Softly treading down the grassy hill, Draco makes his way deeper into the Forbidden Forest. It's his escape from his escape. Home from home per se. After Pansy left the room and went back to Blaise and the other eighth years Draco slunk off to the dark forest. He doesn't want them to see him cry.
It seems the whole world is against him. He never thought this is how his school life would go. He thought because his father was the high class man he was, school would be him on top of his totem pole for the whole thing.
But, after fourth year things steadily went down hill for the Malfoy name. Now, an eighth year, his name is so far in the gutter that he's surprised anyone even says it without feeling dirty.
He pushes passed branches and bushes and walks deeper into the forest.
"I see Malfoy is missing from his usual spot." Ron comments off handedly. Harry looks up and tries to spot him at the Slytherin's table. But, Ron being correct, he doesn't see him.
"Ginny said she heard Pansy telling Blaise that he was avoiding them and hiding out in the forest." Hermione says looking over her book at the two. She looks back down when Ron nods and Harry stands.
"Right now? On a full moon? Is he crazy? I'm going to go find him." Harry pushes his half full plate of food to the middle of the table and rushes out of the doors.
"Stupid git, what's he doing in the forest?!" Harry whispers to himself rushing passed first years who look too scared to say anything as they watch him argue with himself. He opens the doors and steps out into the night air, he walks over to the grass before pushing his glasses up and running towards the forest.
The wind bites his ears and exposed flesh, but the pounding in his heart keeps him going. He crashes through the brush and whips out his wand.
"Lumos," a bright white light protrudes from his wand illuminating the surrounding area. He listens for any sound that could indicate where Draco could be.
Draco leans up against a tall, dark tree and looks out across the little plain hidden beneath the canopy of leaves. His hands feel colder than they usually do and he shoves them into his coat pocket stubbornly as the wind picks up. He tries hard not to sniffle against the cold and the tear tracks just make his face colder, but he can't help it. Malfoy's aren't supposed to be emotional, but he didn't get the memo. He wishes he could be sitting at home with Mother reading over the Daily Prophet with a warm cup of coffee enjoying his freedom because he's a year out of school. But then He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named came along and fucked everything up. Now he's still at Hogwart's with his mother at home by herself because his father is off in Azkaban.
The distant guttural howl makes his hair stand on end. It can't be. A werewolf? It isn't a full moon. Or is it? He can't quite remember what day it is. Friday? Saturday? Sunday, even?
He swallows roughly, maybe hiding out in a forest with hundreds of evil creatures was a bad idea.
Another howl makes his skin crawl, yup, that's definitely a werewolf. That means that it's Friday, the day of the full moon.
"Well shit, I'm fucking dead." He whispers helplessly as the growling grows ever closer.
He holds his wand out in front of him and jumps when he hears a twig snap behind him. A pair of yellow eyes peers out from the thicket. He swallows roughly and sighs in defeat. It's definitely a werewolf. And he's just a wizard with a stick that makes magic happen. Nothing compared to a pair of hungry eyes and razor sharp teeth. And those claws, those scare him the most because they remind him of knives and him and knives have never been the best combination. He shivers at the mention of knives and stares back at the advancing eyes. It's no use running. He hears another snap behind him and let's out a quiet whimper, he knows this is the end. He isn't going to die in the war like he wanted to before, he's going to die in the Forbidden Forest because he's an over dramatic teenager with an unrequited love.
"Don't move a muscle." Draco tenses up at the quiet voice behind him. His heart pounds loudly in his chest and his palms become sweaty.
"Expecto patronum!" A silvery wispy stag erupts from the front of the wand and Draco stares in awe. The stag runs in front of the werewolf, making its eyes follow the easy prey. It runs off into the forest the wolf chasing after it. Draco looks behind him and spots Harry. His eyes widen because, the Golden Boy has appeared out of thin air once again and saved the day. Harry grabs Draco's arm and runs them in the opposite direction of the howling. Somewhere along the way his hand slips down the tightly clasp Draco's and Draco feels a tightening in his throat.
Harry drags them to the edge of the forest and stops, pulling Draco close to his chest.
"Aren't you just a bloody idiot?" Harry says with more worry than anger. Draco opens his mouth but only a weak stutter comes out.
"It's a full moon, and that was a werewolf. A werewolf that was mere seconds away from tearing your posh little arse to pieces. You baffoon." Harry scolds and tightly grips Draco's hand between their chests.
"I-I'm sorry," Draco says when Harry bores his eyes into his skull.
"You should be, I was so worried when Hermione told me you were out here. On a full moon. With werewolves, and other night creatures." Draco flushes feeling guilty, but hating being reprimanded.
"I know what's out here, Harry. I'm not stupid." Draco looks down at the ground, his face burning with shame.
"Then why would you come out here? Why have you been avoiding me all day? Did I do something? Are you alright?" Harry rests his open hand on Draco's shoulder. Draco looks up and stares into the emerald eyes with furrowed brows hovering over them.
"I'm fine. Completely fine." Draco says and tries to force a smile onto his face. He really tried, he swears he did. But when he looked at that face longer he felt the burning pit settle in his stomach and that smile fell more and more until it faded completely.
"You're not fine, are you?" Harry asks gently, watching that smile slip made his heart plummet to his feet. A stray piece of hair falls in front of Draco's eyes. Hiding the silvery color from view. Harry, acting on impulse, lifts his hand. He gently brushes the piece behind Draco's ear, and traces his jawline before resting his hand on his sharp chin and tilting it towards him.
Draco looks at Harry, not really by choice more because Harry is making him look at him.
"I'm fine. And even if I wasn't. I don't think you'd care anyway." Draco says more bitterly than he meant to, but he's spoken and it's not like he can take back the words.
"Draco," Harry says sadly, listening to the distant howls and hearing the small inhales and smaller exhales from the boy across from him. "I'm your friend. Of course I care."
Draco looks him in the eyes, feeling the tears he's tried so hard to contain start to brim on his eyelids. He swallows roughly and opens his mouth.
"Are we really? Years of hate can't be erased in a few months. Even Granger said that. I hurt you and you hurt me. Can we really put that behind us? How long do we have before we realize that this is all a mistake?" Draco doesn't know when the tears started to waterfall down the hallows of his cheeks but he knows when he feels his heart shatter. It's when Harry's eyes started to fill with tears as well. "I'll do something wrong and make you realize that I'm bad I always have been. Hell, Harry. I still have the dark mark. It's still there. Proof that we were never supposed to be friends."
"I don't care about that Draco. I don't anymore. All I care about is you, and you only. I know you've changed. You know you've changed. Everybody knows." Harry watches the tears fall faster down those pale cheeks and he can't help the flow of his own.
"You shouldn't care for someone as evil as me." Hearing his biggest mistake being spoken makes him want to run away. Because Harry is the golden one while he's the evil Slytherin git he is. Harry is straight and in love with the girl Weasley while he's a boy and never going to be an option.
"You're not evil." Harry whispers quietly, not daring raise his voice even a smidgen louder in fear of it cracking and exposing how much it truly pains him to hear this.
"I am too, Harry. I always have been and I can't change that. Even if I try to be good I'll always be seen as the one who made the wrong choice and chose the wrong side. I'm a no good ex-death eater with nothing to prove anymore. So I don't see why you'd care about me." Harry let's go of Draco's chin and hand. It breaks Draco's already shattered heart more because he thinks he's finally shown it to him, that he can't be good. That Harry finally realized that they were never supposed to be anything other than enemies. But, when turning away he feels a pair of arms wrap around his torso and the last of his resolve crumbles. He just stands out there under the moon light with the boy who's stolen his heart. The warm arms around him hold him like an anchor he didn't know he needed.
"Draco, I care so much about you that it hurts. You mean so much to me, of course I care." Draco wraps his arms around Harry's shoulders and pulls him closer. Harry tightens his grip and buries his face in Draco's collarbone.
"I love you, Harry. You're my best friend." Draco tries not to get any ideas when Harry tightens around his waist and presses his nose into the skin of his neck.
"I love you too, Draco." Harry says back with the utmost sincerity, Draco feels the tears coming back. Because nobody has told him that they've loved him in years. He drops his forehead against Harry's shoulder and let's every terrible memory of the last seven years engulf him like a fire. All the months of torture and all the hatred being thrown at him daily. How much people despise him somewhere he thought he'd be safe.
Harry is a little taken back by how hard Draco is crying. He thought him telling him he loved him too--whether that be in the best friend way or not--would make him happy. Not burst into more heartwrenching sobs.
"What's wrong?" Harry asks quietly moving his arms up to hold him better.
"Nobody has said that to me in years." Harry's heart stops and he feels like he's been shot. Of all things, he thought Draco would be praised and told how much he's loved everyday by his parents. But nobody has said it to him in years? Not even months, years.
"Oh, Draco." Harry hugs him impossibly tighter. Neither of them hear the quiet speech of Hermione, Ginny and Ron approaching the forest in search of their friend and Draco. So when the three appear and call out to Harry, they both jump. Draco quickly let's go and turns away to wipe his tear stained face. Harry sniffles and faces his friends.
"Oh hey," he says quietly watching the way Ginny smirks and Ron smiles. Hermione just stares indifferently and gets her wand out as well.
"We were going to see if you guys see alright considering you've both been missing for an hour. But I think you two are fine by yourselves, right?" Ron says smiling and tugging Hermione under his arm.
"Uh, yeah?" Harry says. Draco mentally face palms. Draco wipes his eyes, finally slowing down the ludicrous amounts of tears and turns around and walks over to Harry's side.
"Well now that we know you aren't dead, we will leave you two to it." Ginny grabs her brothers arm and pulls him away. Hermione rolls her eyes and follows after quickly.
"Way to make it seem like you're cheating on your girlfriend, Potter." Draco says and turns back to Harry. Harry just furrows his eyebrows and it finally clicks in his head. Draco thinks Ginny and him are still dating. Is that why when she showed up he bolted last time?
"I haven't been dating Ginny for months." He says and looks at Draco. It's now Draco's turn to adorn a confused look. But the two act like such a perfect couple. Always together and never apart.
"But--you--what?" Draco says not entirely sure of what he was trying to say either.
"I'm not dating Ginny and I'm cold. We should go inside." Harry smiles when Draco walks even closer. He wraps his arm around his waist and smiles brighter when Draco slings his arm over his shoulder.
Draco feels a bit of relief on his chest. Like he's been let out of the cage.
"Let's go my small friend. I've had enough emotions for one night. I just want to sit by the fire and read." Draco just laughs and forgets about the tears of before when Harry lightly swats his side and leans into him more.