Drarry One Shots

'Scared, Potter?'

The biggest surprise of Draco's voluntary return to Hogwarts to reprise his seventh year had been that Professor Slughorn had pulled him aside and offered him captaincy of the Slytherin Quidditch team. He certainly hadn't expected that offer. He suspected that McGonagall was behind it, some sort of message being sent to the rest of the school about forgiveness. Perhaps because Draco had clearly switched allegiances by the Battle of Hogwarts, and then Potter had testified for him at his trial, and then it became public knowledge that he'd 'saved' Potter at the Manor. Perhaps because Potter had been so outspoken after the war about unity and inclusiveness, forgiveness and moving forward.

It was somewhat tentatively that Draco accepted Slughorn's offer, he wasn't entirely sure how his House were going to accept him, either as an ex-Death Eater or a Blood Traitor. Only time would tell and he could only be himself, something he was determined to embrace going forward.

When it came to announcing the try-outs for his team, Draco made it quite clear from the beginning that he was putting together a team that was based on talent and not on sheer intimidating brute force. He was also putting together a reserve bench so that if anyone, anyone, he reiterated, took it upon themselves to play dirty they'd immediately be substituted and kicked off the team. There were some raised eyebrows but most understood that Slytherin House had some serious damage control to do and although they couldn't help the overall prejudices or assumptions that others made; they could, at the very least, try and demonstrate that they weren't an inherently 'wicked' or 'evil' House. Still, the try-outs had been popular and there was a coming together of his House under a banner that could unite them. Blood status didn't matter out under the sky and, more than anything, it felt glorious to be flying again.

So, that warm mid-October morning, Draco felt like he'd managed to pull together a strong team during the few hours of try-outs and, as Draco left the Hogwarts Quidditch pitch, he felt truly excited for the first time since coming back to Hogwarts. That was, until he saw Potter still sitting in the stands. It was the turn of Gryffindor House to hold its try-outs and yet Potter remained stoically seated as the rest of the hopefuls made their way onto the pitch. Then his heart sunk and he climbed up into the stands with a quiet determination.

'What are you doing here, Potter?' Draco drawled as he sat down next to the messy, raven-haired man. He briefly brushed down the front of his long black Quidditch robe which clung to his willowy body and fell around his slender legs. 'Why aren't you out there?' he nodded to the various Quidditch wannabes that were milling around on the pitch waiting for try-outs to begin.

The Weasel was watching Draco suspiciously and the Weaslette was looking longingly at Potter but Draco ignored them both.

'What?' said Potter.

'Now I know for a fact that you are capable of far more eloquence than that...' Draco drawled teasingly, quite pleased to have Potter to himself for a few minutes. Normally the man was surrounded by his posse of admirers.

Draco and Potter hadn't really talked since they'd come back to school. It was an unspoken agreement, they had nodded cordially to each other as they passed on the Hogwarts Express, or there was the occasional 'Potter' and returned 'Malfoy' that would be muttered in the corridors, an infrequent civil conversation about a library book or please pass the bread at the year-eight table but no more. It didn't mean they didn't watch one another. No, that hadn't changed one bit, although it was different too and occasionally Potter would offer a tentative smile from across the other side of the common room and Draco would return it. Though, of late, it seemed that Potter's small smiles had become a little more knowing and a little more... something... but Draco couldn't quite put his finger on what it was. However, it seemed that, for the most part, Potter left Draco alone and politely tolerated him and Draco kept his head down because he certainly didn't want to continue the animosity of old and who was he to go anywhere near the precious Golden Boy to broach a friendship. Not after everything that he had done over the past couple of years... the last seven years.