Orpheus' Legacy

You Deserved Better

Harry and Draco walked outside in comfortable silence. The night was quiet compared to the commotion within the castle, and a few lights were on in windows higher up - younger years who were up late, it seemed. The winter air was cool on Draco's warm face. He hadn't noticed the temperature when he'd been dancing, but now he was outside he was grateful for the cold.

He felt the inexplicable urge to reach over and take Harry's hand, to say something. He wanted to kiss him. He looked so good, in his green dress robes with his flushed face and ruffled hair. Draco wanted him to be his, he felt unfairly possessive of him already, and they'd only recently become friends.

He supposed he'd always felt a bit possessive of Harry.

Even back in the old timeline. In the original fourth year, when things started to intensify and Draco had stopped being on his radar; when Harry had made other priorities than his arch nemesis Draco Malfoy, Draco had felt betrayed. He wanted Harry to look at him, to sneer back at him, to fight him, but Harry would do nothing.

Even in the years which proceded that, Draco would glare at him from across the Hall, scoff at his words- his hero antics. But Harry would never look back.

He'd slowly gotten worse. As the years went by he'd gone from indifferent to self absorbed. He was consumed by himself, by his feelings. Draco remembered all too well the shadows that tailed them all through sixth year, that followed them into seventh and still hadn't left now. The curse Harry had shot at him, the red stains left in his home from Hermione Granger's short stay.

He supposed he forgave Harry, in the end. He had certainly had more on his mind than Draco had in fourth year, and when he'd cursed him, Draco had been about to do exactly the same. And yet it still stung.

"Sorry." He said into the air.

"Hm?" Harry turned to him.

"About- well. Everything."

Harry's eyes widened in realisation.

"Oh. You don't- we don't have to talk about this."

Draco inclined his head, "No, but we should."

Harry grimaced.

"I'm sorry too." He said. "For cursing you. And for.. well, I don't know. A lot of things probably. I'm not sure I've always been fair to you."

"I could say the same thing."

"I'm sorry for turning down your friendship, back in First Year."

Now it was Draco's turn to look surprised.

"You are?"

"Yeah," Harry frowned at the floor.

"Do you regret it?"

"No."

Draco closed his mouth. Harry looked up.

"I don't regret it, but I'm still sorry. You were a prat, and you were nasty about Ron, but you were only eleven. It wasn't really your fault that you acted the way you did."

"No, I suppose that's true. Apology accepted then, but I don't really care if you're sorry about then, so long as you think I'm decent now." He smiled at Harry.

Harry met his gaze, nudging him slightly and grinning. "Yeah, I 's'pose you're alright."

"I'm glad we're past that then."

Harry hummed.

"But I'm sorry about the curse."

"You said that already."

"I know, but it's true. I never meant to hurt you, not like that."

Draco raised an eyebrow.

"Seriously. I read it in a book and it didn't really- it didn't describe what it would do. It just said 'for enemies'."