The Color Yellow ~ Blaise Zabini

eight

Over the next few weeks Draco Malfoy was seen less and less. Isabelle and Blaise tried to find and talk to him but the blond seemed to, quite literally, disappear. He'd be in class with them one second and then as soon as the bell rang, he'd be gone.

Isabelle was tired of the crap. She wanted her friends back together, who cared if Draco was possibly up to something anyway. The only way to help Draco get better and do better was to give him a reason to be. And so Isabelle formed a plan. She grabbed Blaise Zabini and phase one of the plan began.

"HARRY POTTER!" Isabelle yelled and all but tackled the Golden Boy. Blaise laughed at her fondly then helped Harry get out from under her grasp.

"Er, can I help you?" He said warily.

"Glad you're as eloquent as ever. But yes we could use your help, apparently," grumbled Blaise-The-Grumpy-Slytherin.

"Shove off Zabini," Harry said with minimal malice and turned to leave. Isabelle wouldn't let that happen.

"Harry please, it's important!" Isabelle tried as she grabbed a hold of the Gryffindor's arm.

"Fine. Tell me."

So Isabelle told him the plan. Well actually she was telling both Harry and Blaise because she realized she hadn't told Blaise yet.

"Okay, let me get this straight. You want me to befriend my biggest rival? You want me to voluntarily do something to help Draco Malfoy?"

"Well I was kinda counting on your inherit goodness to overrule the years of animosity between you. Plus it may drive Draco a little insane?" Isabelle flashed Harry with a brilliant smile.

"I'll do it."

"There is some Slytherin in you yet, Potter," Blaise grinned.

"Yeah whatever Zabini, see you around guys, I need to go."

And just like that Isabelle and Blaise found themselves alone in the corridor with weird grins on their faces. The plan was definitely a go.

Draco Malfoy was beyond exhausted. In multiple ways. He was mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted. But that was to be expected of someone who was being forced to do the things he was being forced to do. But he hated it! Everyone thought he was a villain, they thought he had no capacity for good. That just was not the case.

Draco wanted so desperately to be good. Ever since he was a kid he tried and inevitably failed due to his father. He would always play toys with Dobby and go outside to pick flowers for Narcissa. Pre-Hogwarts Draco was just an innocent little boy who was in equal parts in awe of and constantly fearful of his father. And then Hogwarts altered him slightly but he was still fundamentally good. He remembered going home in first and second year and telling Dobby all about the amazing Harry Potter and he remembered how excited he always was about everything.

Then he grew up. His innocence was taken from him and he lost the twinkling excitement that surrounded him. The Dark Lord returned and his father went infinitely more insane. Draco was like some toy to all the Death Eaters when they visited his Wiltshire home. They ordered him around the house and made disgusting comments to him.

But none of that compared to how he felt now, sitting alone beside a suit of armor in a back Hogwarts corridor in the middle of the night. He hated what he was being forced to do. He hated that he couldn't help it. He hated that he had no choice in the matter. It was his family and all he cared about or Dumbledore. So he painstakingly tried to do as told. But he didn't think he could. His heart had not yet grown as cold as the world thought it was. Draco sobbed.

"Malfoy?"

Draco looked up and instantly regretted it. Potter stood before him shuffling his trainer clad feet awkwardly. Draco made the observation that Potter really needed some new trainers. But that was off point so he just sent the Golden Boy a glare.

Harry sat down. He was already regretting agreeing to this, but Blaise and Isabelle had seemed truly concerned for not only their friend's safety but the safety of others as well. And Harry knew he'd be lying if he said he didn't have a hero complex.

"I come in peace Malfoy"

"Yes well, you can leave in peace too," the blond said. And honestly, now that Harry had a reason to look past it, he could tell two things:
1. Draco Malfoy was a compulsive liar
2.Draco Malfoy was a very sad person

"You're gonna have to work a lot harder than that if you want to be rid of me, Snake King," Harry said in a teasing tone he didn't know he was capable of towards Malfoy.

"Shove off, Potter," Harry just laughed and huh, maybe they were more alike than he'd ever given them credit, because that was exactly what he'd told Blaise.

"Excuse me if I didn't get the joke,
Mr.High-and-mighty-boy-who-lived." Malfoy tried to sound annoyed, he really did, but it's hard to sound annoyed when your face is tear-stained.

"Don't call me that," Harry spoke quietly before adding, "please."

"Does our Golden Boy not like his nickname?"

"Malfoy, please don't call me that."

"So you only answer to Savior Potter now?"

"I'm not kidding," Harry grumbled.

"Okay," Draco whispered. He didn't know why he gave in, but he saw something in the raven haired boy that twisted a knot of remorse in his stomach. Draco may enjoy messing with Potter, but he was not cruel. He knew he had touched a very, very sensitive nerve with all those names.

So they both just sat there in the otherwise empty corridor in somewhat comfortable silence for a while, neither very ready to leave. Then it got a bit weird.

"It's because I despise attention," Potter spoke.

"What?"

"The names. I came into the wizarding world used to abuse and awful names and then suddenly I was supposed to be some Savior Golden Boy. I hate it. The attention, it's unnerving," Harry had no idea why he was telling Malfoy this. He just figured Draco would never consider being honest with Harry if Harry wasn't open and honest first. And well Harry was known for taking gambles.

"I always assumed you were always the Golden Boy and that you did all the stuff you did because you loved attention," Malfoy spoke, barely above a whisper, barely audible at all.

"Nope," Harry popped the p, "my Aunt Petunia and her husband Vernon treated me horribly, still do. It's why I never go home for holidays. I slept in a cupboard under the stairs for the first eleven years of my life."

"That's horrible, Potter!" Malfoy all but shouted, sounding horrified. And even though it was not funny at all, Harry barked out a laugh. "That isn't funny at all!"

"Believe me, I know. You just sounded so horrified, Malfoy! But yeah," he ran a hand through his messy hair, "I've not had much of a childhood at all, but I know I'm not the only one."

The two boys once again sat in silence for a while but eventually they stood up at the same time and with a silent nod and newfound understandings, went their separate ways.

Harry through his cloak back over him and ran back to the tower, mind swirling. He had just had a (mostly) civil conversation with Draco Malfoy and enjoyed it. Phase Two complete. He made it to his room and without a sound flopped onto his four-poster and drifted into an easy sleep for once.

Draco was a different story however. He was unable to sleep for the better part of the night. Draco's entire view of Harry Potter had been flipped on its head. Harry was such a good person despite all that he'd been through and that made it infinitely more impossible for Draco to hate him. So no, Draco did not get to sleep that night.

A.N. 💛