The Impatient Man and His Suit

Clark and Kingsley

That night, when nothing but the sounds of soft wind could be heard lightly whipping through the drafty cottage, my thoughts were slow and silent. I lay shivering in my bed and crossing my poor frozen toes to secure the warmth inside them until the cold drove me from my room once again and into the living room, where the fire burned but faintly. I awoke it with the iron poker for a bit, then fed it with some dry leaves and twigs which had been swept in with the wind from the front door being opened too many times earlier that afternoon.

I reached for my coat hanging on the red hat-stand beside the door and slipped into it. In the process, I snickered quietly to myself at the thought of the generator buzzing outside and the cold conditions of the entire house. All that electricity being used for a string of fanciful lights, instead of being used properly to warm the temperature of the cottage. The cold stung my fingers harshly, so I shoved them into the pockets of my coat, but my tired eyes bloomed at the touch of paper crumpled at the bottom of the righthand pocket.

Pulling it out, the piece of newspaper laid in my hand before I unwrapped it. I re-discovered the Daily Prophet portrait of the Malfoy's and stared at it closely, and differently. Little Draco sat beside his mother and father, soaking in his ignorance of a future abuse. I studied his small black and white face closer. I could find no real soul-like resemblance between the Draco then and the adult Draco I knew. Only their eyes and striking colour of hair connected the two.

In those days, because I saw him day in and day out, whenever I began to think of any old idea or have a random thought passing through my mind, it would always network out and return with a conclusion relating to Malfoy. So, the little snippet of newspaper prompted my thoughts further and I began thinking of the current Draco Malfoy, which I surprisingly had come to know quite well since the first day that my case began.

I found that he was a lover of the arts, enjoyed gardening, and could have and enjoy peace in simple things like reading by the fire. He wasn't a loud, obnoxious or overly-energetic person, which seemed to compliment my own more slightly lively personality most appropriately. But most importantly, I also found that while he was rocklike and intimidating on the outside, on the inside he was tender and easily moved, despite his efforts to conceal this fact. He was incredibly generous, as hard as it was for him to soften his natural disdain for things, he sacrificed a great portion of his own life and time to tend to my needs and teach me what I needed to know. And by that time, it had become no easier task either.

Staring shamefully down at my cold and curled fingers, I felt selfish and undeserving for the first time since I met Draco. He had, with time, willingly made effort to let me into his habitat, for my own comfort and peace of mind. He created a new atmosphere by the softening of his attitude towards me, hence why I had suddenly begun to place my trust in him. I forgot about his ill-reputation, which always made my head spin with confusion. But at that moment, including moments before it, the confusion was replaced with pure sober growing love. I was in love with him in a way which was without infatuation or drunkenness. It was unlike the usual feverish love, which most people experience once they find someone they crave. Instead, I was in love with his humble hobbies and admirations, and his almost unreadable countenance. I was in love with his growing friendship, of which I was secretly terrified to lose, and I was beginning to fall in love with the way he called me "creature".

 A simple pet-name he perhaps used with intentions to inflict aggravation upon me but failed miserably, for it induced the complete opposite effect. All of these things which brewed inside of my heart were sure to become a nuisance in the business of our relationship, and although the feelings were only just then growing on me, I recognized that it would be necessary to ignore and repress them. With consideration, I had no right to complicate things and incorporate such selfish ideas into how we interacted with one another.