IN NOX, SUM VERITAS━━DRACO MALFOY

fifteen. aureate

━━━━  · 。ﾟ☆ .☽ .* ☆ﾟ. ━━━━

(adj.) highly ornamented
or elaborate

A MAJORITY OF THE SCHOOL HAD GONE ON HOLIDAY WHEN LOUIS WOKE UP THE NEXT MORNING. It was four days until Christmas and it would be the first one he'd be spending it without his mother by his side and his sixteenth without his father—although he didn't care much for the latter. It would be a strange experience, no doubt, all foreign and the like, almost stranded and by his lonesome at a magical school if it weren't for a platinum-haired boy with whom he had shared a kiss the night prior.

Replaying the event in his head, Louis came to realize that the kiss had been of a different kind, not much like any of the ones he had beforehand. There had almost been a sense of desperation to it, a sort of neediness, some sort of feeling that there was something Draco had been holding in for Merlin knows how long. It hadn't been just a kiss, not exactly, at least that was what Louis had thought when he had made his way to bed that night after fighting the urge to get up. He could still feel the underlying bittersweetness of it as he had had the best sleep in months, a small smile pulling at the corner of his lips. The second and third kiss between them had been a little less desperate and instead an establishment of some sort, a silent confession, words need not be spoken.

I like you.

And I, you.

They had never really confessed any of their feelings up until that point—save for the many moments where things had slipped between them when they had meant to keep those behind their teeth—not needing to say anything. The smile Louis had worn had given it away, that same one he had had on at dinner that first night, a signifier. It had been a while since anyone had seen him smile like that after that night, so for Draco to be the first one, it had to mean something.

Hogwarts was as pretty and magical at Christmas as Louis would have guessed. The Great Hall was lined with fir trees, all decorated with baubles and fairy lights and bits of snow from outside that would soon melt off from the fire. Louis stood in the doorway, dressed in his grey hoodie, a pair of fitting joggers, and his Quidditch socks, in awe of it all, secretly wondering why he had never asked to stay over the holiday break. Despite the dreary and gloomy feeling that stuck to Louis's chest whenever he looked out of the window, it was still all so truly wonderful.

Before Louis could even think about eating, there was a pull on his gut, kicking at him. Following his instincts, he made his way to the library, not really sure what he'd find, assuming that Draco wouldn't be up at this hour. He went anyway, hoping that his gut wouldn't lead him astray, filling his heart with empty promises. Timidly pushing the door open, as though he were entering new territory for the first time, he walked in, scanning the vicinity for anything different and finding none. Then, his eyes landed on a head of familiar platinum blond hair connected to a body that was sprawled across the couch in front of the fireplace, chest moving up and down in a lulling rhythm, a sign that Draco had been sleeping.