Draco couldn't believe it. His father had tried to kill him. Sure, he was friends with Muggleborns and Blood-traitors and he knew that his father was going to be mad. But trying to kill him? His only heir?
And now, here he was in the hospital wing, Harry sitting by his side even though Dumbledore had called him to his office. Harry had explicitly said that he wasn't going to be leaving Draco any time soon, and Draco had no intention of letting him leave before he had properly berated him about all the absolutely mental things he had done. Really, was it that hard to remember to bring a bloody bird?
"And you didn't even tell a teacher! What if you had died in there?! They wouldn't even be able to find your corpse, you know why? Because no one else is a bloody parseltongue!" Draco continued to yell from his hospital bed.
Harry had stopped reacting to his lectures around 10 minutes ago. And that only infuriated Draco more. He just kept looking at Draco with that stupid dopey smile on his face. Draco didn't even know it was possible to smile that wide in these circumstances. Harry's grin stretched from ear to ear and it was getting hard to keep yelling at him.
In hindsight, he should have predicted this. Gryffindors had no common sense. Look at Weasley: he was on a hospital bed as well, sleeping. He had made the unbelievably stupid decision of fighting a miniature Voldemort as a second-year!
Idiots, complete and utter idiots.
But...they were his idiots.
Draco sighed and reached out to Harry. "Promise me you'll never do that again."
"Fight a Basilisk?" Harry said, amusement lacing his voice.
Draco half-heartedly hit his head. "Risk your life."
Harry's smile faltered a little, dying into a small smile. "I can't do that."
Draco wanted to say more, but he knew that even if Harry did promise him, he wouldn't be able to keep it. No promise was better than a fake one. Draco gave up and put his head on Harry's shoulder, mumbling 'idiot' repeatedly.
"Mr. Potter! Mr. Malfoy!" a familiar voice chirped.
Draco and Harry looked over to see Dumbledore and Flitwick walking over to them. Well, Dumbledore was walking; Flitwick was running over to them, he had to to keep up with Dumbledore.
"Professor Flitwick," Draco said, his mood suddenly elevated.
Flitwick hopped onto the side table and began to talk. "I apologize for not believing you, Draco. It was foolish of me. Are you alright?" he said sincerely.
Draco didn't have to think about it, he forgave him. After all, Flitwick was Draco's favourite professor, and even Draco had thought he was going insane. The random surges of rage, as well as the blackouts, didn't help prove him wrong.
"Mr. Potter," Dumbledore addressed Harry, the twinkle in his eyes still shining brightly.
"Yes, sir?" Harry asked.
"I find myself curious. Why exactly are you in possession of a Diary from one of my older students?" Dumbledore asked, his smile faltering a bit as he read the name inscribed on the bottom of the book.
Harry glanced at said book that was resting on the small table next to the Hospital bed. Draco couldn't bear to look at the book for longer than a minute. All the things he had told Tom, all the secrets he had divulged, and for what? Because he needed someone to talk to. He let his feelings cloud his judgement and that would never happen again. There were lives at stake, he couldn't afford to let his heart get in the way of his brain.
"I see." Dumbledore's voice broke his thoughts.
"I must commend you on your courage, Mr. Potter. If it wasn't for you and Mr. Weasley, Mr. Malfoy wouldn't be here with us right now," Flitwick said sincerely.
"It--" Harry was suddenly cut off as the doors swung open.
"Draco!" A familiar voice shouted.
Draco froze. He looked up and sure enough, his father was standing in the doorway. An elf was peeking out from behind him. Dobby.
Draco had to stop himself from running away. He wasn't ready for the conversation with his father right now. And how was he meant to tell his father that he knew that he had actively tried to kill him? Draco knew he had to feign ignorance, but he wasn't too sure Harry would, given how the boy tensed up when he saw the man.
Lucius stomped over to Draco, Dobby scurrying behind him.
"I knew sending you here was an awful decision. I don't know how I let Narcissa talk me into it. You will be transferring schools instantly," he began to rant.
Harry's already tense body jerked at the thought of Draco leaving.
"Lucius," Dumbledore nodded.
Lucius ignored him completely, frozen when he saw the book that was lying on Draco's side table. It was a rare crack in his normally calm demeanour: his eyes were slightly wide and his jaw very narrowly hanging open.
"You," Harry hissed out.
Lucius snapped out of it and looked at Harry, scowling.
"That is no way to speak to your elders, child," Lucius berated.
"It's how I'd speak to someone who tried to kill my best friend." Harry scowled.
Lucius very slightly flinched but otherwise showed no sign of surprise.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Lucius raised his head.
"You put the book in Draco's cauldron. That day in Flourish and Blotts. He almost died." Harry's voice was deadly.
"How dare you!--"
"Now now, I believe we should leave Draco alone. The boy deserves to rest after all he's went through." Dumbledore raised his hands and pointed towards the exit. Flitwick and Dumbledore left while Harry and Lucius stayed behind.
Harry and Lucius glared at each other for a minute before finally following the Headmaster's orders. Lucius was quick to leave while his elf lingered behind. Harry, who had taken to notice of the elf until he stared directly into Harry's eyes was understandably shocked at seeing him.
Dobby squeaked and left. Harry made to follow him but was stopped when Draco grabbed his arm. Harry faced Draco, confusion lining his face.
It took a lot of strength, but Draco grabbed the Diary and gave it to Harry. "An elf can only be free when his master gives him clothes." Draco smiled softly. It took a minute, but Harry's face lit up when he realized what Draco meant.
"You're a genius," he whispered, the dopey smile back on his face.
"I know," Draco said haughtily.
Harry chuckled and left the room.
Draco settled back onto his bed and grabbed one of the books that were on his side table. After all that had happened this year, he had completely forgotten about his research. There were still many things he had to educate himself on. As well as talk to a certain Centaur. The year was nearly over and he was being closely watched, but there were still ways to get into contact with beings in the Forbidden Forest.
After all, who better to answer his questions about Seers than a being who had born as one?
********************
"He tried to kill you?!" Draco screamed.
Harry put a finger to his mouth and rapidly shushed him, looking around to make sure no one heard. Draco couldn't believe it. Did Lucius have a killing kids fetish he didn't have in the original timeline or something? This man was more fucked up than the woman who fucked whatever snake to birth Voldemort.
Summer was going to be a circus and it would be a miracle if it didn't end with Draco being the youngest person to receive a life sentence in Azkaban. Mother was going to lose a lot of sleep.
"Look, I know it sounds bad-"
"Because it is bad!"
"-But Dobby's free!" Harry smiled shyly, trying to temper Draco's anger.
Draco's jaw dropped. Was this boy really disregarding the fact that someone tried to kill him mere minutes ago to the fact that he had freed some elf? An elf that had tried to mutilate him with a bludger (Draco still hadn't forgiven the little bastard for that).
"So?!"
Harry winced and looked around, "Wow, none of the glass broke." He muttered under his breath.
Draco closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I am putting flobberworm puke in his hair gel," Draco promised.
"Give me the Weasley twins' business card," he demanded.
Harry raised his eyebrows. "Fred and George have a business?"
"Of course they do. No one cares about Zonko's anymore, they're all using the Weasley products." He could only imagine the look on his father's face when he learned that not only had he been pranked, he had been pranked with a Weasley product.
Draco sighed. "Can you do anything without putting yourself in danger?"
Harry pretended to think for a moment. "Nope." He shrugged. "Eating breakfast is always a death sentence, especially those... oranges." He shuddered.
Draco smiled. "My sass is rubbing off on you."
"You? This is 100% me." He tried to imitate a hair flip.
Draco laughed. "Just try to eat the oranges alright?"
"I give you no guarantee," Harry smiled.
Draco paused for a moment. "I know you want to protect everyone around you. But...try to protect yourself sometimes too. You can't protect us if you're dead." Draco put his hand on Harry's shoulder.
"I know. Despite what you and Hermione think, I'm not completely an idiot." Harry laughed but Draco could see something serious in his eyes.
"The keyword in that sentence is 'completely'."
Harry shrugged his hand off playfully. "I have to go, I promised Hermione I'd meet up with her at the library." He groaned.
Draco nodded and made to leave.
"And Draco?"
He stopped and looked back at Harry whose face was suddenly serious.
"No more secrets between us, alright?" Harry tried.
Draco faltered for a moment, knowing his entire existence was a lie. The guilt was resurfacing, and he knew that he would have to tell them soon. But he would have to make sure it was safe to tell them. They were only children right now. They wouldn't understand, not for a while at least. Potter, Granger and Weasley may be extraordinary kids, but that was what they were. Kids.
He couldn't put the lives of so many people in a child's hands. Potter already had enough of a burden and Draco couldn't add to it, even more so now that he knew how little self-preservation he had. As well as the situation with the people he was forced to go back to every summer.
Draco looked Potter directly in his eyes. "Alright."
*************************