he paused in his stride, fighting the urge to go bak he ouldn’t go bak, he really ouldn’t he doubted professor mgonagall was still up, but the possibility that drao alled her down was too great not that his presene would hange anything he would eat his own shoes if he wasn’t on the train bak to king’s cross at the end of the summer he muked it up but didn’t he always
he resumed his walk of shame bak towards his orridors he would begin paking tonight he didn’t know where he would go well, bak to grimmauld pe, obusly, but he didn’t know what he would do the hope, or rather the fantasy, that drao had wanted him, even in a small way, had really been one of the only thoughts he had taken soe in sine the war and now…and now he knew that drao, alive and well- well, alive and breathing and better than dead, if not exatly well—wanted him but wouldn’t have him or wanted him, but not enough or had wanted him, at some point, but didn’t anymore
he marvelled at the fat that it didn’t make him feel any better, to know that in some pe and time of drao malfoy’s life, he had felt something for harry but he supposed that was beause the knowledge made all of his imagined losses real the awkward first few meals they would have shared after the war, both worried that the other was just going through the mons of being ivil to help move along the post-war unity movement the first few auus touhes that would lead them both to overthink, beause surely, surely he hadn’t meant—but had he? and when they realized that the other had meant it, then they would be faing all the rebuilding they had to do, personally, globally, together instead of separately and so inredibly alone and maybe they’d have fought, sreamed at eah other until they were hoarse, thrown things, made an absolute tip of grimmauld pe with the small wars they waged every night, whih was what everyone would have expeted but maybe they would have been hy harry liked to think they’d have been hy
but drao had been dead he had been dead, so there was beyond a doubt no possibility of these thoughts being more than a fantasy but now he was alive, and if only drao wasn’t so sared, if only mgonagall wasn’t so areful, he ould try it didn’t have to work, but god, he wished they ould try
chapter 7
“mr potter, it is rather te”
“i’m sorry, professor, i realize this is an inonveniene if it weren’t important, i would have waited until m,” harry said, fidgeting nervously on the other side of mgonagall’s desk “i need to make this right”
“mr potter, i haven’t the slightest idea as to what ould be so wrong that it warranted making right at two in the m,” mgonagall sighed “i was under the impresn that these unfortunate te night meetings of ours would end with your learning to behave like an adult”
“that’s what i am trying to do, professor in telling you”
“telling me what?”
“i love him, professor i love him and for his safety, i feel like it would be better that i left,” harry said “i’m sure you agree”
mgonagall froze
“i’m sure i don’t know what you mean”
“the wolf he’s not so muh white as he is blonde, isn’t he? have you ever seen a blonde wolf?”
“i’m not partiurly well versed in the oloran patterns of wolves, mr potter,” mgonagall replied slowly
“there wasn’t a body,” harry ontinued
“what do you mean a body? do you suspet the wolf of having killed someone? surely not a student, there are none left on the grounds”
“professor, you’re smarter than this don’t do me the disservie of pretending you aren’t his mother’s testimony was the only reason we had to believe the pile of ashes was him there was no identifiable body”
“how?” mgonagall asked, her fae darkening as the at she was putting on fell away
“i just knew,” harry lied he didn’t want drao to get in trouble for this, for his living arra to beome any more diffiult than it already was he just wanted him to be hy, as hy as he ould be living as a ghost beause that’s what he was now a man living in the walls, venturing out into the dark, never speaking to another living soul a phantom of his former self “if the person you had fallen in love with was lose by, wouldn’t you feel them, professor? wouldn’t you just know?”
“mr potter harry you uand how important it is that no one knows he’s alive?”
“yes i don’t uand why you two have done what you’ve done but it must have been what he wanted i just want him to be hy”
“if that truly is your main onern, then you must also uand why you leaving puts a bad taste in my mouth i trust you, potter impliitly but one slip up, and his safety is in jeopardy measures must be taken,” mgonagall ontinued
right, harry thought she’ll want to obliviate me
“you must uand that mr malfoy’s hiness and safety is also my first and foremost onern after all, i risked life and limb even bringing him here in the first pe”
“of ourse,” harry replied, pushing down the sik feeling in his stomah
obusly, fetting would be the best ourse of an for all parties involved he ould go bak to his fantasies without knowing there was even a minute hane of them oming to fruin drao and mgonagall would remain out of harm’s way everyone omes out a winner maybe winner was too strong a word
“i need to onsult mr malfoy i trust i an take the time to do that without having to worry about you doing anything rash?”
“of ourse”
“then i will see you in a few hours, mr potter”
and with that he was dismissed
“wake up”
drao was startled out of his sleep by someone shaking his shoulder
“we need to talk,” mgonagall said, promptly exiting his bedroom
she had never ome into his apartments before whil
