15th october 1993
The memory of what Draco heard in the East Wing of the Manor was inescapable.
And he had tried to.
He threw himself into his schoolwork when he returned to Hogwarts, but nothing was louder than the words of his father.
He brought his hand up to his mouth as he choked back a sob, which echoed off the walls of the bathroom.
Draco had tried to rationalise what he had overheard; he knew his own father, he must know his own father, and his father would never try to kill someone, even by proxy. It must have been a misunderstanding.
Yet, there wasn’t much to misunderstand about the phrase, ‘Thank Merlin we got rid of that blasted book, it caused rather a fuss though, with all that petrification. A pity it didn’t take any Mudbloods with it too.’
Draco turned on the tap, listening to the rush of water as he clutched the sink, his knuckles turning white.
The noise deafened the sound of his own cries.
His legs felt like he’d been hit with the Jelly-Leg Curse and his heart was pounding in his chest as if it were about to explode.
He felt as if his ribs were trying to crush his lungs and he gripped the sides of the sink as if without them he would die.
Draco stared at the water, the sound fading as the blood rushed to his head, pounding in his ears like a drumbeat. He tried to focus his thoughts on the water; he tried to focus on his surroundings.
He wasn’t sure how much time had passed until his breathing evened out and his grip loosened on the sink, but the sun was shining through the stain glass windows, suggesting it was setting.
Breathing in shakily, Draco flexed his fingers, wincing as his knuckles cracked. Myrtle’s bathroom was rather peaceful when she wasn’t here. Draco hadn’t planned on entering the room, but he was hit with a sudden wave of realisation he couldn’t ignore.
He overheard a group of Ravenclaw’s theorising on how the Chamber was opened, curious as to why no one was accused but it was suddenly safe for students to be in school.
The door creaked open, and Draco’s eyes darted in the direction of the noise. “Draco?” It was Harry. “What are you doing in here?” he asked, his eyebrows furrowing as his eyes scanned Draco’s face for an answer.
Draco smiled meekly, still a little shaky. “You know, I could ask you the same,” he replied, glancing at Harry who grinned.
“It’s quiet here, when Myrtle isn’t around,” Harry shrugged, and Draco laughed, his eyes tearing up again.
Harry was here for the same reason he was.
Peace.
“Draco,” Harry said softly. “What’s wrong?” he asked, as Draco looked anywhere other than at Harry.
Draco shook his head, taking a deep breath. “Nothing,” he said, smiling a smile that he knew didn’t reach his eyes. “It was nice to see you Harry,” he smiled, waving as he left the bathroom.
Little did he know that Harry was the one who asked Pansy and Blaise to help cheer him up, leading to the first cross-house sleepover.