Even Royalty Falters || Draco Malfoy

Chapter 36 - Love Potion

"Where's Harry?" Hermione and Ron asked when I stepped off the train at Hogsmead Station.

"Not sure, he disappeared halfway through the ride because we'd gotten into an argument again," I sighed, shaking my head. "I thought he'd gone to the prefects carriage,"

"Hmm, maybe he's already on the way to the castle..." Hermione scratched her head, looking for Harry in the crowds of passing students.

"Let's go, we're always missing the feast or late it to every year," Ron said.

"Was Draco in the prefects carriage?" I bit my lip, internally scolding myself for asking that.

Ron didn't stop or turn around, instead he shrugged and said, "Nope. Malfoy and Parkinson were too 'good' for the rest of us to sit there."

"Oh," I glanced around, looking for a green robed boy but none of them were him. I was about to start after Ron and Hermione when I heard something behind me. When I turned, there was no one around. I furrowed my brows when I saw the closed blinds of the carriage door. Weren't they just open a few seconds ago? I must be really going crazy, I thought, not questioning it further.

We sat through a good amount of feast until Harry finally joined us with a bloodied nose. "What happened Harry?" I gasped as Ginny gently dabbed away at his face.

He explained to us how he eavesdropped on Draco and Tonks had found and pulled him off the train after Draco attacked him.

"Can you blame him, Harry? You were eavesdropping!" I exclaimed.

"Cress, I heard him, with my very own ears. He told Pansy that he was a Death Eater now and he has a mission," Harry emphasized.

"Not now, Harry," Hermione warned, casting a spell to wipe off the dried blood on Harry. He started to protest but then was silenced by a stern glare from Hermione. 

I looked over at Draco who hadn't touched his food, and just absent-mindedly staring into the distance. He looked downcast and bothered. I wonder if it was the toll his father's sentencing took on him. He never once glanced in my direction. Did he think I was mad at him from what happened in Diagon Alley? Not this again, I thought. If there was one thing that didn't change about us, it was getting into arguments over the littlest things.

As we were dismissed from the Great Hall shortly after and he didn't budge until Pansy shook him gently. His eyes snapped back into focus as he pushed himself up from his seat and followed Pansy, allowing her to glue herself to his side. I wonder if he told her what his mission was. After all, he seemed to tell her everything he didn't tell me.

I found myself heading to the 2nd floor bathroom out of habit, and out of hope that I would see him tonight.

"He's late tonight," Myrtle moaned, flying around me as I sat, waiting.

"No, he's absent," I replied, leaning my forehead against the cool window pane. "He's got other things on his mind..."

"What does it feel like to be in love, Cress? No one ever loved me enough," Myrtle wailed, flying up to me. "Which is why I ended up here, dead."

"What does it feel like to be in love with a Malfoy? Both the greatest and worst feeling in the world, Myrtle. We were happy, but forbidden. We were foolish, and now it hurts," my tears rolled down my cheek. "Every time I see him after the summer, he's always changed. There's always something that happened that strain our relationship, and then we work it out. But I'm scared, Myrtle. What if this year, it doesn't work out?"

Myrtle floated back, tilting her head, "Funny, how you both say the same when you're alone," she said. "I'm sure he'll be there to catch you, as long as you don't fall out of love," she cooed lightly.