Fine Then, Try and Help Me Potter
Locking his eyes onto the objects Draco hesitates to grab the quill. Eventually he picks it up and starts to write, who knows what possessed him to do so.
You can’t tell
________________________
Draco writes and looks up at Harry who nodded at him
It’s not that I won’t talk, it's just that I can’t
Harry was now the one confused, what did Draco mean?
“What do you mean you can’t talk?” Draco scrunched his nose and continued to write once more.
My
Draco gulped and took a breath.
My father, he did something after the war before.. he was imprisoned, all I know is that I can’t talk anymore, or at least when I try it’s painful.
Harry’s face shriveled with anger and other confusing emotions. He knew that Lucius Malfoy was a horrible man, hence why he was currently in Azkaban, but Draco was his only son, the only heir to the Malfoy inheritance.
Draco tapped the small table in between them, Harry’s view turning back to the scribbled on parchment.
I think I might be cursed
Draco’s handwriting swerved on the last word, he himself not believing what he had just admitted and to Harry Potter of all people. What would his father say to him for fraternizing with others outside his house?
In all reality this wasn’t what Draco truly thought, he just needed to think what Harry had expected him to think and worry about, then maybe Draco’s real fears would never surface.
“Malfoy, Malfoy” Harry’s voice droned on trying to recapture Draco’s attention. Finally Harry got up and stood in front of the opposite chair, resting his hand on the other's shoulder.
Still lost in his unnerving mind Draco still hadn’t noticed Harry’s touch.
“Malfoy!” Harry called out in a much louder tone.
Draco winced and withdrew back causing his chair to tilt back slightly, this frightened him making Draco being the one to grab ahold of Harry.
The two were positioned with Harry sat atop the table, crushing the parchment, and Draco clutching Harry’s shirt whilst almost kneeling. Draco’s gaze looked up at Harry, only now noticing the vibrant color of Harry’s eyes. In return Harry focused down at Draco, pausing when he caught sight of the wearisome bags that appeared dormant under Dracos’s eyes, yet stalling again to take sight of the others slightly bloody lips, no doubt from Draco's unmistakable uneasiness.
“I’m sor-” Draco burst into violent coughs. Covering his mouth with his hand, he allowed Harry to assist him back into the chair. Harry showed a look of sympathy and worry towards Draco and reached into his pocket, giving Draco a handkerchief.
Draco nodded as a way of saying thank you,looking down as he wiped his mouth and squeezed the cloth in his hand.
Blood
“So that's what you mean by it hurting to talk..” Harry sighed and settled into his own chair.
Draco again scribbled onto the piece of now wrinkled parchment .
Yes.
Harry thought in silence wondering what to do about this situation, he and Draco weren’t exactly best mates but Draco had saved his life on multiple accounts. It would be cruel to not help him. The only problem is that Harry had no idea what to do, but he did know somebody who might be able to help the silent Slytherin.
Draco sat in his chair beside himself at the fact in which that whole embarrassing event just occurred, his heart thumped rapidly as he and Harry sat in a sullen dead air.
“Malfoy, what if I asked Hermoine to help you?” Harry watched as Draco was taken aback at his query and stood up abruptly shaking his head.
Draco furiously wrote and as Harry awaited his response.
No. Absolutely not, have you forgotten in whomst I am Potter?
“No in fact I haven't forgotten Malfoy, but still you can’t live your life like this forever” Harry stated while crossing his legs.
I have done terrible unforsaken things Potter, nobody in their right mind would help me. Nor should they.
Harry looked at Draco with discernment and sighed. “Oh please Malfoy, you’re not the only one who’s done horrible things”
Draco blatented stared at Harry as if saying ‘oh really?’
“Yes Malfoy, I've done disagreeable things, such as. Using unforgivable curses, causing the death of my friends and family, and.. Hurting you.” Harry paused as Draco remembered the bathroom incident which had left him bleeding and dying on the cold tile floor. He probably would have died if it weren't for Snape. Draco exhaled a long kept breath.
“Please Malfoy, let me try to help you, Or at least let me try to convince Hermoine to help you.”
Draco bit his lip and thought about his predicament for a second. Harry was right, he couldn’t live like this forever, but putting his future into the hands of those in the golden trio was even more of a harrowing thought. But what did he have to lose? Draco took a deep breath once more and simply nodded.
“Alright now that's settled, it's almost time for supper. So I guess I'll see ya around Malfoy” Draco watched as Harry waved goodbye and exited their little corner of privacy and seclusion.
Draco made no effort to go to supper as he was drained from today, first day of classes plus Potter confronting him and issuing his savior complex. Trudging to the entrance of the dungeons Dracos was glad that he was not once more cornered by anyone.
Opening his private dorm room Draco took off his tie and outer robe. He breathed weightfully as finally he felt somewhat at peace. There was nobody to raise his anxiety and cause him distress, he ran a hand through his hair and sat on his bed. Although he was undisturbed it didn't stop him from his own mind from taking hold and the findings of boredom to set in, seeing as he wasn’t tired at the moment Draco looked over his small but impressive bookshelf he had books from advanced potions to muggle poetry, skimming over them Draco gently grabbed a book and promptly sat down to read.
Pride and Prejudice
One of Draco’s favorites, he had always been a hopeless romantic but maybe now he wasn’t so completely hopeless, just not in terms of love, but maybe friendship.
~~~
It was a very early morning at Hogwarts for Draco, he had found himself dry heaving at the edge of his bed and covered in sweat.
A nightmare
They were no stranger to Draco, after all they were just more exaggerated memories that preyed upon his mind, body and soul. He had learned to live with all of his faults and decisions and even with always knowing the atrocities that he had committed it didn’t stop them from plaguing his everyday life.
Sometimes Draco would swear he saw the faces of those who were killed in the war, even though he may not have directly killed him with his own hands it was still his fault that they were dead.
He was the reason Dumbledore died, even if Snape killed him. If he had just been stronger and finished the job correctly like he was ordered to, maybe Snape would still be alive, he would have most likely been sent to Azkaban but his godfather would still be alive.
And as for Draco He would have been tried for first degree manslaughter and sent to Azkaban for life. Better yet the ministry would've killed him. But this was merely a hope of what could have been.
All this hoping and daydreaming had gone on for a while, but by the time Draco had checked the time he had already missed the first half of class.
What's the harm in skipping one day? Draco thought to himself, I mean it’s not like his father would hear about it.
So then Draco had come to the conclusion that it wouldn’t be the end of the world to miss school, he would take what muggles called a mental health day. He probably needed it anyway.
Draco had changed into casual clothing and headed off to wander around the school. He found himself in the library in which he and Harry had talked yesterday.
Talked
Could that have really counted as talking? Draco scoured the shelves of the library, looking for something to occupy him for the remaining time until supper. He had found out that Hogwarts with its large multitude of magic books also contained many great muggle writings. Draco had found himself enamored by the array and grabbed a few.
Once he had been happy with the many books he found Draco walked back and sat in the chair previous to the day before.
He felt so calm in this moment, reading was the one thing that kept him sane, it was one of the only things he was allowed to do at the manor whilst his father was still there. He could stabilize himself by reading facts from magic books and he could dream while reading books of fantasy, myths, and legends. Whatever he couldn’t get from people he got from the books he read.
Draco's eyes became sluggish and the book in his hand became heavy, peacefully Draco lingered into a state of repose as he fell victim to a longing slumber.