PEN PALS ⚡️DRARRY

5/25/98

MALFOY MANOR WAS SURPRISINGLY WELCOMING. SURPRISING TO HARRY, SINCE THESE WERE THE MALFOYS.

At the door, Harry was greeted warmly by a beaming Narcissa Malfoy and he entered feeling so very different compared to the last time he had been in the dreary, cold-but-now-sunlit-bright space.

" For Merlins sake, Draco, sit down and stop pacing around! Ugh, you're making me nauseous." A familiar voice said with a hint of annoyance, and disgust, and amusement.

Pansy Parkinson.

Mrs. Malfoy had abruptly left, leaving Harry completely alone in the middle of the gigantic hallway. He didn't know what exactly the polite thing to do was, and he wasn't too keen on intruding into Malfoy and Parkinson's conversation.

"I know, I know, Pans, it's just-"

Harry wasn't even in the room (since standing right outside the door within earshot probably didn't count as in the room) yet he could feel the smirk forming on his old classmate's face. Why was Draco pacing around- and struggling to find the correct words, at that?

"Mhm, sure, save your breath. Because I already know why you're so ittery jittery. Because H-"

Harry Potter, bored out of his mind, had been hanging onto the two Slytherins' conversation a bit too keenly because, as he waited for Pansy to start her H- sentence, Narcissa Malfoy had tapped him lightly on the shoulder. He jumped up, surprised, and stumbled right in front of the open doorway. Right in front of a laughing Parkinson and pale Draco. There might have been a shocked yell although it was unclear who did what

"Oh, Harry there you are! I'm sorry, there was something I had to-"

"Its quite alright, Mrs. Malfoy. I'm oka-"

"Mum!"

" You should've seen your face Draco!"

"Not the time, Pansy, really not the time..."

Narcissa smiled lightly as her son turned a light red and there seemed to be no end to Parkinson's continuous laughing fits. Harry was quite confused.

"Okay, erm, I'm so sorry Harry but something really important has come up and I really need to-"

"Hm? Oh, no, it's quite alright I can always come back next time if it's alright with you! I'll just-"

"No, no, stay! You came all this way it'd be a waste. Besides, Pansy and Draco are here."

"Mum!"

"How many times have you said mum already, Draco? Merlin, I'd be even wealthier if I was keeping track..."

There was a short, expectant silence. As if they were all waiting for Harry's answer. Narcissa, looked hopeful. Pansy- seemed like she could care less. And Draco, well Draco seemed like a colorful mixture of emotions in that moment. Should he stay?

He remembered Ginny saying something about making amends and the sort. He remembered agreeing. Was this whole situation not a sign of making amends?

"Um, okay. I guess so," he shrugged.

"Great!" Narcissa said happily. She then left in a hurry, leaving Harry with the now-quiet duo.

"So..."

"If you're wondering why I'm here it's because Blaise and Mira went to Hogsmeade without telling me so I had, naturally, no time to prepare and Mrs. Malfoy makes the actual best sugar cookies so that is why I'm here."

Harry, quite truthfully, didn't know what to do with this information, and said nothing as Pansy (who was quite the talker, surprisingly) blabbered on about school, and time, and other things Harry couldn't care for at the moment. He was double perplexed at the fact that he and Malfoy were in the same room for more than 5 minutes, yet nothing was destroyed, said, no one infamously smirked, or offended the other. Had Pansy told Draco to make amends, too?

His former classmate and Hermione-tormentor snapped a finger at him, like some training dog, causing him to pay attention to whatever she was saying. But Pansy, wasn't talking, and her mouth slightly curved up at the ends; a sort of subtle almost smile.

"Knew it. You're quite trash at pretending to be interested in other people, Potter, but I could care less. Anyway, I've actually gotta go now, my mum, and-"

Draco looked towards her, a mix of desperate and shocked.

"You're leaving me here?!"

"Yeah, well, obviously..." Was her swift reply.

"But-"

"Bye!"

And like that she was gone.

Harry wished he were that cool. Just bam, suddenly the Chosen One was gone. But he was never one for agility, or intense calm, cool, and or collectedness believe it or not, so he stayed there; awkwardly leaning against the doorway and staring at the opposing wall.

"DoyouwannagotoHogsmeade?" The blond boy randomly burst out, an impatient and nervous (Malfoy? Nervous?) look on his face.

"What?" Harry asked. Malfoy's words had come out in a confusing and loud jumble.

"I said," He repeated," Do you, er, want to go to Hogsmeade." The last part came out as a full statement, not an inquiry.

Harry didn't know if he was kidding.

He continued.

" It's terribly awkward and boring here. And mum wants me to hang out with you, Merlin knows why. She probably thinks I'm depressed. The thought of "hanging out" with you is already making me depressed too, though. So not much change there. But I figured going to Hogsmeade would be the best, least-depressing way to, um, catch up."

Harry smiled, actually smiled. This was the Draco he remembered. Insulting, cocky, acted like he was doing you a favor when it was the other way around.

"Sure. Let's go right now."