Heartbreak Warfare

Chapter 16

Harry pulled his face out of the Pensieve and looked over at Dumbledore.

"That was Tom Riddle and I need you to find out what he asked Professor Slughorn."

"But, sir, why are you so sure he'll tell me?" Harry asked.

"I'm not entirely sure. However, you've been getting close to him this year for a reason. It is critical that we obtain this information." Dumbledore replied. "I have already tried to ask him but he will not listen to me. Horace has a soft spot for his students."

****

Harry knew that this was a stupid idea, but he didn't know what else to do. Dumbledore needed him to find this out and this was the only way that he could think to do it. He knocked on the Potions' classroom door. Slughorn answered the door with a smile and ushered him in.

"Ah, my boy. To what do I owe the pleasure? Is this about the tutoring?"

Harry felt a pang in his chest at the mention of Draco but he pushed past that. "No. I just had a question."

Slughorn nodded for him to continue.

"I've been doing some reading, in the restrictive section. And I came across something interesting."

Professor Slughorn tensed. "What did you find?"

"That's just it. I don't remember."

His jaw clenched. "I know what you're doing. Did Dumbledore put you up to this?"

"Sir—"

"I've got work that I need to do. You need to go," Slughorn said.

Harry sighed and nodded before leaving the room.

****

Draco got hit in the face with a grape. He blinked out of his reverie to see Blaise looking at him expectantly.

"What?" Draco asked, rubbing his eyes.

"What is up with you? You're more zoned out than usual."

Draco huffed and rested his head on his arms that were on the table.

"Did you sort things out with Potter?"

Usually, Draco would snap at Blaise for saying his name in public but he was too tired to even utter a reply.

"Mate? Are you all right?"

Draco didn't have time to say anything because, at that moment, Pansy plopped down next to Draco and draped her arm around his shoulders.

"Good morning, Drakie," she said.

Draco just huffed again.

"What's wrong—"

Draco suddenly got to his feet and Pansy's arm fell onto the bench.

"I've got to go," he said, not even bothering to come up with an excuse.

This was usually the time that he left to have his potion lesson with Harry so he'd at least have a few hours of peace. He refused to go to their lesson because he didn't even want to see Harry's stupidly handsome face. After what happened at the lake, he would be too humiliated to have to talk to him. He didn't want Harry to know how much his words affected him.

There was only one place he could go to hide, where not even Potter could find him. The Room of Requirement. He usually only went there when he was working on the Vanishing Cabinet, but he was feeling desperate. Maybe the room will show him something different. Not that it mattered to Draco. Any room where he could be left alone was a good room.

****

Harry couldn't stop staring. He didn't plan on going to their tutoring lesson but couldn't help but wonder if Draco would go. So, all throughout dinner, he watched him. He knew he was just making it worse for himself but he couldn't help it. He was upset at Draco for being a git but, he also wanted him to apologize. If Draco took the effort to act like he liked him, then Harry would be willing to give him a second chance. Right now, he didn't think that Draco was going to apologize but maybe if he talks to him again...

No. If this was going to work then Harry couldn't be the one always running back to him. Draco needed to show that he was willing to be better. So, when Draco left the Great Hall, it took all his will power to not follow him.

"Don't you have tutoring?" Hermione asked, bringing Harry out of his thoughts.

"What? No, not anymore," he lied.

"That's good, right?"

"Yeah. I mean, I won't be able to keep tabs on him anymore but I won't have to spend time with him either." Harry hated all the words that were coming out of his mouth but he had to keep up appearances.

"Did you learn anything useful?" She asked.

"No, but I was hoping that he would slip up eventually."

"Do you really think that he is up to something? I thought you were mending bridges."

Harry really hated the fact that Hermione remembered everything. "I was but I think he's a lost cause. I tried to be nice to him but he wouldn't have it."

"So, that's it? You're not going to try and figure out what he's up to?"

Harry shrugged. "I've got more things to worry about with Dumbledore and Slughorn. Malfoy's not worth it."