epiphany - drarry

chapter 2

dear mother,

i'm at school now. we have just finished eating dinner and the first years were inducted into their houses. the eighth years are going to be shown to our dorms in about 30 minutes. i hear from pansy that we're getting our own rooms. sounds wonderful don't you think? blaise says hello, and that he misses you. he told me just now to tell you that he finally got together with theo. he seems quite excited about it. anyways i must be off, pansy will have my head if i don't walk down to the library at once. goodbye, i hope all is well.

with love
draco.

P.s: mcgonagall is headmaster now. i don't quite know how i feel about it.

draco put down his quill, wiping the drop of spilt ink on his robe. he collected his things and slunk into the delivery room of the owlery.

all the birds were perched on soft landing pads with their names engraved into them. draco let the cool air wash over him as he stroked along the owls, to end at his magnificent golden eagle owl who he named 'king' in his first year. he smiled at the bird and stroked his feathers with his index finger. he placed the letter in his talons and fed him a piece of treacle tart, which he had become very fond of, as draco would sneak him some every evening from the great hall since his first night at hogwarts. king cooed at draco before gracefully gliding out of the open plan room.

draco was about to leave when he saw that the bird who had captured his heart almost eight years ago had returned. he couldn't find her anywhere when he visited the owlery in his hardest times (sixth year). she was squawking and flapping her wings excitedly. draco beamed and walked over to her post, ruffling her feathers.

"hello to you too love! i've missed you!"
he spoke in a high pitched voice, the white bird hooting enthusiastically.

he was petting her head when a voice spoke up abruptly behind him.

"i see you've met hedwig."

draco jumped out of his skin, turning around in fright when he realized it was only potter. potter, with his robe undone and tie loosened, potter with that gorgeously tan, muscled chest that people could just bite int-

"jesus christ! you don't sneak up on people like that!" draco said, slightly out of breath, quills dropped on the floor.

the corners of potter's mouth quirked up and he shook his head, bending down to help draco pick up the quills.

"she's beautiful isn't she?" potter's tongue was sticking out of his teeth as he tried to grab a quill that was stuck under the owl's post

"she most definitely is. i've been coming to visit her ever since my first year. she's my favourite thing in this castle."

"i sure was happy when i got her."
draco was a bit startled.

"she's your owl?"

"oh yes. she got me in trouble many times with my old caregivers."

draco didn't ask him to elaborate, but instead took a second to evaluate potter's new physique. when did potter get so muscular? He thought to himself. has he always been that attractive? am i just extremely unobservant? his inquiries were interrupted by fingers snapping in front of his face.

"earth to malfoy!"

draco snapped his attention up at potter, who had gotten up, then at himself, who was still sitting on the floor with his arms full of objects. he might not have looked mortified but he was. extremely mortified. potter extended his hand and draco placed the quills he was holding in his sac of school books. when he took potter's hand it was like someone had sent a jolt of electricity through his frail body. he found it strangely exhilarating.

draco took a glance at his watch and paled.

"we were supposed to meet at the great hall ten minutes ago."

potter's eyes widened and they both bolted out of the owlery, through the corridor, stumbling down stairs, sliding through doorways until they reached the doors of the great hall, flinging them open to see a group of 30 people staring at them in bewilderment.

"nice of you to join us mr. potter, mr. malfoy. take a seat, we were just discussing the room numbers."

potter shuffled over to weasley and granger who gave him baffled looks as he took his seat.
draco slunk over to pansy, blaise , astoria, and theo who looked like they might burst out of their skin to become fiery balls of rage.

"draco, what the fuck just happened." pansy whispered into his ear, her plum lipstick smearing on his cheek.
"you were supposed to meet me in the library but instead, the first time i see my best friend since the end of a war, he comes in looking like he was thoroughly shagged next to saint potter!"

draco made a horrified face, shutting down whatever she was implying.

mcgonagall cleared her throat, and the room silenced.

"before i give you your number, we shall discuss your dorm mate."

everyone groaned, expecting to have a dorm to themselves. draco wasn't pleased. he didn't want someone to witness what happens to him in times of hardship. it was humiliating for his pride.

"because we defeated he who must not be named, and our battles have been won, i have decided to place each eighth year with someone that they took a disliking to. this will be based off every year you've spent at hogwarts."

draco felt sick. he had collected a feud with around 97% of the people in his year. how will they even pick a person for me to room with?
he thought, unless they pick the person i- realization hit him. he looked over at potter and saw that potter was looking at him, with the same sick look on his face. they may be on civil basis but seven years of hatred doesn't fade quickly.

mcgonagall started listing off the pairs.

"blaise zabini, you'll be paired with ron weasley, hermione granger with pansy parkinson, theodore nott with seamus finnigan, dean thomas with cormac mclaggen, parvati patil with ...."

the list went on and draco didn't hear his name. he was staring at potter's unfazed expression as the list got shorter. i wonder how he does that.

"and finally, harry potter will be rooming with draco malfoy . any questions?"

draco felt sick to his stomach. he wouldn't be able to leave potter alone now. he wanted to crawl up to the washroom and heave out his dinner. he wanted to throw himself off the astronomy tower and cry as he descended. he willed the bile flowing up his throat to go down and swallowed hard. he took a quick glance over at potter who looked gravely ill.

a small bead of sweat trickled down the side of his face, onto his neck, and inside the collar of his shirt. the tanned skin of his chest was showing from where his shirt was unbuttoned and it glistened in the light of the sunset blasting through the large windows. draco watched the sweat dribble out of his collar, his mouth salivating.

one hufflepuff who draco believed was named ernie or something like that raised his hand and caught draco's attention .

"it isn't very fair that the saviour of the wizarding world has to room with a filthy death eater like malfoy."