I feel kinda mean for taking so long to update the last chapter so here's this one early, enjoy..... or not.....
Mwa ha ha
[Draco's POV]
If Draco was expecting anything on a random Thursday morning, the day before that of the full moon, it was not to be randomly pulled past a tapestry through what he had previously thought to be a solid wall.
Taken by surprise, his wand was out and against his assailant's throat before he had even stopped moving, red tie, a Gryffindor. Draco raised his eyes to see one of the Weasley twins, he didn't know which.
The twin raised his hands in surrender, laughing, "I mean I deserve to be cursed, but I'd rather not be thanks."
"What do you want, Weasley?" Draco frowned. This was not how he wanted his day to go, he had a massive headache and just wanted to sleep, but no, he had classes.
"Just wanted to talk to you for a sec." This was definitely Hari's stupid boyfriend, the other one would have cursed him by now.
Draco sighed, peeking his head out from behind the tapestry, Crabbe and Goyle were still walking, they even hadn't realized he'd disappeared.... they were complete idiots, he wasn't even sure why he kept them around at this point.
The small hallway behind the tapestry was musty, it made his nose hurt, especially this close to the moon.
"Fine, what did you want to talk to me about?" He asked, resigned to his fate.
"Hari, Weasley answered.
"Wow, really...? Who would have thunk?"
Weasley raised an eyebrow, "huh?"
"I mean and here I thought we actually had other stuff in common," Draco said mockingly
"We do? I mean like quidditch and stuff."
"Sure, despite the fact that I'm way better than you and your cheap broom at it."
"We beat you every time."
"That doesn't mean you're better than me, it just means Hari is an incredible flier and I could never hope to beat her."
She always looked so beautiful, powerful, hair streaming behind her as she dove after the snitch and raised her fist, grinning around the pitch with the small ball grasped- he blinked, and stopped thinking about how gracefully she flew, concentrating back on the irritating presence in front of him.
Weasley had an odd expression on his face, but then plastered his stupid grin onto his face again, "We still always beat you though."
"Whatever, just get on with whatever you wanted to say." Draco said, "You're annoying and I don't want to be late to class."
"Fine, fine," Weasley said, "Hari keeps disappearing for a few hours, I've asked her other friends but they assumed she was with me, is she with you?"
"I haven't seen her in a while, I just assumed she was at your defence against the dark arts group lesson things."
"Yes, I know about those..." He frowned as Weasley looked surprised. "If you're looking for her, I'd start in the Chamber of Secrets, she spends more time down there than you'd think, researching. There's a lot of knowledge there that was lost over the centuries, I've seen it, she showed me. Though if she hasn't invited you, leave her alone."
"How am I supposed to get in there?"
"Don't ask me, I'm not a parslemouth." He frowned, "And didn't I just tell you to leave her alone if she hasn't invited you?"
"That's none of your business."
"Oh right sorry, I forgot, you're her precious boyfriend who can do whatever he wants and I'm just a peasant, right. Please forgive me, your high and mighty majesty," he said sarcastically. This was a waste of his time.
"How do you even know about the meetings?"
"I'm not blind." He shrugged, "Then again, I did suggest the chamber, so I guess you owe the fact you haven't been caught to me."
Weasley crossed his arms, maybe he was trying to look threatening, maybe he was trying to show off how pompous and annoying he was, Draco didn't know, or care. "Are you going to tell Umbridge?" Weasley glanced at the shiny inquisitorial squad pin that was sitting just above Draco's Slytherin crest.
"Of course, I always take the opportunities to turn in my close friends to Umbridge for clubs I help protect. I just really want my best friend to suffer you know, cause all that extra pain cause I'm clearly a sadist and racist pureblood."
Weasley's jaw dropped and he went for his wand. "WHAT!? REALLY!?"
Draco rolled his eyes, he could smell the fear on Weasley, it wasn't a smell he liked. "Hell no, I took the position and use this pin to cover for Hari, not that you could comprehend that in all your Gryffindor prejudice so I figured I'd give you what you wanted."
Weasley frowned.
"Leave me alone," Draco continued, "I'd never do anything to hurt her, alright! I don't know how you haven't gotten that into your thick skull yet that I would rather kill myself than betray her in any way! Just leave me alone, I don't need to explain myself to you."
He turned to leave but Weasley grabbed his sleeve.
"What the hell do you want Weasle!?"
"I just-"
"Spit it out."
"I've seen the way you look at Hari, you're in love with her aren't you?"
Draco's expression darkened, "Don't be daft." He yanked his arm out of the other's grip and marched off. Why the bloody hell would Weasley ask that? What the hell was the conversation before that? Why had Weasley even thought of that!? And if he was to ask it, why then!? Stupid bloody Gryffindors and their stupid bloody way!
-
He stormed into potions, late, slamming the door behind him and sitting down on the bench next to Hari angrily. The seating, sadly, was still assigned, and no matter how good friends they were, he didn't want to sit next to her right now. He didn't want to think about her. Weasley had brought something to the surface that he'd been trying to ignore. He was too tired, too tired and overwhelmed to deal with this right now.
'You ok?' she signed, tilting her head in worry.
He nodded jerkily, looking down at his textbook, avoiding her vivid emerald eyes that seemed like they would melt him if he looked into them.
He forced himself not to pull away from the gentle worried touch on his arm and the shiver of warmth it sent through him.
He focused on their potion.
-
The moon was too soon for him to deal with the heightened sweet comforting smell of her almond shampoo as she leaned closer to drop the scurvy grass into the cauldron, her long hair brushing against his shoulder.
He tried to focus on the potion in front of them.
Fragrant fumes from befuddlement draught they were brewing mixed with the stinging scent of the broomstick polish he had gotten her for Christmas and the ever there tang of the blood from her hand. He shook his head, trying to clear it, but his senses were too confused and the smells too overwhelming.
He kept his eyes ahead, focused on the bubbling purple liquid.
A ripped out page of what he now recognised as muggle notepaper was slid into his line of vision.
Slanty pretty cursive letters spelt out: Are you alright? I know the moon is tomorrow but is there anything I can do to help? I've got the potion under control if you need to go to the hospital wing.
There was a little doodle of a snake in the corner and it waved its tail at him as he looked at it.
He nodded again, sliding slightly away as she leaned towards him.
She reached out gently, #) Are- (#
Draco stood up abruptly, shoving his stuff into his bag and walking to the front of the classroom. "Hospital wing, headache," he told Snape, nodding to the calendar, knowing he would understand that he meant the moon. Then he turned and left the classroom, feeling terrible as he caught a glimpse of Hari confused and worried face.
His head cleared slightly as left behind the fumes of the classroom and he walked towards the hospital wing, shoving his hands into his pockets, only to feel something there. He pulled it out and unfolded it to find it was the piece of paper Hari had slid to him, the snake still having cheerfully with its tail. It also smelled faintly of almonds and her vanilla soap, dammit, he shoved it back into his pocket, ignoring the snake.
He couldn't get her expression out of his head as he walked, she had looked so worried, he wanted to punch himself.
Once he had reached the hospital wing and gotten a headache potion, he couldn't help but pull the paper out again, disappointed to find that the smell that had been there before had faded because of its time in his pocket. The human part of him knew he was being irrational but the other part, the part he'd had since the end of the last school year, told him to preserve it. So he did, flicking his wand over the paper so that it wouldn't change, before slipping it back into his pocket regretfully. He'd apologise later.
He didn't know that it would be a while before he got the chance.