𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐄𝐋𝐒 | draco malfoy ✔️

27. cold as ice

"Harry!" She cried, shaking her head. "I think he's telling the truth. I don't think Malfoy hurt Amora."

"What?" Harry turned to look at her incredulously. "Of course he did, Hermione. There's no other person in this entire school that holds a grudge against her!"

"I didn't do it," Draco spat, "I didn't come here for you to accuse me, either." 

"Oh, really?" Harry scoffed. "What did you come here for, then? To make fun of her? To rub it in my face?"

"I came to see if she was okay."

Draco's heavy words caused a silence amongst the three teenagers. Harry looked dumbfounded for a second, green eyes faltering as they flickered across Draco's face, looking for any sign of insincerity. And whilst Harry definitely saw dread and fear and hesitation, he didn't see any malicious intent behind the icy grey eyes Harry had grown to detest more and more each day.

"What does it matter to you?" Harry grumbled, turning his back on Draco and running his hand through his hair.

Draco felt his stomach knot at the question. What did it matter to him? It felt like everything right now.

"Well, Buckley's all right, isn't she?" Draco muttered, pursing his dried lips as he tried to hold back. "We're DADA partners. Not to mention she hangs around with Parkinson occasionally. Or Zabini. I've gotten to know her."

Hermione wouldn't stop staring at him, her lips parting at his final sentence. The look behind her caramel eyes said everything. She knew. Hermione was a clever girl, the smartest in the school. She knew something had been going on between Draco and Amora— a mutual pining or sense of attraction, she believed. But now she knew it was stronger than that.

Harry seemed to fail to notice the way Draco's hands trembled slightly, or how his blond hair wasn't as neat as usual. In fact, it looked like he'd been raking his hands back and forth through it on a vicious loop. He was paler than normal too— if that was even possible. Hermione took note of it though, able to keep a rational head unlike Harry who was panicking over Amora.

"She was down there a long time," Harry exhaled shakily, not looking Draco in the eye. "I couldn't see her. One moment she was laughing, the next she saw someone behind me and screamed and then she was gone."

Draco's chest ached at the thought. Part of him was glad he hadn't been there because he was sure he would have freaked out and had another of what Pansy had called 'a panic attack.' He might not have been able to save Amora. The other part of him was convinced that she wouldn't have even been put in that position if it was him with her. He wouldn't have allowed her on the ice, he would have kept her safe from people with bad intentions lurking around.

"How did you get her out?" It was Hermione that asked this question, Draco was still in a state of shock.

"I didn't. The Giant Squid pushed her to the surface. I grabbed her from there. She wasn't breathing— I— I screamed and Hagrid heard... Oh God, Leon needs to know."

"He's at Hogsmeade with Kathy, he'll be back soon—"

Fury raged in Draco's stomach. He remembered the time he'd been inspecting his broken nose, curtesy of Hermione, when Hagrid had come stumbling in with her tiny figure in his arms. He remembered how angry he had felt for her when she briefly explained what had happened— after she had nearly flooded the place with her tears and crushed his hand.

"Not the first time you've caused Buckley to end up in here," Draco suddenly snapped, furious. "I'm surprised you decided to help her this time, considering the two of you left her to practically rot when she was struck by the Whomping Willow last year."

Hermione looked hurt whilst Harry appeared furious. "Shut up, Malfoy," he growled.

"Why should I? You know I'm right, Potter. You left her there, and whilst Buckley is stupid enough to forget about it, I won't. Not when you go prancing around the school pretending to be some sort of Saint, sacrificing innocent people carelessly."

Hermione gasped, "Malfoy—"

"No," he cut her off roughly. "This is the second time you've nearly gotten her killed. The second time—"

"Why do you care so much?" Harry suddenly yelled, shoving Draco back by the shoulders. "You act like you're in love with her or something!"

The doors to the Medical Wing creaked open to reveal Cedric. The older Hufflepuff had red eyes, but he managed a tiny smile in the direction of Harry. The three teenagers fell silent, listening eagerly.

"She's going to be okay."

..
4K words!! im absolutely knackered, but i can't wait to wake up in the morning and see what you guys thought of this chapter :))

hopefully you liked some of draco's perspective? i like writing through his eyes, it's quite refreshing actually to try and work out how my version of draco would react

thanks for reading <333

dyiansobrien