Chapter Text
I don’t wanna be the
one who tries,
I don’t wanna be the
one who hits
your line
⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆
Before leaving the Slytherin common room, Malfoy had been trying — very unsuccessfully — to figure out what to do about Harry Potter. For one, he absolutely refused to plan a date.
Second, there was no way he was going to ask Greengrass for help. Daphne would’ve figured out why he was asking within a heartbeat. She had a way of making people feel obligated to give in and tell her what they’re hiding. Also, he did not want to seem pathetic in front of her either. Not like she would judge him, Slytherins don’t do that.
And Pansy was entirely out of the question — for reasons he didn’t particularly want to think about right now. Blaise was even worse. Blaise’s idea of “romance advice” involved self-sabotage and avoiding vulnerability. Which, yes, Malfoy did daily — but not to people he was trying to convince to go out with him.
Malfoy would have to rely on his own methods, then.
Which meant: Tormenting Harry Potter until he cracked.
It was a brilliant plan. Really. Except that Harry had grown annoyingly resilient to Malfoy’s insults. But it had to work, right? Harry would get fed up. He’d get so annoyed that he’d give in just to make Malfoy shut up or leave him alone. It had worked on people before, so he didn’t understand why it wouldn’t work on Harry.
But Malfoy knew three things.
One: He was not going to set up a date for Harry.
Two: He was not changing himself to please Harry.
Three: He was certainly not going to stop tormenting Harry’s friends.
If Harry wanted him to try, then he would have to ignore Malfoy’s flaws and take him as he was.
Before leaving, Malfoy checked himself in the common room mirror. He straightened his robes, flicked off imaginary dust, and teased his hair with practised precision. If his pulse was a little quick at the thought of seeing Harry again, the mirror didn’t need to know.
Malfoy grabbed his books, slipped them into his satchel, fixed his tie once more, and finally turned away from the mirror. He walked out of the common room, through the cool stone of the dungeon corridors, and up toward the entrance hall. His footsteps echoed behind him.
When Malfoy entered the Great Hall for breakfast, the first thing he did was look for Harry, who seemingly hadn’t arrived yet. Malfoy grumbled as he looked at the Slytherin Table, where Blaise, Pansy, and Daphne were currently sitting. Daphne waved at him, and Blaise did so a moment later. Pansy didn’t turn around, though, so she was still mad and ignoring him.
Once Malfoy sat down, he immediately settled into a talkative space. He told the Slytherins about Harry and the dementor situation. It was ridiculous to say the least, but poking fun at everyone — strong or weak — was in his nature. Blaise laughed when Malfoy imitated the way Harry fell, even though he was not there.
A couple of moments passed, then Malfoy looked at the Gryffindor table again, but Harry still wasn’t there. “What are you looking at, Draco?” asked Greengrass, looking at him curiously. He waved her off and gave her a small smile, “Nothing, Daphne.”
Pansy stared at him like she was trying to figure him out, “Are you sure you’re okay, Draco?” muttered Pansy, but she ignored eye contact. Malfoy was startled; it was the first time in months that she’d talked to him again, “Yeah, Pansy, I’m okay.” He hadn’t heard her voice in so long; it felt foreign.
Suddenly, the doors of the Great Hall opened. It was Harry, Ron, and Hermione. His face twisted into a sour expression as he watched the three of them walk to the Gryffindor table. Malfoy turned back to the Slytherins, then made an even more ridiculous representation of what happened to Harry on the train.
When the three Gryffindors walked past, the Slytherins erupted in laughter, and Malfoy started to laugh too. He heard Hermione speak, but he couldn’t tell what she was saying. It was so faint, you’d need better hearing to know what she said. However, it seemed like Pansy heard Hermione the moment she opened her mouth.
Pansy shrieked, “Shut up, filthy Mud-blood!” and gave Hermione a weird look. Then she turned to Harry, “The dementors are coming for you, so you should watch out, Potter.” Malfoy turned around and gave Harry a sorrowful look, but he didn’t budge; instead, he shook his head.
The scowl on Hermione’s face was funny. Ron looked like he was about to punch Pansy, but Harry didn’t like the derogatory term used against his friend.
Pansy snickered once she turned to look at the rest of the Slytherins, who were also laughing. Harry looked at Malfoy. Malfoy looked at Harry. Then, Malfoy mouthed — She didn’t mean it — and jerked his head towards her.
Harry mouthed — Sure. Keep your “girlfriend” in check, Malfoy. — And with that, he made his way to the Gryffindor table with Hermione. Malfoy sighed. There were many other attempts he could have made to get Harry to say yes. He just didn’t know how much longer Harry could take.
Ron had already gone ahead and sat down next to George; he probably didn’t feel like dealing with Malfoy’s immaturity. Hermione didn’t want to put up a fight either, so she pulled on Harry’s robe to signal that she wanted to sit down for the feast.
Malfoy watched as Harry dropped into a seat at the Gryffindor table, next to a Weasley. Malfoy wished he could shake the feeling tugging at his heart at the mere sight of Harry sitting there. Hermione sat down next to him, and Malfoy had to force himself to look away.
After a couple of minutes, the hall was starting to empty as people made their way toward their first class. Malfoy checked his course schedule, his eyebrows knitted together in confusion. His first class was potions, and the third was Care of Magical Creatures; he hadn’t remembered signing up for that class.
But he also remembered that he didn’t want to take the other core classes, and settled for an elective instead.
He looked away from his course schedule as Blaise called out to him, “Let's go, Draco.” Thankfully, Blaise had potions with him; at least he wouldn’t be a total loser. However, he’d done pretty alright in potions class even without his best mates.
That class is going to be a breeze. Especially because he is favoured by Professor Snape, who is kind enough to give him input about his potions, and what each ingredient makes. He was ahead of most of the students in his class, right behind Hermione.
When he got up and stood with Blaise, the Gryffindor trio was finishing up their breakfasts, said their goodbyes to the Weasley twins, and made their way past the Slytherin table. Malfoy whispered something in Blaise’s ear, and his laughter was so sudden, it made the other Slytherins laugh too.
Even when Harry, Ron, and Hermione left the Great Hall, the laughter continued until they couldn’t hear anything anymore. The other Slytherins started to get up as well after finishing their breakfasts. Malfoy and Blaise left the Great Hall, heading for Potions, which was taught by Professor Snape.
They walked down into the dungeons, past the Slytherin common room, and opened the wooden door, walking inside. Professor Snape wasn’t there yet, which was unusual, since he was usually there before any of the other students. Malfoy took a seat next to Blaise and got his book out like the rest of the students.
“I hope we’re doing something interesting,” said Blaise as he took his book out as well and placed it on his desk.
Malfoy hummed in acknowledgement, getting out his ink and quill, placing them neatly on his desk. Blaise did the same. The door swung open abruptly, knocking down a few jars filled with God knows what to the floor. Professor Snape walked towards the front of the class, and the plain, green board stood still as if it were presenting itself.
Professor Snape grabbed the white chalk and began to write instructions on the green board, “We’re going to make the potion, Draught of Living Death. Turn to page 10 in your textbooks.” He turned around, tossing the chalk in a random location without looking.
Professor Snape had them pair up for this potion since it was only the first day of classes.
He explained the ingredients thoroughly and had them write down notes on what he was saying. Eventually, he permitted them to commence their brewing process. Malfoy instructed Blaise to get the ingredients, while he got the cauldron. They had an agreement about Malfoy brewing the potion, and Blaise would write the essay.
Blaise came back with a handful of ingredients, and he placed them down on the table. Malfoy also put the cauldron down, then he grabbed his book and began reading from it. Blaise grabbed his quill and started to write a few things down.
- Cut up the Sopophorous Bean
- Pour in 250 fluid ounces of Standard potioning water and add 5 ounces of African Sea Salt to the beaker. After all water has been added, set the beaker aside. Take extra caution not to shake or move the beaker now.
- Let water and salt rest for five minutes.
- Slowly pour all the water into the cauldron.
Malfoy did what he was instructed to do; he cut up the Sopophorous Bean to get all the juice out. Then, he grabbed the potioning water and poured two-fifty ounces of it into the beaker, along with five ounces of African sea salt. After he finished, he put the beaker aside to let it rest for five minutes.
“Are you writing this down, Blaise?” asked Malfoy as he used his left hand to use a graduated cylinder to obtain forty ounces of essence of wormwood.
“Yeah, Draco, don’t worry about it,” Blaise replied, quill in hand, as he was jotting down a few lines.
Malfoy nodded, then looked at the instructions again. He used his right hand to hold the cauldron at a specific angle and poured ten drops of essence of wormwood. Then, again, he switched hands so his left hand was holding the cauldron at an angle. With his right, he poured another ten drops of wormwood essence.
- With your left hand, use the graduated cylinder to obtain forty ounces of essence of wormwood.
- Using your right hand, hold the cauldron at an angle and pour ten drops of essence of wormwood.
- With your left hand again, hold the cauldron at a slightly different angle and pour another ten drops of wormwood essence.
- Chop three Valerian roots into small square pieces. Put it in a beaker with water after cutting is done. Leave it and let it settle for five minutes. Your potion should resemble a smooth blackcurrant-colored liquid.
Blaise watched him work, quietly noting each step. Blaise watched as Malfoy chopped three Valerian roots into small square pieces. Once he was done, he placed it in a beaker with water. He left it again so it could settle for five minutes.
"Your potion should now be resembling a smooth blackcurrant-colored liquid,” is what the instructions said.
“Blaise, could you look at it?” Malfoy asked, moving aside so Blaise could check. Even though he was exceptionally good at potions, he still hadn’t been sure if he was doing it correctly. Blaise nodded as he stood up to check inside the cauldron. It looked right.
“This looks right,” Blaise said, examining the cauldron, then looking back at the textbook. He walked back to the desk where the essay was lying. Malfoy muttered a “Thank you” before going back to the potion. He grabbed the Sopophorous Bean and carefully squeezed its contents into the cauldron.
- Carefully pour the Sopophorous Bean’s juice into the cauldron
- Use the reduced liquid from the beaker to add seven drops; make sure there are no traces of Valerian root.
- Stir the potion ten times clockwise; your potion should now be turning into a light shade of lilac.
- Using your right hand, stir the potion counterclockwise until it runs clear. Make sure that each stir takes approximately two and a half seconds.
Professor Snape was walking by to check on their progress, but Malfoy did not worry at all. His grade is good in this class after all, and Professor Snape almost always compliments his potions. Malfoy grabbed the beaker and checked for any traces of Valerian root. When he found none, he added seven drops of the reduced liquid into the cauldron.
Malfoy grabbed a rod and stirred the potion clockwise; he had to do this ten times. Professor Snape was now coming their direction, and he peered over their cauldron. Malfoy and Blaise looked up, “Well done.” Professor Snape said, “5 points awarded to Slytherin.” He walked to the other students and immediately scolded them for their potion, as it was done wrong.
Malfoy tried to stifle his laugh upon hearing Professor Snape. He watched their potion turning into a light shade of lilac. Blaise was jotting that down too, asking a few questions here and there. After that, he stirred the potion again, but counterclockwise until it turned as clear as water. Malfoy stirred every two and a half seconds, slowly putting in seven square pieces of Valerian root.
- Slowly put in seven square pieces of Valerian root.
- Stir the potion ten times counterclockwise.
- Add one hundred and fifty ounces of Powdered Root of Asphodel.
- Use your right hand to hold the cauldron, while your left hand gently stirs the potion counterclockwise, and eight times clockwise.
He stirred it again, counterclockwise, ten times. Malfoy grabbed one hundred and fifty ounces of Powdered Root of Asphodel and added it to the potion. He held the cauldron with his right hand and used his left hand to gently stir the potion ten times counterclockwise and eight times clockwise.
He put his wand down and left the potion to settle for two and a half minutes. Blaise had written down a lot; thankfully, he would also get up and look at the potion to record what he saw. Blaise was good at writing essays, which was good for Malfoy, since his strength lay in making potions. He wasn’t bad at writing essays, but he preferred making potions instead.
- Leave the potion to settle for two and a half minutes.
- Add one small piece of Valerian root.
- Your potion should turn black; the preparation is now complete.
After letting it settle, he added yet another piece of Valerian root, except it was smaller. The potion turned black, which implied that the potion is now complete. Once he finished, he grabbed a vial and a ladle to carefully pour the potion into it. Blaise added the finishing touches to his essay and handed it to Malfoy, who handed it to Professor Snape.
A few students were finishing up and turning in their potions and essays. Once everyone turned it in, Professor Snape gave a small speech about something that Malfoy couldn’t care less about, as he was barely listening. His mind drifted to Harry.
He’d wondered what he was doing, or where he was at. Malfoy had another idea that he could use, but it involved insults, like always. The dementor thing is getting pretty old, but he had no choice as of right now until he figured things out.
Professor Snape was finishing up his speech, then concluded with, “Class dismissed.” Students quickly packed up their things and started heading out the door. Malfoy and Blaise said their goodbyes and went the opposite directions to their classes.
⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆
When the Charms class finished, Malfoy followed the crowd to the Great Hall for lunch, like a moth to a flame.
Malfoy couldn’t find the other Slytherins in the corridor; it seemed like they were already at lunch. Unfortunately, he was alone since he didn’t have Charms with any of them. However, he did figure out that Crabbe and Goyle had Care of Magical Creatures with him.
Malfoy walked into the Great Hall and slipped into a seat next to Daphne Greengrass; most of the Slytherins from his year were already seated. He looked at the Gryffindor table and saw Ron getting angry about something that Malfoy had no clue about; it seemed like Hermione and Ron were arguing.
Malfoy noticed that Harry was nonchalant about the whole ordeal, watching both of them argue. Why was Malfoy looking at him? It came so naturally, as if he’d done it many times in his lifetime. Well, that was the truth, wasn’t it? Everything always circles back to Harry.
Malfoy ignored the feeling and looked at Greengrass, who slid a bowl of stew in front of him. “You seem distracted. What’s on your mind, Draco? ” Daphne asked, putting a spoonful of stew in her mouth.
Malfoy hesitated, “I… just thinking.” he wasn’t sure if he should ask her for help. He also hadn’t figured out things, but he needed advice. Malfoy doubts she would do anything remotely close to ruining his reputation.
Daphne looked at him expectantly, waiting for his answer as she kept eating the stew. Blaise arrived moments later, taking the seat across from them. “Everything okay?” he asked.
Malfoy switched between looking at Blaise, then at Daphne. He could trust them — after all, they were in the same house. “It’s Potter,” he admitted quietly. “I need his help with something. And, I need him to notice me.”
Daphne blinked, curiosity creeping into her grey eyes. “You mean… as in, get him to like you?”
Malfoy stiffened, the words heavier than he intended. “No. Not like that. I just need him to say yes.”
“Potter — Seriously, Draco?!” Blaise’s jaw dropped slightly.
“Keep your voice down,” Malfoy hissed. His glare was sharp enough to cut a piece of paper. “Don’t want Gryffindor hearing this.”
Daphne leaned closer, “Well… I could help. If you want.” She gave him a small, confident smile.
Malfoy nodded. “That would be appreciated.”
Blaise scratched the back of his neck, “I–I could… try helping too? I’m not a love expert, though.”
“You’d better not make it worse,” Malfoy warned, his eyes narrowed slightly, but he allowed a flicker of acknowledgement.
Daphne laughed softly. “So, how are we gonna do this?”
Malfoy frowned, “I have no idea.”
“You’re trying to get Potter to react, right? Why don’t you ask him to go on a date with you?” Daphne offered.
He shook his head, “No way I'm doing that. I would rather jump off the astronomy tower than have him get that side of me. Plus, I just want to get back at someone else. Which is why I need Potter. That’s all there is to it.”
Blaise’s eyebrows knit together. “You mean, Pansy?”
Malfoy’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Yes. That’s the plan.”
Daphne rolled her eyes playfully. “You really didn’t need to do this, then. You could’ve just asked Pansy like normally.”
“I’m not going to let any form of vulnerability slip,” Malfoy muttered, his expression unreadable.
Blaise shook his head, “You’re ridiculous, Draco."
Malfoy shrugged, “I guess.”
“I'll figure some things out, Draco. But, it’s not going to work unless you do something romantic.” Daphne said, taking him seriously this time.
“He’s bound to get fed up, either way. He wouldn't have a choice.” Malfoy replied.
“Whatever you say, Draco,” Daphne said.
After finishing up his lunch, Malfoy looked for Crabbe and Goyle so they could go to their third class. The rain from yesterday had cleared; the sky was slightly grey, but there were no clouds in sight. The grass looked greener; however, it was damp under his shoes as he walked with them to Care of Magical Creatures class.
Before Malfoy left, Harry was still sitting down at the Gryffindor table, talking to Ron. Malfoy rolled his eyes at the sight and tried to distract himself with Crabbe and Goyle’s bickering. They went down the sloping hills to Hagrid's hut, which was located near the Forbidden Forest.
The three of them stood still and waited for the other students to come. Malfoy began conversing with Crabbe and Goyle, who were now laughing. Malfoy was, yet again, making fun of Harry. He hadn’t noticed Harry, Ron and Hermione emerging behind him.
Hagrid was at the door of his hut, waiting for his class. His moleskin overcoat covered his shirt, and Fang was near his shoes. He looked bored and wanted things to start already. Malfoy stopped talking and approached Hagrid with the rest of the students.
“C’mon! Let’s go!” he called out to the class. “Everyone here? Right, follow me!” He started to walk near the forbidden forest, and Malfoy thought that he would have to relive this experience again from his first year. Thankfully, Hagrid went around the trees, and a couple of minutes later, they were outside a paddock.
However, there was nothing in there.
Then, Hagrid spoke, “Everyone gather 'round!”
“Alright — make sure yeh can see. Now, firs’ thing, yeh’ll need to open yer books—”
Malfoy interrupted, “How?”
“Huh?” said Hagrid.
“How do we open them?” Malfoy repeated. He was annoyed as he took out his copy of The Monster Book of Monsters, which was bound shut with a rope. Other students had also taken theirs out too; some were crammed inside bags that were too tight.
Others were clamped together using binder clips. Malfoy looked at Harry, and his book was secured shut. Harry looked up, and before they could make eye contact, Malfoy closed his eyes and opened them to look at Hagrid, who had begun speaking again.
“Haven’t yeh bin able ter open yer books?” said Hagrid, confusion settling on his face.
In unison, the class said no.
“Got ter stoke 'em,” said Hagrid. “Look —” He asked Hermione for her copy, and ripped off the Spellotape that bound it shut. The book immediately reacted, pieces of paper falling out of it. Hagrid ran his fingers down its spine, and the book fell open, lying quiet in his hand.
Malfoy rolled his eyes, “Oh, how obvious!” He spoke again, “That was the easiest thing to guess! Stroking them.”
“I… thought it would be a good introduction, it was funny,” Hagrid said, sadness edging in his voice as he looked at Hermione.
“Oh, very funny,” said Malfoy. “Really nice, trying to give us books that could kill us!”
Hagrid looked distraught as he looked at the rest of the class. However, he put that aside and spoke again.
“Righ’ then,” said Hagrid. “After yeh’ve opened yer books, wait here… yeh need the Magical Creatures before I instruct ye to do anything. Hang on…” He walked away from them and into the forest.
Malfoy, of course, opened his mouth. “God, what has this place become?” said Malfoy loudly. “My father’ll hear about this oaf finally teaching classes, and he’ll have a fit about it.”
“Shut up, Malfoy,” Harry yelled out to him as he started walking towards him. A scowl appeared on his face. Malfoy looked at Crabbe and Goyle, then turned to Harry and smirked. He took his satchel off and gave it to Crabbe to carry.
Malfoy strutted towards him and looked him up and down. Subconsciously biting his lip, Harry was two inches shorter than him. Why had he just realised? Why does he look so… Malfoy brushed off the feeling as fast as quicksand; he needed to mess with Harry again.
Malfoy changed his expression as if he was scared, then he looked above Harry, and backed up. “D–Dementor! Dementor!” said Malfoy, pointing at the sky. Harry’s expression changed, and he turned back like the rest of the students.
When Harry turned around, Malfoy had been laughing with the rest of the Slytherins. They put their hoods on and mimicked a dementor, “Ooohhh…” said the group of Slytherins, wiggling their fingers.
Harry stared at them, mainly at Malfoy. He kept laughing even when Hermione pulled Harry away. She scowled at them. Malfoy couldn’t — wouldn’t stop laughing.
He took his hood off when he heard Hagrid’s footsteps. When he came back, there were a dozen of the weirdest creatures Malfoy had ever seen in his life. They looked like eagles, yet horses at the same time. Their talons were at least half a foot long and looked as if they could kill.
There was a collar around its neck with a chain. Hagrid was holding them. Malfoy squinted his eyes, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing — What kind of a class is this? The other students walked back slightly as Hagrid got closer and wrapped the chains around the fence.
“Hippogrifs!” Hagrid roared, way too happily.
Malfoy squinted his eyes and turned to talk with Crabbe and Goyle.
“Is he trying to get us killed?” said Malfoy, not paying attention to a word that Hagrid was saying.
However, he couldn’t lie, they were sort of interesting. The Hippogriffs were mixed into different species, like half horse, half bird. Their coats transitioned smoothly from feather to hair, each colour unique to each and every one of them.
Hagrid clasped his hands together, a big fat smile on his face, “If yeh wan’ ter see ‘em — come closer —”
Obviously, no one would want to be near that thing, except for Harry, Ron, and Hermione. They approached the fence slowly.
Hagrid began explaining the Hippogriff's personality traits and things that the class should know before saying anything to them. For one, they’re proud, and for another, they get offended easily, so it’s better not to insult them.
With this piece of information, Malfoy smirked and whispered something in Crabbe and Goyle’s ears about how he was going to disrupt the lesson.
Hagrid explained, “With hippogriffs, yeh always wait fer them ter make the firs’ move,”
“It’s polite. Yeh walk toward him, and yeh bow, an’ wait. Unless he bows back, yer not allowed ter touch him.” Hagrid continued.
“Who wants ter go first?”
Most of the class, including Malfoy, backed up in response. Malfoy noticed that Harry, Ron, and Hermione also had their doubts. The hippogriffs clearly didn’t like being tied up to the fence.
Hagrid frowned, “No one?”
Then, “I’ll do it,” said Harry.
A wave of resentment crashed over Malfoy; he hated how brave Harry was. How, he was seemingly not afraid of anything. It annoyed him even more. Why couldn’t he be more of a coward? Malfoy thought about how he could mess with the hippogriff to get Harry’s attention. He was wary at first, but if anything went wrong, he could tell his father.
His thoughts were crushed when there was a gasp near Malfoy. Two girls, Lavender and Parvati, whispered about Harry’s tea leaves. Whatever that meant.
He didn’t answer and climbed over the paddock fence.
Hagrid complimented Harry and helped him approach the hippogriff, giving him clear and concise instructions. He untied the chains of the hippogriff, and the class took a sharp intake of breath. Malfoy narrowed his eyes, pushing aside the two girls in front of him to get a better view.
Crabbe and Goyle came beside him as well. When Harry did as he was told, however, the hippogriff didn’t bow just yet. And Hagrid told him to move away, but to Malfoy’s surprise, the hippogriff bowed.
“Well done, Harry!” said Hagrid.
Harry moved slowly towards the hippogriff, and his arm extended toward it. He patted the beak a few times, and the hippogriff closed its eyes.
Malfoy had a disappointed look in his eyes; he really thought Harry would get hurt. That would definitely be the talk of Hogwarts, besides the dementor thing. The class even broke into applause! The audacity.
Then, Hagrid mentioned something about riding that thing. Harry climbed onto its back and held on to whatever he could. Suddenly, Hagrid slapped the hindquarters, and it took off. They were gone for a few minutes, and he saw the hippogriff, and Harry headed back to the ground.
Everyone cheered, except for Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle.
Malfoy sneered as the class slowly went into the paddock because of Harry’s success. Hagrid untied the hippogriffs one by one, and a few people nervously bowed. Malfoy walked towards Buckbeak, who had bowed to him. He patted its beak.
“This is easy,” Malfoy said. He made sure it was loud enough for Harry to hear him; he’s going to make Harry say yes this time. “If Potter could do it… Then it mustn’t have been dangerous at all.”
“You aren’t dangerous, right? You great ugly brute?” Malfoy said to the hippogriff, and suddenly Buckbeak went up, its talons scratched Malfoy’s arm in a flash. He let out a high-pitched scream and fell onto the grass. Blood quickly enveloped his robes.
‘Worth it’, Malfoy thought.
“I’m dying!” Malfoy yelled as the class began to panic. “It’s killed me! Look at me! I’m going to die!” he cried out.
Hagrid tried to reason, “Yer not dyin'!” said Hagrid. Panic settled on his face. He’d gone white.
Malfoy complained dramatically as Hagrid lifted him. Hermione ran to hold the gate open. There was a long, deep gash on Malfoy’s arm; blood fell from his robes and onto the grass.
The Care of Magical Creatures class followed suit. The Slytherins shouted at Hagrid, especially Pansy, who was in tears. The chatter faded away as they walked farther and farther. Hagrid had brought him to the hospital wing and placed him on the bed.
He called out to Madame Pomfrey, who gasped.
“I got him. You can go now,” said Madame Pomfrey.
Hagrid nodded, a look of guilt on his face. And, he walked out of the hospital wing.
Madame Pomfrey tended to his wounds immediately. She instructed him to remove his robes, and she cleaned the wound. Afterwards, she grabbed white medical bandages and wrapped them around his shoulder.
“You’ll have to stay here for a while, Malfoy.” Madame Pomfrey said, giving him a drink that he would rather not consume.
Malfoy grumbled, putting on his fake act of pain.
“I’m dying…” Malfoy moaned.
“You aren’t dying.” Madame Pomfrey sighed.
The Slytherins came into the hospital wing and crowded around Malfoy. Pansy was in actual tears; she held Malfoy’s arm as she talked to him. Even if they were broken up, she still cared for him, as did Malfoy for Pansy.
⊱༺༒︎༻⊰
Unfortunately, they couldn’t stay for long, and Madame Pomfrey kicked them out of the hospital wing. He hadn’t had lunch yet, and it was already night. So he couldn’t do anything but lie awake in bed and stare at the ceiling.
All this just for Harry. Maybe Malfoy was a little crazy, but he had to get his attention somehow. Malfoy heard footsteps coming towards him, and he looked down from the ceiling. Who could be up at this hour? Students aren’t supposed to be out.
Then, Harry appeared, his invisibility cloak on his shoulders. Malfoy hid the grin that was threatening to creep out. Harry walked towards Malfoy.
“This is a surprise, Potter,” Malfoy said with a smirk.
Harry rolled his eyes, “What were you thinking, Malfoy?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Malfoy shrugged, acting clueless.
Harry came closer, “You’re injured. Why did you do that?” He said, gently touching his bandaged arm.
Malfoy winced, “Hey! Watch it.”
Harry ignored him, his fingertips drawing stars on Malfoy’s bandaged arm.
“What are you even doing here, Potter?” Malfoy asked; he hoped it was the latter, and not because he actually wanted to see him.
“You just wanted my attention, right, Malfoy?”
Malfoy’s eyes widened, a flush beginning to creep on his pale cheeks. The way Harry said it affected him; a simple sentence whirled around in his head like jumbled-up words. He wasn’t wrong, but he didn’t want to admit it either.
“I… What are you talking about?” Malfoy finally answered; he could feel his cheeks begin to burn up.
“You did this for me, right? Don’t tell me you’re becoming stupid after getting what you want?” Harry said, inching closer to him.
“Stop — Stop doing that.” Malfoy closed his eyes.
“Doing what?” Harry said, tilting his head in confusion.
“Ugh — You’re so annoying, you know that?” Malfoy muttered, looking Harry in the eye again. Were his eyes always that green?
“Of course, I know that.” Harry was even closer this time, his lips brushing against Malfoy’s as he said his next words.
“You’ve got my attention, now, so what are you going to do?”
Malfoy closed his eyes and prepared for the kiss, which didn’t come. When he opened his eyes, Harry's face was already away. And— And he was laughing? Wait— Why was Malfoy waiting for it in the first place—
“You should’ve seen the look on your face, Malfoy! It was priceless!” Harry giggled, his glasses that were perched perfectly on his nose threatened to fall down his face.
He looked, really, really good in the moonlight. But, Malfoy would never admit that.
Harry drew his hand back from Malfoy’s bandaged arm; And, he wished it had stayed. The ghost of Harry’s fingertips lingered, and Malfoy found himself missing it. Why—
Malfoy’s left hand came up, and hit him, “When are you going to stop laughing!” He shouted.
He laughed even harder, “Ok, ok. It was really funny. Thank you for that, Malfoy.”
“I just wanted to see your reaction, and I’ve got my answer,” Harry said.
“I can’t stay for long. I’ve got to go back to the dormitories. Feel better, Malfoy.” Harry went to get off the bed, but Malfoy grabbed his wrist, and he looked back.
Malfoy inhaled sharply — He was really going to ask Harry? It felt wrong. No, no— it is wrong. So what is he trying to accomplish? But the words came out of his mouth before he could actually think about it.
“Go on a date with me?” Malfoy mumbled in a quiet voice.
“Sorry, could you repeat that?” Harry said, his eyes flickering down to the hand that was on his wrist.
“Oh, God, don’t make me repeat it.” Malfoy groaned.
Harry grinned, “I was only joking.”
“So… Will you? Go on a date with me, I mean.” He asked again, voice louder this time.
“I’ll think about it,” Harry said, turning away from Malfoy.
Malfoy scoffed, his grip loosening on Harry’s wrist. With that, Harry grabbed his invisibility cloak and turned to look at Malfoy again. His eyes flickered down to Malfoy’s lips for a split second, then at his eyes.
“Make it worth it, Draco,” Harry muttered as he put his cloak back on.