Nightmare | Drarry | English

Chapter 21

While grappling with mixed emotions, they sat in silence, watching the view before them. Being away from Hogwarts, especially on this beach that had become a sanctuary for Harry during many nights of nightmares, brought them both comfort. Going back to school seemed to bring them a little closer to tomorrow. As if the problem would solve itself if they stayed here... As if they could hide from the future where they hid from the nightmares of the past...

After some minutes, Harry picked one positive thought out of the storm of negative ones in his mind. A question had been lingering in his mind for a while, but he hadn't had the chance to ask it.

"I want to ask you something," he said, turning to Draco. "There are parts of my dreams I don't remember. The parts about you, right?"

"Yes," Draco confirmed. "I didn't want you to remember the details that would reveal it was me."

"In one of my dreams... In the ones where you talked to my younger self, there's something I'm curious about."

"My favourites," Draco said with a smile. "Which one?"

"You were telling a story. About how one day I'll get out of there." Draco nodded. "There's a part I can't remember."

"And you want to know."

"Yes," Harry said eagerly. "Come on, tell me. I'm ready."

Draco laughed as he looked at Harry's curious face. "You've grown into a big man, and you want to hear a story? Telling it to your younger self was one thing, but-"

Harry narrowed his eyes. "Don't drag it out, Malfoy. I want to know the missing part."

"All right, all right." Draco smiled as he recalled that night. "On the train to Hogwarts, a very cool boy with blonde hair and grey eyes came up to him and wanted to be friends."

Harry began to grin. "Did they become friends?" he asked.

"...the kid Harry asked." Draco continued with a smile.

Harry laughed in surprise. "What did you say?"

Draco shrugged. "I said they did. What else could I say? That he didn't shake his hand, rejected his friendship, and broke his heart? Little Harry isn't as annoying as you are; I couldn't upset him."

"I'd like to remind you that it was my younger self who broke your heart."

Draco paused and thought for a few seconds. "True," he said. "But a slightly older version of him. I can't blame the younger one I saw in the dreams; he is my favourite. It's my job to take care of him as his cool dream friend."

Harry smiled and was silent for a while. "Can I confess something?" he asked then.

"Do you really think I'd say no?"

"The way you communicated with my younger self," Harry said, looking into Draco's eyes. "I think it showed me a different side of you."

"Is that so?" Draco asked immediately. "What side is that?"

"Compassionate," Harry said thoughtfully. "More emotional and considerate. Warmer? I don't know how to describe it. It's like you could show the person behind all the cool, bad-boy acts to a child." He smiled. "You could be a perfect father."

"I'll pretend I didn't hear the 'cool bad boy' part," Draco said, rolling his eyes. Then he became serious. "I don't know how to treat a child, Harry, but I know how not to treat a child, how not to be a good father."

"Did you have a bad relationship with your father as a child?" Harry asked. He had always thought Draco was a spoiled child who got everything he wanted, but he didn't know the truth. "What was your childhood like?"