requested by @DrReidcanhavemykids
Summary: Draco and Y/N were best friends in love all throughout their time at Hogwarts. They graduate without confessing to each other, and Draco moves to America. What will happen when they accidentally reunite?
Warnings: angst, fluffy ending, Draco being protective, no voldy again😛, kinda long ngl
House: Slytherin
Year: um kind of all? plus after Hogwarts
A/N: ty for requesting, hope u like it! also guys I SWEARRR I will post a part 2 to heather lol I just got a couple requests so it's a bit delayed but I PROMISE I will get it done !
•••
He was gone. He moved. Left. Gone. And you didn't think he was coming back.
Your best friend moved to America, and you were furious. Why couldn't he have just stayed in London with you? You were best friends. Why wasn't that enough reason for him to stay?
Despite the fact that he told you why he wanted to move, you still didn't understand.
You should've seen it coming, really. You saw this day coming for a while. You always knew that you and Draco would eventually graduate, say your goodbyes, and move on to live your lives as adults.
But it hurt so fucking bad.
Not just because he was your best friend, or the fact that you spent the entire first part of your life with him. No, it was because, quite simply put, you were in love with him. You always have been.
It was the type of love that crippled every fiber of your being. The type that took over your thoughts every second of every day. The type that consumed you to the point where you couldn't breathe. The type that suffocated you, and dictated you, and made you want to scream at the top of your lungs. It was the type you read about in cheesy muggle romance novels.
The worst part was that you couldn't even bring yourself to confess to him, and that not even a decade was enough time to build up the courage to do so. You couldn't help but feel like a coward.
August, 1991
{ One month before Hogwarts }
You and Draco lay on your backs in the pillow-and-blanket fort that the two of you made together, staring up at the blanket that passed as a roof for your fort. There was a small night light in the corner of your fort, acting as your only source of light. You were in the living room of the Malfoy Manor for yet another one of your sleepovers.
"What do you think it will be like?" Draco asked.
You furrowed your brows. "Hogwarts?"
"Yeah."
You thought for a moment. "Well, I imagine it as an escape from reality, a place with endless possibilities. I believe it'll be a place where our imagination will not only come to life, but also expand. I imagine the castle will be big and beautiful and bright, and fill everyone with life. I honestly think it'll be our second home."
"Wow. Did you practice that?" He teased, making you both burst into giggles.
"Shut up," you laughed.
"Yes, I think they're asleep. Hang on," you heard Narcissa Malfoy whisper to her husband, along with the sound of footsteps entering the living room.
You and Draco looked at each other with panicked faces, the both of you quickly scrambling into sleep positions that would convince Mrs. Malfoy that you were asleep.
She peeked through the entrance of the fort, smiling to herself as she saw the two of you "sleeping soundly." She always thought your friendship was too pure for this world, and she constantly prayed to Merlin that nothing would ever happen to the two of you.
Convinced that you were both asleep, and still smiling to herself in content, Narcissa closed the fort entrance and stood up to leave the living room.
Once you and Draco were sure that she had left, you both opened your eyes, immediately bursting into yet another fit of giggles.
"Sh- shh," you tried to shush between laughs, which of course, only made the two of you laugh even harder.
{ Present Time }
Draco stared blankly out the window of his house that he had just moved into. It was a large house near a forest, and he liked it. He felt... content, here. At least, he tried to. He wanted to, but something was making it rather difficult. Or, someone was making it difficult.
He was regretting leaving you in London, but this was what was supposed to happen, right? Graduation was about moving on, becoming a new person, starting a new life. It wasn't supposed to be about feeling guilty, the opposite actually. It was supposed to make you forget about your past mistakes, give you a clean slate.
Draco wasn't stupid. Or maybe he was. Whatever. He knew why he was feeling so much guilt. He loved you. Like, love loved you; not just platonically. And that's how it's always been.
As he stared out the window, something in the forest caught his attention. It was two deer, who Draco assumed were lovers, considering how affectionately they nudged their heads together.
Draco tentatively watched the two deer, lightly smiling to himself as he thought about how similar animals and humans actually were. Subconsciously, he thought about you.
He watched as the deer scurried off into the woods together, running away from the sound of a bird's screech. Draco didn't know why, but he found himself feeling irritated at the bird for ruining the rather heartwarming moment.
He then walked to his bookshelf to find a book that would keep him busy for a while.
December, 1994
{ Fourth Year }
"You're going to the ball with McLaggen?!" Draco yelled, his face beginning to turn pink as he got angrier and angrier.
You scoffed. "So?! What the hell is your problem?!"
"Bloody hell, Y/N, are you blind?! He's only going to break your heart!"
"Really?! Because it sounds to me like your just jealous!"
He looked at the floor, shuffling his feet. "I'm just trying to protect you," he muttered.
You sighed, your face softening. "Well, why didn't you just ask me to go with you? Why the hell did you ask Pansy?"
"I- um..." He stuttered.
"Do you like her?" You asked, not bothering to hide the hurt in your voice.
"No, I just-"
"It's fine, Draco. We both knew that we would eventually be in relationships with people. It just feels weird now that the time has actually come."
"Yeah," he whispered after a moment, staring at his hands as his fingers played with his ring. He found himself wishing he had the bravery to tell you the truth.
That was another reason why he wasn't in Gryffindor.
The two of you have been practically attached at the hip your entire lives, and now that you might not be spending as much time with each other anymore, it hurt.
So you both stood there, the tension in the air rising with every mere second, the two of you simply mirroring a pair of teens who were completely oblivious to the fact that they were so fucking in love with each other.
{ Present Time }
There wasn't just one reason why Draco had moved. It was way more complex than that. Draco being in love with you was one of the main reasons, though.
See, Draco likes to run from his problems. It was a bad habit of his. He knew it was cowardly and selfish, and he hated it, but it made things easy for him. He hated making hard decisions.
He also hated the fact that he wouldn't be able to be with you- to love you the way he wanted to. He swore you didn't love him the way he loved you. So, when he realized he would rather move away than deal with the pain of not being with you, of course he decided to move away.
He thought it would help him move on. He thought he would find someone else to marry, get a job, and live a boring, ordinary life. A life without you.
But it was so fucking difficult to move on.
May, 1996
{ Fifth Year }
"I don't know, maybe a Healer. Either that or an Auror," you answered Draco. "What about you?"
Sat together under a tree by the Black Lake, were you and Draco. You were playing Uno, a muggle card game that your mother had bought you for Christmas.
"Not sure," he said. "I honestly have no idea what I'm going to do when we leave this place."
"Yeah, it's weird to think about," you said. "HA! Draw four!"
"Damn it!" Draco exclaimed, mumbling incoherent words under his breath as he took four cards out of the pile.
You ended up winning the game, much to Draco's dismay. You collected the cards and you both stood up, getting ready to head back to the castle. You looked out toward the lake, admiring the beautiful sight. The sun was setting over the lake, creating a picture-perfect view. You smiled.
"That's lovely."
"It is," Draco agreed. You turned your head to look at him, which made him look at you. Your eyes darted to his lips for a second, and he did the same.
You cleared your throat. "Um, we should probably head back, now."
Draco awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. "Y-yeah, probably."
Suddenly, a twig snapped. Draco stepped in front of you protectively to shield you from whatever it was that made the noise.
He pulled out his wand. "Who's there?" He demanded.
Filch suddenly appeared in your line of sight, and Draco lowered his wand with a look of aggravation on his face, still standing in front of you protectively.
"What are you kids doing out here, eh?"
"What's it to you?" Draco sneered.
"Wouldn't want McGonagall to know you two were out after hours, would ya?"
"It's not after hou-"
"Well, it's just about! Now, come on."
You and Draco looked at each other and rolled your eyes before following the old man back to the castle. You walked a few feet behind Filch, your arm brushing Draco's as you walked.
{ Present Time }
It's been about five years since Draco moved, and the both of you were as miserable as ever. You were each other's better half, and living without each other definitely wasn't helping either of you. You both felt empty, like you didn't have a reason to get up in the morning.
It sucked, because when you and Draco were actually living in the same damn country, spending every day with each other, you were each other's reasons to get up in the morning.
But maybe, you still were.
It would be silly to deny the fact that you missed him. You would always miss him. His smile, his hair, his eyes. The way he'd always jump in front of you whenever your safety was in any way jeopardized. The way he comforted you when you weren't feeling the best; his hand rubbing your back so gently and carefully- as if you were China glass- as he whispered sweet nothings into your hair. And most of all, the way he hugged you. There was just something about his hugs that gave you a beautifully-overwhelming feeling of gratification, something that made you feel like you were swimming in a metaphorical pool of solace and contentment.
You missed him.
But what you didn't know, was that Draco was soon returning to London to pay a visit to his parents.
July, 1998
{ Summer after Seventh Year }
"So this is goodbye, then?" Your voice cracked as you spoke, your teary y/e/c eyes staring into Draco's with the utmost melancholy, your facial expression speaking a thousand words.
You had just spent the day together, the both of you wanting one last day to hang out before Draco finally moved to America. Now, it was far past sunset, and time for the two of you to say your goodbyes.
Draco didn't say anything to respond, instead pulling you tightly into his arms for one final hug. You wrapped your arms around him in response, placing your chin on his shoulder as you couldn't hold back your tears any longer. He buried his face in your neck, and you felt his hot tears on your skin as his arms held you even tighter.
"I love you, Y/N/N. I'll never forget you. You'll always be my best friend," he whispered into your neck.
"I love you, too, Dray. Fuck, I'm gonna miss you," you murmured. That only made him cry harder.
Eventually, you both pulled away, said your final goodbyes, and he walked away.
He was gone.
{ Present Time }
You sat alone at a table in the Leaky Cauldron, occasionally sipping your butterbeer as you read a book. Snow was calmly falling outside the window you were sitting by, creating a nice winter ambience that made you feel rather cozy.
You took one final sip of butterbeer and stood up to leave. You began walking towards the exit, not paying attention to where you were going as you tried to put your book back into your handbag. You suddenly ran right into someone, the force from the collision making you drop your book. You picked up your book and stood up with an irritated look on your face.
"Bloody he-" You stopped mid-sentence when you finally raised your head to look at who you collided with.
You couldn't believe it.
"Draco?" His piercing gray eyes were staring right into yours, looking at you in shock.
"Y/N," he breathed, as if he couldn't believe it was you. He hadn't seen you in five years, and now he was questioning whether or not this was even real.
"Merlin's beard, it's you," you gaped. A smile then started forming on your face. "It's really you!"
You brought him into a tight embrace, praying that he would hug you back rather than push you away.
And he hugged you back. His arms wrapped around your waist and he laughed in disbelief, his breath tickling your ear.
"Unbelievable," he beamed. You both pulled away, smiling widely at each other. "Well, um, do you want to... sit down, maybe? Catch up?" He asked hopefully.
"Sure, sure," you agreed. "Come on."
•••
"A- and then when he tried to kick the door down, he ended up breaking his foot!" You both bursted into laughter, ignoring the attention you were attracting from the other customers. You and Draco have been swapping funny stories for the past hour, and it felt like you were kids again.
"He- he really broke it?!" Draco asked in between laughs.
"Yeah. It was a rather disturbing thing to witness. Trust me," you scowled at the memory.
"I can imagine," Draco chuckled and shook his head. Eventually, your laughter died down and a comfortable silence filled the air.
"In all seriousness, Y/N, how have you been?"
"Well," you focused your eyes on the table, "I've just really missed you. It was really hard trying to forget someone who I spent the first part of my life with, you know?"
Draco's face softened, and he sighed. "Yeah, I know. Trust me. You know... I never really told you the real reason I left."
You looked up at him in confusion. "I thought you said you just wanted to start a new li-"
"That's not the real reason. I-" He paused, sighing as he tried to figure out what to say. "I was a coward, and..."
You raised your eyebrows. "And what?"
He sighed again. "Listen, Y/N. I'm going to tell you something, and you might never want to talk to me again, but... I'll just say it. I've been in love with you my entire life, and I moved because I didn't think you felt the same way and I just wanted to try to move on. Because it hurt, you know? Not being able to be with you, to love you, the way I wanted to."
You stared at him with an unreadable expression, and for a moment, Draco was scared he made you hate him.
"I... That's... exactly how I feel," you said. "I've loved you my whole life, too. But Draco, do you know how much it hurt when you left? I mean, I was miserable."
Draco looked ashamed. "Shit, I know, Y/N. I'm so sorry. I truly am. I was just... scared. God, I was so fucking scared."
You sighed, looking at him with soft eyes. "I know, Draco. I suppose I was, too."
Draco grabbed your hand that was resting on the table in front of you and spoke, "well, maybe, if you'll give me a chance, I'd like to take you out sometime. On a real date, that is."
You smiled at him. "That sounds nice."
•••
Ten years later, you and Draco were happily married. You had a son, named Scorpius, who was practically a replica of Draco. From his blond hair to his cunning personality, you found no difference. The only thing your son had inherited from you was your y/e/c eyes.
You were also six months pregnant with a girl, which Draco was exceedingly happy about. You knew he would treat her like a princess, and that he would do anything he could to protect her from all the world's dangers.
But most importantly, you were happy with the man you had loved from the start.
•••