Draco Malfoy and The Aeternum Caput | Drarry

The found family

TW: Discussion of heavy trauma, including grieving, depression, and self-harm.

Draco, Elena, and Harry apparated in the outskirts of a Norwegian island in between the fjords. Draco watched Harry looking around curious, probably expecting to end up inside the Manor as the last time, but Draco soon looked away from him. His heart was still a mess, and he doubted that he could face Harry anytime soon.

– Sorry, Harry, we need to take the long route today. No apparition is allowed on the island and bypassing the wards with a portkey as I did that night for Andromeda demands time, so we'll need to get in by traditional means... – Elena apologised, pointing to a little boat anchored not far away from them.

They all got up on the boat, that moved alone, carrying them to Hagström island. Draco shivered in the freezing cold of Norwegian 'spring' wind, stealing glances from Harry occasionally.

He didn't know what to think.

He didn't know how to feel.

This whole thing, this Harry Potter mixing with his life, that was far too much, and his heart had no idea how to handle that annoying and wonderful green-eyed brat. Draco thought that he had moved on, that his whole crush was buried in his past, forgotten as it should be. But Harry was right there, only a couple of inches away from him, messing around with his feelings and making sure every one of them resurfaced at the same time.

Thus, afraid of drowning in that sea of messed-up feelings, Draco wondered if he should just box them up, occlude them and never look back at them. It was tempting, especially after realizing that there was a particular thought lingering in the back of his mind, a thought that was close to make him admit that he didn't have just a crush on the Chosen One. But Draco couldn't face that right now.

Harry was right there, following him and Elena up the hill to Hagström Manor, for Merlin knew what reason, but Draco never felt more distant to him. And yet, he never felt closer. His chest tightened. Draco closed his eyes and refused to process anything because he knew he couldn't. He could not process the way he felt about Harry Potter, or the effect that Harry Potter always had on him. Whenever he found himself under the Potter effect, it was a guarantee of being a mess. So he just allowed himself to be a mess. Elena always said it was fine, and Elena always knew better.

The wind kept draining all his warmth until they were safely hidden in the large entrance room of Hagström Manor. As soon as they stepped in the house, they all instantly smelled something amazing. As they approached the kitchen the smell got stronger and Anya's laugh echoed, together with Henrik's voice speaking to her in Norwegian.

When Elena pushed the kitchen door open, Draco let that sweet scene fill his eyes, and give him a perfect excuse to focus on something else, on anything that didn't mean he had to think about that argument or apology or whatever it was that he just had with Harry in the hospital. That scene unfolding in the kitchen instantly gave him some peace of mind and made him remember how incredibly lucky he was to be a part of the Hagström family.

Henrik was chasing Anya down the kitchen, and she was covered in white flour, spreading it all through the beautiful, dark gray tiled floor. She was throwing fistfuls of flour at Henrik, who was also white from head to toe. He grabbed her and threw her on his shoulder like a potato sack, and she laughed even more while he spun her around.

Draco felt his heart leap with happiness and drown in sadness at the same time. It looked like today was a day to be flooded with opposing feelings. Draco was so happy to see his little snake smiling that much and having such an amazing and loving and caring father, who would do absolutely anything in the world for her. But Draco could not avoid the pain that involved thinking of his own father. A father whom he had tried so hard to please for such a long time, and still gave him nothing but contempt and disregard.