Sectumsempra

9

Year Seven.

Harry knew that wasn't the best note in which to leave things. But it was for the best.

Now he saw that his attitude wasn't ideal and that he shouldn't've treated Draco the way that he did all that time. He regretted it, he really did. But he decided it was better this way because it would make their relation, affair, or whatever that was, have a stronger sense of being over. Draco would hate him, that would make it easier for him to forget Harry. Knowing that would make it easier to Harry to forget that and focus on the matter at hand. Which was a crazy mission he had gotten himself into. He needed to focus on finding those Horcruxes. He needed to focus on defeating Voldemort. There were really serious things going on. He couldn't let his mind wander in things like relationships and etc.

Even if he caught himself thinking every night before falling asleep that when all that was over, he would apologize to Draco.

*

Draco didn't go back to Hogwarts either for their seventh year. As planned, he didn't go back to school for the last year, since his studies weren't necessary anymore – he would learn so much more from the Death Eaters, who knew magic more powerful than anything they would teach him in that lousy mudblood-loving school. Or so they told Draco – and since after what happened last year, they didn't need to pretend not to be followers of Voldemort anymore.

So Draco was home. With his father. Attending meetings with Death Eaters. Learning how things worked so that he could be one soon. Technically he already was. He had his tattoo. But Draco wasn't dumb, he knew that didn't mean anything, really. That didn't make him respected. His father wasn't, for chrissake. And Draco would always be his father's son. Always in his shadow, which included – Draco very quickly realized – getting his share of being despised for his father's mistakes.

So Draco couldn't take it anymore. Being in that house had never been a pleasant experience, but of late if had become Draco's own personal hell. A constant reminder of the destiny they had reserved for him, the one he preferred to die than uphold, however, the one he was being forced to fulfill.

So he asked his father to go back to Hogwarts. He thought that maybe there he could try to focus on having classes and homework and a normal routine and not think too much about how disgusted he was with himself for becoming a Death Eater. He sugared his asking with ideas of how it would be nice for him to be able to help Professor – Headmaster – Snape to have order there, of how he wanted to do something to help because he was so eager to be part of all that, etc, etc, etc.

At least his father had taught him something useful – after being forced to live a lie for so many years, at least you mastered how to lie.

His father at first wasn't enthusiastic about the idea, but Draco's mother said something about it might being good, since the Headmaster himself had asked that many times. That caught Draco's attention. He remembered Dumbledore telling him to stick close to Snape. Draco was still a bit bitter about Dumbledore practically refusing Draco's help when he offered it. But he wanted to give the old man a chance and discover what he meant when telling Draco to go to Snape.

*

Two days later Draco was going to Hogwarts. The term had started a month ago, but Snape being the Headmaster, of course there was no problem at all with that.

When he arrived, it was almost time for dinner. He went straight to the great hall, knowing his luggage would be fetched to his room.

After dinner, when he went to his room, he saw a note on top of his luggage. It was from Snape and told him to go to his office in the time of curfew. Draco waited in his room until that time an as soon as that hour came, he left his room and headed to the Headmaster's office.