Chapter 15
CHAPTER 15
March 28
"I want to check out the new store in Hogsmeade so you all better clear your schedule for tomorrow." Pansy declared.
"Wait, this a Hogsmeade weekend?"
"Merlin's sake Theo at least pretend to live in the present moment." Draco chided. They were in the great hall , just another Friday having dinner.
"After we have bought any supplies we may need and the compulsory visit to Honeydukes." Blaise suggested. All this while Draco has been trying to meet Harry's eyes.
"I second that." Theo jumped in.
"Or we could first go there and then go to the other places. Draco, what do you think?" Pansy countered.
"The new place just happens to be a shop for designer clothing, my darling ,which means we all will be there for a while, better get the other things out of the way right?"
Harry was making his way out,better get going.
"3 to 1, that settles it then." Blaise said.
"Amazing then, I really need to go, so I'll see you guys later."
"What ,where are you headed?" Theo asked.
"Library, gotta return some books. Don't wait up for me, see you tomorrow. Leave around 10 ?"
"Have you considered asking Pince to let you live in the Library ?"
" Very funny, Blaise. Later."
He turns around and makes his way to the Room of requirements. The third year's have astronomy class which means he has to take a slight detour which just happens to cross Filch's office. They should really check the astronomy class schedule before planning meetups. Not that Potter does anything according to any plan ever made. Luckily for him, detour also means it is a shorter walk.
He sees Harry in the corner with a piece of parchment in his hand, probably the map. Draco goes towards him and hugs him from the behind. Harry startles for a moment before he relaxed in Draco's arms. Draco has started doing more often and given Harry's reaction, the brunette doesn't really mind.
"Hey."
"Hey, there. Looks like you didn't cover these up pretty well."
"Your fault, you leave them so high up."
"Guilty as charged." To make his point, he nibbles on the almost invisible marks on the shorter boy's neck.
Harry chuckled at that and Draco felt the vibrations in his chest, leaving him with a tingling feeling. Whatever it is that he feels for this boy is something he has never experienced with anyone else. He is still not sure if he would call it love. Something about the word makes him feel like an inadequate Hufflepuff but it is definitely edging closer with how he finds everything Harry does either cute or stupidly endearing. Merlin, he is becoming a lovesick buffoon.
Leaving the speculation for later, he peers over Harry's shoulder to see the map.
"Filch is that way, so we go left then we can avoid him but if he turns around then it is the same as walking in the beast's belly." Draco points out.
"How do you know which route he will take and it's barely after dinner, he cannot do anything before curfew."
"Ideally no, but Filch shows some Slytherin traits once in a while, if I say so myself. "
They walk for a while with Harry constantly watching the map.
"Filch looks like he will take the turn so we better be careful." He says and tucks the map in his pocket.
"Careful! Merlin, help us, Harry reckless gryffindor Potter actually uttered the word careful."
"God's, Draco. Must you be so dramatic."
"Oh but you just said the word. It calls for all the drama in the world."
Harry gives him a fond smile.
"Drama is if the Room of requirements is occupied again."
"No, drama is when I am going to pound you into the mattress. Harry dearest."
"Can't wait." He says with a wink. But winces when he turns around.
"Harry. Did you use the salve like I told you to ?"
"Um.. mostly."
"Well, if you need me to brew you another bottle then…… wait, you forgot, didn't you?"
He blushed a deep red. And Draco knew that he was right.
"Let's just hope the room is empty, I don't want to deal with the classroom again."
"Deal with the classroom? I fucking to told you the desk would be a better idea, but you had place yourself against the stone wall."
Draco shoved him close to the wall to make his point, but also he just wanted this to go somewhere.He made sure that Harry wasn't actually touching the wall, so it wouldn’t hurt him.
"Shut up." Harry protested, but it came out weak.
"Shut me up." He leaned in and Harry's lips were almost touching his when they heard a purr.
"Fuck, it's Filch's cat. He must be nearby." And surely enough, they heard footsteps. Draco looked around,and there was a small broom closet nearby.
"Come with me, we have to hide." He said and dragged Harry with him and locked the door.
"Draco, please. I can't stay in here."
"Shh. Keep quiet he is here."
Draco saw through the keyhole as Filch looked around and found nothing. He decided to leave and took the outraged cat with him, humming. Draco waited for a while just to be sure.
"Come on, we can go now."
When he turned around, he saw Harry sitting on the floor, with knees bent to his chest. He felt a sense of deja vu remembering the other time he saw this very scene. He quickly went towards him and sat next to him.
"Harry, Hey Harry. It's just me."
Harry had buried his face in his knees and arms. He was shivering, shuddering. Draco heard silent sobs.
"Harry, look at me." He slowly looked up.
"Draco."
"Hey, it's alright." Harry grabbed Draco by his shoulder and buried his face under his neck. Draco wrapped his arms around him and they just sat there with Draco holding Harry until he calmed down a bit. Surely enough, there was a wet patch on Draco's shoulder but he didn't mind as long as Harry was okay.
"Hey, are you okay?"
"Better now." His voice was still a little weak.
They both stood up and Draco pulled him closer. He leaned in and kissed Harry. He tried to pour all the love and worry he was feeling into that kiss. He was dying to know what happened. What had scared Harry so much. But he wanted to wait until they were someplace safe and out of any prying eyes.
Room of requirements was just around the corner but after everything, the walk felt too long. Thankfully, the room was empty and they entered the same room as always. They both sat next to each other on the large sofa near the fireplace.
"Harry. Are you better now?"
"Yeah, much. Thanks."
"Don't thank me, tell me what happened."
"It was nothing."
"Hey, it was not nothing." He took Harry's hands in his, " Tell me what happened."
He was quite for a long and when he spoke he barely whispered 'Reminded me of my cupboard'
What! It took Draco a moment to realize that he had said it out loud.
"I am claustrophobic." He said urgently.
"That is not what you said before."
" I don't know what you are talking about."
" You said 'my cupboard' what did you mean by that?"
"Just another thing I said without thinking. You keep telling me I do that a lot."
"This doesn't sound like just another thing to me."
"Draco let it g–"
"Harry, trust me."
Harry stood up and walked towards the charmed windows which showed similar pattern as the Slytherin windows did.
"Please don't talk until I finish."
Draco stood close behind him but did not approach him.
"Okay."
"It was my relatives. After my parents died they were meant to look after me but they hated our kind, wizards. They hated me too. I was always asked to cook for them and clean after them my bedroom used to be the cupboard. I was barely allowed to eat.And my cousin Dudley chased me around. He was four sizes bigger than me and i had to wear his clothes because i didn’t have any of my own."
Harry took a deep breath. Whereas Draco, he was seething.
"They treated you like a house elf, no, worse than a house elf and starved you."
"Yes." He quickly added " Please just don't see me any differently because of this. I am still the same reckless gryffindor you keep telling me I am."
___________
After that, Draco hugs him, from the behind. Harry loves it when he does that. He craves any sort of intimacy the blonde has to offer.
"Why aren't you outraged? Why don't you want to hunt them down?"
"Because there is no point in doing that. That doesn't mean I am not angry or I don't hate them mind you."
"Well, I want to."
"I am glad you feel that way but don't. Okay?"
Draco's hold around Harry tightened and Harry leaned back into him. Harry could have never imagined that Draco Malfoy would be that first person he opens up about his past to.
"It's okay. I understand."
This is the very reason he hated telling anything to anybody. They all think that they understand but they really don't . They don't know what it is like to actually be there.
"You don't understand!"
"It's okay. Harry–"
"No, I don't need your pity. My bad for thinking you are any different."
"Harry liste–"
"No just don't." He pushes Draco away. When he sees him, he looks hurt. But there is also a deep seeded empathy and understanding in his eyes that really confuses Harry.
"Harry, calm down."
"Draco. "He says tentatively." What are you not telling me?"
"It's been a long day and you need to rest."
"No, tell me."
"Harry this not about me y–"
"So you want me to trust you but you don't trust me is that it?"
"No,–"
"Then tell me."
He goes around and sits on the bed, his back towards Harry.
“What is it Draco, was it your fath.. Did he -”
"Yes, it was my father, he wanted me to be just like him in every way and so did I but we were different people and almost never agreed on anything. He always thought I was a failure and I wanted to show that I was not. I did everything he asked me to do and even things he didn't ask me to do so that he would see me as more than just an heir, an obligation. The first time he raised his hand on me I was twelve, after that things just escalated. Last year, during Christmas hols,he walked in on me with another guy and that was when I knew how little I mattered to him. He… he cursed me."
"But you sang his praises all the time in the corridors and –"
"He is my father Potter! I looked up to him. I was doing things to please him all the damn time."
"But he beat you and cruc–"
"Yes, he did, but I always thought if I did better then he would stop and it wasn't always like that either, things were different when I was younger. He taught me how to ride a broom and climb trees and…. It is not that simple. I don't know what I feel about him anymore, I just know that he was wrong, about a lot of things and i am angry but .... its not that simple"
"So he asked you to call people mudblood an–"
"What! No, what would he get out of me going after a couple teenagers. He obviously didn't discourage me though. I thought it would please him is all. And it did, for a while."
Harry goes and sits next to him, hoping he doesn't push him away. He is still not close to understanding why someone would love a man who beats him but he supposes that things are not as black and white as he thought they were.
" Draco, I am sorry."
"Whatever for ?"
"For pushing you back there. I shouldn't have done that."
"Doesn't matter."
"It does! It matters to me, alright. And I am sorry."
"Okay, apology accepted."
Harry rested his head on Draco's shoulder and Draco put his arm around him. His smell was intoxicating. Everything about him was intoxicating and lovely. Merlin, he had fallen deep.
"Have you told anyone else?" Harry asked.
"Pansy ,Blaise and Theo know. But I didn't really tell them on my own"
"Then?"
"Remember third year, when the hippogriff scratched me it was at the very spot my father had got a good hex in. I needed the Salve pomfrey was giving me so that it doesn't scar. When I was still acting after the execution date was set, they asked, I didn't tell them so they put veritaserum in my juice and made me admit everything."
"Very Slytherin of them. But how were you just okay with them for doing that?"
"I wasn't. I was mad at them for a month. They even offered to take the unbreakable vow to never do it again. We eventually settled on a wizards' oath." They sat there for a while, and Harry was still processing everything and they heard and he heard Draco’s alarm again.
"Should we be going?" He asked but every cell in his body just wanted to just cling to Draco.
"It's after curfew."
"I have the map."
"Any plans tomorrow morning?"
"Other than sleep in?"
He let out one of those small laughs that Harry had come to love.
"Yes, you lazy goose. Other than sleeping."
"Nothing, why Malfoy you want to take me out."
"You wish. I was thinking if we don't have early mornings then we can stay here tonight."
Harry's heart was soaring." You mean like spend the night together?"
"Yes." He said," unless of course you'd rather sleep in your own bed and no–" Harry placed a finger on his lips to make him shut up.
"Amazing idea."