neatly folded piece of paper in its grasp. Draco cautiously took it.
I’m so sorry about your dad. You can talk to me, even if you hate my guts.
Seventeen words. That was all it took. All it took for a warm feeling to envelop his chest, his face to heat up with an embarrassed yet grateful sensation, and his gaze to soften as he stared at Potter.
Draco took the note and slipped it into his pocket, before quietly whispering words of gratefulness under his breath. “Thank you.”