Dream Girl

SIX - FRIENDS

As the school year went by Draco was spending more and more of his free time in the Room of Requirement working on the Vanishing Cabinet. He made zero to no progress. The stupid piece of furniture was still as broken as when he started. He had no luck with it as he had with finding Alora. He was sure she was here, in the castle. He was looking for her everywhere. During meal times, in classes, every hallway he went. But he felt like she was invisible. Draco started to think that their everyday encounters were just dreams after all and he was falling for an illusion.

"You are not listening to me," Theo sighed, frowning.

"What?" Draco snapped his head up, looking at his friend as they walked through the empty hallway towards the potion class. They still have a kind of long way ahead of them and they were already late.

"What is up with you? I am worried, man. You are always gone, whether literally or figuratively. When you are with us it's the same as if you weren't. Hiding in your own thoughts." Theo stopped walking, giving him an anxious look.

"There is just a lot on my plate at the moment," Draco let out a long shaky breath. He was starting to get tired again. He had trouble falling asleep lately.

Alora was luckily always patiently waiting for him, still keeping his nightmares away. They were getting stronger, he could feel it as they were creeping above them all the time. He could also see it on her face. She looked more and more worn out every time he saw her. An outrageous guilt started to eat him up even though she was reassuring him that it was her work and it was worth it.

"See, you are gone again," Theo shook his shoulders gently. "You know you can talk to me. We are in a similar situation. Both of our fathers are in prison for the same reason."

Draco was watching Theo for a second but didn't find any indication that he couldn't trust him, that he should doubt him. "Yeah, but mine being there had a little bit more serious consequences..." Draco admitted almost inaudibly, rubbing his left forearm.

Theo looked down on his arms. Draco could almost hear the gears turning in his friend's head as he was putting the pieces together. He also saw the moment when Theo realized what Draco meant by that. He looked back up with wide eyes, remorse written all over his face.

"No. No! That can't be true," Theo closed his eyes and shook his head with denial.

"It is," Draco confirmed his worst fears.

"Why? You are still at school. No offense but how could you be of any use to him. Recruiting children? Spreading the pure-blood supremacy? Spying Potter? It's Potter, isn't it?" Theo started babbling.

"I can't tell you. Knowing about just this is a big risk on its own. I shouldn't be really talking about this with anybody, but Alora thinks it could help me. I know I can trust you," Draco admitted honestly.

"Alora?" Theo looked puzzled.

"Oh!" Draco rubbed the back of his neck nervously, thinking how he should explain it without spilling Alora's secrets. "That's another thing I actually can't really talk about with you. I kind of met this girl. She is helping me manage my nightmares. The first few weeks of summer I had really big troubles sleeping. Without her I would probably get mad."

"When did you meet her?" Theo's eyes lit up.

"Can't tell."

"I don't get it, when were you guys meeting? I thought you spent your whole summer locked in your manor."

"Can't tell.

"Soooo how is she helping you exactly? Ah, let me guess, you can't tell," Theo chuckled and Draco just shook his head. "What CAN you tell?"

"I think she is actually going to Hogwarts."

"You think? Why didn't you ask her?" Theo looked at him in disbelief.

"She didn't want me to know," Draco sighed sadly.

"So you are not meeting anymore? How are you communicating then? Letters? We could try some tracking spells," Theo started walking again, thinking out loud.

"So I take it as you don't know any girl with that name. I also think that she is in Hufflepuff."

"You are telling me that Draco Malfoy, THE Draco Malfoy, the proudest member of the Slytherin house, the member of Sacred Twenty-Eight..."

"Theodore!" Draco growled.

"...the only Malfoy heir, that this man fell for a sweet, modest, loyal Hufflepuff?" He finished his sentence as he wasn't interrupted at all.

"I didn't say anything like that!"

"You didn't have to, it is kind of obvious," Theo chuckled with an amused smirk. "But don't worry, all of your secrets are safe with me."

"Thanks. So you don't know her?" Draco asked again.

"I'm afraid I would need more information than just a name and a house."

"Fine. She had this beautiful long curly hair and gorgeous chocolate coloured eyes. She is about a head smaller than me but I think she is the same age, so cute. She also has a few freckles on the bridge of her nose and on her cheeks. She always wears colourful clothing but that is kind of useless information when we are in our uniforms all the time," Draco said dreamily.

"See, completely smitten," Theo chuckled again as Draco nudged his ribs with a half smile on his face.

"So?"

"Sorry, mate. The only girl with long curly hair I know is Romilda and she is too domineering and overly self-confident to be your girl. But I will keep my eye out."

"Thanks, Theo," Draco stopped again as they finally approached the potions classroom. "It really helped...to talk about it all. I just wished I could tell you more without putting you or someone else in danger."

"Maybe someday. If I could help you, by any means, just ask. You are not alone. You have me and Blaise and Alora. Just please don't ask Crabbe or Goyle. Both of them together had probably a half of your IQ," Theo laughed, trying to lighten the mood a little.

He didn't wait for Draco's response and entered the classroom, mumbling a quick apology to professor Slughorn. He just waved his hand and continued his lesson. Draco followed Theo inside, lost in his thoughts again.

He didn't realize how much he missed his old friend, at least not until now. They were really close when they were younger but Draco kind of exchanged him for those two hollow-heads. They were always looking at him as someone better, like he was some kind of god and he really enjoyed that attention. Theo was always honest with him, sometimes too honest for his liking. And that was the reason they started to fall off. Draco didn't like some of Theo's opinions, even though deep down he knew Theo was right. But that was old Draco, that was who he was told to be not who he really was.

Alora saw that and now Theo did as well.

Maybe he wasn't completely lost.