The Dragon in The Ice Fortress- Draco Malfoy

27

The Great Hall was abuzz with the usual lunchtime chatter as students gathered around their house tables, eagerly discussing their classes, the upcoming Quidditch match, and the latest gossip. I found myself sitting with Harry, Ron, and Hermione at the Gryffindor table, trying to keep my mind off the events of the past few days.

As I chewed on my salad, my gaze drifted across the hall, my thoughts preoccupied with Draco. I had been unable to shake the unease that had settled over me since my discovery in the Room of Requirement. My eyes fell upon Draco and Pansy, seated at the Slytherin table, their closeness impossible to ignore.

Pansy was practically draped over Draco's shoulder, her head resting against his with an affectionate sigh. Draco, in turn, had one arm wrapped around her, his fingers absentmindedly stroking her arm as they chatted. The sight was almost painfully intimate, and it made my chest tighten with an uncomfortable mix of emotions.

I tried to focus on the conversation at the Gryffindor table, but my attention kept drifting back to Draco and Pansy. It was hard to miss how Draco's usual aloof demeanor seemed to soften in Pansy's presence. He laughed at something she said, a genuine, carefree smile on his face—something I hadn't seen in a long time. The contrast between his behavior now and the troubled, secretive figure I had been following was stark.

"What's wrong, Thalia?" Hermione's voice broke through my thoughts, her brow furrowed with concern.

I blinked, snapping out of my reverie. "Oh, nothing. Just—" I gestured vaguely toward Draco and Pansy. "Just observing."

Harry followed my gaze and raised an eyebrow. "They look pretty cozy, don't they?"

Ron snorted. "Pansy's always been like that with Draco. She's got this way of being all clingy."

"It's more than that," I said softly, though I wasn't sure why I felt compelled to share. "I've been noticing Draco acting differently lately."

Hermione's curiosity was piqued. "Different how?"

I hesitated, unsure of how much to reveal. "He's been... distracted. And I think he's hiding something. It's probably nothing, but it's been bothering me."

Harry exchanged a concerned glance with Hermione. "You think he's up to something?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. But seeing him like this, all relaxed and happy with Pansy... it just seems so out of character."

Hermione's gaze softened with sympathy. "I can see why that would be troubling. Sometimes, though, people act differently around those they care about."

"Maybe," I agreed, though I couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to Draco's behavior than met the eye.

The rest of lunch passed in a blur, my thoughts still consumed by Draco and the unsettling sense that something was amiss. As I excused myself and made my way out of the Great Hall, I couldn't help but wonder what secrets Draco was keeping and how they might affect us all.

His absence had been a heavy weight in my summer, and seeing him again—seeing him so indifferent and closed off—had only deepened the confusion. The Draco I had known was gone, replaced by someone who seemed almost unrecognizable, a stranger cloaked in arrogance and detachment.

I replayed our last encounter over and over in my mind, the words he had used echoing painfully: "It meant nothing. I don't want to see you anymore." The hurt in his voice had been unmistakable, but there was also a coldness, a detachment that felt foreign.

The image of him with his pale, unyielding gaze and the icy finality of his dismissal haunted me. The Draco I had known had been passionate and complicated, but this version of him felt like something else entirely. I couldn't reconcile this new Draco with the one who had shared so many moments with me, who had made promises and declarations. It was as if a veil had been pulled back, revealing a version of him that I had never wanted to see.

I thought of the rumors, the whispers about Death Eaters and dark alliances. Was this what he had become? Had I been blind to the signs, or had he truly changed so completely? I felt a surge of anger and betrayal, but also a profound sense of loss. Draco had always been a complicated part of my life, and now, it felt like he was nothing but a shadow of a past that was slipping away from me.

The very thought of him being involved in something so dark and dangerous made me shiver. How could someone I once cared for deeply become so unrecognizable, so seemingly distant from the person I thought I knew? The idea that he might have become a Death Eater, that he could have embraced such a terrible fate, was a cruel twist of reality that I struggled to accept.