Drarry One-Shots - A Collection

Seven

What Happens After War? (1)

He let his feet dip into the murky water as the cold seeped over his skin, inducing goosebumps. It had been weeks since the war had ended and after a moment's bravery—where he had thrown his wand to Harry—he had found himself on the run. He didn't want to know. Didn't want to go back.

He wanted to escape. To escape the icky feeling, the writhing of the mark once he came back. He wanted to drown in a pool of his own sorrows and wallow in self-pity as much as he could. He didn't need the help because he didn't want to get better, he just wanted to be left alone. 

Forever alone with only his mind because that way, he could only hurt himself and not others. This way, they were safe from his cruelties. Just like Potter was safe from the cruel, searing pain of his harsh words and actions. He never meant to hurt him. Never meant for it to get as far as it did but once he had found himself in too deep, he hadn't the courage to escape it. He knew that Harry hated him so, so it was only fair. Oh, how wrong had he been.

He sighed as he felt the lake water seep into his dirty clothes. Of course, he had scourgified his clothing regularly but his body had still felt gross. "Get it together, Draco." He murmured as he felt himself shiver in the water, scenes of Voldemort playing over and over again in his brain. 

Different ones. One of him sitting at the kitchen table, another of him hurting the blonde, a third of the ghastly creature laughing with mirth, a fourth of him trying to kill off Narcissa Malfoy and her body, left twitching in the yard. He didn't know if she had survived. He could only hope as he hadn't actually witnessed the moment she stopped moving.

He slowly got out of the lake, leaving water in his wake as he spelled dry his clothes. A tattered shirt along with a pair of ragged old trousers. He felt relieved that the shirt had sleeves once he realized he could easily escape into muggle London and get something to eat out of those big buildings, malls, they were called. Oftentimes, if he was lucky, a young child would give him their food or buy him something.

Shoes cracking the twigs resounded in the quiet space and he quickly cast a disillusionment charm and walked over to hide behind one of the bushes.

"Who's there?" Spoke the unmistakable voice of Harry Potter. "You should know I beat Voldemort himself and I'm not afraid to take on a wimp like you." Even though Draco knew that what Potter was saying was mostly to scare the other person, he couldn't stop his brain from thinking he was a git.

"Come out." He paused. "Or I'll be forced to act as an auror." Shit. Shit. He couldn't deny an auror. He had to do whatever they asked of him under the new laws. He could either, A, listen to Harry and possibly get some pity or B, get humiliated and then sent to Azkaban to join his deatheater father. He never wanted to see that man again. He gulped as he let himself prepare and stepped out of the bushes.

"Ah, so you do hear me."

He couldn't bring himself to be snide with Potter as he let his disillusionment charm fall and he stood there, staring at the ground. "Sorry." He murmured. "Please don't kill me."

Harry seemed taken aback by his request as he eyed him but didn't move closer. "Malfoy? Everyone has been looking for you!"

He sniggered. "Oh sure, looking for the son of a death eater?"

"If you had bothered to come to the trials, you would know that I testified in your defense."

"How-" He started as he finally looked at those intense green eyes he had so often dreamt about.

"I told them about how you refused to recognize me and how, during the battle itself, I wouldn't have beat Voldemort if you didn't give me your wand." He smiled in sympathy. "Narcissa misses you, Draco."

"She..she survived?"

"We found her a week ago, actually. She was walking down the streets of Knockturn Alley under a Confundus charm." He neared a little more. "Don't think I fully trust you, Malfoy. What were you playing at exactly?"

He closed his eyes as he breathed in deeply. One. Two. Three. Out. One. Two. Three. In. One. Two. Three. Out. "I never wanted to do any of it. I..was coerced."

Harry sighed as he ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head after a moment. "Alright, Draco. Let's get you cleaned up and you can tell me everything at my house."

"But I am clean." He tilted his head.

Potter smirked. "I can see dirt right there."

He groaned but he didn't protest as he was led out of the woods and into the spinning world of apparition.

Note - I wrote this awhile back didn't have any idea on what I wanted to do with this one-shot..so I decided to post it here, I apologize if the writing does not seem like the style for the rest of the one-shots.