just for you (years 5-7)

chapter 55

i give an awkward smile as both boys give me glances mixed with surprise and confusion. theo raises his eyebrows questioningly, and i nod to him.

"yep, friends," i confirm, and watch as draco looks back to me with a smile on his face.

the walk down to the common room is easy, almost like the past year hadn't even happened. we were just four friends, walking the halls and cracking jokes, our laughs echoing off the walls.

when we reached the dungeons, the three boys all waved goodbye to me with a smile, draco lingering for a moment longer before jogging after theo and blaise to their dormitory.

i walked up my own stairs and burst into the room with a smiling, searching for daphne and pansy.

daphne was standing in the middle of the room, one arm crossed over her chest and the other on her chin— while pansy was on her bed, reading a magazine.

"guess what—!" i start, smiling as i shut the door.

"where have you been!" daphne sighed, releasing her tense stance and walking over to me, "god, we haven't seen you all day—"

"i told you, she probably went out with brian again—" pansy rolls her eyes.

"i was with draco, actually," i interject, looking between them.

"you were— what?" daphne says, narrowing her eyes in my direction.

"he um— well brian may have indulged him in the details of our date at breakfast and he—" i look cautiously over at pansy, wishing i could convince draco to tell her already so i didn't have to speak in code around her, "he was... upset," i give daphne a pointed look, to which she widens her eyes in understanding, "theo and blaise came and grabbed me and then draco and i talked— it was rather nice, actually. we decided on being friends, and he asked me all about how i've been and things like that, just like i've been wanting. so, i figured i'll give it a shot— see how it goes."

"well, it's about bloody well time," pansy groans, snapping her magazine shut and smiling over at me, "i don't care if it took his emotional breakdown for it to finally happen— but i'm fucking glad it has."

i give pansy a thankful as she gets up from her bed, walking to me and patting my shoulder.

"theodore's back, then?" she smiles, widening her lips even further as i nod.

"in their dormitory," i explain, indicating my head back towards the door.

"right— well, since i'm not keen on hearing daphne rant about how much she despises malfoy— i'll be off!" she smirks between the two of us, earning a glare from daphne as she reaches for the door. "don't be to harsh on her, love!" she shouts over her shoulder just before closing the door.

and then i'm left with daphne staring me down.

"what really happened?" she frowns, tilting her head and waiting for the full story.

"he's been scratching his arm really bad for weeks. he had multiple deep lacerations and some sort of infection. i think he must've been off the medicinal potion— because i haven't seen him tear at it this bad since before i started brewing it," i take a deep breath as daphne nods for me to continue. "he— he's said before he wants to feel the pain as i way to— punish himself. he thinks he deserves it so— i imagine he stopped taking it when i— when we broke things off."

i keep talking before daphne can interject, "he was rather upset about brian— theo said he rubbed our date in draco's face. had i heard it from draco first, i probably would have said he was overreacting, but—"