till death do us part | draco malfoy

23.

i always knew i've loved her. i was a fool to think i could hide it.

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If Juliet Snape and Draco Malfoy were theoretically in a 60-year marriage, their current status would be called a "rut". But they were not an old married couple, despite acting like one. And if Draco were a blonde with an ego higher than the Astronomy Tower, he would be in something called "denial."

A few weeks had passed since Juliet's birthday. At the beginning of April, a silent Draco was sitting in the Slytherin common room in his favorite armchair, doodling on a ripped piece of parchment. Sketching helped Draco think, to concentrate. And that was something he certainly needed to do.

He was sketching a pair of eyes; lately, it was his favorite thing to illustrate. The eyes were bright and happy looking, round and wide. Long lashes were attached at the top of the eyelid, the dark hairs matching the color of the pupil. Despite the darkness of the eyes, there was a kindness drawn in them.

A soft warm feeling that when Draco had momentarily paused his thoughts to look into his drawing, he felt as if everything were going to be perfectly fine.

But everything was ... somewhat fine. He had been doing well in Quidditch and his studies, he and Blaise were fine, Potter was his usual stupid self, it was Juliet that was not perfectly fine.

Ever since Blaise and Theo's little comment, insisting Juliet was his "girlfriend", Draco had gone into somewhat of a panic mode. He did not need Juliet to believe it was true, and he did not his pupils to believe so either.

He had still been polite to Juliet because one, he was a gentleman and his mother taught him (and would be furious) if he ignored Snape. Neither did he he did not want to go back to the way their relationship was in first year. But he was acting odd. If he felt he had talked to her for too long or if Blaise were nearby, Draco would abandon his conversation with Juliet.

If he found himself far too interested in her words, he'd look around the room and use every one of his brain cells to attempt to appear bored by Juliet's stories. And even worse, at their weekly hour-long hangouts at the Black Lake, Draco would sometimes cancel, insisting he had Quidditch practice. Instead, he would spend that hour trying to bury the undying ache of guilt he had.

He acknowledged that Juliet Snape did not have any effect whatsoever on him. She was nothing but a good friend to him. She was probably the only friend he genuinely took notice to. Blaise and Nott were his best friends and reasonable, respectful wizards — but Julirt was the first friend he made on his own.

He had known Blaise and Nott since they were in diapers. Snape first person he wanted to actually spend time with, and not just because they were respectable. Draco, to this day, doesn't know why or how he was so... drawn to Snape. But some things, he believed, were just unexplainable. Juliet Snape was unexplainable.

A person he, a man of few words and little patience, didn't mind listening to Juliet's ridiculous stories and her ambitious dreams. He even found them enjoyable.

But so what?

Draco did enjoy her company, and he did not enjoy the company of many mind you, but he only liked her on a platonic level. And certainly, Snape did not have feelings for him either. Draco would have realized by now. She didn't stare at him in class like Pansy Parkinson or his other fangirls, Juliet was far too busy being studious, not taking her eyes off her classwork.