The Fourth Year

Chapter Five- Y/n

"Draco, what are you doing here?" I asked, putting my book to the side and looking up at him. He shifted around uncomfortably, avoiding my eyes as they drifted around the room, never settling on mine for more than a millisecond. I continued looking at him as he cleared his throat, about to say something that he obviously didn't want to say.
                 " I know you always come here when you're stressed and with everything going on right now I figured you'd be here and here we are," he answered, his eyes finally landing on mine. I tilted my head and smiled warmly, patting the spot on edge of the fireplace next to me. He sat down, shifting around until his robe wasn't tugging in the wrong places. I released a sigh as soon as he sat still, his gaze meeting mine for more than three seconds.
                 "Draco, we're best friends, right?" I asked, receiving a nod even though we both knew I was about to answer my own question.
                "So, that means we can talk to each other about everything, right?"
                 Another nod, telling me to go on.
                "So this shouldn't be a big deal for us. Despite what you've heard, I don't think of you in the way that everyone thinks I do." 
                 A tidal wave of relief visibly washed over his face, causing me to crack a smile. He cleared his throat once more, glancing around the library then back at me.
                " Oh good, good," he said, a small smile on his lips as he nodded his head.
                "Yeah, so you have nothing to worry about," I told him, both of us sharing a laugh.  
                "I figured it wasn't true, but you never know," he replied, shooting me a wink that I rolled my eyes at.
                "Do I look like Pansy Parkinson to you?" I giggled while his face went from shocked to gleeful.
                "Pansy doesn't like me," he said, shaking his head to confirm himself of the fact. I let out a hard laugh, knowing he was lying.
                "Have you seen the way she looks at you? You have to be blind not to see it," I grinned, nudging him in the side with my bent leg.
                "Yeah, yeah, yeah," he laughed, trying to shake off what I said. A few moments of silence followed, both of us not sure what to say next.
                "So," I started, breaking the quiet.
                "Why didn't you try out for the tournament?  I feel like you'd make it if you tried," I asked, nudging him in the leg once more. He released a small laugh, shaking his head while looking at the floor then back up at me.
                "Well, you have to remember that you can't compete until you're 17. But, also, with Potter competing, do I even have a chance?"
                 My heart broke at these words. Now, Draco was as arrogant and egotistical as they come, but when he says he doesn't have a chance at something, it's a pretty big deal. I sat up straighter and positioned my legs cross-legged, putting my hand on his knee sympathetically.
               "Oh, Draco, you don't know that," I said honestly, wishing his head was back to the giant size it always is.
              "You're his best friend, you would know that firsthand," he mumbled while still being loud enough to hear, breaking eye contact with me to look at the floor. I wasn't sure what to say. This was the first time Draco said he couldn't beat Harry at something, and I didn't know how to react to his newfound humbleness. I let out a sigh, rubbing my hand back and forth against his knee, drawing his eyes back to mine. I smiled when I saw them, not realizing they had the ability to appear inferior to another person's capabilities.
              "Being the best friend of two rivals is probably the hardest job on earth, and I will admit that I hate every minute of complaining, ranting, and yelling that happens when one is with me then hearing the same exact things from the other person," I sighed, glancing at the wistful pattern on the carpeting then back up at Draco, who appeared guilty for once in his life, which was another surprise.
              "But," I paused, looking him in the eye to make sure he understood that there was a second part to what I was saying.
              "I get to be close with two aspiring, clever, brave, and confident individuals that lean on me for support and comfort in times of stress and conflict, while pouring their pains out on me, and even though it gets extremely tiresome and boring after how many times its done, I wouldn't have it any other way," I warmly smiled, causing him to do the same.
              "You and Harry both have been there for me so many times I couldn't begin to count them all, and even though it comes with whining and grumbling, I think that if I didn't have you in my life I would be completely lost," I told him, nodding to show how honest I was.
              "So thank you: for the good and the bad, for everything," I smiled, getting one out of him as well.
              "Well," he paused, letting out a grunt as he moved around until his back was resting against the stone wall of the fireplace, leaning his head on it and looking over at me, making me smile even wider.
              "I would say that I'd be pretty awful if I didn't have you in my life," he sighed, giving me one of his signature smirks. I laughed, tilting my head.
              "Draco, you're already pretty awful," I giggled, causing him to eye roll while releasing another smile.
              "I know but I could be a lot worse. If you weren't here there would be more ranting about Potter," he grinned, knowing I would find humor in what he said. I let out a dramatic groan, leaning my head against the side of the fireplace, looking at him with annoyed eyes.
              "More complaining? Is that even possible?" I asked with wide eyes, releasing a shocked laugh.
             "Boy, would I feel bad for the person who would've had my job if I wasn't around," I sighed, causing him to eye-roll while I smiled.
             "Oh come on, Y/l/n, I'm not all that bad," he smirked, nudging me in the leg this time. I scoffed, looking at him with unbelieving eyes.
            "If you take away the constant, 'Potter this, Potter that,'" I mocked in a high-pitched, childish tone, making his eyes drift towards the ceiling in pretend annoyance.
           "And not to mention that massive ego of yours, then, yeah, you're not that bad." I grinned, getting a harder bump in the leg this time while he laughed, glaring at me.
           "Yeah, sure," he scoffed, causing me to chuckle once more.
            We spent the rest of that hour just talking, like old times. Draco's been pretty distant lately, even though we've gotten back to how things used to be, before Hogwarts and teenage boy wizard drama and jealousy. It was nice to laugh again, like how things used to be; where we didn't care how loud or ridiculous-sounding our snickering was. We just lived in the moment, telling stories of our past lives and how we got to where we were today; just like old times.
           As the night became later and the sky grew darker, we couldn't hear a set of footsteps over our laughter from a story I had been telling about something that happened when Draco and I were little. As my head was lifted towards the ceiling, laughing, my gaze fell on a pair of green eyes as I opened my previously tightly-closed ones due to laughing so hard. My eyesight adjusted and I recognized the person that Draco and I were talking about seconds before.
         "Oh, hi, Harry, what brings you to this neck of the castle?"