Unwritten Destiny | Drarry

Chapter 10: HARRY POTTER

I've always hated Draco Malfoy. He was the embodiment of everything I despised – arrogant and cruel. It didn't make it any better that he used to always ready to provoke me. But lately, something has changed. It's hard to put my finger on it at first, but as I watched him from a distance, I noticed subtle differences.

At the kitchen in Hogwarts. There were subtle differences: his usual scowl was nowhere to be seen, he didn't do any nasty remarks and he was dressed in a more casual manner. All of it, made him look oddly approachable, which was maddening.

But no matter how much I try to make sense of it, the frustration lingers. It's like trying to solve a puzzle with missing pieces. Why has he changed so suddenly? What is it that's haunting him to the point of changing so much? Every time I think I'm getting close to understanding, another question arises, leaving me more perplexed than before.

Like how he no longer lives with his parents. The reason is a mystery to me. I only discovered when we're arrived from Hogwarts. Most likely, everyone else discovered at the same time. I didn't miss the shocked expression of everyone at the platform. Maybe the absence of that toxic influence seems to have softened him somehow. Before, it was as if there's a weight on his shoulders that he couldn't shake off, but now he looks different.

I thought that perhaps those change wouldn't stick. Maybe he was dealing with something and didn't feel like himself. But then there he was at the Quidditch World Cup. He doesn't provoke me anymore, no sneering remarks, no cutting insults. Sometimes he's sassy, but there is no malice in his words. In fact, he seems almost... gentle. The kindness was obvious when he apologized outside of the tent – it was unsettling. I'm not used to seeing this side of him, and it makes me question everything I thought I knew about Draco Malfoy.

Against my better judgment, I find myself starting to care. The intense hatred I've harbored for so long is slowly ebbing away. After all, it's much difficult to continue hating someone like this new him. Now, instead of hatred, it was replaced by a reluctant curiosity – I wonder what happened to him, what changed.

Then there's this strange, unsettling feeling growing inside me: affection. For Draco Malfoy, of all people. The same Draco Malfoy I once despised with every fiber of my being. It's like my emotions are betraying me, twisting into something unrecognizable. How did it come to this? How did I go from hating him to... caring about him?

I cared when I saw him anxiously pacing outside of the tent. I cared even more when someone bumped into him sending him to the floor. My body move on his own pulling him close to me. Something that I would easily do for a friend, but not for an enemy. That was what Draco Malfoy used to be, some kind of enemy. But clearly not anymore, because I couldn't treat him anymore as such.

To make matters worse, there was his carefree attitude and tenderness towards his little cousin at the stadium. Draco Malfoy looked oddly adorable in that moment. It was an embarrassing observation. I wanted nothing more than to bury that thought. But then there it was Hermione, my smart friend who always seems to know everything – sometimes it's annoying. In moments like this I would enjoy a blissful ignorance.

There was such tenderness in Draco's actions, such genuine care. It was a side of him I'd never imagined existed. He looked at his cousin with a softness in his eyes that I didn't think he was capable of. It warmed my heart, seeing him like this. It was almost... beautiful. It was absurd, thinking that annoying git was remotely attractive or adorable. It felt like I was going crazy. It was way too many changes all at once.

Watching Draco in these moments made me see him not as an enemy, but as a human being. Someone capable of love and kindness. Someone who had his own battles and his own vulnerabilities. It was a strange, almost jarring realization. The Draco Malfoy I thought I knew was fading away, replaced by this complex, multifaceted person.

It left me feeling conflicted. On one hand, it warmed my heart to see this side of him. On the other, it shattered my preconceived notions. How could I reconcile the boy I once hated with the one who stood before me now? The truth is, I couldn't. Not yet. But as I watched Malfoy, I knew that I wanted to try, I wanted to understand this new Malfoy.

"Draco." I hear his aunt called him in a relieved tone. We were back at the Ministry tent, where medwizards were attending the wounded. His aunt rushed to hug him, following her was his little cousin, the kid had tears in his eyes. "Oh, it's so good to see you. You scared me to death."

"Don't do this again" his little cousin reprimanded him.

"He can't breathe guys" Nymphadora commented with smile. The two were surely crushing him in a bear hug.

It was endearing to see this interaction. Malfoy didn't seem like an affectionate guy. In the past, never saw him show affection. Maybe I just didn't knew him well enough, or maybe this was part of those changes too. Malfoy seem to notice my look, because he looked back at me with a questioning glance. This was starting to become a routine for us.

"Harry" Hermione called me. When I looked back at her she had a conflicted expression, like she was pondering on the best way to say something. "He changed, hasn't he?"

"Surely." I mumbled. "It feels nice." I admitted. "He's not as insufferable as before."

"You really do seem to like these changes" she carefully said it.

"A bit" I sourly admitted.

"It's fine to say he looks adorable" Hermione commented with humor.

"Do you think he's adorable too?" I asked without thinking. I mentally kicked myself for admitting without thinking. She opened a big smile. "I would have to be blind to not notice."

"Notice what?" Ron butt in, he had just come back from checking in with his family.

"Draco changes, he seems nicer" Hermione answered.

I was thankful she didn't commented to him about what I said. It was an innocent comment. It was common to call other people adorable right? It didn't have to mean something. But I didn't want him to think anything silly. And I really didn't knew if it was fine for the wizarding world to see a man calling another 'adorable'. Because in the muggle world that would not be seen with good eyes. But Hermione didn't seem to care, which was a relief.

"Definitely there were changes, but he's still a bit annoying" Ron commented, probably sulking about the sarcastic remark back at the tent.

"Maybe he had some change of heart. Because it's impossible that he's still that prejudiced living with the Tonks" Hermione commented.

"I don't know. I'm going to be more willing to believe that he's not that prejudiced anymore when I have more proof" Ron answered. I saw the twins and Gina get closer to our conversation. "I mean, just a couple months ago he was calling Hermione names. Even insulted my family. And there's the whole situation with Buckbeak."

"Yeah, it's sudden. Makes it hard to believe it" I agreed. "But he's definitely different. I think is a good thing."

"It's definitely good." George said. "I don't get the constant urge to hex him anymore" he joked. "Honestly, he seems like a great guy now."

"Now you're pushing. He's tolerable at best." Ron countered.

"You're only saying that because he was sassy towards you" Fred mocked.

"You know it's not only that" Ron answered. "Did you forget how he always used to insult our family?"

"People change brother" Fred answered. "We all do in some point in life."

"But we don't mean that you need to be all buddy-buddy with him" George pointed.

"Alright, you're so mature" he said a bit annoyed. "I'm not at this level of enlightenment."

"Obviously" Gina said.

"Learning knew words?" George mocked. "Enlightenment it's a big one."

"Oh, fuck off" Ron said.

It was good knowing that I wasn't the only one noticing those changes and appreciating them. I felt a bit naive too, wanting to give him the benefit of the doubt, despite everything he did. But listening to the twins doing the same, it made me feel better. Maybe it was a sign of maturity, trying to get past someone actions. But honestly, I just felt like it didn't matter anymore the whole feud. Maybe, this could be begging of a new chapter for me and Malfoy.