prologue
Draco Malfoy went through his daily routine. Wake up, eat, clean the photo of his younger self and Harry, dress, work. It was an endless grey cycle, one he had been through since all those years ago when the Potters announced their big move.
Draco had cried that day, as a five year old would have if they lost their best and only friend.
“We promised to stay together, you promised.” He had cried, over and over. He had even gone as far to run after the moving van, he reached the end of the road before stopping. Draco was never much of a runner, that was Harry who could outrun everyone in their class.
Present day Draco didn’t cry anymore, not even at his father’s funeral. He had stood stoney faced whilst his relatives whispered about him, how he was backwards not having one friend in this world apart from his mother. He didn’t see the point in refuting the truth, nowadays there wasn’t much point in anything. But those relatives were wrong, he had Luna and if he was destined to a life alone then Luna made it more bearable.
She reminded him of sunnier days when he was a child playing in the garden of the Potters, Harry had always emitted light and sunshine. Luna was a bit like that, not as bright as Harry’s sun rays but more gentle like the moon which she was named after.
So, when Luna asks Draco to move up north and go to University with her, living with her and her girlfriend. He agrees. Because what else is there for him here, working in an office day in day out wanting to rip his hair out but too scared to try anything new. His mother is here he reminds himself, but even she was getting sick of him. He can tell from the way she smiles at him. Its sad at the edges.
So today, instead of leaving for work, he begins to pack. And the first thing packed is his and Harry’s photo, the chances of meeting him or someone slightly like him are close to zero but Draco had always been the clingier one in their duo for the short time they were together. So he clings to this hope, he and Harry will meet again and maybe they can fall back into place together.
*
On the opposite side of the country Harry Potter is also packing for University, his mother had set up three boxes for him labeled in her scratchy writing ‘Uni,’ ‘Storage,’ ‘Bin.’
Harry looks at his bedside table and sighs heavily, over the years he has collected a large amount of framed photos from various times in his life. Ones from his first meeting with Luna and Hermione and Ron and others he can't remember the name of
He sorts through them now, deciding which to take and which to store. He couldn’t throw any out, partly from guilt at not remembering half the names of people in the photos and partly because his mother would probably kill him.