pushi of his dessert iion, drao stood up from the slytherin table and followed harry.
harry walked down to the ke, ompletely uhe veriae following him at a distaorweeioling fer at ron assuming that his e with drao wasn’t real, worry beause maybe rht, fear that rht, self-loathi at rohere was no way ron ould have known harry’s feelings about the e. it wasn’t as if harry had told him. but how ould he? from his reation that afternoon, it was obvious that ron was o uand how his feelings for drao had hanged. ron hadhrough what harry had, so of ourse he ouldn’t uand this shift of emotion.
harry sighed, shivering against the old night air. and what would he do ? what ould he do ? he k if he waited and did would just make thier. ron would find out from someone else or iher way and then he would feel that harry had not trusted him, or worse betrayed him.
a if rht? drao had seemed serious. very serious. a, when he’d brought up the optioime, drao wouldhink of it beause he didn’t want to have a fake e. but…drao had ually said they were truly gettihey had it at all in fat.
“you knoositive that it’s beeanding arou warm lothio problems with your health. but i ,” a voie drawled from behind him and harry looked up to see drao wathing him looking bemused.
&hink about something,” harry muttered turning bak to look at the ke.
“does your mind not work u’s bel? e to think of it, that would expin a lot.”
in spite of himself harry gri drao’s omment as the bloand beside him.
“so what did they do this time?” drao asked after a moment.
“what?”
drao sighed. “it’s obvious that somethiher bef dio make you this way, and you were up in the gryffindor tower before that. so what did they do?” he expined as if he were speaking to someohi.
“ron…said something.”
“ah, weasel. i should have guessed.”
“don’t all him that.”
“when he’s making you upset i’ll all him what i want.”
“i’m .”
“of ourse, and that’s why you’re standiempting to freeze yourself.”
“he really didn’t say anythi saw the e ring a what date we were goi off.”
drao gred at the snow on the ground as if it were offending him. “how unouth.”
harry looked down at the snoe’re…not goi off thht?”
drao was silent for a moment. “i’ll expiwo ways. logi would remind us that even whe will that i am a veriae and i am boo you. we will have to live tardless, and would o marry anyone else ahere is o break it off.”
harry felt hurt by this expnation for a reaso fathom. he would have to live with drao for the rest of his life, he k. but just having that as a reasohen marriage…
but drao did ime to finish that thought beause he ontinued speaking.
“and for the seond way…” drao’s hand lifted harry’s hin so that harry’s eyes aught his own. the bloo whisper in harry’s ear. “i will remind you that it is i whed to. and i would not allow anything to break our e.”
drao’s mouth found harry’s and harry was lost i made drao…drao malfant, possessive, self-assured, quik to a young, needful and veriae. his arms ed around drao’s shoulders, drawing him lose. he ould feel drao’s hands slide down his loak to rest at the small of his bak, and he ould feel the tws drah his lothing as though they burned upon his skin. the malf and the malf. the right o, mirrored on his hand, marked him as drao’s and marked drao’s as his own.
hermione looked up as ron fell down into the sofa opposite her in the slowly emptying gryffindor on room.
“i just sent ginny to the owlery with the letters we wrote,” she told him.
“that’s good.” ron’s voie souless and unaring. hermioiing his haggard appearane.
“what’s wrong?”
&hing!” roliwo first-years hisperiher in a orner. he fell bak defted against the sofa’s bak. “and nothing,” he whispered. “i don’t know what to do.”
hermioo his side a her arms to him. as he fell iy she pulled him lose. “ened?”
“i saw them. harry and malfoy.”
hermioed as ro rushing his words.
“i don’t think…that they’re goihe e…ever.”
“what?”
“i saw them kissing—again—down by the ke. i know they’d have to keep up appearahat was going too far. whatever they’re feeling, it’s real, hermione.”
hermione roked him slowly as he trailed off again.
“i don’t know what to think! i don’t know what to do! he’s my best friend, but it…it’s malfoy!”