why so tense, potter? | drarry |

| 19 |

Draco stood against an archway in the courtyard. He was picking at his coat this time, his mind trained on nothing and everything. Every time he thought about not being able to fix the Vanishing Cabinet, his heart somersaulted into his throat.

So, he was trying not to think about it.

He remembered the velvet box that he brought with him on the Hogwarts Express. The one Harry had snooped around looking for when trying to incriminate Draco.

Was Harry onto him? He couldn't possibly know Draco had become a Death Eater over the course of the summer. But he didn't put it past Harry, who'd always managed to fight the darkness in his life. Draco was darkness, that was for bloody hell sure.

A sudden idea clicked in Draco's mind. If Dumbledore was at Hogwarts, and hardly anyone had stayed back —

He was an idiot too, apparently. Draco pushed himself off the arch and walked back into the school, the snow on his coat floating to the ground in flurries. He gripped his wand in case Snape suddenly appeared and decided to give him another lesson.

The last thing Draco needed was to revisit his past.

The dungeons were especially cold with no one around. It was isolating to be in the Slytherin Common Room by himself with only the cold as company. He thought a second year and his friend had stayed behind, but Draco never saw much of them.

He made it to his bed and pushed back the curtains. He knelt on the floor, his wand raised at the empty space above the floorboard. Draco murmured an incantation and watched the Disillusionment Charm fall away from the velvet box.

Draco pulled it out. It was smaller than he had remembered; lighter, too. He peered at the cursed necklace wrapped inside, but slammed the lid shut when the voices began to shriek.

His hands trembled at the thought of what he was about to do. He tucked the box under his arm and clenched his hands in his pockets. Stop that. He was a Death Eater, and this was what Death Eaters did.

A shadow followed him as he hurried out of the dungeons. It was his subconscious pulling him back, telling him not to do this. Draco gritted his teeth and walked faster.

But as he was about to reach the stairs that would lead him to the Headmaster's Tower, he caught a glimpse of movement to his side. His heart slammed into his chest.

The hair on his neck rose at a passing wind. An invisible wind. Draco whipped around and lifted the Invisibility Cloak off of Harry with his wand.

They stared at each other, not one of them daring to move. Draco was frozen, wishing he had kept the incantation on the box.

"How'd you know I was here?" Harry asked, incredulous. Draco's anger thawed him to movement.

"The question is why are you following me," he replied. He muttered the incantation and hoped Harry hadn't noticed the box's obvious existence. Now it was just another part of his coat.

Harry furrowed his brows. "I came back today. There was— I saw you running around. You looked suspicious. What are you up to, Malfoy?"

He took a step closer to Draco, his eyes scanning the spot where the box had vanished. Shit.

"It's none of your goddamn business, Potter," Draco snarled. He went to take a step back, but Harry's striking eyes clashed with his. He commanded his feet to move. Move. Harry took more steps forward until they were just inches apart.

"You're heading to Dumbledore's office. Why?" he interrogated Draco, his stance offensive. He looked as if he were about to pounce if Draco so much as hinted he was going to harm Dumbledore.

"Oh, is that a soft spot for you? Professor Dumbly-dorr?" Draco teased. He liked the fire that flashed through Harry's eyes. His body language was so telling.

"I've tried to help you, Draco. It seems that after you stopped going out of your way to mock me, I found that as a truce of some sort. But now I think you've changed for another reason." Harry got close enough to touch his nose to Draco's.

Draco's heart skipped at the sound of his name. He couldn't remember the last time Harry had used his first name. And he was definitely onto Draco's secret.

"You can't possibly think I'd make a truce with you, a filthy half-blood," Draco spat. It was true. He couldn't make friends with anyone other than a pure-blood. His parents had drilled that into him since he first began to walk.

Harry's reaction was nonexistent. He simply stopped moving. Draco couldn't even tell if he was breathing. After a solid minute, Draco leaned forward in concern. He was definitely not breathing.

"Potter?" he whispered. Harry suddenly let out a long exhale that had Draco jumping back in shock. "I thought you had died. Wouldn't mind if you did, though."

A smirk crawled across Harry's face. It was demonic, really. Draco waited for him to say something.

Harry lunged forward with his wand. "Stupefy!"

The shock remained plastered on Draco's face as his body stiffened. The minute before he lost consciousness, Harry leaned over him. Treacle tart filled Draco's nostrils. His subconscious grew giddy at Potter's looming face. The treacle tart smell was soothing.

"Why so tense, Malfoy?"

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A/N:

I loved this chapter so much.

This went a bit fast bc I was so excited for another Drarry face-off, but I hope you enjoyed it!

Also I rlly need to start updating on a schedule so I'm thinking 2 (maybe 3) updates per week ~

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