Cassiopeia Lily Malfoy (Harry X Draco)

Chapter 5

Draco listened to the tale in gloomy silence.

"I feel awful," said Harry.

"Do you," said Draco.

Harry fiddled with the wall. Bits of plaster were flaking off because of the damp. It occurred to him that Draco was probably cold.

"I don't..." he began, trying phrase himself in the least inflammatory way possible. "I don't even fully understand why she's so upset. Why does it matter if we were in love or not?"

Draco didn't answer at first. He was leaning against the damp corner of his cell, looking thin and spidery.

"It's always been Cassie and me vs the world," he said, finally. "Allies, and enemies. I suspect she doesn't know where to place you." He brushed down his robes. "If you like me, you're an ally. If not, you're an enemy. But she doesn't want you to be an enemy. So she feels conflicted."

"I don't have to be in love with you to be your ally," said Harry.

Draco raised his eyebrows at him.

"I'm not your enemy!" said Harry.

"Ally also seems a bit of a stretch," said Draco. "I suppose we could term you neutral." He sighed. "This is my fault. It was the easiest way to explain your absence. 'We were in love, but love is hard and complicated, and we couldn't make it work. So she believed you were on Team Cassie and Draco, without you needing to show you were through actions. I didn't think about what would happen if you showed up, and it became apparent that you're not really on the team."

"I get that she would prefer us to get on, but why does it matter so much that I like you?"

"Because no one does," said Draco lightly. "I told you. Us vs. them. There's Blaise and Pansy, who treat me like a person, and make Cassie feel safe, and then there are all the people who spit at me in the street. Which sort do you think Cassie prefers? Can't you see how distressing it is for her to know that you revile the person she trusts most? She's too young and loyal to understand why you despise me."

"I don't despise you."

"Maybe when she's older, things will seem less black and white to her. At the moment, there are only those who hurt her family, and those who don't."

"She accused me of keeping you in prison on purpose."

Draco laughed.

"What a queen."

"It's not funny! What am I supposed to do? Seriously. I'd really appreciate some help, here."

Draco swayed slightly on his feet.

"You don't have another sandwich on you, by any chance, do you?" he asked.

"No," said Harry, frowning. "Are they still not feeding you enough? I put in a complaint."

"That explains why my guard was so disagreeable this morning. No, not much has changed in that regard."

"Wait here," said Harry.

"What else am I supposed to do?" asked Draco faintly, as Harry left.

Twenty minutes later, Harry returned with a large pepperoni pizza, which Draco fell upon with alarming speed.

After he had eaten four slices in as many minutes, he leant away from the box.

"Time," he said. "That's all, Potter. You have to understand that she and I have had a few bad experiences with people we thought we could trust."

Harry chewed his pizza miserably.

"She said you didn't always have enough to eat," he said.

Draco bristled.