Chapter 11
On Sunday morning Draco approached the school owlery, well wrapped up in a gray sweater, green scarf and the school's winter cloak as extra protection against the cold, the tower where the owls slept was colder than the rest of the school, both the climb up there and the open room as two large unprotected windows through which the birds flew in and out every day.
He was alone. He was still angry at Pansy's recklessness, the news would get out anyway, but it would have been slower. Instead, drawing attention to him like that would only make rumors grow; besides, it was disrespectful to read his personal mail. The girl had tried to apologize, but Draco was too angry for that.
He would apologize to her later.... much later.
Blaise simply chose to be with Pansy as he saw how frustrated the blond was and how it was better to be alone.
It was colder that day than others, November was already beginning to make its presence known with its sporadic freezing days until they became continuous and snow flooded the landscape.
The place was somewhat bustling, with owls coming in, going out, jumping from the niches in the wall or from the various beams and branches they had to perch on. It smelled a little foul but that was to be expected. Draco grabbed the front of his cloak to hug it tighter to his body and keep the warm air inside; he should cast a warm spell but with his magic still unstable he might end up in flames, so best to avoid it for now, besides he'd been through worse cold spells before.
-Iris!
He called aloud to his owl as he scratched the side of his neck; his itch had returned.
From one of the higher niches flew down a beautiful owl with white and gold plumage. Iris, the Tyto alba, landed gracefully on the perch closest to her owner, watching him for a message to leave.
-Hey girl- Draco said affectionately, stroking the bird's head, which looked confused but not upset-Here, I brought you some presents-
He took out of one of his pockets a little cloth bag full of high quality owl treats; Iris was a gift from his mother a year before he entered Hogwarts and the first pet he had ever named all by himself. At the time he had been reading a lot about Greek gods and Iris is the goddess of the rainbow and messenger of the gods, more specifically the goddess Hera. His mother had a winter owl named Hera; Draco saw a lot of sense in it then and now. He had almost forgotten about her, he hadn't used an owl in so long and in his first life it wasn't as if he had been too fond of the animal. He cared for it, fed it and gave it treats from time to time, of course; but he never brushed it or petted it or talked to it other than to send a message.
Magical owls were different from wild owls, not only in their ability to find and send messages but in their affinity to wizards or their keepers, they had been specially bred for human coexistence after all.
Iris happily ate the treats Draco gave her before stretching out her paw to grab whatever letter, or package, she was supposed to carry.
Draco was sending two letters, one to his mother with his love and asking for her help in placating his father and one to Lucius explaining why he'd left the team; a lie of course but he hoped it was convincing enough for him to leave him alone, at least until he had his whole plan sorted out.
-What, I can't come visit? - Draco never thought he could see a more human look on an owl, iris radiated a disbelief in his eyes that was very impressive - understandable; here, take this to mother as quickly as possible, wait for an answer. I'll give you more treats when you get back-
Draco pulled a pair of cards out of his cloak for the tyto to take.
Iris screeched at him and then closed her beak on the paper and flew away.
Draco watched her go. Iris is a fast bird, so his message was in good claws.
Iris had been locked up in the manor when the Death Eaters had invaded it, any message she wanted to send would be checked by the Death Eater, so Draco preferred to stop sending letters. He never knew what happened to her; whether the Ministry took her in the end or whether she was killed just for fun by some overly bored dark wizard.
Pets were not a valued thing at Malfoy Manor, his father was always against the idea of lowering himself to the company of a dirty animal, while his mother never gave an opinion for or against it, so Draco grew up without understanding the beauty of the companionship or affection a pet could give.
Peacocks were kept by house elves and were more a sign of status than a pet, though Draco thought they were more of a pest when he was younger. Who knew peacocks ran so fast? Not the five-year-old Draco who was chased by them.
Lucius put up with the owls as a means of communication, but he didn't think much of them either; they were also cared for more by the elves than by them. Only his mother took care of Hera when she could, for his father they were just another tool.
After the war, Draco learned that was not the case.
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Draco sat next to a large green dumpster in a dirty alley, it smelled bad but not as bad as other alleys he had slept in, he suspected it was because this area was more bars and not restaurants so what was thrown away wouldn't be as much stuff that could rot, even though that also meant there was less chance of getting something to eat out of them. Too bad he had to move out of the restaurant area after he and a couple of other homeless people like him caused the owners to call the police, causing him to move out of the area.
Homeless, who could say that he would end up like this.
He could find, with any luck, liquor to keep him warm, but being drunk in a world he did not yet fully understand was something he would not repeat, he did not want another incident like the crash.
He shrank in on himself more, his arms pulled close to his chest in an attempt not to get completely chilled as the nights always got colder every day; the heavy black plush trench coat and the three sweaters he had on him along with the sweatpants and jeans helped a lot, now he was glad he had spent the last of his muggle money on the coat and sweaters, even if it meant using up his reserves.
They had given him very little Muggle money when they had taken him out of the wizarding world to his fate, Draco thought those buggers knew what they were doing by giving him that punishment, they expected him to perish out there, alone and unaware of anything.
There were days where he just hated those who did this to him, but other days he just felt like he deserved it all. It varied from day to day.
He pulled out a piece of bread that he managed to get a couple of days ago from the dumpster of a bakery, it was amazing how much food was wasted at the end of the day in those places, but they were blessings for people like him. The bread was already hard but it was clean, free of mould he meant, he had taken it out of the trash after all.
His eyes filled with tears as the first bite activated his stomach again causing a painful hunger pang that was becoming more and more common these days, he had never had to go hungry before but now it seemed to be the only constant besides the winter cold.
-meow-
He sounded softly from the back of the alley.
Out of the darkness came a small, dirty blond cat with green eyes and a tail standing curiously, the tip of his tail seemed to be broken, turned to one side unnaturally. It couldn't have been more than five months old and it approached Draco with careful but bold steps.
Draco was used to chasing away strays by now, dogs and cats, even a fox he had seen once. They were always coming around looking for their food but he wasn't about to share with those mangy creatures.
-Shu! - He said confidently, shaking his leg a little to shoo the little animal away-Go away, shu! -
The kitten backed up a couple of steps but didn't go away completely, he looked at Draco with his big green eyes, wagged his broken tail a couple of times and tried to get closer again.
-I said go away-Draco this time grabbed a tin can that was lying next to him and threw it at the kitten-Get lost-
The cat jumped in shock and gave a startled meow as it backed up and returned to the end of the alley.
Draco sighed, finally some peace to eat his bread.
He was halfway through it when another meow caught his attention. Just to the left, only a couple of feet away was the kitten, who had cunningly slipped quietly away until he was as close to Draco as possible but could not be reached by the boy if he stretched out his arm. It just sat there, looking up at him again with its huge green eyes in a silent plea for some sustenance.
Draco clicked his tongue in discontent but he didn't have the strength to scare the kitten away again, if it came close he'd just kick it or something, so he continued with his meal.
-Meoww- the kitten meows again, this time with a plaintive tone.
The blond looked at it again and it had curled into a ball, with its paws under its body and tail broken as well, its eyes seemed to have gotten bigger and more pleading.
Draco ignored it again, turning his head towards the container, but the image had already done something to his chest. In the end, the little blond boy was in the same situation as Draco, just as lonely, cold and hungry.
He broke off a large piece of his bread and tossed it to the cat, who devoured it with gusto. The ex-Mortifagus finished his share as well.
-You've got what you want, now beat it, you broken flea- he said in his gruff tone that he used when he wanted to insult someone or something.
Tiredly he lay down on the cold floor facing the container, arms and legs tucked up to his chest.
Even if he felt the small body of the kitten nestling against his back, he didn't have the strength to say anything to it.
Days went by, the weather was getting colder, getting food was more complicated and even with how far Draco walked around the area looking for food far from where he started the day he met the broken flea, it still found him wherever he was and stayed by his side waiting for some of his food despite all of Draco's efforts to chase the kitten away.
Seeing that his techniques were unsuccessful he decided to stop, the flea would not give up in the end and he didn't have the strength to continue fighting and yelling at the animal.
He didn't know how many days passed until he started to caress the kitten when it stuck to him to sleep or when he started to wait for it to appear at dinner time after leaving in the evenings or when he started to worry when the kitten left, surely it was going to look for more food or something because it definitely couldn't be living on the few leftovers that Draco gave it at night.
-Flea, come!
The kitten appeared running, wagging his little broken tail gently from one side to the other from some bushes in a distant and almost forgotten area of the park where they were staying, behind a group of bushes still leafy there was a space that served as protection against the cold, he wasn't very tall and he had to slouch when he sat down but nobody saw them or bothered them.
He began to call him flea without the derogatory tone soon after and began to play with him, moving a piece of thread that came off one of his sweaters so that flea could catch it. It gave him a good laugh how the blond kitten would shake his shoulders and the broken end of his tail before pouncing on his prey.
It was a companion in his eternal loneliness and it was a small happiness in his perpetual sadness.
Weeks went by like that.
One day he went out to look for food as usual, flea would probably be in the park doing the same thing. It was already dusk when he returned to his part of the park.
-Flea! Here! Kitty-kitty-kitty- Draco called. That day he had been lucky and had gotten some ham slices in a sealed bag that had been thrown away, apparently because it was due to expire in two days.
Flea didn't show up as usual, and that wasn't so strange, he was sure to show up a little later.
A little before he reached his bush he saw Flea lying on the side of the road, feeling a bad vibe Draco ran over to the cat, the packet of ham fell from his hand from the shock of what was in front of him.
Flea was already lying in the cold grass, his green eyes half open and looking sideways with no glint in them, his paws all turned to one side of his body as when he lay down to sleep but the thick white foam that still bubbled a little off his muzzle proved otherwise, as did his still flank with no movement for breath, his tail with its broken tip lying on the ground, where it would not move again.
It was dead. Poisoned.
That night, with his hands and nails full of dirt, his heart sinking and tears freezing on his cheeks, he decided that Lucius was right about one thing: pets were a weakness.
And even so, from then on, if a stray cat approached him, he would give them some food before chasing them away.
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-Get away from my slimy beast! - Draco shouted
He had been living with Larry for 6 months now and for almost 5 months working in the cafeteria, everything was going relatively well in Draco's life. He was no longer cold or hungry and he was no longer lonely.
That was 100% better than anything he'd had in recent times.
There was still sadness and panic attacks but well, details.
Now there was only one problem, Sheila had recently had a plumbing problem in her house, the place itself was very old so it was only a matter of time before something like this happened, only instead of it being gradual: a leak here, a clog there. No, one of the main pipes slowly clogged up over the years until the water pressure caused it to burst and flood the whole house. Now Sheila would live with them for a while while the plumbers fixed the leak. That wasn't the problem, Sheila was a very good room-mate, she didn't like doing the dishes but she made up for it by cooking delicious Italian dinners that she learned from her grandmother.
No, the problem was the big, fat English bulldog she had as a pet that now roamed the flat.
Draco had been able to calmly ignore the animal for the first few days and they had been living together normally until one day while they were eating a piece of meat fell off, the dog naturally ran to eat it and from then on the animal decided that Draco was his best friend and followed him everywhere, from the bathroom, to his bedroom, to when he relaxed on the couch.
Larry and Sheila found it hilarious, much to his chagrin.
-Sheila grab your animal! -
Draco had been on the couch, wearing a black sweatpant and a blue coat that was too big for him but he liked it that way, reading a new juvenile novel about demigods and a camp where they lived together, he liked the muggle imagination and more these interpretations of magic; he was so into the plot that he didn't notice when the bulldog climbed onto the couch until he had it in his lap with drool dripping down his legs.
Now he was squatting on the couch with one leg stretched out to keep away the cheerful animal who, thinking it was a game, was trying to get closer to Draco as Draco pushed him away.
-SHEILA!
The flat wasn't so big that the girl couldn't hear him. The dog tried again to get over Draco's foot and move closer to him with doggy excitement, little drops of his drool flew as he jumped, moved and barked. Draco in an attempt to push him away used too much force and the dog ended up being pushed to the ground like a stone.
The dog screamed in shock.
-Lino?!- Sheila appeared running around the corner of the corridor towards her pet who approached his owner crying softly- What the fuck, Draco?
-I...- Draco was speechless.
-You should have just moved him away, not kicked him, you idiot! -Sheila kept shouting- What kind of human being are you?! You could have broken him something, do you realise that?!-
Sheila held Lino in her arms and her blue eyes glowed with burning anger.
-What is going on? -Larry appeared from the same side, alerted by the screams.
-This so-called human kicked Lino! -The red-haired girl accused.
Larry glanced at his friend for a second before looking at Draco who had come out of shock and was now looking away in sorrow.
-Draco?- Larry called out.
-It was an accident, okay?! I didn't want him to fall but he kept trying to get closer to me- he said to Larry with a tone of desperation before turning to look at Sheila-I told you to keep him away from me! -
-He's a dog, Draco! He doesn't know any better, he just wants to play- Sheila countered, -Why are you such a jerk to him? What has he done to you to make you so angry with him?-
-I don't like dogs! That should have been clear to you by now - Draco snapped - they're hyper-dependent, they don't know how to take care of themselves, they carry diseases, they can attack you whenever they feel like it which makes them super dangerous and they break everything they touch, not to mention how dirty and disgusting they are!
Draco spoke in a hurry, not taking the time to breathe properly between each sentence causing him to end up with his breath hitching at the end of his speech. Sheila was no longer just angry but disappointed, her mouth open in a grimace of disbelief that caused the blond to shiver; the girl soon closed her mouth and released the scowl she had maintained throughout the interaction leaving her with a cold, disinterested face only contrasted by the cold rage in her blue eyes.
-Dirty and disgusting? - Sheila made a laughing noise with amusement-You mean like you were before we picked you up, don't you? A sad, dirty street rat-
Draco felt as if a dagger was stabbing him in the chest. The memories of the dirty smell that clung to his skin and the dirt he couldn't get off his body; how he had gotten used to being dirty and how he hated himself for it.
How could Sheila say such a thing to him?
Totally offended and angry, he stood up, walked to the entrance, quickly slipped on his shoes and left the flat with a slam of the door that echoed in the hallway. He didn't even bother to take the elevator but ran down the four flights of stairs.
He didn't know where he was going, he just felt the need to walk, to get away. His heart was beating like crazy, not only because of the physical effort but also because of the anger.
He was just a stupid dog.
He arrived at a nearby park where the exhaustion of his sudden run caught up with him, and he decided to sit on a bench. He was still angry but it was a duller anger and not a vibrant flame, so he could feel the beginnings of a headache growing in his temples. He threw his head back against the bench letting his blond head rest not too comfortably on the wood.
Draco didn't understand what all the drama was about, the animal was fine after all. It hadn't been his intention to push him so hard and it was also the dog's fault for not understanding more quickly that he should stay away from him; but no, he kept insisting until they ended up like this.
Damn animals. So stupid.
He closed his eyes and tried to relax a little, enjoying the cold air that rushed through the park, moving his blond hair. In the background the sound of children playing and parents talking to each other along with the sound of certain birds passing through the area, pigeons mostly.
It was pleasant enough, a cloudy day like most of London, but with just enough sunlight filtering through the clouds to make it nice to be outside.
Draco enjoyed the quiet of the park, calming his racing heart.
-You do know you'll have to apologize, don't you? -
The wizard (ex-wizard?) opened his eyes to meet his friend's brown gaze. Unlike what he would have thought, Larry didn't look angry; he had the same calm and cool look as always. He looked at his friend for a few seconds instead of answering, Larry had recently cut his brown hair into a mullet that looked good on his semi-long hair, at least now it wasn't piling up in his face; Draco had advised him to get that cut the day they went to the hairdresser, it highlighted his strong chin and his Italian features. He looked rather handsome if you asked the blond.
-hey, earth calling Draco- Larry clicked a couple of times in front of the blond's face calling his attention- are you going to talk to me now? -
Draco sighed sitting properly on the bench, the brown sat next to him without stop looking at him.
Just looking at him, without saying anything. Waiting for the blond to start giving his explanations.
Draco looked at him out of the corner of his eye, his shoulders slumped as he folded his hands in his lap.
-Yes, I know -At last he said.
-What do you know? - Larry asked calmly, irritating Draco.
-I know I should apologize, it's just... I didn't mean to hurt him- he said in frustration.
-You said it was an accident-
-And it was! The damn animal kept wanting to play with me and I didn't want to. I was just trying to push it away but it fell and then Sheila came like an angry veela screaming at me- he ran a hand through his hair.
-I don't know what a veela is, but I know she's very protective of her dog... even so-Larry put his hand on Draco's shoulder-She shouldn't have yelled at you or called you a rat-
-That's what I said... although it's not like she lied either- he whispered at the end
-But... you shouldn't have said all those things about her dog either-the brown haired man reasoned.
Draco clicked his tongue.
-It's not like I lied either...- he murmured with a frown.
-You really don't like dogs- there was genuine curiosity in his voice.
-I thought I made that clear already- Draco answered, looking at his friend in disbelief.
-You avoided Lino when we went to Sheila's house but this seems much more than a simple, I don't want to take care of a dog, from what you said you really dislike them-
- Aha - affirmed Draco.
Larry looked at the blond for a few seconds intensely, as if he was analyzing every expression the boy had. That had been so since they met, Larry seemed to have the ability to see and analyze the emotions of others better than even better than his own. One of those people who can't be fooled with an "I'm fine" or who notices when someone is out of the mood of a place. An overly empathetic person.
-I need you to tell me the truth- said the brown-haired man seriously-Is this something you've always had... or do you think it's more something your father taught you?
Draco looked at the man as if he had grown another head.
-You know, like when you said you hated modern music and now you play abba every time we clean- Larry had a tone of sympathy and a smile to match.
Draco rolled his eyes, he hadn't hated modern music just modern Muggle music, but his friend had a point, that hatred was due to his upbringing not the music being bad.
-or you know, how you reacted to your first pride and your opinion about the community and ...-
-Yeah, I get it, okay! A lot of opinions are not from me but from my parents. Happy - Draco raised the tone of his voice, his anger was returning but now more towards himself and his family, his father - it could be ... I'm not sure -
Draco covered his face with his hands, rubbing it hard as he tried to think if his lack of affection for the animals was his or his father's. The memory of asking for a crup at age 5 and the tremendous hate speech his father gave him after that flashed quickly through his mind.
He lowered his hands to leave only his eyes in view.
-From the look on your face I can tell that the cult taught you to despise animals too, didn't they?-Larry said sympathetically, squeezing Draco's shoulder.
-Maybe- Draco said but his voice was muffled by his hands.
The smile on Larry's face grew, causing soft wrinkles around his eyes.
-Come on, let's walk. It'll help you get rid of this bad vibe- he got up from the bench stretching-while you're at it, tell me more about this new issue of yours-
-Who says I'll tell you anything, Lorenzo?- Draco looked at him with a raised eyebrow and a playful tone.
-Oh now I'm Lorenzo? - Larry raised an eyebrow-and you'll tell me because you have no one else to tell and since you're not going to therapy I'm your nearest professional-Larry shrugged his shoulders.
-Ouch- he said with a fake tone-You're still four years away from graduation, you phony-
-Oh don't whine, at least I don't charge you- Larry raised his hands behind his neck before he started walking- Come on little buddy-
-You're only three years older! Bloody gargoyle - Draco complained, but followed Larry through the park.
They walked and talked around the small park for a while before leaving the park and walking around the city until the sun started to set. For Draco talking to Larry was very easy, the man was a good listener and knew how to lift your spirits when you needed it without being extremely positive or super cheesy. Draco thought that if his friend wasn't completely muggle, he would have veela ancestry because of how easily he attracted people around him or maybe angelic if the wizard followed some branch of the followers of Yahve.
They walked slowly down the street that led to their building. Draco finally knew that he should apologize or at least explain his actions, he owed Sheila too much to be such an idiot and not recognize his mistakes. Besides, this was the first time they had argued in this way, they had had arguments, yes; mostly because of Draco's prejudices, which at the beginning were more difficult to deal with, but they had never been offended, even if she was the one who offended him directly.
He had to swallow his pride, even if it physically hurt him to ask for forgiveness.
-You ready? -
Larry asked, looking down at Draco from above, the older man was only two inches taller than Draco, but with how hunched over the boy was, he might as well be a foot tall.
-Yes...- Draco sighed resignedly and nervously.
They took the elevator in silence, allowing Draco to think about his apology for the umpteenth time. They calmly entered the apartment, sitting on the couch with Lino on her lap was the redhead. Her face was expressionless and her reddish hair was more unkempt compared to when she left; she was slowly stroking her pet, as if that would relax her, she looked up to see the newcomers before looking away and continuing to look straight ahead, Draco noticed that she started stroking the dog a little faster.
Draco took a breath and went to sit gently to one side of the girl, now they were both looking straight ahead not knowing what to say first. This reminded him a bit of the nerves he felt when he had to hand in his notes to his father knowing that Granger had surpassed him in everything and how that would end up with punishments for him; his mind knew that Sheila wouldn't beat him or anything like that but she might as well fire him and right now that was worse. He even preferred getting beaten up to losing his job, he couldn't go back to the streets.
He took a deep breath, getting ready to give his apology when he was interrupted.
-Look, Dray. I'm really sorry I called you a rat, okay?- Sheila began to speak, regret dripping from her voice; Draco was surprised to notice that the girl couldn't seem to find the right words- I went too far, I care so much about Lino that I almost went crazy when I heard him crying and I didn't let you explain what happened- she said quickly waving her hands as she explained- then you called him ugly and stinky and you reminded me too much of those old ladies at the dog park who insult him just because of his race and it made me angrier but still I shouldn't have called you so ugly or yelled at you so.... I'm sorry-
Sheila turned to look at Draco with sincerity in her face leaving the boy in momentary shock.
-I... I'm also... I'm sorry I pushed him so hard, it was an accident I swear-she said with a strangled voice-and I'm also...-
Draco took another deep breath, drowning out his father's voice shouting at him that a Malfoy doesn't apologize.
-I'm also sorry for saying all those things to him, I know he doesn't stink, you bathe him with like a thousand products and even though he is a bit slimy- Sheila narrowed her eyes a bit but without anger- you have to admit that he is literally slimy- Draco quickly corrected- but it doesn't mean I should have pushed him so I should have moved and gone to look for you or something... so... I'm sorry-.
They both looked into each other's eyes for a few seconds, gray against light blue, trying to convey their regret through their gaze.
They stayed that way for a while until Sheila broke the moment with a soft laugh.
-That hurt, didn't it? - she asked with a smile, Draco frowned in confusion-Apologizing, I noticed how it hurt, you clench your fists a lot when you apologize, but you've improved, I appreciate it-
Sheila gave a soft laugh causing Lino in her lap to wag his tail at his owner's happiness.
-I won't torture you anymore, I imagine you must have been worried sick all afternoon. Honestly I was too, you're a bit of an idiot but I wouldn't want us to stop being friends.
-Does that mean you're not going to fire me? - Draco asked nervously.
-Fire you? No, how do you think- Sheila waved her hand in the air in denial- I wouldn't fire you for such a stupid fight. You'd have to kill my firstborn for that... you're not planning to kill my firstborn, are you? -
Draco couldn't help but laugh at the redhead's witticism and she didn't hesitate to join in the laughter. The mood lightened almost completely. Sheila asked him where he had gone and why it had taken so long, causing the blond to tell her almost everything he had talked about with Larry, especially the subject of how he had been brought up to see animals as simple tools, and Sheila seemed a little more understanding after that.
-Mate, your family fucked you up big time-Draco couldn't help but nod, -you know.... Lino is my pet but he's also more than that, he's like my little brother. My nonna gave him to me before we decided to come to England and he was my only companion... family so to speak, he's what gave me unconditional love and cheered me up when I was sad, what reminds me of home and my grandmother. It is my family....-
Draco thought about flea briefly and how it made him happy the short time they were together, it hadn't been the bond Sheila and Lino shared but it was the only thing he could compare it to, he remembered the pain of losing the kitten and understood his friend a little more.
-I swear I will never push him like that again and I will never hurt him- Draco said sincerely.
-Yes, I know. I swear I'll try to keep him more in my room when you're at home and if something happens I swear I'll listen to you before I yell at you-
Draco wanted to tell her that it wasn't necessary but maybe this was the best way to keep the peace while they fixed up the girl's house.
The two of them talked some more to iron out their differences until Larry called them to lunch and by then everything was calmer.
A couple of quiet weeks passed where Lino and Draco hardly saw each other, until one afternoon when Sheila, in the rush to get to work, left the door unlocked and the mutt took the opportunity to go out. He found Draco on the couch again and the scene was almost the same, only this time, instead of approaching the boy quickly, Lino stayed on his side of the couch watching Draco with joy in his eyes. When the blond turned to see him he started to wag his short tail but didn't move any closer, Draco decided to ignore him if he noticed how slowly the English bulldog approached him. When the human saw him he stayed still and when he didn't stare at him, he came closer.
When Larry returned home from college that day he found a blond man with an irritated look on his face and a big, fat Lino asleep on his lap.
-Are you... okay? - asked the brown-haired man carefully.
-Heavy... get him off me- Draco said, though there was not so much annoyance in his tone.
If the situation was repeated a couple of times no one brought it up. Only until Sheila returned home and Larry decided that Draco's new exposure therapy would be the animal shelter.
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Before Draco died in his first life, Lino was still alive and thriving, happy to see the blond when he stopped by Sheila's house or they went out to the park.
He had no pet of his own because space and time did not permit it, but with time, exposure therapy and a lot of willpower he was able to regain his love for animals.
He had already wasted a lot of time ignoring that part of him and now he could start in this life by treating Iris as he should.
Draco was suddenly struck by a doubt.
-What harm did they do to him to make him hate them so much - he asked the air.
-Who? -
-Lucius-
He said without thinking before turning quickly to the questioner.
A beautiful snowy owl was staring at him with her yellow eyes wide open. Draco looked at the animal in disbelief for a few seconds before bursting into soft laughter, he had fallen into one of the most cliché scenes in children's books with owls and he found it hilarious, it could also be because he was losing his mind but he didn't care, laughing helped calm his stressed mind.
-Hey pretty- he said as he recovered from his fit of laughter, he looked at the owl for a second before noticing-you're Potter's, aren't you?
The owl hooted softly as if asserting her ownership.
Draco may have watched too many of Potter's runs in his first life to recognize his owl, but it was also because this bird was a beautiful white that appealed to the eye. With one hand he scratched the itch on his neck and with the other he tried to reach out to pet the animal but it backed up on its perch and tried to peck him.
-Well, they say that things look like their owner-
Draco shrugged his shoulders and turned to leave when a screech stopped him, turning around he noticed that the owl was looking at him as if it was waiting for something.
-What? The owl looked at him as if he was a fool before opening its wings a little and bending down with its body and head as if pointing at Draco's pants; the boy understood after a few seconds.
-Oh, you want treats? - the owl hooted again, Draco took out a couple of owl treats and brought them over to her, the bird ate happily from his hand as if she had never tasted anything so delicious- aww poor thing, that careless Potter doesn't bring you any treats, does he? You know, if you bite the idiot, next time he gets mail, I'll bring you a sack of treats.
Lock him up; he may have matured, but teasing the Gryffindor could still be fun, plus it was a very innocent prank that no one would ever find out about. The owl looked at him for a second before letting out a screech.
-I'll take that as a yes.