Because I Deserve It - Drarry

Chapter 14

Weeks passed while Harry avoided Draco. Every time he saw a flash of blonde, he turned and walked the other way. Unfortunately, this meant that he was late to a lot of classes and rarely ever saw Luna. But Harry couldn't avoid Draco in their dorm. He did try, though. He got up extra early, even though his nightmares kept him up late. He stayed out in the common room until he felt sleepy, and then went straight to bed. Whenever he saw Draco in the common room, he made sure to sit on the opposite side. But it wasn't really working.

Harry was still hyper aware of the blonde's every movement. He couldn't concentrate on anything Snape said in potions, because he was too busy trying not to pay attention to Draco. Even though he didn't look at him, he knew exactly when Draco had entered the Great Hall. This was bloody worse than 6th year, and even he knew it.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were walking up to dinner when they bumped into someone else walking the other way. Harry pulled back, mouth open to apologize. Then, he recognized the familiar gray eyes and angled face, muttered a quick, "sorry," and hurried past. But it seemed like he wasn't about to get away that easily.

"Stop!" Parkinson snarled at him. He froze, then slowly turned to face her. She was livid, her eyes lighting up in anger and an ugly scowl resting on her face. "Is that all you have to say, Potter? After what you did?" For one horror-filled moment, he thought Parkinson was blaming him for the kiss and wondered if Draco had really told her. "You've been avoiding Draco for weeks and 'sorry' is all you can come up with?" She screeched.

Harry sagged in relief. He felt the insane urge to laugh but then quickly thought better of it. "Er-" he said intelligently. Draco, who was avoiding looking at him, tugged at Parkinson's arm. "It's okay, Pans. Let it go." She turned her rage on him.

"No, it is not okay! You're wasting away, darling. You've lost nearly ten pounds and I refuse to let your constant pining turn you into a skeleton!" Now that Harry looked closely, Draco did look a bit thinner than usual. But what did Parkinson mean by pining? Hermione had that look on her face, the one that meant 'I figured out something.' It was the same one she wore in 2nd year before running off to the library and getting petrified.

Draco looked angry now. "Leave it, Pans," he hissed at her. Then, he tugged her away into the Great Hall without so much as another word. Zabini, who had been watching all this quietly, gave Harry an apologetic look and followed his friends.

Harry, stunned, looked towards his friends. Ron was wearing a similar expression, while Hermione just looked a bit smug. He shook his head in utter confusion and together they went into the Great Hall.

As soon as they sat down, Hermione turned to him. "Pansy's right, Harry. You have been a bit mean to Draco. He doesn't know why you've been avoiding him, he probably thinks it's because you regret kissing him! He must be quite upset." Harry looked away guiltily. Ron came to his defense, like the loyal friend he was. "It is kind of Draco's fault, 'Mione. He's the one that went too fast for Harry."

"But he didn't know that. He probably thinks you hate him, Harry! You should tell him, and if you don't want to, at least tell him that's it's not his fault." Hermione argued back. Harry sighed, because she was right, like always. Instead of acknowledging it, he looked over across the hall to Draco. He was picking at his food morosely, barely eating anything. He really was quite thin.

"Merlin, he is depressed." Harry said in surprise. Hermione and Ron looked over their shoulders, and then back at Harry. "Whatever do you mean, Harry? He looks a bit sad, but depressed?" Hermione said confusedly. Harry nodded. "His plate is full of vegetables. He usually fills it with one-third vegetables, one-third protein, and one-third grain. And he's barely eating. And none of it is French or Italian food. He didn't eat any protein in 6th year, and it didn't get this bad until later, when it got closer to when he...you know. And in 4th year, during the Tournament, he never ate French or Italian, which he usually does. I figured he was mad about not getting to participate when I did. But he's never done both at the same time. He must feel terrible. You're right, I do need to apologize." He directed the last part at Hermione, who was staring. Ron was, too. "What?" He asked, shifting uncomfortably.