I Hate That I Love You (Harco/Drarry)

Chapter 10

After dinner, Harry dashed upstairs to his dormitory as quickly as he could. He threw on a hoodie and some sweatpants, grabbed his invisibility cloak and Marauder's Map from his trunk and left the Gryffindor common room. Even though Harry was allowed to be out of the tower until nine o’clock he threw on his invisibility cloak.

Harry walked back down to the entrance hall and down the stone steps to the dungeons. Harry found Malfoy waiting outside the entrance to the Slytherin common room.

Harry took off the invisibility cloak and Malfoy jumped. “Damn it, Potter,” Malfoy said angrily, rubbing his toe which he had stubbed when Harry scared him. “Don’t do that.”

Harry, trying not to laugh, said, “Sorry, Malfoy.”

Malfoy straightened up and gave the password to the blank stretch of wall
behind him which opened, forming a doorway. As Harry and Malfoy entered the common room Harry remembered the first time he had ever been in here. He had, of course, been in here during his second year to integrate Malfoy. It hadn't changed in the slightest.

“Luckily, everyone’s still at dinner,” Malfoy said, looking around the empty room. “And Knott is in the hospital wing. I don’t share my dormitory with anyone besides him
and Blaise so…”

“What happened to Goyle?” Harry asked. He knew that Crabbe had died in the Room of Requirement but Goyle had survived.

“He didn’t come back to Hogwarts,” Malfoy said, dully. Harry didn’t respond and followed Malfoy through the door to his dormitory.

Malfoy’s dormitory looked a lot like Harry’s. Except the bedcovers and hangings were green and silver. Malfoy sat on his bed and motioned for Harry to sit down too.

They sat in silence for a while not knowing what to say. After many long minutes of this awkward silence Malfoy said, “So…how was dying?”

Harry looked up at Malfoy who was looking down at his knees. “Nice, actually,” Harry said and Malfoy’s head snapped up.

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Harry said, trying to laugh as though it were funny. “I saw Dumbledore again.”

Malfoy didn’t respond. He looked back down at his knees trying to avoid Harry’s gaze. “You wouldn’t have done it, would you?” Harry asked and Malfoy looked up again.

“Done what?” Malfoy asked.

“Killed Dumbledore,” Harry replied. He already knew that Malfoy wouldn’t have but he wanted to know if Malfoy trusted him enough to tell him.

Malfoy was silent for a few moments. But then he replied, “No…I wouldn’t have. I didn’t really hate Dumbledore. My father…” But his voice trailed off.

Harry waited patiently for Malfoy to continue. But he didn’t elaborate. So Harry did it for him. “He would have hurt you, right? If you didn’t do it.”

“How did—”

“I didn’t have a nice home either, you know,” Harry said a bit angrily.

Malfoy was silent, his eyes still avoiding Harry’s. Harry didn’t say anything either. The two of them just sat on Draco’s bed in silence, trying to avoid each other's gaze.

“You-Know-Who would have killed me,” Malfoy finally said in a croaky voice. “But no one would have cared. I’m just a stupid Death Eater.”

Harry stared at Malfoy. Tears were running down his cheeks while Harry watched him. Harry didn’t know what to do.

Finally Harry said, “You’re not a stupid Death Eater. You just…made a mistake.”

Malfoy looked up, surprised. Then he smiled at him. “Thanks, Harry,” Malfoy said, wiping his eyes. They sat in silence for a few moments again.

“I really have changed,” Malfoy said, looking down at his knees.

“I know,” Harry said, smiling.