Drarry One Shots

Petals and Blood

It was much, much later, as he roamed the school during yet another sleepless night, that he heard familiar voices in hurried whispers down a side corridor near the infirmary. He shrunk into the shadows and listened.

'Please, Dray,' Zabini was practically pleading. 'You need to see her.'

'There's no point, she can't help.'

'She might be able to do something.'

'Believe me, she can't. It's a one-way course. I'm not taking the only other viable option.'

'But there is another option?'

'It's not an option. I would prefer to die than end up like my father.'

Harry narrowed his eyes, wondering whether to creep away. This wasn't any of his business. He wasn't going to get involved, no matter how nefarious or serious it sounded.

'You could tell me more, you know. I might be able to help.'

'There's no help with this one, Blaise.'

'No doubt you thought exactly the same thing about what happened in sixth year and you know we could have sorted something out for you—'

Harry turned to escape from his eavesdropping, this felt too personal. But then he stopped in his tracks because he heard his name.

'—what? Like go to Potter. We've been through that one. I'm indebted enough to him as it is—'

'—you know Potter doesn't see it like that. He's too fucking virtuous—'

'—don't, Blaise. Leave him out of this.'

'It's pretty hard when you're following every move he makes. Even if you pretend otherwise. I know he's got something to do with this.'

'Leave it, Blaise...' Malfoy snapped at his bestfriend in the darkness and Harry could imagine the accompanying scowl.

'What about Granger?'

'What about her?'

'We all know she's the brains behind the Golden Trio. If she can get them into The Ministry under everyone's noses, she can get you out of this.'

'Absolutely not. No way. She's too close...' Malfoy's voice faded and Harry wanted to know the end of the sentence, he wanted to hear Malfoy's thoughts.

He pulled further into the shadows and pushed his glasses up his nose as Malfoy began to cough again. He was deep in thought about what it all meant.

'Dray...' Zabini exclaimed, frustration clear. 'This is so shit...'

'Don't I know it?'

'At least you've opened up to us about this. We can rally around. Surely there must be something we can do, find another cure. Pans is beside herself with worry and desperation to help.'

'I told you: two cures, of sorts, neither happening because it's either impossible or the consequences are fucking dire.'

Harry's heart thumped at that – a cure? It confirmed his fears that something was seriously wrong with Malfoy.

'Can't you at least tell me what they are? We could talk through the options, look for another way out of this.'

'Do I have to keep repeating that it's a hereditary malediction? Every generation of Malfoy. The same course every time and I'm not going—' Malfoy began to cough again, hacking violently.

'Is it painful?' Zabini said, his voice laced with concern.

Malfoy didn't answer. And Harry imagined Malfoy looking at Zabini with a withering look between his coughing fits. He tended to agree, it was clear that it was painful.