Home To You (a Draco Malfoy Love Story)

The Room of Requirement

Draco woke up and began his morning routine, which was very different than it had been a few months ago. The main difference being that he didn't hate himself - which was a brand new development. He rolled over and grabbed his parchment and quill, which always had a note on it from Mel - she was an early riser. Today her message read, 'Good morning snake king. Study in the library tonight?' He smiled. They had been seeing each other for a few weeks and had been spending a lot of time together. However, all of that time had been pretty public. Aside for a few more secluded moments on the roof, and some stolen moments in the hallways, late at night when no one was checking the shadows, they hadn't really gotten time to be alone. He loved spending time with Mel - but however much he was pretending to be, he was no saint. She had somehow only seemed to grow prettier the more time they spent together, though her daily uniform had consisted of a pair of blue jeans, a large, cozy jumper and the ever present braid in her hair. Those jumpers had turned into the sexiest clothing in the world for Draco - he was dying to find out what was underneath. Everything she did - every smile, every brush of his arm, every kiss drove him crazy. He needed to find a way that they could spend some time alone.

He grabbed the quill and wrote 'How about we try something a little different tonight? Meet me at the door to your dormitory after dinner.'

Of course, she was early. Standing there in her jumper, watching her face light up as he approached, was the best part of his day.

"Hi," she said, grabbing his arm as he picked her up from the common room, and quickly diverted them to a nearby hallway. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see - it's a Hogwarts secret. Another place I come if I need to be alone. Which is often." He said, stopping near a statue. "So this room... it creates whatever you need, whatever you want in the moment. If you want to do potions work, there will be a potions set. Kitchen, snacks, a couch - anything. We'll both just think about what we want the room to be, and it will be there." He tapped the statue with his wand, and the wall opened up - revealing a small wooden door. As they walked forward, they could feel it closing behind them. When Draco opened the door, their room had a kitchen, a table - complete with all of the necessary tools to complete all homework - and, blessedly, a sectional couch, which Draco decided would do.

"This is amazing," Mel said, as she placed her bag down at the table. "This is great, actually, because I feel like I really need to talk to you tonight," she said, sitting down on the sectional. Draco almost let out an audible groan. Mel picked up on his hesitation. "Oh, don't look so excited," she said sarcastically. "We don't have to talk if you don't want to, but I feel like it's...important. We've been seeing each other for a few weeks and you don't know anything about me. I know you have been trying not to pry, but it's only fair that you should know what you're getting yourself into," she said.

"I'm sorry - it's not that I don't want to talk. Let's talk - really," he said, trying to make himself sound earnest and reminding himself of the new Draco he'd been in the last few weeks.

"You asked why I came here, and I wasn't exactly honest with you," she said, not meeting his eyes. Draco started getting a bit nervous. "I came to Hogwarts because I wanted to escape, and start over. But then I met you... and I'm pretty sure you're involved in everything that I came here to get away from." For the first time in a few weeks, he began to get the sinking feeling in his stomach that had gone away when he met Mel. But now, it was back - in full force.

"Last fall, my parents and my younger brother were killed by Death Eaters." She said. Draco's heart dropped. "It was a random event - they were out, visiting my brother at school. I didn't go meet them because I was busy." She said, looking at her hands. "They went into a nearby town. When they got there, a group of Death Eaters arrived, looking for a particular member of the resistance. They killed him, along with thirty other people, including my family." She said. "After they died... I pretty much lost it. I left Ilvermorny, and lived in a nearby town where I was allowed to continue to study magic alone. It was all I did. I learned some really advanced stuff that was dangerous - it was sapping me of all of my energy, I wasn't eating or sleeping and I was destroying myself from the inside out. Eventually, my headmaster intervened. He recommended I come live here, in the UK, for a new start. Where I could finish my formal education and hopefully find some new people who I can care about."