Lifeguards (a Drarry Story)

Chapter Twenty- Papers and Breaks

"Well it didn't seem like it. You came at me like a bloody interrogator. Didn't even try to listen to me, I was panicking. Like I said you wouldn't understand, it's something that has been beaten into me since a kid. Why do you think I freaked out? Because I was mad I wasn't a pureblood?" Draco scoffs loudly again. "I could give a damn less about what kind of blood is swimming around in my veins. I was scared, I lash out when I'm scared. You of all people should know this, it's the only reason we fought when we were kids. I'm scared for what will happen to my parents, to me, being tainted with creature blood is a death sentence. They don't care as much if you marry a muggleborn or go canoodle with a halfblood as long as you can produce an heir that is still fully wizard. It's a bunch of messed up logic, none of it makes sense. Being part creature, even as tiny as I am, it's something they don't take kindly to. It's a disgrace, they only really liked Greyback because he was bloody ruthless. They still thought he was a bloody disgrace to their cause."

Harry furrows his eyebrows tightly, watching as Draco shakily takes a sip of his tea. His hands still look red, he probably didn't get all of the blood off.

"I didn't know, they never taught us any of that," Harry tries to reason. "How would I have known?"

"Because if you had just listened instead of jumping to your stupid conclusions I would have told you. I'm scared they'll realize another one of the sacred twenty-eight lines has just vanished out of existence. I can't produce a fully wizard heir, so in the course of a generation three lines have vanished, the Greengrass', Parkinson's, and now the Malfoy's."

"Can you explain why they care so much?" Harry says his hands clasping tightly in front of him, his tea is sitting on the coffee table untouched.

"Because, the Greengrass' and Parkinson's have an excuse. They had girls, only girls so they would have to marry into a different family. I have done something unforgivable, even though I did it unintentionally. I'm an only child, the only heir to the Malfoy name. It messes up the system, there will be an unbalance because it wasn't planned. It might not make sense to you, they're very concerned with the original wizarding blood lines dying out and losing all of the history with it. It's not a play on their overall superiority. It's a power play because sacred twenty-eight families have knowledge that has not been tainted, they hold the reigns because they're so ancient. It's just something that's important, I'm not good at explaining things." Draco sighs his hands setting his mug down on the side table and instead wrapping his arms around his legs tightly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know," Harry says his face heating with shame. He really needs to learn when to listen.

"It's whatever," Draco says offhandedly, his eyes trained outside again. It's getting cloudy, he hopes it rains because he really wants at least something to match his mood.

"I wanted to apologize for what I said earlier. I was being immature and saying things I knew would make you upset, I didn't mean it. I'm really sorry for saying those things, I really am," Harry watches Draco tighten his grip on his legs, burying his face into his knees.

"That hurt a lot you know?" Draco mumbles his voice muffled by his joggers.

"I know, I'm sorry. But what you said wasn't exactly nice either. I just knew it was something that would make you mad," Harry feels extremely stupid and immature explaining his reasoning to Draco. He really didn't mean a word he said.

"I had just been told by some curse breaker that I was part fucking fairy, then to top it off my boyfriend tells me I'm acting like a Death Eater and I haven't changed. I'm sorry, wouldn't you want to say the most hurtful things to get back at them?"

"I guess, yeah, I would," Harry says watching Draco stare out of the window still. Harry sighs quietly, he's really fucked up this time.

"Harry, I really think it would be best if I was left alone for a while," Draco says watching the first rain drop hit his window pane. He doesn't want to look over at Harry, it'll hurt more.