Draco Malfoy and The Aeternum Caput | Drarry

The Former Best Friend

Harry could not take his eyes off Draco ever since he apparated into the Castle outskirts dressed like that. Harry felt his eyes shifting back to Draco no matter how much he tried to avoid. He needed to look at his eyes, that shone as much as the silver of his mask; look at his soft platinum hair, that Harry could spot easily from anywhere; look at that long jacket, in black and green and silver, that were his colours, the colours that suited him best; look at his rings, shining whenever he lifted his right hand to fix his mask or his hair; and finally, look at that corset vest, that elongated his torso and highlighted his waist. God, there was so much to look at!

Harry had been bewitched by Draco's figure until they entered the Castle. Then, Harry felt his heart sinking when Blaise Zabini called Draco a Death Eater. He saw the way Draco's eyes instantly filled with pain and regret, and he just wanted to punch Zabini in his idiotic face. He felt that desperate need to touch Draco again, to calm him down, to tell him it was ok, anything that made that pain disappear from his face. Harry just couldn't stand seeing his eyes sad like that. Draco had gone through so much, and Harry just didn't want him to suffer even more.

But Harry also felt his heart leaping in a sweet happiness when Draco invited Hermione to dance. He knew how much Hermione loved to waltz, and what a tragedy Ron was at it, no matter how hard he tried. Harry smiled every time Draco spun Hermione around in that dance floor, Draco smiling at her, and Hermione smiling back at him, chatting as if they were old friends. They looked so elegant dancing together, and Harry thought they completely outshone everyone else.

Did that mean that Draco could become a permanent part of his life? Somewhere, deep inside, Harry knew he wanted that to happen very much. But what if Draco just left? What if he just disappeared after they caught Aurum Papilio? They intendent to catch AP on that very night. What if Draco just vanished after that, and all of this was left forgotten, scattered away into old memories like all the small interactions they had shared in the past? Once their goals were not aligned, once their will was not the same, would even Draco's office shut him out, and close the path Draco had recently opened for him?

Harry could not accept that thought. He could not imagine Draco vanishing from his life, and the yellow brick wall on Siddons Lane not opening up for him. There was so much he didn't know, so much that he hadn't figured out about Draco yet. It felt like no matter how much time passed, Harry would never fully unveil all the secrets of Draco Malfoy. And his heart was always obsessed with those secrets, no matter how much his mind tried to fight that urge.

So when Draco brought Hermione back to them, and disappeared thought the side door before Harry even had a chance to protest, his heart tightened, scared that somehow Draco would just vanish whenever Harry got his eyes away of him.

– Where the hell did he go in that rush?! Did he spot something? – Ron asked Hermione, with a hint of worry.

– Oh, no, I was just teasing him a bit. – Hermione answered with a smug smile.

– You were teasing him?! – Ron echoed in shock.

– Yes, but nothing nasty, I just uncovered one of his secrets, and I think he didn't like that very much. – Hermione sounded very amused. – But he actually apologised to me during the dance though, for the things he did in the past, it was very sweet. – She added, staring at Harry with a soft smile.

– He did? – Harry asked, his eyes shifting to the place Draco had disappeared to, with his feet anxious to follow.

– Yeah, and I tried to apologise to him too, but you were right Harry, he doesn't handle apologies very well. – She said.

– Wait, what secret? – Harry asked, ignoring her last sentence. He only processed that information now.

Hermione opened a mischievous grin.