Veritas Vos Liberabit [Drarry Fanfiction]

The Safehouse

It was the last Hogsmeade weekend before Christmas and even strict Headmistress had allowed Harry and Hermione to sit their detention in some other day. So they joined a big crowd of cheerful students wrapped in their colorful scarves and winter robes on their way to Three Broomsticks. Harry was content albeit half-frozen to spend this time with his friends instead of polishing every single part of the castle Filch and random professors saw fit.

He sat in a booth with Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Luna. Dean and Seamus joined them later, generously bringing pints of Butterbeer and some Honeydukes sweets to share. The chatter and laughter of his mates were a bit surreal considering recent headlines that polluted the front pages of the Daily Prophet. There were rumors that Corban Yaxley had resurfaced and had been spotted by the muggle police, who had him on their most wanted list as a part of the cooperation task force with DMLE. The said muggles were found in various states of injury and torture, some of them under the influence of the Imperius Curse.

Harry had reasons to be worried: Narcissa Malfoy had provided a lot of valuable information about Yaxley's involvement in the Ministry coup. He was a family friend that had sat at dinner parties and even owned some shares in a couple of Malfoy's business investments. If the bastard was still in England it meant that neither Draco nor Narcissa was safe.

"Why is he lurking about there?" Ron interrupted his thoughts pointing at the fogged-up window. Outside the pub a tall shape of Draco Malfoy wrapped in his expensive fur-lined cloak was standing apprehensively.

"He is not allowed to be in Three Broomsticks anymore, Ronald!" Hermione explained.

"I didn't know Malfoy was allowed to go into Hogsmeade at all," Ginny chuckled next to him.

Harry gave her a sharp look and stood up to see what was it all about.

"Harry, where are you going?" his girlfriend called after him.

"The loo," he lied. "I can get us a refill on my way back."

"But you've barely touched your glass!" Ginny pointed out and Harry shrugged his shoulders picking up his pint of Butterbeer and downing it in one go.

"I will get some more snacks," Hermione followed him too.

She caught him by the arm as he was about to exit the establishment.

"Harry, don't! What if Ginny sees you together?" his friend protested.

"I am just trying to make sure he is okay after getting off the potion!" Harry grumbled.

"As if you weren't sneaking away every night to check on him in the hospital wing," Hermione deadpanned.

"How did you..." he thought he had been careful, always going out when everyone in his dorm room was sleeping deeply and not letting Malfoy notice him either. He wasn't sure the Slytherin would appreciate seeing him after Harry did exactly what he forbade him to do: take him to Pomfrey.

"I am not stupid, Harry! And Ginny isn't either. You cannot keep this charade for much longer. Being Malfoy's friend is one thing, obsessing over him like you do is quite another." Hermione was unswayed.

"I am not obsessed, and me and Ginny are fine!"

"Yeah... but why does she keeps complaining to me that when you two are together your thoughts are elsewhere?" his friend was looking at him worryingly and it made Harry feel really guilty.

He just didn't know what was wrong, he couldn't just forget about rogue Death Eaters still not being caught and about Malfoy trying to cope with his potion addiction. And somehow there wasn't any space left in his head for his relationship with Ginny.