Bound by Love

Chapter 14: Choosing to Be Ourselves

Harriet's POV

The Astronomy Tower had become our secret, a place where we could shed the expectations of everyone else and just be ourselves. But as Draco stood next to me, his hand warm in mine, I knew we couldn't keep hiding forever. Sneaking around, lying to our friends, pretending to be something we weren't—it was exhausting.

We stood in silence, the night air cool around us, the stars above glittering like quiet witnesses. I didn't want this to end, but at the same time, I was growing tired of living in the shadows. I was tired of pretending.

Draco was watching me, his eyes thoughtful. "You're thinking about something," he said quietly, breaking the silence.

I glanced at him, feeling the weight of the question I had been avoiding. "I don't want to hide anymore."

Draco looked at me, his eyes conflicted. "Neither do I," he said quietly, "but do you really think it's safe? Do you really think Voldemort won't come for us? For me?"

His words hit me hard, and for a moment, I couldn't respond. The reality of what he was saying—what we were risking—was suddenly all too real. "I don't know," I admitted, my voice wavering. "But we can't keep living like this, Draco. We can't keep sneaking around, lying to everyone."

The words hung between us, heavy but necessary. I had been thinking about this for a while, ever since we returned to Hogwarts and the strain of keeping our relationship a secret started to wear on me. I didn't want to live like that—always looking over my shoulder, worrying about what people would think.

"I know it's complicated," I said, meeting his gaze. "But I'm done hiding. I don't care what people think anymore. I just... I want to be honest. With them, with us."

Draco didn't speak for a moment, his grey eyes searching mine. I could see the wheels turning in his mind, the tension in his shoulders as he weighed my words. But then, slowly, he nodded.

"I don't want to hide either," he admitted, his voice low. "It's exhausting, pretending all the time."

Relief flooded through me at his words. I hadn't realized how much I had been holding my breath, waiting for his response. But hearing him say it—knowing that we were on the same page—made everything feel a little bit lighter.

"It's going to be messy," Draco warned, though there was a softness in his tone. "Ron's going to lose it. And Pansy—she's going to make things difficult."

I nodded, already knowing the storm we'd face. "I know. But we'll deal with it. Together."

There was a moment of silence, and then Draco smiled—a real, genuine smile that made my heart flutter. "Together."

Draco's POV

Harriet's words echoed in my mind as we stood there, her hand in mine. She was right—we couldn't keep sneaking around, pretending that nothing had changed. Because everything had changed. It wasn't just about the secrecy anymore. It was about being true to ourselves, about not living in the shadows of everyone else's expectations.

"I think it's time," I said quietly, more to myself than to her. "Time to stop caring about what everyone else thinks."

Harriet nodded, her eyes bright with determination. "We've both spent too long doing that. I'm done with it."

It felt strange to say it out loud, to acknowledge that we were ready to face the world as we were, without hiding behind the roles that had been forced on us. I knew it wouldn't be easy—Pansy would make things difficult, and Ron was bound to explode—but I didn't care anymore. Harriet was worth it. This was worth it.