Lost Boy- A Drarry Fanfic

Chapter 10- Hogsmeade

Draco frowned with disappointment as he noticed that Harry only drank half of the hot chocolate but he remained quiet knowing that forcing him would only make matters worse. While Harry did seem slightly more relaxed around the Slytherin gang, Draco noticed how Harry stayed silent throughout the entire time, and when he was brought into the conversations he only mumbled a few words in reply. This worried Draco immensely as he also noticed the lack of words from the boy last night. The raven-haired boy once radiated energy and would talk nonstop to his friends before the war, so much so that Draco often complained to his friends, wishing he would just shut up. Now, all Draco wanted was to see that bubbly personality and excited smile return.

Another factor that worried Draco was that Harry had cried not once, but twice in the last 24 hours in front of him. Harry never cried in front of anyone, and Draco knew this. The blonde had seen Harry endure the hardest times without breaking down so seeing him break down concerned Draco. No one, including Ron and Hermione, had seen him cry, except for when Cedric and Sirius died. Even then, his real crying was kept behind closed doors. Harry felt he couldn't let anyone see him cry because he was their hero, their symbol of hope. If the hope seemed hopeless, was there any hope at all? Even though the war was over, Harry still carried this weight with him.

Draco glanced around the Slytherin table. Blaise and Pansy were engaged in a spirited debate about Quidditch tactics, with others chiming in occasionally. Occasionally, the laughter of Draco's friends filled the air, but Draco's focus remained on Harry who sat next to him with his legs drawn to his chest staring into his half-empty mug of hot chocolate. Harry seemed to be deep in thought about something. Draco reached out and gently touched Harry's arm, hoping to pull him out of his thoughts. Harry's gaze flickered towards Draco and tilted his head slightly staring at the blonde questioningly. Draco smiled at Harry reassuringly, hoping to keep him from overthinking. Silently, the blonde vowed to himself to make Harry feel happy and comfortable today so he started thinking of a plan to distract the innocent boy from the thoughts that haunt him.

"So... me and the others kinda have this thing we do every Saturday." Draco said looking at his friends for confirmation. Daphne's eyes lit up at the mention of this.

"Oh yes! We go to Hogsmeade every Saturday without fail, we usually split into pairs and roam around going to different shops each person wishes to visit before meeting up at Three Broomsticks at a designated time to drink butterbeer together!" Daphne explained, excitement clear in her voice. The other Slytherins laughed at her excitement making her blush lightly in embarrassment. "Oh shut up y'all..." Daphne muttered. Harry's eyebrows lifted slightly, a hint of curiosity replacing the distant look in his eyes. Draco seized the opportunity hoping this would be the distraction Harry needed.

"Yeah, it's a lot of fun. We did this once to get a break from everything and everyone.. and slowly it became a part of routine." Draco said, smiling warmly at his friends. Harry silently listened to them with a slight smile trying to hide the sadness he felt on the inside. The raven-haired boy couldn't remember the last time he had spent time with his friends like this. Even when they did get together, he always felt left out. Harry was genuinely happy for Ron and Hermione when they became a couple, but he constantly felt like a third wheel, as if they only invited him out of pity. This frustrated Harry so much that he started making up silly excuses just to avoid joining them whenever they called and stayed alone in bed instead.

"What do you think, Harry? Want to join us?" Draco asked, snapping Harry out of his thoughts and back to reality. Harry stared at the blonde in surprise, unsure of what to say.

"O-Oh uh.. it's alright... I um don't want to intrude.." Harry said hesitantly while tapping his fingers nervously on the side of his mug. Draco noticed Harry's nervousness and felt Harry putting up his guard once again making the blonde sigh.