IN NOX, SUM VERITAS━━DRACO MALFOY

ten. dépaysement

In the envelope was a moving picture of his mother and a man Louis assumed to be Martin, with graying hair despite his face looking quite young.

"Look, Luna." Louis handed the letter over to her, "My mother's met someone. His name's Martin. There's even a picture of the two of them."

Taking the picture from him, Luna took a look, the two of them smiling back at her before she handed the photo back to Louis. "That's wonderful. Are you happy, Lou?"

"Very. She's been through a lot. She deserves it."

When Draco was face to face with the Vanishing Cabinet once more, he found himself thinking about what Louis had said to him. I don't know what I'd do if someone I was close with had it out for me. It had all begun to feel like he was leading a double life, showing one side of himself to the school and an incredibly different one to Louis. Somehow, the side he had been showing to the school for the longest was beginning to feel more like a fraud and the way he had been with Louis was the opposite—a bit more authentic, comfortable. It had only been a few weeks since he and Louis had begun talking but there was something about the way Louis looked in the moonlight under that twilight sky that made Draco want to see him like that more often.

That was when Draco stopped himself in his tracks, that same dragon making its way to breathe its fire as his neck flared up at the thought. It wasn't possible that he had sprouted any feelings for the Ravenclaw in such a short amount of time. He was already trying to work through the possibility of not being so keen on the girls that went to Hogwarts, he didn't need anything else piled onto his plate at the moment. Sure, Louis had been the one to cause that whirlwind of emotions that ran rampant within Draco's being but there wasn't any way that he would be into him, would it? The chances were low, Louis returning his affection even lower, even if he was into people the same as his own.

That was the thought that brought Draco to a full stop and break into a cold sweat, somehow confirming his budding feelings for the boy by the tiniest bit. It stressed him out and scared him a great deal discovering that he liked Louis. He could've fought it all he wanted to but doing that would only land him in the same spot again, spiraling until he lost his grip on himself. He was already falling through the sky at such an agonizing pace, just waiting for his back to hit the water as he endured the final blow, a shooting star fizzling out as he sunk beneath the waves.

"So, tell me about the boy you've been dreaming about. Who's the one that's got the juvenile deity all tongue-tied and at a loss for words?" Louis's request came quite abruptly and unprompted, his curiosity getting the best of him. As much as he wanted to know who had been on the teen god's mind all this time, he had to be patient considering that the two of them were there on Draco's terms, which allowed him to disclose anything whenever he felt comfortable enough to do so. "Only if you want to. No rush."

The two were lying on the ground of the Tower and looking up at the stars again, closer in proximity this time around, their shoulders barely grazing so they weren't quite flush against one another. Draco could see one of Louis's two freckles that dotted his nose, however not as clearly, so that meant they were close enough by his standard.

Hearing Louis asking to tell him about the person that's invaded his sleep and an evergrowing number of his conscious thoughts while he had no clue that he was the one that had such an effect on Draco to the point he debilitated his ability to think clearly somehow frustrated Draco even though he had no right to be angry since he was the one withholding the information. And with how intuitive Louis seemed to be, Draco just assumed that he'd know, making it easier on his part without actually having to admit it.

Draco shifted a little before releasing a sigh, knocking his shoulder into Louis's in the process and feeling that familiar shock, a match striking across the back of the box and not having quite caught fire yet. "I don't even really know if I like him, to begin with. It's this weird feeling I get in the pit of my stomach and this little nagging voice in the back of my head that tells me that I shouldn't be feeling this way but the more I try to fight it, the stronger it gets and it's been scaring me."

"That's totally normal." Louis rolled over onto his side to look at Draco, his head propped up in his hand and their eyes met, stars aligning. "That feeling of free-falling through the sky at such a heart-stopping pace at the thought of liking someone. It kinda makes you wanna throw up at how fast your head spins, how dizzying it feels when you catch a whiff of something that smells like them. It's all exhilarating, really. Oh, and then that absolute wave of relief that washes over you when you find out that they like you in return. It's the best. I have yet to experience that last bit but it'll come when it wants to come."

"No one's ever liked you?" Draco's eyebrows knitted together in confusion at that, surprised that Louis, of all people, hadn't managed to go out with someone. "Really? I can't say that doesn't surprise me."

"Unfortunately. I'm either always hiding in the library or up here for anyone to actually find me and take any interest. There was, uh, a Slytherin last year I had a crush on. He didn't actually like me and turned out to be a major prat. I'm also riddled with trust issues so I can't really tell if anyone likes me. Why do you sound so surprised?"

"I just thought someone like you wouldn't have a hard time getting a girlfriend or. . .boyfriend or whatever it is you like."

Louis raised a mischievous brow at the platinum blond. "'Someone like me'. Care to elaborate?"

Draco huffed, rolling his eyes before looking back at Louis, who was eyeing him expectantly, waiting for an answer, the intensity of his gaze making him squirmish. "I just mean. . .as someone who's not so. . .bad looking, I figured you would have an easier time asking someone out. That's all."

"Well, there was that one girl who had sent me a note during dinner. Invited me to sneak into the library after curfew."

A strange twinge of jealousy thrummed up within Draco at the memory, reprimanding himself for the way he had gotten up so abruptly after seeing that same sun-bright smile plastered on his face, the crinkles by his eye. It hadn't been quite the same smile Draco had seen at the dinner their first night, but it had been close enough. "Right," he then replied flatly, not expecting to have his response come out as so.

"I said no," Louis replied, "not that you were wondering."

"Why'd you say no? You could've finally gotten yourself a girlfriend."

Louis shrugged, scrunching his nose at the thought. "I dunno. I sort of had someone else in mind at the time."

A silence fell over them as Draco caught wind of his heart lodging itself in his throat, thus making him unable to reply. His heart rate pitched, his blood singing in his ears as he felt the familiar flare crawling up the back of his neck. "Oh."

"Wait, how is this now about me?" Louis smiled, his eyes crinkling, just on the brink of true happiness, "We were just talking about you."

"Even when it's not about you, it's somehow always comes back to you. It's always about you," Draco joked, a hint of a smile pulling at his mouth, although part of that statement reigned true. It's always about you. Because it was. Draco was here because of him, Draco kept the moon company when he stayed up all night because of him. Of course it was about him. Draco wouldn't be lying here, atop of the Astronomy Tower next to a boy who had stars for eyes, an ink-stained soul, and a knack for learning words uncommon if it wasn't.

𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑'𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄 .｡.:*

next chapter is where the fun‪™‬ begins 🤠

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