8th year (Drarry story)

Chapter 3

Harry stalked after Malfoy under his invisibility cloak. It was late, the rest of the students had already receded to their dorms and gotten themselves situated.

Harry followed Malfoy up a newly made tower for the returning 8th years. Malfoy’s shoulders were slightly hunched, but Harry couldn’t help but notice that he strode across the hallway as smoothly as ever.

In the back of his mind Harry wondered what he was doing? Why was he so invested in the blond? Why did it matter to him what the git was up to? Why could he never resist the impulse to follow the blond?

Finally Malfoy stopped in front of a door and paused. Harry was sure he even let out a small gasp. Harry couldn’t tear his eyes away from the shocked expression on blond’s face that slowly became more pained. Eventually Malfoy turned the handle of the door with a sigh and stepped inside his dorm.

Harry took a moment to compose himself as he stared at the door in front of him which Malfoy had just closed. He felt extremely weird just standing in front of his old enemy’s door wrapped up in his invisibility cloak. Harry wondered if this was what he wanted to do with his life.

Did he really just want to follow Malfoy around when he had gotten his first and last chance to just normally spend his time at what had been his home for multiple years now without the usual constant threats. Well last chance if he didn’t just say fuck it and fail all his classes, but he doubted Hermione would ever let that happen. Not without killing him first at least.

No, he decided, it was time to move on, it was time he let the past be in the past. He turned around and walked forward looking for his own name on the dorm doors. It felt weird walking away from the door, Harry would be lying if he said a large part of him didn’t just want to stay there.

He couldn’t spot his name on any of the doors ahead of Malfoy’s dorm. He mused to himself that he should have been searching for his own door while following Malfoy. Harry headed back towards the beginning of the tower to look at the previous doors too. He couldn’t help but glance at Malfoy’s door as he passed it.

His breath stuttered as he read the name written right above Draco Malfoy. Harry Potter. Harry felt like an absolute idiot for not spotting it earlier, what was wrong with him.

It seemed like whether he wanted it or not Harry would not be getting rid of Draco Malfoy so easily. The universe had decided that it was against the idea and now there they were, dorm mates for a year, Harry could already imagine all of it ending in a mess.

Harry had many flaws, but cowardice had never been of them. If Malfoy had entered the room without any complaints, so could Harry. He took a deep breath and turned to the handle, he had never been a fan of overthinking decisions.

Stepping inside, the first thing Harry noticed was Malfoy. He was setting up a small desk, which had a chair and a lamp on it. Malfoy placed the quills and ink he was levitating carefully down on his desk with a wave of his wand.

“Will you keep staring at me for the whole night Potter?” he said, turning to face Harry with a tight lipped and annoyed expression.

“Don’t I get an apology like my friends?” Harry instantly regretted his statement, it made him sound like a complete pillock and made it obvious that he had been spying on Malfoy.

“You were spying on me!” Malfoy exclaimed.

Harry wanted to apologize instantly but instead what came out of his mouth was, “I don’t trust you Malfoy, you probably didn’t even mean the apology, you’re just trying to get into their good graces to recover your reputation” At this point Harry wanted to bang his head into a wall and cry, he didn’t even know what he was saying anymore. His habit and instincts of arguing with Malfoy had kicked in and he didn’t know how to save the conversation.

As Malfoy opened his mouth for a rebuttal, Harry interrupted “It’s late Malfoy, I’m going to sleep now.” He quickly turned around and opened his trunk which had been delivered to his dorms by the house elves. Taking out his clothes he rushed into the private bathroom for their dorm, slamming the door behind him.

By the time he came back Malfoy was already in bed and the lights had been turned off. Harry cast a silencing charm around his side of the room and turned on a low light. He put away his clothes and unpacked some necessary things as regret sat low in his chest weighing him down. Why could he never think clearly when Malfoy was involved.

When his eyes started drooping with sleep he finally turned off the light, but not before stealing a final glance at Malfoy. Malfoy turned towards the wall in his sleep, away from where Harry stood.
Harry quickly collapsed onto his bed with his heart thumping against his chest.

With the lights off and the room noiseless, Harry fell asleep.